US to impose 50% tariffs on steel imports, Trump says

President Donald Trump has announced the US will double its current tariff rate on steel imports from 25% to 50%.

Speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump said the move would help boost the local steel industry and the national output, while decreasing reliance on China.

Trump also said that $14bn would be invested into the area's steel production through a partnership between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel. Details on the partnership are still unclear, though Trump has been touting the deal he'd made.

The announcement is the latest turn in Trump's rollercoaster approach to tariffs since re-entering office in January.

In Oval Office farewell, Trump says Elon Musk is 'not really leaving'

2 hours ago Share Save Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, White House Share Save

Watch: A black eye and a gold key - Musk's last day at Doge

Elon Musk's time in the Trump administration has come to an end with a news conference in the Oval Office in which he and the US president defended the work of Doge - and vowed it would continue, even without Musk. According to President Trump, Musk is "not really leaving" and will continue to be "back and forth" to the White House. "It's his baby," Trump said of Musk's work with Doge, short for the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. Musk's departure comes 130 days after Trump returned to office, the maximum allowable through his status as a "special government employee".

Doge - which is an advisory body, rather than a formal government department - has the stated aim of slashing government spending, saving taxpayer money and reducing the US national debt, which stands at $36tn (£28.9tn). Musk's work with Doge, however, has come with considerable controversy, particularly after mass lay-offs across federal agencies and the elimination of most programmes run by USAID, the main US foreign aid organisation. It also led to Musk's companies coming under scrutiny, with global protests against Tesla and calls for boycotts. In turn, the company saw sales plummet to their lowest level in years. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump praised Musk, who he credited with "tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations". It's Musk's last day - what has he achieved at the White House? Trump added that the "mindsets" of federal officials have changed as a result of Doge's work to detect fraud and "slash waste". According to Doge's website, it had saved the US government a total of $175bn as of 29 May. A BBC analysis conducted in late April, however, found that only $61.5bn of that amount was itemised, and evidence of how the savings were achieved was available about $32.5bn of the total. "He's not really leaving," Trump said of Musk. "He's going to be back and forth...I think he's going to be doing a lot of things." Musk, for his part, insisted that Doge will continue to "relentlessly" seek $1 trillion in reductions. The meeting between the two men comes just days after an interview with CBS - the BBC's US partner - in which Musk said he was "disappointed" in what Trump has referred to as his "big, beautiful" bill, which includes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a pledge to increase defence spending.

Getty Images Trump referred to the Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, as Musk's 'baby'

Paul Doyle accused of using car as weapon, court told

6 hours ago Share Save Jonny Humphries & Ewan Gawne BBC News, Liverpool Share Save

Julia Quenzler Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday

A former Royal Marine who is accused of "deliberately" driving his car into a crowd after Liverpool FC's trophy parade leaving 79 people injured has appeared in court. Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at both Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court on Friday where he faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving. The court heard the prosecution allege the father-of-three used his car "as a weapon" when it was driven into the crowds. Mr Doyle, of Burghill Road in West Derby, Liverpool appeared emotional as he appeared in court for the first time, speaking quietly only to confirm his date of birth and age. No family members or friends were present in either court rooms.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, said: "This defendant, it is the prosecution's case, drove deliberately in that car at people amongst that crowd as they tried to leave the area. "Six charges of assault reflect the most seriously injured of those who were struck by the vehicle. The first count of dangerous driving reflects the manner of driving before and up until the point he used his vehicle deliberately as a weapon to injure those individuals." Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured in the city centre on Monday evening. The father-of-three of Burghill Road in West Derby, Liverpool was escorted into the dock at Liverpool Magistrates Court wearing a black suit, grey tie and white shirt.

Mr Doyle did not apply for bail at either hearing

His case was then fast-tracked to Liverpool Crown Court, where more serious offences are dealt with. Mr Doyle was not asked to respond to the charges at the hearing. He sat with his head down as the charges were read to him, and was told he would next appear on 14 August for a plea hearing.

Judge Andrew Menary KC said that reporting restrictions, introduced when Mr Doyle appeared before magistrates earlier, would remain in place. Those restrictions prohibit the identification of the six victims named in the charges so far from being published.

Footage shows car plough into crowd at Liverpool FC parade

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told Judge Menary: "This is an ongoing investigation and there are a great deal of witnesses to be interviewed and footage to be reviewed." The court heard that the dangerous driving charge included Mr Doyle's home street of Burghill Road and Water Street, as well as unnamed roads in between. Damian Nolan, defending, said there would be no application for bail at the hearing. Judge Menary set a provisional trial date for 24 November, with an estimated length of three to four weeks. Mr Doyle stood with his hands clasped and nodded as he was remanded in custody.

Hundreds of thousands of jubilant Liverpool fans packed the city centre on Bank Holiday Monday and lined the 10-mile (16km) parade route as Liverpool FC celebrated winning their second Premier League crown and 20th top-flight league title. Reports of a car colliding with pedestrians along Water Street, just off the parade route, were first received by police at about 18:00 on Monday. Ambulances arrived to take people to hospital, with a nine-year-old among the youngest victims of the incident. A pram carrying a baby boy was spun metres down the street when it was struck, but the child was not hurt. A fundraising campaign set up for those affected by the incident has raised more than £30,000, including a £10,000 donation from ex-player Jamie Carragher's charity foundation.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

UK taxpayers no longer own NatWest - but 17 years on, are banks safer from collapse?

6 hours ago Share Save Simon Jack • @bbcsimonjack Business editor Share Save

BBC

The Treasury has announced the sale of its final shares in the NatWest Group. It means the bank will be under full private ownership, almost two decades after it was bailed out by the taxpayer amid the 2008 financial crisis. This marks a symbolic end to a dramatic chapter in British banking history. It was gone midnight – the early hours of Monday 13 October 2008 - when Chancellor Alistair Darling turned in for the night, leaving a team of officials, surrounded by curries and pizza boxes, finalising the detail of the biggest state intervention in the private sector since World War Two. The next morning he announced the first instalment of a rescue that would cost the taxpayer more than the entire defence budget. In total the government spent £45bn (£73bn in today's money), buying an 84% stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which now trades as part of the NatWest Group.

Luke MacGregor/PA Wire The rescue, announced by Darling, would cost the taxpayer more than the entire defence budget

At the time, RBS's balance sheet (outstanding loans) was bigger than the entire UK economy. Its collapse would have devastated it. The question is, why has it taken some 17 years for the Treasury to sell the last of its stake? And given that in the decades since fresh risks have emerged - including the threat of a cyber attack from a hostile state - how vulnerable does that leave UK banks today? Are they still "too big to fail", as they were widely described in 2008 - and were Britain to face another financial crisis, would the taxpayer have to step in once again to deliver a bailout?

'It was never about saving the banks'

The current chair of NatWest group, Rick Haythornthwaite, has told the BBC that the bank and its employees remain thankful for that intervention in 2008. "The main message to the taxpayer is one of deep gratitude," he says. "They rescued this bank. They protected the millions of businesses and home-owners and savers." A lot has changed since 2008. Gone are £1.5 trillion in outstanding loans, gone are tens of thousands of employees in job cuts, and gone is around £10bn of taxpayers' money – never to be recouped.

The amount spent by the government looks like a poor investment, but as Baroness Shriti Vadera – former senior adviser to the government and chair of asset manager Prudential - told the BBC, this wasn't an investment, it was a rescue. "Nationalising RBS was hardly a voluntary investment," she says. "What was important then was assessing the impact of RBS and other banks on the overall economy and in particular the ability to keep functioning – lending, putting cash in ATMs. "It was never about saving the banks, it was about saving the economy from the banks." The consequences of a banking collapse would have been serious. The prime minister, Gordon Brown, even talked about putting soldiers on the streets. In a book by ex-Labour spin doctor Damian McBride, Brown is quoted as saying: "If the banks are shutting their doors, and the cash points aren't working, and people go to Tesco and their cards aren't being accepted, the whole thing will just explode. "If you can't buy food or petrol or medicine for your kids, people will just start breaking the windows and helping themselves."

Risky mortgages and bad loans

RBS was of course not the only bank that faced collapse. A tsunami of bad loans had been triggered by an earthquake in the US mortgage market. Risky loans to borrowers with low credit ratings had been packaged up and sold to banks around the world. By 2007, no-one knew exactly where these grenades were hidden in bank balance sheets, so they all stopped lending to each other – which saw the whole global financial system seize up. Northern Rock relied on borrowing funds to finance its own risky mortgages and in 2007, the BBC reported that it had turned to the Bank of England for help. This prompted a "run on the bank", which finally saw it fully nationalised in February 2008. Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, worked as the Bank's Chief Cashier during those turbulent months. He says if the state hadn't nationalised RBS, the costs would have been "incalculable". "It would have been huge, because we were talking about the collapse of the banking system as we knew it at that time," recounts Bailey.

Benjamin Cremel/ PA Wire Andrew Bailey has been Governor of the Bank of England since 2020

US Banks were also in deep distress. In March 2008, Bear Stearns was absorbed by Wall Street rival JP Morgan. In September of that year, US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were nationalised. Here in the UK, HBOS was absorbed by Lloyds and then of course, Lehman Brothers failed – defying expectations that the US government would step in to save it. But for the UK economy, RBS was the big one. The UK had a large banking sector, compared to the size of its economy; and within that mix, RBS was a particularly important bank. The once sedate RBS had become in some measure the biggest bank in the world. In 2000, it bought NatWest and just a year before the crash, it had bought Dutch bank ABN Amro. Its buccaneering boss Fred Goodwin had been knighted for his services to banking. But Mr Goodwin became a lightning rod for public outrage at the risks banks had taken and the bonuses their executives had collected. He left with an annual pension of £700,000 but was later stripped of his knighthood.

Reuters RBS boss Fred Goodwin became a lightning rod for public outrage during the crisis

The years following the rescue saw thousands of companies complain that the bankers RBS appointed to help them out of the crisis were driving them to the wall, forcing them into bankruptcy or selling their businesses at knock-down prices. RBS was the poster child for banking recklessness, hubris, greed and cruelty. Why then did it take so long for the government to sell out of RBS - at a loss of £10bn?

A mistake to hold on for so long?

At the same time the government took a stake in RBS, it also took a stake in Lloyds. But that was sold in May 2017, yielding a profit of £900m. RBS was infinitely more complicated than Lloyds as it had a large US business which was the subject of lengthy investigations by the US Department of Justice. The prospect of heavy fines hung over the bank for many years and proved well-founded when it was fined $4.9bn (£3.6bn) in 2018 for its role in the US mortgage crisis. RBS was also a pretty unattractive investment. It announced a £24bn loss for 2008 – the biggest loss in UK corporate history. It made losses every year until 2017. With the shares depressed by these concerns, the government was reluctant to sell its stake at low prices as it would crystallise a politically uncomfortable loss for the taxpayer.

Reuters The Treasury announced that it will sell its final shares in NatWest Group

After all, following 2010, austerity was the name of the game and the then-Chancellor George Osborne could ill afford to be seen to be chalking up losses by selling RBS shares when he was making cuts elsewhere. But many think that was a mistake as – chicken and egg-like – it prolonged the reluctance of private shareholders to buy stakes in a company majority-owned by the government. As Baroness Vadera puts it: "I'm not sure it was necessary to take 17 years to reverse out of the shares."

Collapses 'less likely - but not impossible'

Mr Haythornthwaite, who took on the role of NatWest Group chairman in April last year, describes the sale of the final shares as a "symbolic" moment for the bank, its employees, investors - but also on a wider scale. "I hope it's a symbolic moment for our nation [too]," he says. "That we can put this behind us. It allows us to truly look to the future." But how exactly does that future look - and have lessons from the past really been learnt? Andrew Bailey certainly thinks so. He says that if a bank faces collapse now, it's less likely the taxpayer will have to step in. There are now alternative methods of rescuing a failing bank, he says, including buying assets and providing emergency cash. "The big distinction is that we think we can handle [bank crises] without using public money," Bailey says. "The critical thing is that we have to preserve the continuity of their activities, because they are critical to the economy … critical to people. "When we say we've solved 'too big to fail', to be precise, I think what we mean is we don't need public money."

It is true that the Bank of England now stress-tests banks much more rigorously to see how they would cope under pressures like a collapse in house prices, rocketing unemployment or rampant inflation. Sir Philip Augar, a veteran of the City of London and author of multiple books on banking, agrees that British banks are in a more resilient position now than they were in 2008 - essentially because they hold more cash in their coffers, rather than just relying on debt. "What's happened to improve things since then is that the amount of leverage in the system has come right down, and the capital cushion that banks have to hold […] has increased substantially. So it's less likely now that a bank would collapse - but it's not impossible."

Cyber risk will never go away

Today, there are also new risks to consider. Take the series of cyber attacks that recently hit the systems of household names like Marks and Spencer, Co-op and Harrods. Should an attack take out critical banking functions like business lending, company payrolls and ATMs, it would be far more damaging. Indeed, in what he calls the "league table" of financial risks, Andrew Bailey identifies the threat of a cyber attack as a rapidly growing one. "Of course you have to mitigate it, but [cyber] is a risk that will never go away, because it continually evolves," he says. "We're dealing with bad actors who will continually refine the lines of attack. And I always have to say to institutions, 'You've got to continue to work at this'." Recent bank collapses in the US – like Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank - have highlighted another major risk. Customers don't have to queue round a block to get their money out; it can be done with the stroke of a key on a laptop or mobile in seconds. Banks are built on trust: customers put money in, believing they can get it out again whenever they want. And a good old-fashioned bank run is now a modern digital bank run. But banks are still not like normal companies. They are not standalone entities but interconnected, and together they form the bloodstream of the economy. They are the arteries through which credit is extended, wages are paid, savings are stashed or withdrawn. And when those arteries get blocked, bad things happen. That is as true today as it was in 2008.

Taylor Swift buys back her master recordings

7 hours ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Share Save

Getty Images

Taylor Swift has bought back the rights to her first six albums, ending a long-running battle over the ownership of her music. "All of the music I've ever made now belongs to me," said the star, announcing the news on her official website. "I've been bursting into tears of joy... ever since I found out this is really happening." The saga began in June 2019, when music manager Scooter Braun bought Swift's former record label Big Machine and, with it, all of the songs from Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation. Swift had personal objections to the deal, blaming Braun for complicity in the "incessant, manipulative bullying" against her by Kanye West, one of his clients.

On her website, Swift said that reclaiming the rights to her music had, for a long time, seemed unimaginable. "To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it," she added, thanking fans for their support as the drama played out. "I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now. "I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away," she wrote. "But that's all in the past now." In the music industry, the owner of a master recording controls the way it is distributed and licenced. The artist still earns royalties, but controlling the masters offers protection over how the work is used in future.

Reputation (Taylor's Version) delayed?

TAS Rights Management Swift posed with vinyl copies of her first six albums to celebrate the news

Swift responded to the original sale of her masters by vowing to re-record those records, effectively diminishing the value of those master tapes, and putting ownership back in her hands. To date, she has released four re-recorded albums - known as "Taylor's Versions" - with dozens of bonus tracks and supplementary material. In her letter, the star told fans she had yet to complete the project, after "hitting a stopping point" while trying to remake 2017's Reputation album - which dealt with public scrutiny of her private life, and the fall-out of her feud with Kanye West. "The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life," she explained. "All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposefully misunderstood... "To be perfectly honest, it's the one album in those first six that I thought couldn't be improved by re-doing it... so I kept putting it off." Last week, the star previewed the new version of Reputation's first single, Look What You Made Me Do, in an episode of The Handmaid's Tale - but her letter suggested that a full re-recording would be delayed or even scrapped. However, she promised that vault tracks from the record would be released at a future date, if fans were "into the idea". She also confirmed that she had re-recorded her self-titled debut, adding: "I really love how it sounds now". "Those two albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right," she added. "But if it happens, it won't be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now."

What is a master recording?

As the name suggests, a master recording is the original recorded performance of a song. Whoever owns it controls all the rights to exploit the music. That includes distributing it to streaming services, pressing new physical CDs and vinyl, creating box sets, or licensing songs to movies or video games. Swift, as the writer or co-writer of her music, always maintained her publishing rights, which meant she was able to veto attempts to license songs like Shake It Off and Love Story to other companies. "I do want my music to live on. I do want it to be in movies. I do want it to be in commercials. But I only want that if I own it," she told Billboard in 2019. It is not known how much it cost Swift to acquire her masters, but the catalogue previously sold for $300m (£222m) in 2020. The BBC understands that rumours she paid between $600m to $1bn are inaccurately high.

Getty Images Revisiting her old songs for the "Taylor's Version" project helped to inspire the career-spanning Eras Tour

How did the sale of Taylor Swift's masters happen?

When 14-year-old Taylor Swift moved to Nashville in 2004 to chase her dream of becoming a country pop star, she signed a record deal with Big Machine. Label boss Scott Borchetta gave the unproven singer a big cash advance in exchange for having ownership of the master recordings to her first six albums "in perpetuity". This was fairly common practice in the era before streaming, when artists needed record label backing to get played on the radio, and for the manufacture and distribution of CDs. Swift's deal with Big Machine expired in 2018, at which point she left and signed with Republic Records and Universal Music Group (UMG). A year later, Borchetta sold his label to Scooter Braun's Ithaca Holdings. Swift said she only learned about the deal when it was announced; characterising it as an act of aggression that "stripped me of my life's work". She labelled Braun - who rose to prominence as the manager of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande - as "the definition of toxic male privilege in our industry". She also expressed frustration that she had been unable to make a counter offer for her music. "I spent 10 years of my life trying rigorously to purchase my masters outright and was then denied that opportunity," she told Billboard, adding that: "Artists should maybe have the first right of refusal to buy."

Braun later told Variety that the dispute had "gotten out of hand" after he and his family received death threats. The music mogul later sold his stake in Swift's back catalogue to Shamrock Holdings, a Los Angeles investment fund founded by the Disney family in 1978, in November 2020. The multi-million dollar deal left Swift feeling betrayed again. "This is the second time my music had been sold without my knowledge," she said in a social media post. While she was "open to the possibility of a partnership with Shamrock", she subsequently learnt that, under the terms of the sale, Braun would "continue to profit off my old music" for years. "I simply cannot in good conscience bring myself to be involved in benefiting Scooter Braun's interests," she wrote in a letter to the company, which she posted on X.

Getty Images Ownership of the masters means that Swift can now choose to license original recordings to films and TV shows, in addition to the re-recordings

M*A*S*H actress Loretta Swit dies aged 87

Swit was nominated for numerous awards, and appeared in nearly every episode of the series, including the finale which attracted a record 106m US viewers.

On M*A*S*H, Swit played US Army nurse Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan. The series, which followed a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean war, ran for 11 seasons from 1972 to 1983.

She died at her home in New York at age 87, her publicist Harlan Boll told the BBC. She likely died of natural causes, although a coroner's report is pending.

Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy awards for her role on the popular comedy TV series M*A*S*H, died on Friday, according to her representative.

The show remains one of the most successful and acclaimed series in US television history. Its season finale was the most watched episode of any TV series in history when it ended in 1983.

As "Hot Lips," Swit played a tough but vulnerable Army nurse who gained the nickname after having an affair with Major Frank Burns, who was played by Larry Linville.

The show used comedy and pranks to tackle tough issues like racism, sexism and the impacts of PTSD within the military, at a time when US forces were withdrawing from Vietnam and dealing with the consequences of that conflict.

It was based on the 1968 book, "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors," penned by a former Army surgeon.

Swit was born Loretta Szwed in New Jersey and trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

Along with M*A*S*H, she also appeared in numerous other TV shows, movies and even game shows over her career.

She took to the Broadway stage in plays including Same Time, Next Year; Mame; and Shirley Valentine - a role for which she won Chicago's top theatre prize, the Sarah Siddons Award.

Her TV work included appearances on The Muppet Show, Mission: Impossible and Murder, She Wrote.

In addition to her Emmys, Swit was nominated for four Golden Globe awards.

"Acting is not hiding to me, it's revealing. We give you license to feel," she said in an interview with the Star magazine in 2010. "That's the most important thing in the world, because when you stop feeling, that's when you're dead."

Speaking to an author about her character on M*A*S*H she said: "Around the second or third year, I decided to try to play her as a real person, in an intelligent fashion, even if it meant hurting the jokes. ... She was a character in constant flux; she never stopped developing."

Swit was also an artist and animal rights activist, and established a charity to campaign against animal cruelty, according to a statement from her publicist Mr Boll.

Jamie Farr, who also starred in M*A*S*H as Corporal Klinger, called Swit his "adopted sister".

"From the first time I met her, on what was supposed to be a one-day appearance on M*A*S*H, we embraced each other and that became a lifetime friendship," Farr said in a statement. "I can't begin to express how much she will be missed."

China hits back after Trump claims it is 'violating' tariff truce

6 hours ago Share Save Jonathan Josephs Business reporter Amy Walker BBC News Share Save

PA Media / Getty Images US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to reduce reciprocal tariffs earlier this month

US President Donald Trump has accused China of violating a truce on tariffs struck earlier this month, a claim China has responded to with its own accusations of US wrongdoing. Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat tariffs after talks in Geneva. But Trump said on Friday that China had "totally violated its agreement with us". He did not give details but US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later said China had not been removing non-tariff barriers as agreed under the deal. Beijing's response on Friday did not address the US claims directly but urged the US to "cease discriminatory restrictions against China".

The strong statements from both sides have raised concerns that trade tensions could again escalate between the world's two largest economies despite recent negotiations. Trump on Friday said in a Truth Social post that the tariffs his administration had imposed had been "devastating" for China and so he had "made a FAST DEAL" to save them from "what I thought was going to be a very bad situation". "Everybody was happy! That is the good news!!! The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!" He did not expand on his accusation, but Ambassador Greer later told TV network CNBC that China was yet to properly roll back other trade restrictions it had levied on the US.

Greer said when China responded to the US's tariffs with its own, they also put in place countermeasures such as putting some US companies on blacklists and restricting exports of rare earth magnets, a critical component in cars, aircraft and semiconductors. "They removed the tariff like we did but some of the countermeasures they've slowed on," Ambassador Greer said. He added the US had been closely watching China to make sure it would comply with the deal and they were "very concerned" with the progress. "The United States did exactly what it was supposed to do and the Chinese are slow-rolling their compliance which is completely unacceptable and has to be addressed," Greer said. China responded on Friday urging the US to "immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva". A spokesman from its Washington embassy said China had recently "repeatedly raised concerns" with the US over its "abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector". The US already has restrictions in place on technology exports to China, and on Wednesday paused more sales to China of chip technologies - crucial to semiconductors - and also paused exports of chemicals and machinery. Pengyu Liu said both sides had maintained communication since the talks in Geneva on 11 May, which had ended on a positive note. However on Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said trade talks with China had become "a bit stalled". Bessent told Fox News on Thursday: "I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require [leaders of both the countries] to weigh in with each other." Trump's global tariff regime was dealt a blow on Wednesday following a ruling that he had exceeded his authority. His plans have been temporarily reinstated after the White House appealed the decision. His administration this week also moved to "aggressively" revoke the visas of Chinese students studying in the US, of which there are an estimated 280,000. In Geneva, Washington and Beijing had agreed to reduce tariffs imposed on each other's imports in a deal where both nations cancelled some tariffs altogether and suspended others for 90 days.

Bessent said talks on a further deal had lost momentum, but stressed they were continuing. "I believe that we will be having more talks with [China] in the next few weeks and I believe we may at some point have a call between the president and [Chinese President Xi Jinping]," Bessent said on Thursday. He added the pair had "a very good relationship" and he was "confident that the Chinese will come to the table when President Trump makes his preferences known".

"We will win this battle in court" - White House on tariff ruling

Ukraine accuses Russia of undermining next round of peace talks

"For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared," he said. Ukraine had sent its proposals to Russia, reaffirming "readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire".

But Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of "doing everything it can to ensure the next possible meeting is fruitless".

Russia is yet to send its negotiating proposals to Ukraine - a key demand by Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow's conditions for a ceasefire would be discussed in Turkey.

Ukraine's president has questioned Russia's commitment to progressing peace talks after Moscow confirmed it was sending a team to talks in Istanbul on Monday.

Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, including the southern Crimea peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014.

The first round of talks two weeks ago in Istanbul brought no breakthrough, but achieved a prisoner of war swap.

On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reiterated that Kyiv had already sent its own "vision of future steps" to Russia, adding Moscow "must accept an unconditional ceasefire" to pave the way for broader negotiations.

"We are interested in seeing these meetings continue because we want the war to end this year," Sybiha said during a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

Putin and Zelensky are not expected to attend the talks on Monday.

But Fidan said Turkey was hoping to eventually host a high-level summit.

"We sincerely think it is time to bring President Trump, President Putin and President Zelensky to the table," he said.

Peskov said Russia's ceasefire proposals would not be made public, and Moscow would only entertain the idea of a high-level summit if meaningful progress was achieved in preliminary discussions between the two countries.

He welcomed comments made by Trump's envoy to Ukraine, retired Gen Keith Kellogg, who described Russian concerns over Nato enlargement as "fair".

Gen Kellogg said Ukraine joining the military alliance, long hoped for by Kyiv, was not on the table.

He added President Trump was "frustrated" by what he described as Russia's intransigence, but emphasised the need to keep negotiations alive.

On 19 May, Trump and Putin had a two-hour phone call to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire deal to halt the fighting.

The US president said he believed the call had gone "very well", adding that Russia and Ukraine would "immediately start" negotiations towards a ceasefire and "an end to the war".

Ukraine has publicly agreed to a 30-day ceasefire but Putin has only said Russia will work with Ukraine to craft a "memorandum" on a "possible future peace" - a move described by Kyiv and its European allies as delaying tactics so Russian troops could seize more Ukrainian territory.

In a rare rebuke to Putin just days later, Trump called the Kremlin leader "absolutely crazy" and threatened US sanctions. His comments followed Moscow's largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told Zelensky that Berlin would help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from future Russian attacks.

The Kremlin said any decision to end range restrictions on the missiles Ukraine could use would represent a dangerous change in policy that would harm efforts to bring an end to the war.

British woman accused of drug offences tells BBC of Sri Lanka jail conditions

7 hours ago Share Save Samira Hussain South Asia correspondent Reporting from Negombo Ian Aikman BBC News Reporting from London Share Save

Watch: British woman accused of smuggling drugs in Sri Lanka

A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle drugs into Sri Lanka has told the BBC about the conditions in the jail where she is being held. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after authorities allegedly found 46kg of cannabis in her suitcases when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. "I can't compare it to anything," she said, adding she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using her clothes as a pillow. Ms Lee has not yet been charged, but has previously denied knowing the alleged drugs were in her luggage. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years behind bars.

The former flight attendant told the BBC she had travelled from Bangkok to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo to renew her Thai visa. She made a procedural court appearance on Friday while the investigation into her alleged offences continues.

Dr Shanaka Kulathunga Ms Lee was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being moved to the witness box

Speaking to the BBC before appearing in court, Ms Lee appeared to be in good spirits. She described her living conditions at a prison in Negombo, a city just north of the capital, saying she spends most of her day inside, although she does get to go outside for fresh air. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka," she said. "This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time." Ms Lee said she tries not to dwell too much on her current predicament. "I am not trying to think about it. If I think, then I feel bad. I'll still rather not process it." She said she is concerned for the other women who are also in prison. "There are people from so many different countries who have been here for two years, two-and-a-half years. And it's still just waiting and no-one actually knows anything." She has managed to find other English-speaking women with whom she has developed a kinship. But she has not been able to speak with her family since her arrest.

Bags stuffed full of drugs were found in two large suitcases, authorities say

Ms Lee arrived at Negombo Magistrate's Court on Friday wearing a white knee-length dress, her long hair parted to the side. She was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being brought to the witness box. She was visibly upset as she stood with her hands crossed behind her back, facing the magistrate. Authorities wheeled in a large brown box containing the alleged 46kg of cannabis found in Ms Lee's luggage. The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation. Ms Lee's lawyer, Sampath Perera, asked if the alleged drugs had been examined by the relevant government authorities to ascertain if the materials were in fact an illegal substance. The magistrate ordered it to be tested and for a report to be submitted to the court as soon as possible. Speaking to the BBC from outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mr Perera said the next step is to make a bail application for Ms Lee, which could take three months. Under Sri Lankan law, people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days. Ms Lee is being held on suspicion of keeping illegal drugs in her possession and drug smuggling. Her next court appearance will be on 13 July.

King Charles gifted Rolls-Royce as coronation present

The Rolls Royce Cullinan will be used for official purposes like state occasions

Other gifts on the list also included a feather crown from Amazonian Indigenous leaders, two gold Blue Peter badges and a tea set from Smythson of Bond Street.

The Rolls Royce Cullinan Series II motor car was given by the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. It is thought to be worth at least £300,000, and will be used on official occasions and not for personal use.

Buckingham Palace has released records listing the official gifts received by members of the Royal Family from 2020 to 2023.

In April 2023, just before his coronation, the King received two gold Blue Peter badges, one each for himself and Camilla.

They received the famous badges for their environmental work, support for young people through the Prince's Trust, now the King's Trust, and work highlighting the importance of literacy and reading from a young age respectively.

For the coronation itself, alongside the Rolls-Royce, the Bahraini king gave Charles a decorative clock.

Meanwhile, former President of the United States Joe Biden gave Charles a leather folder containing printed letters between Elizabeth II and President Dwight Eisenhower inviting him to the United Kingdom, with a photograph of the visit.

The list also includes gifts presented to other members of the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

For her Platinum Jubilee, the late queen was gifted two lamp-posts which stand outside the Houses of Parliament in the form of bronze sculptures of heraldic beasts and a Cedar of Lebanon tree from Pope Francis.

Official gifts can be worn and used, but are not considered the royals' personal property. The royals do not pay tax on them.

Gifts cannot be sold or exchanged - though perishable official gifts with a value less than £150 can be given to charity or staff - and eventually become part of the Royal Collection, which is held in trust for successors and the nation.

Usually the palace releases records listing the official gifts received by members of the royal family annually, however due to delays caused by the Covid pandemic, death of Elizabeth II and the coronation this is the first time a list has been published in the King's reign.

Jacqueline Wilson says she wouldn't return to Tracy Beaker as an adult

6 hours ago Share Save Emma Saunders Culture reporter at the Hay Festival Share Save

Getty Images Dame Jacqueline Wilson's Picture Imperfect, an adult sequel to her 1999 children's book, The Illustrated Mum, is out in August

Celebrated children's author Jacqueline Wilson has said she "would feel very wary" of writing about her beloved character Tracy Beaker in an adult book because "it would seem inappropriate [as] we would learn about Tracy's sex life". Dame Jacqueline has touched on Beaker as an adult through the eyes of the character's daughter Jess in her children's books My Mum Tracy Beaker and The Beaker Girls. But having recently announced Picture Imperfect, an adult sequel to her 1999 children's book, The Illustrated Mum, it doesn't look like an adult book based on Beaker will follow suit. "I don't want to go there. That's my girl [Tracy] who I made everything happen for," Dame Jacqueline told an audience at the Hay Festival.

She added that she had said "no, I would never do that" before, when planning future writing projects, but noted she had sometimes changed her mind, "so who knows?" Dame Jaqueline's Tracy Beaker books were made into a popular TV series for the BBC. Beaker was a young girl who was placed in a children's home due to neglect and domestic violence. The author said that she did generally enjoy returning to some of her characters once they had grown up: "I've been thinking about it over the years, because I've invented so many different girls, and it's interesting to think what happens to them when you finish writing about them." Dame Jacqueline recently brought back Ellie, Magda and Nadine in her adult fiction book Think Again, a continuation of her Girls in Love novels.

Actress Dani Harmer played Tracy Beaker in the BBC's Story of Tracy Beaker

The much-loved author, who was made a dame in 2008, is known for writing about difficult and dark issues in accessible ways. Most of her books, some of which explore topics such as suicide, mental health and divorce, are aimed at children aged between seven and 12. Her foray into adult books has brought a new kind of satisfaction, she explained. "I'm an obsessive writer but worry people think I'm churning that [same] stuff out again, so it's lovely to challenge yourself." She said she enjoyed seeing many of her audiences come along to see her at events "because they read my books as children". "The children are still keen but it's the mums that get really excited! It's like a sort of farewell tour that hopefully will go on."

More from the Hay Festival 2025: Why Succession writer Jesse Armstrong is writing about rich people again

Despite having written more than 100 books, Dame Jacqueline said she still felt anxious when writing. "Always about halfway through a book, even now, you think 'I've got the hang of this with all these books that I've written', but I get that terrible doubt and worry about it and and it's just something you learn. Work through it, get to the end." One habit that must help is that she writes in her pyjamas in bed, once she's fed the cat and let the dogs out first thing in the morning. "That's the magic time, and it just works for me. Apparently Michael Morpurgo does exactly the same!" But it wasn't always so easy to pick and choose her times to write. Dame Jacqueline said: "I was idiotic enough to be married at 19 and had a child at 21. "My husband wasn't a terrible man in the slightest but it was an age [the 1960s] when men went out and did, and women did everything else." She said she "adored" her baby daughter but she would only sleep for two hours at a time. When she did doze off, Dame Jacqueline said she wanted to sleep too but used the short window available to write. She got a little more time when her daughter Emma went to nursery in the mornings. "It gave me an urgency. I'd write for two hours and then concentrate on her in the afternoon."

United estimate they will generate about £10m from their 14,000-mile, six-day expedition. The payment is not connected to ticket sales, so it is guaranteed.

At a time when their focus in pre-season - both commercially and from a player preparation perspective - is on the United States, where they will go for the third successive summer in July, United's presence in the region also allows them to 'service' existing big-money sponsorship deals with the likes of banking partner Maybank, airline partner Malaysia Airlines, beer partner Tiger and tyre partner Apollo.

If evidence was needed for the real purpose of United's trip, it came from the knowledge goalkeeper Andre Onana and defenders Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot had been substituted and were heading for the airport as their team-mates were being booed by a large percentage of a 72,550 crowd following their surprise 1-0 defeat by a South-East Asia select XI on Wednesday.

The trio were boarding a private plane to Mumbai, where they would spend Thursday on a packed commercial programme arranged by Apollo, before getting home a day earlier than those who had gone to Hong Kong for the second game.

As Westwood said, United's players had been given little choice about being on the trip.

Departure immediately after the final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa meant there was no opportunity to back out. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was present, even though he was not fit enough to play. United wanted Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof there too but both had personal reasons to decline.

So Ruben Amorim's squad opted to make the best of it. Unlike a focused and driven pre-season tour, it is fair to say their approach to this event was 'relaxed'.

The scenes on the flight from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur were said to be like a party, with loud music and drinks. Some players and staff members were seen at a club on Monday, immediately after their arrival. There was also a chance to wind down after Wednesday's game.

In the wake of their defeat in Kuala Lumpur, there was gallows humour among the squad when it was pointed out somewhat ironically that after the season they just had domestically, they had now managed to get booed by fans 6,600 miles away from home.

Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee nipped out - accompanied by security - to get some late-night food because room service was not to his taste. Amad Diallo, Heaven and Alejandro Garnacho tried to take an e-scooter ride, only to discover they did not have the money to pay for it.

Garnacho does not appear to have been an enthusiastic participant.

Told following Amorim's return from a post-Europa League final summit with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other club executives in Monaco he could find a new club in the summer, the young Argentina winger remains popular among supporters, as evidenced by the raucous cheers for him in both matches.

Yet there is evidence of a lack of engagement.

After the ASEAN All-Stars defeat, Garnacho went straight past opposition captain Sergio Aguero - a 31-year-old Argentina-born naturalised Malaysian - despite promising him his shirt from the game. The damage was rectified by a United kitman, who grabbed Garnacho's shirt from the dressing room and handed it over.

Thursday brought more negativity as pictures emerged on social media of Amad making a one-fingered gesture to a fan as he was leaving the team hotel.

Amad subsequently said he was responding to abuse against his mum. He accepted his reaction was wrong but at the same time did not regret it.

If specific behaviours raise an eyebrow or can be excused, from a corporate perspective, some of United's decisions have also been dubious.

The context is clearly different but having ruled out having a parade if they won the Europa League final in Bilbao, to see a group of players - including Zirkzee - embark on a bus parade through Kuala Lumpur was bizarre. Some fans did turn out - and there remains enthusiasm for United in this region.

But it is not on remotely the same levels as their last visit to Malaysia, in 2009, when they were Premier League champions, and had the likes of Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney in their squad.

At that time, they struggled to get around their hotel such was the constant presence of fans. Their first game attracted a crowd of 85,000 - and there were 30,000 at a second, arranged at 48 hours' notice after a terrorist attack in Jakarta, where they were supposed to be going.

Nani was on that tour too and the Portuguese winger was part of a three-man team of 'legends' along with Wes Brown and John O'Shea who have been on this trip to push the club narrative.

Jacob Alon: Free-spirited folk singer is one to watch

16 hours ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Share Save

BBC Critics have called Jacob Alon's music "otherworldly", "delicate" and "raw".

Jacob Alon's fingernails are something else. Their left hand is beautifully manicured in sparkling purple and royal blue. On their right, the nails are like talons, sharpened to a menacing point. The Scottish singer-songwriter nurtured those claws as a teenager, after discovering a dusty nylon-stringed guitar in a cupboard at their grandmother's house. "I was always very clumsy with a plectrum," they say. "Growing out my nails changed entirely how I played the guitar." "It probably started with trying to copy Nick Drake from YouTube. I suddenly felt intimately connected to the instrument. "It feels like the guitar doesn't stop – it extends into my anatomy. That visceral connection is very special to me." If you haven't heard of Jacob yet, it won't be long. When they sing, time stops. Tremulous vocals curl around the music like smoke, as the 24-year-old, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, traces poetic stories of romantic exploration and broken hearts. As a writer, Jacob can be equally tender and ruthless. On Liquid Gold 25, named after a brand of poppers, they tackle the soul-crushing experience of queer dating apps like Grindr, singing: "This is where love comes to die." The fragile melody of Confession, meanwhile, captures the crushing confusion Jacob felt when an ex-boyfriend denied their relationship had ever happened. "It was such a deep rejection," they recall. "I was so confused that [they] couldn't come to terms with how they'd felt once, under all the layers of tragic, tragic shame that are imposed on you by the world."

Island Records The singer's album mixes mystical imagery with the messy realism of modern life

That feeling of being trapped in limbo, controlled by a confusing dream-like logic, is a running theme of Jacob's debut album. It's titled In Limerence, referring to a state of romantic infatuation that the singer's often trying to escape. "There can be a darker side to dreams as a prison of fantasy – especially within relationships," they explain. "Sometimes you cling to dreams so tightly that you lose sight of the magic of the real world." On their debut single, Fairy In A Bottle, Jacob embodies that idea as a warning. When you idolise your partner, you can't really know them, "because you've trapped them in this mythical version of themselves," they explain. "You look past all of their flaws, and reasons it would never work." The song is a realisation of that truth. "It's not your fault, it's my disease / And I must learn to set you free."

University drop-out

The musician learned those lessons the hard way – something that appears to have been a life-long pattern. Raised in Fife, with its tawny beaches and sleepy fishing villages, a career in music was a distant dream. "I remember a family member telling me, as a child, I'd be a poor fool to ever become a musician. And it stuck with me." Instead, they took the academic route out, enrolling to study theoretical physics and medicine at Edinburgh University. It didn't go well. "I was so miserable," they recall. "I'd always found school really fulfilling and satisfying but university was really stifling. I realised that a life within academia didn't foster the same sense of curiosity about the universe that I'd felt going in." It all came to a head when they crashed out on the floor of the university library, while desperately trying to cram for an exam. "I remember sleeping between book shelves and the security guards kept waking me going, 'You can't sleep here, go home'. "So I'd move to another room and they'd come and find me there too. I remember thinking, 'What am I doing with my life?'" On a whim, they dropped out and moved to London to make music. "It was chaotic," they say, suggesting that then-undiagnosed ADHD prompted the move. "I had a breakdown and called my mum from the middle of street outside John Lewis, crying, because I didn't know where I was or where to go. "But even though London didn't work out, I realised I was going to make music regardless, because it was the only thing that consistently brought my life meaning."

Island Records The musician says they have vivid dreams and often wake up on the tour bus shouting "whole scenarios" from their sleep

So they packed up their belongings, went back to Scotland, and started living in a van while touring Edinburgh's folk circuit. "I'd have to sneak into swimming pools to have a shower," they recall, "but that was really a time of gestation and discovering my voice." In the beginning, they mostly played covers – anything from Leonard Cohen to traditional Gaelic songs. But one night, in Edinburgh's cluttered and narrow Captain's Bar, a friend encouraged Jacob to play an original song they'd written for their younger sister, Stella. "It's such a rowdy bar but people just stopped and fell silent and listened," Jacob recalls. "Normally, I don't like it when everyone's looking at me – but it was such a powerful moment. It gave me a sense of self-belief that I'd never felt before." Soon, Jacob was consumed by writing new material, pouring their feelings onto the page while scraping a living in a local coffee shop. Intense and heartfelt, the songs charted a bumpy arrival into adulthood – forging a queer identity and figuring out what they wanted from life and relationships, while navigating a period where they were ostracised by their family. "It was a very difficult time for my biological family," says Jacob, choosing their words carefully. "I was running away from a lot of pain. Fortunately, we're in a much better place now." The naked vulnerability of those songs set Jacob apart. Within months, they'd gained a manager and signed to Island Records. Last November, with only one single to their name, they were booked to appear on Jools Holland.

Jacob Alon was championed on the Jools Holland show at an early stage in their career

Macron warns the West could lose credibility over Ukraine and Gaza wars

3 hours ago Share Save Tessa Wong • tessa_wong Asia Digital Reporter Reporting from Shangri-la Dialogue, Singapore Share Save

Getty Images Macron was speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore

France's President Emmanuel Macron warned the US and Europe risked losing their credibility and being accused of "double standards" if they do not resolve the wars in Ukraine and Gaza soon. He also appealed to Asian countries to build a new alliance with Europe to ensure they do not become "collateral damage" in the struggle for power between the US and China. Macron was speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual high-level Asia defence summit held in Singapore. Among the guests listening were US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as top military officials from the region.

Macron pointed out that if Russia could take Ukrainian territory "without any restrictions, without any constraints… what could happen in Taiwan? What will you do the day something happens in the Philippines?" "What is at stake in Ukraine is our common credibility, that we are still able to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty of people," he said. "No double standards." Many in Asia worry of instability in the region should China attempt to forcibly "reunify" with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as part of its territory. China has also increasingly clashed with the Philippines over competing claims in the South China Sea. Macron later answered a question posed by the BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner on Europe's military role in Asia while a full-scale war was still raging on the continent. "If both the US and Europeans are unable to fix in the short term the Ukrainian situation, I think the credibility of both the US and Europeans pretending to fix any crisis in this region would be very low," the French leader said. US President Donald Trump has put increasing pressure on both Russia and Ukraine's leaders to end the war, and has appeared to give Vladimir Putin a two-week deadline. Trump has also previously berated Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and accused him of being "not ready for peace". Macron also made his point about double standards on the war in Gaza, acknowledging there was a perception the West has given a "free pass" to Israel. He stressed the importance of working towards a ceasefire and mutual recognition of a Palestinian state, saying: "If we abandon Gaza, if we consider there is a free pass for Israel, even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we kill our own credibility in the rest of the world." In recent weeks, European leaders have criticised Israel's attacks for exacerbating the increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza. Macron has moved closer to signalling recognition of a Palestinian state. Next month, France will co-host with Saudi Arabia a conference at the UN aimed at laying out a roadmap for a two-state solution. He has been fiercely criticised by Israel, with the foreign ministry on Friday saying: "Instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state." Last week, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also launched a blistering attack on Macron and the leaders of Canada and the UK, accusing them of effectively siding with Hamas and being "on the wrong side of humanity". Meanwhile the US has worked with Israel to table a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, while creating a much-criticised aid distribution model in Gaza.

Getty Images US defence secretary Pete Hegseth was in the audience listening to Macron

Macron also used his speech on Friday to sell his vision of "strategic autonomy", where countries protect their interests while also working closely together to uphold a rules-based global order not dominated by superpowers. He touted France as an example of being friends with both the US and China while guarding its own sovereignty, and said this model could form the basis of a new alliance between Europe and Asia. "We want to co-operate but we don't want to depend... we don't want to be instructed on a daily basis on what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life can change because of a decision by a single person," he said, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Trump or Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also made references to Trump's global tariffs and allies' uncertainty of the US's security commitments, saying: "We cannot just remain seated and say… what do we do with tariffs, okay we are not so sure that we have the full-fledged guarantee in the existing alliance, what do we do?" "We want to act, we want to preserve our stability and our peace and our prosperity," he said, calling for a "positive new alliance between Europe and Asia" where they would ensure "our countries are not collateral damage of the imbalances linked to the choices made by the superpowers". He noted that both Europe and Asia's challenges were increasingly intertwined, and referenced the Ukraine war again where North Korea has been aiding Russia's efforts with thousands of its troops.

Getty Images North Korea has supported Russia in its war in Ukraine by sending thousands of troops

Royal Navy warship seizes £30m of drugs

8 hours ago Share Save Curtis Lancaster BBC News Share Save

Royal Navy The 210 men and women in HMS Lancaster's crew found 80 packages

A Royal Navy warship has swooped in on a vessel which was carrying £30m worth of illegal drugs. HMS Lancaster, which is based in Portsmouth when not on active service, seized the one and a half tonne load of narcotics while at sea in the Middle East. It secretly shadowed the suspect through the Arabian Sea for more than 24 hours before it struck. It is the second bust in three months for the British frigate, which is currently in Bahrain.

Royal Navy Royal Marines closed in on the small sailing vessel

A Royal Marines sniper circled overhead in a wildcat helicopter, while a boarding team of 42 Commando closed in on the drug runner in the water, in what the Royal Navy described as a pincer movement. Peregrine drones were also deployed, providing live footage to the Lancaster's operations room. When onboard the dhow the team discovered 80 packages containing illicit narcotics, in a haul that came to 1,000kg of heroin, 660kg of hashish and 6kg of amphetamine.

Royal Navy A Royal Marine sniper circled overhead during the operation

Commanding Officer Commander Chris Chew said the success was down to the work of the 210 men and women in HMS Lancaster's crew. Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard thanked the sailors and Royal Marines for their success. "I congratulate the crew of HMS Lancaster on this significant seizure, which is keeping dangerous and illegal drugs off our streets," he said. "This operation highlights the unique role our Royal Navy contributes, working to disrupt criminal operations around the world, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad." HMS Lancaster is a Type 23 frigate deployed to the Middle East region on a long-term mission as part of wider efforts by the UK to provide regional maritime security and stability. The team has even had time to rescue orphaned kittens that were found under a shipping container.

Olympic champion Imane Khelif will not be allowed to fight in the female category at World Boxing competitions until she undergoes a mandatory sex test.

Khelif, 26, won women's welterweight gold at the Paris Olympics last year amid a row over gender eligibility.

Algeria's Khelif, along with Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting, was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by previous world governing body the International Boxing Association (IBA) for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

Khelif was cleared to compete in Paris by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which stripped the IBA of its status as the sport's amateur world governing body in June 2023 over concerns over how it was run.

The IOC said competitors were eligible for the women's division in Paris if their passports said they were female.

On Friday, World Boxing said that "all athletes over the age of 18" who wish to participate in competitions it owns or sanctions will "need to undergo a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) genetic test to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete".

Khelif had been set to make a competitive comeback at the Eindhoven Box Cup from 5-10 June.

Khelif has always competed in the women's division and there is no suggestion she identifies as anything other than a woman.

Some reports took the IBA stating that Khelif has XY chromosomes to speculate she might have differences of sexual development (DSD) like runner Caster Semenya.

However, the BBC has not been able to confirm whether this is or is not the case.

The IOC made it clear last year this is "not a transgender case".

Minister regrets 'clumsy' reference to Nazi Germany

7 hours ago Share Save Joshua Nevett Political reporter Share Save

EPA

The attorney general has said he regrets "clumsy" remarks in which he compared calls for the UK to depart from international law and arguments made in 1930s Germany. In a speech on Thursday, Lord Hermer criticised politicians who argue the UK should abandon "the constraints of international law in favour of raw power". He said similar claims had been made by legal theorists in Germany in the years before the Nazis came to power. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of "calling people who disagree with him Nazis," and urged the prime minister to sack him.

A spokesperson for Lord Hermer said he rejected "the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives". But they added the Labour peer "acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference". They added that the speech was aimed at "defending international law which underpins our security, protects against threats from aggressive states like Russia and helps tackle organised immigration crime". In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, Lord Hermer said the Labour government wanted to combine a "pragmatic approach to the UK's national interests with a principled commitment to a rules-based international order". He said the approach was "a rejection of the siren song that can sadly now be heard in the Palace of Westminster, and in some spectrums of the media, that Britain abandons the constraints of international law in favour of raw power". Lord Hermer added: "This is not a new song. "The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany, most notably Carl Schmitt, whose central thesis was in essence the claim that state power is all that counts, not law. "Because of the experience of what followed in 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law, as well as internal constitutional law." Adolf Hitler became German chancellor in 1933. Carl Schmitt, a German legal scholar, was a supporter of the Nazi Party who sought to justify Hitler's policies in his writings on legal and political theory.

'Appalling judgement'

Search for girl missing in River Thames suspended

A search for a girl thought to be missing in the River Thames in Kent has been suspended, the coastguard has said.

Police were called at 13:45 BST on Friday after concerns for the welfare of two children who had entered the river at Royal Pier Road, Gravesend.

Emergency services, including police, the ambulance service, HM Coastguard and the RNLI, attended the scene, where a boy was retrieved from the water and taken to a local hospital for further medical attention.

HM Coastguard said it had responded to a report of two children in difficulty in the water. The ages of the children have not been revealed.

French scientist behind abortion pill dies aged 98

2 hours ago Share Save Rorey Bosotti BBC News Share Save

Getty Images Dr Etienne-Emile Baulieu helped 'enable women's freedom', said France's president

The French scientist who created the abortion pill has died at the age of 98. Étienne-Émile Baulieu helped develop the oral drug RU-486, also known as mifepristone, which has provided millions of women across the world with a safe and inexpensive alternative to a surgical abortion. Dr Baulieu died at his home in Paris on Friday, his widow confirmed in a statement. Simone Harari Baulieu said: "His research was guided by his commitment to progress through science, his dedication to women's freedom and his desire to enable everyone to live better and longer lives."

French President Emmanuel Macron called Dr Baulieu "a beacon of courage" and "a progressive mind who enabled women to win their freedom". "Few French people have changed the world to such an extent," he added in a post on X. Aurore Bergé, France's gender equality minister, said Dr Baulieu "was guided throughout his life by one requirement: that of human dignity" in a post on X. Dr Baulieu was born Étienne Blum on 12 December 1926 in Strasbourg. He changed his name to join the French resistance against the Nazi occupation when he was 15. Following his graduation, he travelled to the United States where he worked with the man known as the father of the contraceptive pill, Dr Gregory Pincus. Dr Pincus advised him on focusing on sex hormones. Back in France, Dr Baulieu designed a method to block the effect of the hormone progesterone – which is essential for the egg to implant in the uterus following fertilisation.

The Week: Starmer v Farage, Trump Tariffs and Political Stunts The Week: Starmer v Farage, Trump Tariffs and Political Stunts

Luis Enrique walks barefoot on the grass of Campus PSG, the club's training ground 25 minutes away from their Parc des Princes home, every morning as part of his devotion to "earthing", believing it brings him closer to nature and helps fight off allergies.

If the 55-year-old Asturian can bring the Champions League to Paris for the first time, PSG's fanatical ultras will be believe he can also walk on water.

Enrique's appointment in July 2023 was a clear signal that PSG were moving away from the superstar culture, a dramatic change of direction which appealed to a coach bolted on to the team ethic.

French football expert Julien Laurens told BBC Sport: "They wanted someone to build something for the future, with patience. He was the best candidate.

"The considered people of the calibre of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. These guys are winners but they win now. They don't really build anything. Luis Enrique fitted what PSG wanted."

Former Brazil midfielder Rai, who was a member of the only PSG team to win a European trophy in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996, is also an Enrique admirer.

He told BBC Sport: "Nowadays, for a team to be considered complete and with a good chance of winning major titles, they need not only talent, but 100% commitment from all players, at all times of the game, whether defending or attacking, with or without the ball.

"What is most impressive about Luis Enrique's management is the fact that he achieved this in such a short time, and especially with such young players. This shows that his tactical scheme was well understood, that the players believe in him, and that his system is very effective."

Away from the pitch, the coach also demanded a level of control that had escaped predecessors such as Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Christophe Galtier.

"Luis Enrique is the leader of the club," said Laurens. "For a long time it was run by the superstars. If they didn't want to do something they wouldn't do it. They would go straight to the president. It undermined the coach - not any more."

Amy Jones had waited a while for her first international century - 12 years, 225 matches and 190 innings, to be exact.

Against a struggling West Indies at Derby, in England's first one-day international under the new leadership regime of Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards, the wicketkeeper finally made it out of the 90s.

Edwards' first tactical move in the 50-over format was to promote Jones back up the order after Maia Bouchier's omission from the side, and she repaid the faith immediately.

Jones had opened for England 23 times previously between 2016 and 2019, but said the simplicity of Edwards' approach helped take the pressure off upon her return to the top.

"She said, 'you've scored big runs at county level opening and you did pretty well opening before so have a good go at it'. For it to be an option was really exciting for me," Jones told BBC Test Match Special.

"It feels really special [to make the century]. It feels like it has been a long time, especially with a bit of an opportunity to bat at the top of the order at the start of my career, so it just feels like a lot of relief and a huge amount of pride."

"You only live once, so while we're on this earth, just have fun, love others and just give it positive energy - and then life's good," says Jeremie Frimpong.

Life is never dull when the Dutchman, who has completed a £29.5m move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen, is around.

From entertaining goal celebrations, which include getting team-mates to shine his boots after scoring, to amusing post-match television interviews, right-sided defender Frimpong is all about fun.

"I like the pink by the way," he told German football expert Archie Rhind-Tutt, who was wearing a pink jacket, in one live post-match television interview. "Very nice!"

"Often in football it becomes so serious that player interviews can be a bit dull," former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger tells BBC Sport.

"Frimpong hasn't lost any of that freshness, that sense of 'I am enjoying what I am doing here'. He is different and he has such a refreshing tone."

Another goal celebration with Leverkusen team-mate Amine Adli went viral on social media after Frimpong celebrated with a smoking gesture,, external just two days after Germany partly decriminalised marijuana use.

But don't be fooled by Frimpong's playful manner.

Liverpool are investing in a serious talent, who started out in Manchester City's academy system, showed promise at Celtic before making a name for himself with Bayer Leverkusen.

After four years in Germany, Frimpong is returning to England after helping Xabi Alonso's side break Bayern Munich's dominance and deliver a memorable league and cup double in 2023-24.

Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1994-95, adds: "He's one who I think has been on the radar for a lot of the really high-profile clubs for a while now and now it is about him making that next step."

Amy Jones hits her first One Day International century whilst Linsey Smith takes five wickets on her ODI debut to help England ease to a 108-run win against West Indies in the first ODI at Derby.

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Blatten is now buried in rock and mud, and the clean-up operation is on hold because the tonnes of debris have blocked the River Lonza, causing a flood risk. So it is too soon to do a complete analysis of how exactly this disaster happened. But Matthias Huss points out that while Blatten may be the biggest, most dramatic alpine disaster in recent years, it isn’t the only one.

Breakthrough cancer drug doubles survival in trial

10 minutes ago Share Save Philippa Roxby Heath Reporter Share Save

Laura Marston Laura now feels good six years after her diagnosis of advanced tongue cancer

Hundreds of thousands of people with advanced head and neck cancer could live longer without their cancer returning thanks to an immunotherapy drug, a clinical trial suggests. This is the first sign of a breakthrough for patients with this difficult-to-treat cancer for 20 years, say scientists behind the research. Laura Marston, 45, from Derbyshire, says she is "amazed she's still here" after being given "dire" chances of survival following a diagnosis of advanced tongue cancer six years ago. She received the immunotherapy before and after surgery, which researchers say helps the body learn to attack the cancer if it returns.

Cancers in the head and neck are notoriously difficult to treat and there's been little change in the way patients are treated in two decades. More than half those diagnosed with advanced head and neck cancers die within five years. Laura was given only a 30% chance of surviving that long after her diagnosis in 2019, after having an ulcer on her tongue which wouldn't go away. The next step was major surgery to remove her tongue, as well as lymph nodes in her neck, and then she had to learn to talk and eat again. "I was 39 and I was devastated," she told BBC News. As part of an international study into new ways to treat the cancer, involving experts from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, Laura was one of more than 350 patients given the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab before and after surgery to prime the body's defences. Prof Kevin Harrington, who led the trial in the UK, explains: "We give the immune system the chance to have a good look at the tumour to generate anti-tumour immunity and then, after removal of the tumour, we continue to amplify that immune response by giving the drug continually for up to a year." A similar number of patients diagnosed with similar cancers received the usual care offered. They all had advanced head and neck cancers in one area, that had not spread to the rest of the body. The new approach showed positive results. It doubled the length of time patients were cancer free, on average, from around 2.5 years to five years. After three years, patients given pembrolizumab had a 10% lower risk of their cancer returning elsewhere in the body.

'Given me my life back'

Six years on, Laura is working full-time and says she's "in a good place and doing really well". "It's been phenomenal for me, because I'm here, able to talk to you. "I wasn't expected to come this far," Laura says. "My prognosis was quite dire." She had muscle taken from her left arm and placed into her mouth to fill the void left by her tongue. It has been a tough journey. "Just having this amazing immunotherapy has given me my life back again."

'Key worker' and 'Nazi' slur

20 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

Many of Saturday's papers splash on a doting image of Donald Trump gifting his close ally Elon Musk with a large ceremonial key, marking his last official day with Doge - short for the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency. The Times splits its front page with this collegial image and a report that UK Defence Secretary John Healey has committed to spend 3% of GDP on defence by the year 2034. This, the paper reports, will be confirmed on Monday when the government's new defence review is set to be announced.

"Trump's farewell gift to Musk" similarly draws the reader's eye away from some of the other stories leading The Telegraph's front, including one that reports that "Foreigners claim £1bn a month in benefits". Households with at least one claimant who is a foreign national received £941m in March this year, up from £461m in March 2022, the paper reports.

"The hungriest place on earth," leads the front page of The Independent, with nearly the entire spread dedicated to a report from the UN, which describes Israel's aid blockade as putting "100% of the population at risk of famine". The paper also uses a small section of white space to acknowledge "Musk bowing out", something it reports him doing with Trump's praise for a "fantastic job".

Mizuno and Asics are "jumping out of kangaroo leather" in making football boots reports The Financial Times. Japan's top sports-shoe makers are the industry's last major holdouts to end the practice of using the material decried by activist campaigns as coming at the cost of animal cruelty. Elsewhere, a picture of Ukraine's first motorcycle combat unit zips across the front page - kicking up dust as the paper reports these units hope to "disappear before Russian drones can lock on" to them.

"PM told to sack legal chief over 'Nazi' slur" reads the front page of the Daily Mail. Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly facing "mounting pressure" to "sack" his attorney general for apparently comparing right-wing politicians to Nazis. Lord Hermer's comments come after he reportedly criticised Reform UK and the Tories for saying Britain should quit institutions like the European Convention on Human Rights. Columnist Sarah Vine - and ex-wife of Conservative MP Michael Gove - teases some advice from her forthcoming memoir for "How NOT to be a political wife".

"Cyber hackers will be deployed to fight drones on battlefield" reports the i Paper, using the lion's share of its front page to tease various details from the strategic defence review that the government will unveil on Monday. The top fold of the i splashes on notably lighter fare, including a sun-seekers report on "summer's best-value island escapes" as well as Gillian Anderson penning about how she's "still getting jobs in her 50s".

Defence is similarly top of mind over at The Guardian, where it reports that "Britain is facing 'a new era of security threat'". Like other papers, it highlights how Monday's strategic defence review will conclude that drones and artificial intelligence are changing the nature of modern warfare. A peering Taylor Swift also makes the front, after the 35-year-old singer announced on Friday that she had bought back the rights to the master recordings to her first six albums, ending a long-running battle over the ownership of her music.

The Sun straddles its front page with Taylor Swift "buying back her life's work" for an estimated "$360m". It is not known how much it cost Swift to acquire her masters, but the catalogue previously sold for $300m (£222m) in 2020. Elsewhere, the Sun reports that Southport killer Axel Rudakubana still has access to "treats" - leading to "fury" among the jail officers.

"Strictly bombshell" splashes the front page of the Daily Mirror, which reports on radio host Wynne Evans' announcement that he is leaving his BBC Radio Wales show after the broadcaster "decided not to renew" his contract. He had been taking time off his daytime show after apologising for making what he described as an "inappropriate and unacceptable" comment during the Strictly Come Dancing live tour launch in December. "I'm gutted," Evans said in an Instagram post about the news.

"Rubbish idea" splashes the front page of the Daily Express, as it reports on a "huge disparity" in the number of bins people are permitted to take out each week across the UK. The Daily Express reports on the example of Conwy, North Wales, where it says households are responsible for having separate bins for paper, glass, plastic, textiles, coffee pods, general refuse and more.

"Tears of a clown" is how the Daily Star is setting up its report about changes the modern day jester is facing, which it reports include ending the practise of "slapping pies in people's faces" and "squirting water" at audiences. The paper speaks with a founder of the London Clown Festival, who tells the Daily Star: "Things have really changed. Something that would make someone laugh ten years ago wouldn't today."

US to double tariffs on steel imports to 50%, Trump says

The announcement is the latest turn in Trump's rollercoaster approach to tariffs since re-entering office in January.

Trump also said that $14bn would be invested into the area's steel production through a partnership between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel. Details on the partnership are still unclear, though Trump has been touting the deal.

Speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump said the move would help boost the local steel industry and the national output, while decreasing reliance on China.

President Donald Trump has announced the US will double its current tariff rate on steel imports from 25% to 50%.

"There will be no layoffs and no outsourcing whatsoever, and every US steel worker will soon receive a well deserved $5,000 bonus," Trump told the crowd, filled with steelworkers, to raucous applause.

The president spent much of his remarks reflecting on how he "saved" US Steel, America's biggest steel manufacturer, located in Pittsburgh, with his 25% tariffs on steel, which he implemented in 2018 during his first term as president. The increased 50% tariffs, Trump said, would ensure its survival.

"At 50%, they can no longer get over the fence," he said.

The announcement comes amid a court battle over the legality over some of Trump's global tariffs, which an appeals court has allowed to continue for now.

His import taxes on steel and aluminium were untouched by the lawsuit.

The tariffs have rocked global trade and markets. They have worsened relations between China and the US, the world's two biggest global economies, and launched the countries into a tit-for-tat trade battle that could seemingly continue.

President Trump on Friday accused China of violating a truce they'd come to over tariffs earlier this month. China responded with its own accusations of US wrongdoing.

Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat tariffs after talks in Geneva.

But Trump said on Friday that China had "totally violated its agreement with us". He did not give details but US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later said China had not been removing non-tariff barriers as agreed under the deal.

Beijing's response on Friday did not address the US claims directly but urged the US to "cease discriminatory restrictions against China".

All eyes were on goalkeeper Hannah Hampton after a rocky week for the England squad - but just half an hour in, it was someone else taking the spotlight at Wembley.

Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones was star of the show, scoring her first England hat-trick in the 6-0 thumping of Portugal in the Women's Nations League.

The 21-year-old's treble came in just 33 minutes.

It was a scintillating performance from Beever-Jones and the Lionesses just five weeks out from Euro 2025 when they will attempt to defend their European title.

Noise had been building pre-match following goalkeeper Mary Earps' shock international retirement. How would they cope without one of their talismanic leaders? Could Chelsea's Hampton handle the pressure?

Clearly, they coped extremely well, and newly confirmed number one Hampton barely had to move a muscle.

"Are you not entertained?," said former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I'm running out of rubber on my eraser because I keep having to change [goalscoring] tally marks.

"It's been so fun to watch, with so much fluidity, and the enjoyment this England team has been playing with."

Ex-England defender Lindsay Johnson described it as a "Friday night funfest" and even manager Sarina Wiegman celebrated more than usual in the dugout.

With so much attention on matters off the pitch over the past week, this was a performance that emphatically shut out the noise and lifted the mood.

It was "back to business" as Wiegman claimed afterwards.