Trump orders India tariff hike to 50% for buying Russian oil

A response from India's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Delhi had already made clear its stance on imports from Russia, and reiterated that the tariff is "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

The new rate will come into effect in 21 days, so on 27 August, according to the executive order.

That will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the United States to 50% - among the highest rates imposed by the US.

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil.

The US president had earlier warned he would raise levies, saying India doesn't "care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine".

"India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests," it added.

"It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the US should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest," the brief statement read.

Watch: BBC pushes Trump on sanctioning India over Russian oil

On Wednesday, the White House said in a statement that the "Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to US national security and foreign policy, necessitating stronger measures to address the national emergency".

It said India's imports of Russian oil undermine US efforts to counter Russia's activities in Ukraine.

It added that the US will determine which other countries import oil from Russia, and will "recommend further actions to the President as needed".

Oil and gas are Russia's biggest exports, and Moscow's biggest customers include China, India and Turkey.

Speaking later at an event in the White House, Trump took a question from the BBC on the subject and said the tariff on India was just the start - "You're going to see a lot more, so much secondary sanctions," he said.

The threatened tariff hike follows meetings on Wednesday by Trump's top envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The additional tariff would mean a steep 50% duty on key Indian exports like textiles, gems and jewellery, auto parts, and seafood, hitting major job-creating sectors.

Electronics, including iPhones, and pharma remain exempt for now.

Delhi has previously called Trump's threat to raise tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia "unjustified and unreasonable".

In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".

He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

The latest threatened tariff demonstrates Trump's willingness to impose sanctions related to the war in Ukraine even against nations that the US considers to be important allies or trading partners.

This could be a warning that other countries could feel a real bite if Trump ramps up those kind of sanctions once Friday's deadline passes, when the US president has threatened new sanctions on Russia and to place 100% tariffs on countries that purchase its oil.

This would not be the first time the Trump administration has imposed secondary tariffs, which are also in place to punish buyers of Venezuelan oil.

India has previously criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the levies, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia.

Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs.

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have in the past referred to each other as friends and, during Trump's first term, attended political rallies in each others' countries.

But that has not stopped Trump from hitting India with the levies, suggesting diverging interests between New Delhi and Washington.

The Federation of India Exports Organisations has called the decision to impose additional tariffs "extremely shocking", adding that it will hit 55% of India's exports to America.

The tariffs are expected to make Indian goods far costlier in the US, and could cut US-bound exports by 40–50%, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank.

"India should remain calm, avoid retaliation for at least six months, and recognise that meaningful trade negotiations with the US cannot proceed under threats or mistrust," former Indian trade official and head of GTRI, Ajay Srivastava, said.

With additional analysis from BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

Trump says 'good prospect' of summit with Putin and Zelensky after envoy's Russia visit

Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin on Wednesday morning

The meeting came days before Trump's deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, or face new sanctions.

The Kremlin earlier issued a vague statement about the talks between Putin and Steve Witkoff, with a foreign policy aide saying the two sides had exchanged "signals" as part of "constructive" talks in Moscow.

Asked at the White House whether the two leaders had agreed to such a summit, the US president said there was a "very good prospect", but did not give further details.

Donald Trump has said there is a "good chance" he could meet the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, following what he described as "very good talks" between his envoy and Vladimir Putin earlier in the day.

Trump's comments in the Oval Office on Wednesday come after he posted on his Truth Social platform that he had briefed some of America's European allies following the talks.

"Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come," Trump said.

The White House also told the BBC that Russia had expressed a desire to meet the US president and that he was "open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile said he had spoken to Trump about Witkoff's visit, with European leaders also on the call.

Zelensky has been warning that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money.

Trump has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the war.

Wednesday's discussions between Putin and Witkoff appeared cordial despite Trump's mounting irritation with the lack of progress in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

Images shared by Russian outlets showed Putin and Witkoff - who have met several times previously - smiling and shaking hands in a gilded hall at the Kremlin.

Shortly after Witkoff's departure from Moscow, the White House said Trump had signed an executive order imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. The tariff would come into force on 27 August.

The US president has accused India of not caring "how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian war machine".

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Before taking office in January, Trump said he would be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. The conflict has raged on, and his rhetoric towards Moscow has since hardened.

"We thought we had [the war] settled numerous times, and then President Putin goes out and starts launching rockets into some city like Kyiv and kills a lot of people in a nursing home or whatever," he said last month.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to an end, three-and-a-half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m (£150m) of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence co-operation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was one of the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

Airport runway reopens after emergency landing

2 hours ago Share Save Chloe Hughes BBC News, West Midlands Share Save

Footage shows plane landing at Birmingham Airport

Thousands of people travelling to and from Birmingham Airport have been hit by delays and cancellations after a light aircraft made an emergency landing on its runway. Woodgate Aviation, which owns the plane, said one of its Beechcraft fixed-wing aircraft had developed landing gear problems on the journey from Birmingham to Belfast. Two crew members and one passenger were onboard, but were not seriously injured when the main undercarriage collapsed on touchdown. The runway was shut for more than six hours until the plane was removed at about 19:30 BST, after which the airport said it had reopened.

The first plane to depart from the airport after its reopening was a Wizz Air flight to Bucharest, Romania, which had been scheduled to leave Birmingham at 14:10. A number of flights on the Birmingham Airport online departure board also showed that they were open for check-in. Some passengers told the BBC that their planes were cancelled "moments before boarding" on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, a Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: "We understand the frustration and apologise for the disruption this has caused. "Our teams have worked as quickly as possible, in line with strict protocols, which must be followed to ensure a safe reopening of the runway following a prolonged closure."

Mr Singh Photos on social media show a small aircraft on the runway

At least 10 flights due to depart from the airport were cancelled. Others were delayed by more than five hours, and more than 20 due to land there were diverted to other airports. West Midlands Police, West Midlands Fire Service, and Birmingham Airport Police were among the agencies at the scene. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was investigating the incident.

Faye Faye and her family's holiday was cancelled altogether

Faye, who was travelling with her partner and four children, said they found out about the incident on Facebook. They had been due to fly to Antalya in Turkey with Jet2 at 14:55. While waiting at the airport, the family was given £10 per person by the airline for food and drinks. Faye told the BBC she subsequently received a text message saying the whole holiday had been cancelled, and there would be a full refund in four to five days. She and her family were waiting to collect their baggage along with about 400 other people, her children "sobbing and crying", she said. "We are stuck here waiting for our baggage and it's boiling hot... and now our kids aren't going to have a holiday," she added.

James Conibere James Conibere said passengers were frustrated with the lack of updates

James Conibere and his family of eight were hoping to board a flight to Malta on Wednesday afternoon. He told the BBC it was a retirement gift for his mother-in-law, and they had arrived at the airport shortly before the incident, at 13:00. While the family sat in a Wetherspoons, waiting for updates, Mr Conibere said he watched other passengers searching for somewhere to sit in the crowded pub, many of them frustrated. "Lots of people are getting agitated and angry by the lack of information from the airport," he said. "We have received a food voucher from Ryanair. We're relying on news outlets for information."

Inbound passengers also reported long delays. Diana Celella, from Sutton Coldfield, was due to return from Lisbon on a Ryanair flight departing at 20:20 after a week-long holiday with her husband. Her flight is now due to leave at 23:05, after being pushed back several times. "If we do manage to take off tonight, we'll count ourselves lucky under the circumstances," she said. "Everyone we've spoken to recognises that it's out of Ryanair's control. However, there's been a lack of clear communication."

What do we know about the aircraft?

Flightrader24 The plane had to turn back to Birmingham

The aircraft involved in this incident was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a small, twin-engine propeller plane that has been in production since the 1970s. This flight was departing from Birmingham and headed to Belfast. It departed at 13:11, but soon had to make a turn and flew in a holding pattern, landing back at Birmingham Airport at 13:58. The plane transmitted a 7700 squawk code - which are broadcast to tell air traffic control that there is an emergency and the aircraft needs priority handling.

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On Ukraine's front line, twisted wreckage shows sanctions haven't yet stopped Russia

2 hours ago Share Save Jonathan Beale Defence correspondent in Kharkiv Share Save

Lee Durant/BBC Dymtro Chubenko collects and documents evidence of Russian attacks

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western nations have imposed far-reaching sanctions on the aggressor, in a bid to stymy its war effort. But on the ground here in Ukraine, these sanctions seem to have limited impact. Just outside Kharkiv, at a secret location, lies a collection of twisted metal remnants from attacks in and around the city. It's a scrapyard of savagery - the remains of many of the Russian bombs, rockets, missiles and drones used to hit in and around Kharkiv over the past three and a half years. "This is the material evidence with which we, as prosecutors, will prove the guilt of Russia in committing war crimes," Dymtro Chubenko of the Kharkiv Region Prosecutor's Office tells me. Every piece of rocket and drone here has been carefully collected and analysed. Dmytro shows me one of the latest editions – a Russian version of Iran's Shaheed drone. Russia has recently been firing hundreds of these Kamikaze drones at Ukraine's towns and cities. They're relatively cheap to make, he tells me – about $20,000 (£15,000) each. He points to the nearby carcass of a Russian cruise missile. He says these cost millions. But these weapons are not fully Russian-made - they contain "many components from western nations," Dmytro says. "It's possible [for Russia] to circumvent sanctions, but doing nothing is not an option either," he adds.

Lee Durant/BBC Russia is launching hundreds of its own version of the Shahed drone at Ukraine

Donald Trump appears to have lost patience with President Vladimir Putin. After early efforts at rapprochement between the US and Russia, the US president has now threatened to boost sanctions on the Kremlin unless Russia agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine by this Friday. Trump has said secondary sanctions will also come into force that day, affecting any country trading with Russia. He has already imposed an additional 25% tariff on India for buying Russian oil. US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday for talks ahead of the looming deadline. So, if President Trump chooses to impose more sanctions on the Kremlin, would it be enough to force Russia to change course in this war? Dymtro believes hitting Russian oil and gas exports could have a significant economic impact. "We will not be able to stop it with a snap of our fingers, but we need to do it, we need to act," he says. There is hope that President Trump might act. Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres from the Russian border, has borne the brunt of many strikes throughout the war. Thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Throughout the region almost 3,000 civilians have been killed, 97 of them children. Police Colonel Serhii Bolvinov shows me the burnt-out shell of the police headquarters he used to work in. A Russian strike in 2022 killed three of his officers as well as six civilians. He points to the gaping hole in the wall where the missiles entered. Russian tactics, he says, haven't changed. "Russia tries to hit and kill as many civilians as they can."

Lee Durant/BBC Investigators test DNA to identify casualties of Russian strikes

Colonel Bolvinov's job is to investigate every single civilian death. He's leaving no stone unturned. He has 1,000 men and women working for him, now dispersed in basement offices right across the city. They're carrying out painstaking forensic work to build a criminal case against those responsible. Photographs of Russian military officers who've been tied to specific attacks are plastered across the wall – the wanted. In another building, crime scene investigators carry out DNA tests to identify the latest casualties – Ukrainian civilians killed in a Russian rocket attack as they queued up to collect water. Colonel Bolvinov shows me footage from strike - unrecognisable charred bodies lie on the ground. "It's hard to do this work, but it's very important work for future justice for us, for the Ukrainian people," he says. He shows me a three-dimensional computer image of a mass grave in Izium where more than 400 bodies were discovered. "Some of the cases leave a scar on all of us, and we will never forget this trauma," he says. Colonel Bolvinov says he wants to see an end to this war. He hopes President Trump's increasing pressure on President Putin will work. But the police chief doesn't want peace at any price. "Peace without justice, is not really peace," he says. Even if a ceasefire can be agreed, it still won't address the wounds of most Ukrainian people.

Lee Durant/BBC Police Colonel Serhii Bolvinov says Ukraine can't have peace without justice

At a cemetery outside Kharkiv is another reminder of the cost of the war: the ever-growing ranks of dead Ukrainian soldiers. Each grave is marked by the blue and gold of the national flag. The silence here is only broken by the sound of them flapping in the wind. Nearby, in the civilian section of the cemetery, a mother and her family are placing flowers on their daughter's grave. Sofia was just 14 years old when a Russian glide bomb took her life last year. She was sitting on a park bench in Kharkiv, enjoying the warm summer afternoon with a friend. I ask her mother Yulia if President Trump's increasing pressure on Russia can bring any comfort, but she's not optimistic. "These conversations have already been going on too long," she tells me. "But so far there are no results… Hope is fading."

The secret system Hamas uses to pay government salaries

6 hours ago Share Save Rushdi Abualouf Gaza correspondent in Istanbul Share Save

MOHAMMED SABER/EPA Scenes like these have led to condemnation of Israeli restrictions on aid deliveries

After nearly two years of war, Hamas's military capability is severely weakened and its political leadership under intense pressure. Yet, throughout the war Hamas has managed to continue to use a secret cash-based payment system to pay 30,000 civil servants' salaries totalling $7m (£5.3m). The BBC has spoken to three civil servants who have confirmed they have received nearly $300 each within the last week. It's believed they are among tens of thousands of employees who have continued to receive a maximum of just over 20% of their pre-war salary every 10 weeks. Amid soaring inflation, the token salary - a fraction of the full amount - is causing rising resentment among the party faithful. Severe food shortages – which aid agencies blame on Israeli restrictions - and rising cases of acute malnutrition continue in Gaza, where a kilogramme of flour in recent weeks has cost as much as $80 - an all-time high.

With no functioning banking system in Gaza, even receiving the salary is complex and at times, dangerous. Israel regularly identifies and targets Hamas salary distributors, seeking to disrupt the group's ability to govern. Employees, from police officers to tax officials, often receive an encrypted message on their own phones or their spouses' instructing them to go to a specific location at a specific time to "meet a friend for tea". At the meeting point, the employee is approached by a man - or occasionally a woman - who discreetly hands over a sealed envelope containing the money before vanishing without further interaction. An employee at the Hamas Ministry of Religious Affairs, who doesn't want to give his name for safety reasons, described the dangers involved in collecting his wages. "Every time I go to pick up my salary, I say goodbye to my wife and children. I know that I may not return," he said. "On several occasions, Israeli strikes have hit the salary distribution points. I survived one that targeted a busy market in Gaza City." Alaa, whose name we have changed to protect his identity, is a schoolteacher employed by the Hamas-run government and the sole provider for a family of six. "I received 1,000 shekels (about $300) in worn-out banknotes - no trader would accept them. Only 200 shekels were usable - the rest, I honestly don't know what to do with," he told the BBC. "After two-and-a-half months of hunger, they pay us in tattered cash. "I'm often forced to go to aid distribution points in the hope of getting some flour to feed my children. Sometimes I succeed in bringing home a little, but most of the time I fail." In March the Israeli military said they had killed the head of Hamas's finances, Ismail Barhoum, in a strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. They accused him of channelling funds to Hamas's military wing. It remains unclear how Hamas has managed to continue funding salary payments given the destruction of much of its administrative and financial infrastructure. One senior Hamas employee, who served in high positions and is familiar with Hamas's financial operations, told the BBC that the group had stockpiled approximately $700m in cash and hundreds of millions of shekels in underground tunnels prior to the group's deadly 7 October 2023 attack in southern Israel, which sparked the devastating Israeli military campaign. These were allegedly overseen directly by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed - both of whom have since been killed by Israeli forces.

Anger at reward for Hamas supporters

Hamas has historically relied on funding from heavy import duties and taxes imposed on Gaza's population, as well as receiving millions of dollars of support from Qatar. The Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing which operates through a separate financial system, is financed mainly by Iran. A senior official from the banned Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, one of the most influential Islamist organisations in the world, has said that around 10% of their budget was also directed to Hamas.

In order to generate revenue during the war, Hamas has also continued to levy taxes on traders and has sold large quantities of cigarettes at inflated prices up to 100 times their original cost. Before the war, a box of 20 cigarettes cost $5 - that has now risen to more than $170. In addition to cash payments, Hamas has distributed food parcels to its members and their families via local emergency committees whose leadership is frequently rotated due to repeated Israeli strikes. That has fuelled public anger, with many residents in Gaza accusing Hamas of distributing aid only to its supporters and excluding the wider population. Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid that has entered Gaza during the ceasefire earlier this year, something Hamas denies. However BBC sources in Gaza have said that significant quantities of aid were taken by Hamas during this time. Nisreen Khaled, a widow left caring for three children after her husband died of cancer five years ago, told the BBC: "When the hunger worsened, my children were crying not only from pain but also from watching our Hamas-affiliated neighbours receive food parcels and sacks of flour. "Are they not the reason for our suffering? Why didn't they secure food, water, and medicine before launching their 7 October adventure?"

Wrong remains from Air India crash 'adds to trauma', says family

2 hours ago Share Save Thomas Mackintosh BBC News Share Save

Family Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, left, and his husband Jamie "lived together, married and died together", his sister says

A woman whose brother died in the Air India crash and then received the wrong body says it has "added trauma" to her family. Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, were among the 242 people on board the flight which crashed on 12 June soon after taking off for London Gatwick from Ahmedabad. His sister Arwen Greenlaw told BBC Newsnight her family was seeking dignity and closure as well as accountability for those who mislabelled her brother's remains. The Foreign Office said it continues to support families affected by the Air India crash with "dedicated caseworkers", adding that the "formal identification of bodies is a matter for the Indian authorities".

Ms Greenlaw, from Cambridge, told the BBC she wanted "dignity" for her brother and "closure for the family". "If that is not possible - because the worst case scenario is that he has been cremated as somebody else - then we need to know that in order to move on," she added. "Somebody mislabelled remains - that has added trauma." She said it appeared there was a "lack of forensic protocols" at the scene of the crash, and the site was "not closed for 48 hours". "It just can't happen again," she said. "I think the whole family were and still are in complete disbelief because it is things that happen on the news and to other people. It was shocking and is confusing."

There were 230 passengers and 12 crew on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. Many people living in a residential neighbourhood near Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport where the jet came down were also killed, taking the number of confirmed casualties to at least 270. This included a number of medical students staying in the area. A preliminary investigative 15-page report published last month said fuel to the engines of the plane cut off just seconds after take-off. Circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear. The report said in recovered cockpit voice recordings, one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so". A final report into the crash is expected in 12 months.

In the days after the fatal crash, Ms Greenlaw said their mother flew out to India as part of the formal identification process. "By her own words it was a chaotic scene," Ms Greenlaw recalled. "She went straight to the hospital to give a blood sample, we were told it would be up to 72 hours to get a positive identification - and that was about right. "She returned from India with what she thought were her son's remains. It has been the equivalent of losing him twice. "Mum had seen the situation there, smelt the smells, seen the sights, seen the crash site. I think for her that made it more real to be able to see that."

Arwen Greenlaw said her family are feeling "up and down"

Ms Greenlaw explained when the casket was returned it was tested and found to be "the remains of two different people". As a result, a coroner in London decided to carry out further tests and the family were able to get some DNA from Fiongal's headphones that proved the remains were not his. "I would say we go up and down with feelings," Ms Greenlaw said when asked how the family are feeling. "We are not naïve, we understand it must have been a horrendous situation and my heart goes out to those who did the clear up - but we know Finn's remains were found. "At that point you would expect the remains to come home. If he had not been matched we could get our heads around that."

EPA Investigators are still trying to establish the cause of the crash

Mr Greenlaw-Meeks founded The Wellness Foundry in Ramsgate, in Kent, in 2018 with his husband joining as a managing director five years later. They had also been due to be hosting workshops at Ramsgate Pride event in June. Moments before boarding the Air India flight, the pair posted a video to social media on their last night in the country, where Mr Greenlaw-Meeks reflected on a "magical experience". "They were amazing," Ms Greenlaw said. "Two parts of the one soul. They lived together, they married and they died together. They were two halves of one."

The Foreign Office told the BBC it is continuing to liaise with the Gujarati government and the Indian government on behalf of the Inner West London Senior Coroner to support the coronial process. "We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them," a Foreign Office spokesperson said. "Foreign Office staff continue to support the families and loved ones in line with our consular remit. "We have allocated dedicated caseworkers to each family who wish to have one."

Instagram Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek shared this video to their Instagram page

Ms Greenlaw's comments come days after a separate memorial service was held on Sunday in Wembley to remember two other victims who died on the flight - Ashok and Shobhana Patel. Their son Miten Patel told the BBC last month that he had discovered "other remains" were in his mother's casket when her body was returned to the UK. Doctors had to re-identify Mr Patel's mother's remains and his family were also able to recover his father's ring, which he was wearing when the plane crashed.

People returned to live in Pompeii's ruins, archaeologists say

New evidence suggests people returned to live among the ruins of Pompeii after the ancient Roman city was devastated by a volcanic eruption.

Archaeologists believe some survivors who could not afford to start a new life elsewhere returned to the site and may have been joined by others looking for a place to settle.

Pompeii was home to more than 20,000 people before Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, burying - and preserving - much of the city, before its rediscovery in the 16th century.

There had been previous speculation that survivors had returned to the ruins, and archaeologists at the site said in a statement on Wednesday that the theory appears to have been confirmed by new research.

British man accused of trying to drown daughter-in-law in US pool

2 hours ago Share Save Tom McArthur BBC News Share Save

Polk County Sheriff's Office

A British man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law in a Florida swimming pool. Mark Gibbon, 62, was on holiday with his family at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, near Walt Disney World Resort, when the disagreement over his grandchildren erupted, Polk County Sheriff department said. Mr Gibbon, from Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, is accused of pushing and holding the 33-year-old woman's head under the water multiple times preventing her from breathing. He is charged with attempted second-degree murder and two counts of battery.

France wildfire is 'catastrophe on an unprecedented scale', says PM

3 hours ago Share Save Rachel Hagan & Tom McArthur BBC News Share Save

Watch: Deadly wildfire spreads in southern France

French Prime Minister François Bayrou says a huge, deadly wildfire sweeping through the south of France is a "catastrophe on an unprecedented scale". He has been visiting the Aude region, where wildfires have scorched an area larger than Paris. Bayrou said the wildfire is linked to global warming and drought. An elderly woman has been killed and at least one other person is missing as 2,150 firefighters continue to tackle the blaze, which has burnt more than 15,000 hectares (58 sq miles). At least 13 people have been injured, according to media reports. The blaze broke out on Tuesday near the village of La Ribaute. Officials say it is France's biggest wildfire since 1949.

Firefighters supported by dozens of water-bombing aircraft are still battling the blaze, which the authorities have warned could rage for several more days. "The fire is still very active and the situation remains unfavourable," Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture told the AFP news agency, citing drought conditions, rising temperatures and strong winds. The main affected villages are Lagrasse, Fabrezan, Tournissan, Coustouge and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse. Residents have been urged not to return home, and 17 temporary accommodation sites have been opened across the region, a statement from the Aude prefecture said. At least 25 homes have been destroyed and more than 2,500 households are without electricity. Dozens of vehicles have also been burnt out, officials said. Some roads in the region have reopened to traffic.

Getty Images The fire has scorched an area bigger than Paris

The fire advanced rapidly, driven by strong winds, dry vegetation and hot summer weather, officials said. Jacques Piraud, mayor of the village of Jonquières, where several houses burned down, told Le Monde that around 80% of the village was burnt. "It's dramatic. Its black, the trees are completely charred," he said. Images show blackened, burnt out cars and people sitting on beaches three hours away where thick black clouds were still visible. In satellite images shared by Météo-France, the plume of smoke released by the fire is visible from space. "This is a disaster of unprecedented scale," firefighter spokesman Eric Brocardi told RTL radio. "All of the nation's resources are mobilised," President Emmanuel Macron said on X, and called on people to exercise "the utmost caution".

X/@SDIS11OFFICIEL The fire has been fanned by strong winds, officials say

People as far as 30km (18 miles) away from the fire have reported feeling its impact. "The air is suffocating...the smell of burning has seeped into homes," Serge de Souza, a local in the seaside town of Port-la-Nouvelle, told AFP. The region has become increasingly vulnerable in recent years due to lower rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which once helped slow the spread of wildfires.

Scientists have long warned that the Mediterranean's soaring hot and dry summers place the region at high risk of severe wildfires. According to France's emergency management service, nearly 15,000 hectares (57.9 square miles) have burned nationwide this summer in more than 9,000 separate fires. The Aude blaze now accounts for the same amount of damage as all the previous fires.

Could RFK Jr's move to pull mRNA vaccine funding be a huge miscalculation?

9 hours ago Share Save James Gallagher • @JamesTGallagher Health and science correspondent Share Save

Getty Images

mRNA vaccines were heralded as a medical marvel that saved lives during the Covid pandemic, but now the US is pulling back from researching them. US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has cancelled 22 projects - worth $500m (£376m) in funding – for tackling infections such as Covid and flu. So does Kennedy - probably the country's most famous vaccine sceptic – have a point, or is he making a monumental miscalculation? Prof Adam Finn, vaccine researcher at the University of Bristol, says "it's a bit of both" but ditching mRNA technology is "stupid" and potentially a "catastrophic error". Let's unpick why. Kennedy says he has reviewed the science on mRNA vaccines, concluding that the "data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu". Instead, he says, he would shift funding to "safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate". So are mRNA vaccines safe? Are they effective? Would other vaccine technologies be better? And another question is where should mRNA vaccines fit into the pantheon of other vaccine technologies - because there are many: Inactivated vaccines use the original virus or bacterium, kill it, and use that to train the immune system - such as the annual flu shot

use the original virus or bacterium, kill it, and use that to train the immune system - such as the annual flu shot Attenuated vaccines do not kill the infectious agent, but make it weaker so it causes a mild infection - such as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine

do not kill the infectious agent, but make it weaker so it causes a mild infection - such as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine Conjugate vaccines use bits of protein or sugar from a bug, so it triggers an immune response without causing an infection - like for types of meningitis

use bits of protein or sugar from a bug, so it triggers an immune response without causing an infection - like for types of meningitis mRNA vaccines use a fragment of genetic code that temporarily instructs the body to make parts of a virus, and the immune system reacts to that Each has advantages and disadvantages, but Prof Finn argues we "overhyped" mRNA vaccines during the pandemic to the exclusion of other approaches, and now there is a process of adjusting. "But to swing the pendulum so far that mRNA is useless and has no value and should not be developed or understood better is equally stupid, it did do remarkable things," he says.

Do mRNA vaccines work?

The claim that mRNA vaccines do not protect against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu "just isn't true", says Prof Andrew Pollard from the Oxford Vaccine Group, who is soon stepping down as the head of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the UK government. The vaccines were shown to provide protection – keeping people alive and out of hospital – in both clinical trials and then during intense monitoring of how the vaccines performed when they were rolled out around the world. In the first year of vaccination during the Covid pandemic, it was estimated that the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine alone saved nearly 6 million lives. Against that there were a small number of cases of inflammation of heart tissue – called myocarditis – particularly in young men. "Very rare side effects should be balanced against the huge benefit of the technology," says Prof Pollard. The pandemic was an era when the world was single-mindedly focused on Covid and the rollout of vaccines was monitored intensely. The consensus opinion remains they did overwhelmingly more good than harm. But that does not mean they are a perfect technology.

Getty Images

The mRNA Covid vaccines train the immune system to target just one protein out of the whole virus. If that protein in the coronavirus changes or mutates then the body's protection is lessened. We have seen the consequences of that – immunity wanes and the vaccines need to be updated. One theoretical argument is that a different vaccine approach – such as using the whole virus – would give better protection, as the immune system would have more to target. However, Prof Pollard says the mRNA vaccines performed better than the inactivated ones when tackling Covid. He says that is probably down to the way they are made - and the fact that the process of killing the virus also "changes the viral proteins so there is less stimulation of the immune system" in comparison with mRNA vaccines. The need to update vaccines is not a failing of mRNA technology that can be easily solved by pivoting from one technology to another - instead, it is down to the fundamental nature of some viruses. The same measles or HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccines have been effective for decades and show no sign of failing as the virus's genetic codes are more stable in each case. But some viruses live in a perpetual state of flux. Flu, for example, is not one virus - but instead a constantly-shifting target. At any time, one strain will be in the ascendancy and be the most likely to cause trouble in winter. In flu, the inactivated flu injection that is given to adults is updated every year - as is the live vaccine that is given to children as a nasal spray. A future mRNA form of flu vaccine would work the same way. "The point about keeping up with variants is about all technologies, not just mRNA," says Prof Pollard.

mRNA is 'streets ahead' when speed is needed

Trump-Modi ties hit rock bottom with new tariffs on India over Russian oil

8 hours ago Share Save Vikas Pandey BBC News, Delhi Share Save

Reuters Donald Trump has accused "good friend" India of funding Russia's war against Ukraine by purchasing its oil

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first world leaders to visit Washington weeks after US President Donald Trump started his second term. He called Modi his "great friend" as the two countries set an ambitious target of doubling their trade to $500bn by 2030. But less than six months later, the relationship appears to have hit rock bottom. Trump has now imposed a total of 50% tariffs on goods imported from India, and his earlier threat of levying an extra 10% for the country's membership in the Brics grouping, which includes China, Russia and South Africa as founding members, still stands.

He initially imposed a 25% tariff, but announced an additional 25% on Wednesday as a penalty for Delhi's purchase of Russian oil - a move the Indian government called "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable". And just last week, Trump called India's economy "dead". This is a stunning reversal in a relationship that has gone from strength to strength over the past two decades, thanks to efforts by successive governments in both countries, bipartisan support and convergence on global issues. In the past few weeks, there were positive signals from Washington and Delhi about an imminent trade deal. Now that looks increasingly difficult, if not impossible. So what went wrong? A series of missteps, grandstanding, geopolitics and domestic political pressure seem to have broken down the negotiations. Delhi has been restrained in its response so far to Trump's tirades, hoping that diplomacy might eventually help secure a trade deal. But in Trump's White House, there are no guarantees. Trump has commented on many issues that Delhi considers red lines. The biggest among them is Trump repeatedly putting India and its rival Pakistan on an equal footing.

Bloomberg via Getty Images Trump has warned of higher tariffs against India if it continues to buy Russian oil

The US president hosted Pakistani army chief Asim Munir at the White House just weeks after a bitter conflict between the two South Asian rivals. He then signed a trade deal with Pakistan, offering the country a preferential tariff rate of 19%, along with a deal to explore the country's oil reserves. He went as far as saying that some day, Pakistan might sell oil to India. Another constant irritant for Delhi is Trump's repeated assertion that the US brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. India sees its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir as its internal affair and has always rejected third-party mediation on the issue. Most world leaders have been sensitive to Delhi's position, including Trump in his first stint as president. But that's no longer the case. The US president has doubled down on his claim even after Modi told India's parliament that "no country had mediated in the ceasefire". Modi didn't name Trump or the US but domestic political pressure is mounting on him not to "bow down" to the White House. "The fact that this is happening against the backdrop of heavy and high-level US engagement with Islamabad immediately after an India-Pakistan conflict is even more galling for Delhi and the wider Indian public. This all sharpens concerns harboured by some in India that the US can't truly be trusted as a partner," says Washington-based South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman. He adds that some of the anger in Delhi might "be Cold War-era baggage coming to the fore", but "this time around it's intensified by real-time developments as well". Modi's government thrives on nationalist issues, so its supporters would likely expect a firm response to the US. It's a Catch-22 situation - Delhi still wants to clinch a deal but also doesn't want to come across as buckling under Trump's pressure. And it appears that Delhi is gradually releasing the restraint. In its response to Washington's anger over India's purchase of Russian oil, Delhi vowed to take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its "national interests and economic security". But the question is why Trump, who loved India's hospitality and called it a great country earlier, has gone on a tirade against a trusted ally. Some analysts see his insults as a pressure tactic to secure a deal that he thinks works for the US. "Trump is a real estate magnate and a tough negotiator. His style may not be diplomatic, but he seeks the outcomes diplomats would. So, I think what he's doing is part of a negotiating strategy," says Jitendra Nath Misra, a former Indian ambassador and now a professor at OP Jindal Global University. A source in the Indian government said that Delhi gave many concessions to Washington, including no tariffs on industrial goods, and a phased reduction of tariffs on cars and alcohol. It also signed a deal to let Elon Musk's Starlink start operations in India. But Washington wanted access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors to reduce the $45bn trade deficit it runs with Delhi.

Getty Images Delhi has said that India and Russia have a time-tested partnership

But these sectors are a red line for Modi or, for that matter, any Indian prime minister. Agriculture and related sectors account for more than 45% of employment in India and successive governments have fiercely protected farmers. Mr Kugelman believes giving in to Washington's demands isn't an option for India. "India first needs to assuage public anger and make clear it won't give in to the pressure. This is critical for domestic political reasons," he says. He also believes that Trump's insistence that India stop importing oil from Moscow has more to do with his growing frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We're seeing Trump continuing to ratchet up his pressure tactics, trying to cut Russia off from its most important oil buyers by penalising them for doing business with Moscow," he says. But Delhi can't afford to stop importing oil from Russia overnight. India is already the world's third biggest consumer of crude and may surpass China in the top position by 2030 as its energy demand is likely to increase with a fast-growing middle class, according to International Energy Agency (IEA). Russia now accounts for more than 30% of India's total oil imports, a significant jump from less than 1% in 2021-22. Many in the West see this as India indirectly funding Moscow's war but Delhi denies this, arguing that buying Russian oil at a discount ensures energy security for millions of its citizens. India also sees Russia as its "all-weather" ally. Moscow has traditionally come to Delhi's rescue during past crises and still enjoys support among the wider Indian public. Moscow is also Delhi's biggest arms supplier, though its share in India's defence import portfolio dropped to 36% between 2020-25 from 55% between 2016 and 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. This was largely due to Delhi boosting domestic manufacturing and buying more from the US, France and Israel. But Russia's role in India's defence strategy can't be overstated. This is something the West understood and didn't challenge - until Trump decided to break from established norms.

NASA Last month, India and the US jointly launched the Nisar satellite

British woman sentenced over Thai drugs smuggling

6 hours ago Share Save Bethany Bell BBC News Reporting from Munich Share Save

Ali Zaidi/BBC Cameron Bradford appeared in court in Germany

A 24-year-old British woman has been given a two-year suspended sentence by a court in Germany for trafficking drugs from Thailand. Cameron Bradford, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was arrested at Munich airport on 22 April while travelling from Bangkok. Munich District Court heard how Bradford had worked as an escort for a man in the UK who had threatened her, telling her to go to Thailand to pick something up for him. On her way back to the UK, customs officials in Munich found 20kg (about 45lb) of marijuana in her suitcase.

Cameron Bradford/Facebook Bradford said her client and two accomplices had tied her to a chair with her clothing, and searched the apartment till they found her money, a sum of £8,600

She told the court that when she was robbed of a week's earnings by a regular client, she was threatened by the man she worked for, Joseph Coleman, who usually took 60% of her earnings. Bradford said he had shouted at her, believing she had set up the situation, and told her she would never work as an escort for him again, the court heard. She said she tried to escape from him, and moved with her young son, but was caught by Mr Coleman who said the only way to resolve the problem was to go to Thailand. "I was really scared," she told the court. On 11 April Bradford left the UK and arrived in Phuket, Thailand, on 12 April, on flights she said Mr Coleman had bought. Some days later she went to Bangkok, following what she said were instructions from Mr Coleman. There she was given a suitcase, swapping it for her own bag of clothes. On her way back to Britain, in transit at Munich airport, German customs officials found marijuana in the suitcase. She told the court she did not know what was in the case, which was locked. "I'm not a criminal," she said. "I don't know what I was doing."

Cameron Bradford/Facebook Bradford, a mother, said she did not know what was in the case, which was locked

Judge Wilfried Dudek said Bradford's life had not gone well. She had been through an early pregnancy and had mixed with the wrong people. He said he found it strange that she had not suspected what was in the case, but accepted she had been under pressure. Bradford said she had never been so sorry in her life and all she wanted to do was go home to her parents and her seven-year-old son. She said she wanted to have a normal life.

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Italy gives final approval for world's longest suspension bridge to Sicily

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted the most recent project has not been easy.

It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project - several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling.

The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes.

Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot.

However, she said on Wednesday that she considers it an "investment in Italy's present and future".

"We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni said.

According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle will run and three lanes of traffic on either side.

Rome is hoping to classify the bridge as a military expenditure to make it count towards the Nato target of 5% of GDP spent on defence.

Transport minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the goal was to complete the bridge between 2032 and 2033.

He also claimed the bridge would create 120,000 jobs a year and bring economic growth to the area. The regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in Europe.

However, the project will still need to be rubber-stamped by the Italian Court of Auditors as well as environmental agencies, both at national and EU level.

Local residents on either side of the strait whose properties may be expropriated will also have to be consulted and could legally challenge the decision, meaning the construction of the bridge may be delayed or stall altogether.

It would not be the first time that the bridge's building has been held up. Since the first plans for it were drawn up more than 50 years ago, various ideas for it have had to be shelved for various reasons and it has long faced stern opposition.

This has included concerns that huge amounts of taxpayers' money would be siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which have a broad influence over politics and society in southern Italy.

On Wednesday, local politicians reiterated their unhappiness with the government's decision.

Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party (PD) called the project was "controversial and divisive", saying it would divert "crucial resources from local transportation, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality healthcare facilities".

Giusy Caminiti, the mayor of Villa San Giovanni near where the bridge would be built on the Calabrian shore, said her town would be badly affected and urged more time for consultations.

Grassroots Calabrian committee "No to the Bridge" slammed Wednesday's announcement and said it was a political manoeuvre, rather than the outcome of a thorough technical evaluation.

Local groups that oppose the bridge also say its construction would use millions of litres of water a day while both Sicily and Calabria regularly struggle with drought.

Currently the only way for trains to cross the Strait is to have the coaches shunted onto ferries and carried over the sea in a 30-minute journey.

Apple to invest $100bn after pressure from Trump

57 minutes ago Share Save Natalie Sherman BBC News Share Save

Watch: Tim Cook presents Trump with glass statue after $100bn investment announcement

Apple plans to boost investment in the US by another $100bn (£75bn) as the tech giant comes under pressure from President Donald Trump. The White House said the money would be used to encourage firms to make more Apple parts in the US and would add to the company's previous pledge to spend $500bn in the US over four years. It comes after Trump singled out Apple by name earlier this year, threatening to raise tariffs on its products if it did not move iPhone manufacturing to the US. Apple chief executive Tim Cook last week referenced the company's earlier commitment and said it was looking to "do more" as it tries to avoid a wave of tariffs poised to hit its products.

During a formal announcement at the White House on Wednesday, the president said that as part of the investment, Apple would "massively" increase spending on its domestic supply chain, including by creating new data centres across the country and building a smart glass production line in Harrisburg, Kentucky that will be used in iPhones and smartwatches. Trump lauded the company for shifting production to the US and said they would be avoiding a 100% tariff that he was planning on chips and semiconductors. He did not offer more details on the new tariff plan, but said other companies could similarly avoid the taxes if they invest in the US. Standing alongside Trump, Mr Cook, who personally donated $1m to Trump's inaugural committee, said the company's initial $500b domestic investment was "already yielding results". The new funding "will spur even more production right here in America for critical components used in Apple products all around the world", the CEO said.

AFP/Getty Trump and Apple boss Tim Cook tour a manufacturing facility in 2019, when Apple avoided tariffs on its products after announcing investments in the US

Mr Cook also presented Trump with a glass statue, which he assembled in the Oval Office's Resolute Desk. Analysts said any significant change to Apple's supply chain would take time, but the company's promise might help it win lighter treatment from the White House, given Trump's focus on increasing business investments in the US. Shares surged more than 5% on Wednesday after the news. In a statement on Wednesday, the White House said the firm's latest pledge was a sign that Trump's policies were convincing companies to put more money into the US. "Today's announcement with Apple is another win for our manufacturing industry that will simultaneously help reshore the production of critical components to protect America's economic and national security," a White House spokesperson said.

Live at Edinburgh Fringe: Masterchef, An AI MP & What The Polls Are Saying in Scotland

Live at Edinburgh Fringe: Masterchef, An AI MP & What The Polls Are Saying in Scotland