Texas floods death toll climbs to more than 100

2 hours ago Share Save Angélica Casas BBC News Reporting from Kerrville, Texas Share Save

Watch: Volunteers help lead search for their neighbours after Texas flooding

The death toll from flash floods that struck central Texas on Friday has now climbed to more than 100 people and an unknown number of others are missing. Search and rescue teams are wading through mud-piled riverbanks as more rain and thunderstorms threaten the region, but hope was fading of finding any more survivors four days after the catastrophe. Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls' summer camp, confirmed at least 27 girls and staff were among the dead. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing. The White House meanwhile rejected suggestions that budget cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) could have inhibited the disaster response.

At least 84 of the victims - 56 adults and 28 children - died in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River was swollen by torrential downpours before daybreak on Friday, the July Fourth public holiday. Some 22 adults and 10 children have yet to be identified, said the county sheriff's office. Why Texas floods were so devastating Camp Mystic said in a statement on Monday: "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy." Richard Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Local pastor Del Way, who knows the Eastland family, told the BBC: "The whole community will miss him [Mr Eastland]. He died a hero."

In its latest forecast, the NWS has predicted more slow-moving thunderstorms, potentially bringing more flash flooding to the region. Critics of the Trump administration have sought to link the disaster to thousands of job cuts at the NWS' parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NWS office responsible for forecasting in the region had five employees on duty as thunderstorms brewed over Texas on Thursday evening, the usual number for an overnight shift when severe weather is expected. Did US government cuts contribute to the Texas tragedy? White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected attempts to blame the president. "That was an act of God," she told a daily briefing on Monday. "It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings and, again, the National Weather Service did its job." She outlined that the NWS office in Austin-San Antonio conducted briefings for local officials on the eve of the flood and sent out a flood watch that afternoon, before issuing numerous flood warnings that night and in the pre-dawn hours of 4 July.

Watch: First responders save people caught in Texas flooding

Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts had hampered the disaster response, initially appearing to shift blame to what he called "the Biden set-up", referring to his Democratic predecessor. "But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either," he added. "I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe." Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, told a news conference on Monday that now was not the time for "partisan finger-pointing".

Watch: Senator Ted Cruz talks about the children lost at Camp Mystic

Trump delays tariffs on 14 countries until August

2 hours ago Share Save Natalie Sherman Business reporter, BBC News Share Save

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President Donald Trump says he has delayed imposing higher tariffs on goods entering the US from 14 countries, including Japan and South Korea. The latest development on global trade by Trump comes as a 90-day pause the White House placed on some of its most aggressive import taxes was set to expire this week. The president renewed his threat of a 25% tax on products entering the country from Japan and South Korea and shared a batch of other letters to world leaders warning of levies from 1 August. Higher tariffs had been set to come into effect on 9 July, having previously been suspended with White House officials saying they would look to strike trade deals.

On Monday, Trump shared letters addressing leaders of 14 countries on social media, informing them of his latest tariff plans, while adding that the rates could be modified "upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country". Most of the tariff rates outlined by Trump were broadly the same from what he had put forward in April, when he made his "Liberation Day" announcement, threatening a wave of new taxes on goods from various countries. The president argues that introducing tariffs will protect American businesses from foreign competition and also boost domestic manufacturing and jobs. But economists say the measures will raise prices in the US and reduce trade. The three main share indexes in the US slipped on Monday, with Toyota's US-listed shares down 4%. Japan sent more than $148bn in goods to the US last year, making it America's fifth biggest supplier of imports, after the European Union (EU), Mexico, China and Canada, according to US trade data. South Korea was also in the top 10. As well as South Korea and Japan, Trump on Monday set out plans for a 40% tariff on goods from Myanmar and Laos, a 36% tariff on goods from Thailand and Cambodia, a 35% tariff on goods from Serbia and Bangladesh, a 32% tariff on Indonesia, a 30% tariff on goods from South Africa and a 25% tariff on goods from Malaysia and Tunisia. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said more letters could follow in the days ahead. She disputed the suggestion that the shifting tariff deadlines from 9 July to 1 August might reduce the power of Trump's threats. "The president's phone, I can tell you, rings off the hook from world leaders all the time who are begging him to come to a deal," she said. When the president first announced a raft of steep tariffs in April, turmoil broke out on financial markets, leading to the president suspending some of the highest duties to allow for talks, while keeping in place a 10% levy.

'Busy couple of days'

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected "a busy couple of days". "We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals," he told US business broadcaster CNBC. Trump had initially described his April tariffs as "reciprocal", claiming they were required to fight back against other countries' trade rules he saw as unfair to US exports. He has separately announced tariffs for key sectors, such as steel and cars, citing national security concerns, and threatened raise levies on other items, such as pharmaceuticals and lumber. The multi-layered policies have complicated trade talks, with car tariffs a key sticking point in negotiations with Japan and South Korea.

Trump upbeat on Gaza ceasefire talks as he hosts Netanyahu

25 minutes ago Share Save Yang Tian BBC News Share Save

Reuters

US President Donald Trump has said he thinks talks to end the war in Gaza have been "going along very well", as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC. Trump also expressed confidence that Hamas was willing to end the 21-month conflict. "They want to meet and they want to have that ceasefire," he said in unexpected remarks to reporters at the White House. Both leaders were asked about potential plans to relocate Palestinians, with Trump saying he has co-operation from countries neighbouring Israel. The meeting came after the latest rounds of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar ended without a breakthrough, though negotiations were expected to continue this week.

In Monday's remarks, Trump was asked by a journalist what was preventing a peace deal in Gaza, and he said: "I don't think there is a hold-up. I think things are going along very well." Netanyahu, meanwhile, said he was working with the US on finding countries that will "give Palestinians a better future". The Palestinian presidency has previously rejected plans to relocate Palestinians, which it pointed out would violate international law. Netanyahu also appeared to play down prospects of full Palestinian statehood, saying that Israel will "always" keep security control over the Gaza Strip. "Now, people will say it's not a complete state, it's not a state. We don't care," Netanyahu said. At the meeting, the Israeli PM also said he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, reportedly a long-held goal of the US president. "He's forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after the other," Netanyahu said as he presented Trump with a letter he sent to the prize committee.

Watch: Moment Benjamin Netanyahu hands Donald Trump nomination for Nobel Peace Prize

Trump has previously said he would be "very firm" with the Israeli PM about ending the war and indicated that "we'll have a deal" this week. The White House initially said it would not make the meeting between the two leaders open to media, with officials describing it as a private dinner during which Trump would prioritise the push for an end to the war and the return of all hostages. Keeping the meeting closed to journalists would have been unusual for a president who likes to platform his positions with foreign leaders in front of the world's press. The US-backed ceasefire proposal would reportedly see Hamas release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in five stages during a 60-day truce. Israel would be required to release an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners and withdraw from parts of Gaza, where it now controls about two-thirds of the territory. Obstacles to a deal remain significant. The main outstanding issue relates to aid, as Hamas insists on ending the work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, while the Israeli delegation refuses to discuss the issue, saying they are not authorised to discuss it. During his visit, Netanyahu met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. As Netanyahu's armoured limousine travelled to the White House, dozens of protesters gathered at security gates, waving Palestinian flags and shouting calls for the Israeli's PM's arrest. Netanyahu, along with his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and a Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, were made subjects of an arrest warrant in November from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu has rejected the allegations, calling the warrants antisemitic, while the Trump administration has imposed sanctions on four ICC judges for what it called "baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel".

Getty Images Protesters wave Palestinian flags during Benjamin Netanyahu's visit with Donald Trump in Washington DC

Postmasters await compensation report, but findings on blame months away

2 hours ago Share Save Emma Simpson and Mitchell Labiak Business correspondent & Business reporter, BBC News Share Save

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Tuesday will mark another big milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal. The chair of the inquiry into it – Sir Wyn Williams – will publish the first part of his final report, focusing on compensation and the human impact of the scandal. Thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the Post Office's faulty Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu. More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison in what is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history.

Sir Wyn put those victims at the heart of the inquiry's work, which has pored over several decades worth of technical evidence and grilled many of those who had a role in ruining so many lives. Dozens of sub-postmasters gave evidence too - many who had lost their businesses, their homes and some who served prison sentences. Sir Wyn's findings on their treatment will surely be damning given everything he has heard since the inquiry began in 2022. The inquiry became almost box office viewing - racking up more than 20 million views on YouTube, with people with no connection to the Post Office following it closely. However, it is going to be months before we find out who Sir Wyn will point the finger of blame at. That will come in part two of the report, meaning that accountability is still a long way off.

'Patchwork quilt'

From India to Britain and back: The cartoonist who fought censors with a smile

5 hours ago Share Save Soutik Biswas • @soutikBBC India correspondent Share Save

BBC Abu's cartoons sharply captured the media's servility during the Emergency

"It's unfair to lift censorship suddenly," growls a grizzled newspaper editor into the phone, a copy of The Daily Pulp sprawled across his desk. "We should be given time to prepare our minds." The cartoon capturing this moment - piercing and satirical - is the work of Abu Abraham, one of India's finest political cartoonists. His pen skewered power with elegance and edge, especially during the 1975 Emergency, a 21-month stretch of suspended civil liberties and muzzled media under Indira Gandhi's rule. The press was silenced overnight on 25 June. Delhi's newspaper presses lost power, and by morning censorship was law. The government demanded the press bend to its will - and, as opposition leader LK Advani later famously remarked, many "chose to crawl". Another famous cartoon - he signed them Abu, after his pen name - from that time shows a man asking another: "What do you think of editors who are more loyal than the censor?" In many ways, half a century later, Abu's cartoons still ring true. India currently ranks 151st in the World Press Freedom Index, compiled annually by Reporters Without Borders. This reflects growing concerns about media independence under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Critics allege increasing pressure and attacks on journalists, acquiescent media and a shrinking space for dissenting voices. The government dismisses these claims, insisting that the media remain free and vibrant.

One of Abu's iconic Emergency cartoons shows President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signing the proclamation from his bathtub

After nearly 15 years drawing cartoons in London for The Observer and The Guardian, Abu had returned to India in the late 1960s. He joined the Indian Express newspaper as a political cartoonist at a time when the country was grappling with intense political upheaval. He later wrote that pre-censorship - which required newspapers and magazines to submit their news reports, editorials and even ads to government censors before publication - began two days after the Emergency was declared, was lifted after a few weeks, then reimposed a year later for a shorter period. "For the rest of the time I had no official interference. I have not bothered to investigate why I was allowed to carry on freely. And I am not interested in finding out." Indira Gandhi's Emergency: When India's democracy was put on pause Many of Abu's Emergency-era cartoons are iconic. One shows then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed signing the proclamation from his bathtub, capturing the haste and casualness with which it was issued (Ahmed signed the Emergency declaration that Gandhi had issued shortly before midnight on 25 June). Among Abu's striking works are several cartoons boldly stamped with "Not passed by censors", a stark mark of official suppression. In one, a man holds a placard that reads "Smile!" - a sly jab at the government's forced-positivity campaigns during the Emergency. His companion deadpans, "Don't you think we have a lovely censor of humour?" - a line that cuts to the heart of state-enforced cheer. Another seemingly innocuous cartoon shows a man at his desk sighing, "My train of thought has derailed." Another features a protester carrying a sign that reads "SaveD democracy" - the "D" awkwardly added on top, as if democracy itself were an afterthought.

Among Abu's striking works are several censored cartoons, stamped with the censor's ink

Abu also took aim at Sanjay Gandhi, the unelected son of Indira Gandhi, who many believed ran a shadow government during the Emergency, wielding unchecked power behind the scenes. Sanjay's influence was both controversial and feared. He died in a plane crash in 1980 - four years before his mother, Indira, was assassinated by her bodyguards. Abu's work was intensely political. "I have come to the conclusion that there's nothing non-political in the world. Politics is simply anything that is controversial and everything in the world is controversial," he wrote in Seminar magazine in 1976. He also bemoaned the state of humour - strained and manufactured - when the press was gagged. "If cheap humour could be manufactured in a factory, the public would rush to queue up in our ration shops all day. As our newspapers become progressively duller, the reader, drowning in boredom, clutches at every joke. AIR [India's state-run radio station] news bulletins nowadays sound like a company chairman's annual address. Profits are carefully and elaborately enumerated, losses are either omitted or played down. Shareholders are reassured," Abu wrote. In a tongue-in-cheek column for the Sunday Standard in 1977, Abu poked fun at the culture of political flattery with a fictional account of a meeting of the "All India Sycophantic Society". The spoof featured the society's imaginary president declaring: "True sycophancy is non-political." The satirical monologue continued with mock proclamations: "Sycophancy has a long and historic tradition in our country… 'Servility before self' is our motto."

Abu also took aim at Sanjay Gandhi, the controversial unelected son of Indira Gandhi

Abu's parody culminated in the society's guiding vision: "Touching all available feet and promoting a broad-based programme of flattery." Born as Attupurathu Mathew Abraham in the southern state of Kerala in 1924, Abu began his career as a reporter at the nationalist Bombay Chronicle, driven less by ideology than a fascination with the power of the printed word. His reporting years coincided with India's dramatic journey to independence, witnessing firsthand the euphoria that gripped Bombay (now Mumbai). Reflecting on the press, he later noted, "The press has pretensions of being a crusader but is more often a preserver of the status quo." After two years with Shankar's Weekly, a well-known satire magazine, Abu set his sights on Europe. A chance encounter with British cartoonist Fred Joss in 1953 propelled him to London, where he quickly made a mark. His debut cartoon was accepted by Punch within a week of arrival, earning praise from editor Malcolm Muggeridge as "charming". Freelancing for two years in London's competitive scene, Abu's political cartoons began appearing in Tribune and soon attracted the attention of The Observer's editor David Astor.

Abu's cartoon marks Gandhi calling the 1977 election, ending the Emergency. She lost the election

Abu spent a decade at The Observer and three years at The Guardian