European leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force – two days before a US-Russia summit on Ukraine is due to take place in Alaska.

In a statement, European leaders said "the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future."

It added the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force".

The statement was signed by 26 of 27 leaders. Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block EU support for Ukraine.

The statement underscored the nervousness felt by Europeans about Moscow's actions in Ukraine, which many countries – particularly those bordering Russia or those in which the memory of Soviet occupation still lingers – believe could pose a direct threat in the near future.

In recent years Sweden and Finland have joined Nato, Baltic countries have reinstated conscription, and Poland has set aside billions to build a barrier alongside its border with Russia.

European countries have a long history of borders being redrawn by bloody wars and are extremely concerned by the prospect of the US allowing that to happen in Ukraine. A legal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over territories it conquered by force is unacceptable to the EU.

However, the notion that some Ukrainian regions currently under Russian control may not return to Kyiv is gaining ground.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories" and could see Russia taking the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and keeping Crimea. In exchange it would give up the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which it partially occupies.

Last week, while admitting that some Ukrainian territory might end up being de facto controlled by Russia, Nato chief Mark Rutte stressed that this should not be formally recognised.

In their statement, European leaders said "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has wider implications for European and international security", and stressed the need for a "just and lasting peace".

They also said Ukraine should be capable of "defending itself effectively" and pledged to continue providing military support to Kyiv, which was "exercising its inherent right of self-defence".

"The European Union underlines the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny and will continue supporting Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," the statement concluded.

Denting the apparent unity of the declaration was a line in smaller print at the bottom of the page pointing out that "Hungary does not associate itself with this statement".

In a post on social media its leader Viktor Orban said he had opted out of supporting the statement as it attempted to set conditions for a meeting to which the EU was not invited and warned leaders not to start "providing instructions from the bench".

He also urged the EU to set up its own summit with Russia – though EU leaders have been shunning direct talks with Moscow since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Monday Trump revealed he had sought Orban's advice over the chances of Ukraine winning against Russia on the battlefield. "He looked at me like, 'What a stupid question'," Trump said, suggesting that Orban felt Russia would continue to wage war until it beat its adversary.

EU leaders are due to hold talks with Trump on Wednesday. They will be hoping to put the security of the European continent and Ukrainian interests at the forefront of his mind – at a time when nervousness is growing that the peace imposed on Ukraine may end up being neither "just" nor "lasting".

Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are then expected to meet in Alaska on Friday.

Nigerian Afropop star Tems has told the BBC "people don't really respect women" in her industry.

The two-time Grammy award-winner told the BBC that at the start of her career, she struggled to be taken seriously.

"I realised that there's always a cost. There's always a price that you pay. And a lot of those prices I wasn't willing to pay and there wasn't a lot of options," Tems said.

Afropop has gained immense global popularity over the past decade, but despite this growth it remains notoriously male-dominated.

The industry's so-called "Big Three" - Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid - are all male - while their female counterparts, such as Tiwa Savage and Yemi Alade, have spoken out about the barriers they face because of their gender.

Earlier this year, Tems hit out following negative comments about her body, which were made online after a video of her performing was posted onto X.

She wrote on the social media platform: "It's just a body, I will add and lose weight. I never once hid my body, I just didn't feel the need to prove or disprove anyone. The more you don't like my body the better for me actually."

Tems told the BBC she wants "to change the way women see themselves in music", and hopes to achieve this through her new platform, The Leading Vibe Initiative.

The project aims to provide opportunities for young women throughout Africa's music industries.

"I promised myself that if I get to a place where I can do more, I will make this initiative for women like me and maybe make it easier for women to access platforms and access a wider audience and success," Tems said.

The initiative kicked off on Friday in Tems' hometown, Lagos. Vocalists, songwriters and producers were invited to a series of workshops, masterclasses and panel discussions, all with the aim of developing skills and connections.

Asked what advice she would give to young women wanting to crack the industry, she said: "I think it's important to have an idea of what you want for yourself, what your brand is, what's your boundary.

"What are the things that you wouldn't do for fame and the things that you would do?"

Tems, who has scored hits with the likes of Love Me Jeje and Free Mind, said anyone trying to break into the industry must be passionate about their craft.

"It's not everybody that sings that loves music. If I wasn't famous, I would still be doing music. I would be in some kind of jazz club... randomly on a Friday night," she said.

But this is far from Tems' reality. Five years on from her debut EP, she has collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé and Rihanna, racked up more than 17m monthly listeners on Spotify and headlined international festivals.

And next month, she will be supporting British band Coldplay during their sold-out run of gigs at the UK's Wembley Stadium.

Tems puts her success down to being "authentic" and "audacious".

"Even when people tell you to change your sound, change your style, you look at them and you say: 'No'. If it meant me not being signed, I was okay not being signed. I went to a couple of places that didn't sign me and I was okay with that," she said.

Music is not Tems' only passion - she is an avid football fan and recently became part-owner of US football club San Diego FC.

"I never imagined myself owning or being in an ownership of any football team," she said, adding that her brother initially got her into the sport.

Tems joined San Diego's ownership with Pave Investments, a West African private investment firm which also helped raise funds for the NBA-linked African Basketball League.

Tems' involvement with San Diego gives her hope that "people can be bold enough to try things that nobody ever thought was possible".

She said: "I don't see myself as just a singer, just a musician, just an artist. I'm much more than that."

You may also be interested in:

• Rare photos capture Afrobeats' rise to take over the world
• Tiwa Savage: I always wanted to be an actor
• South African singer Tyla sparks culture war

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

At least 66 people are still missing a week after flash floods hit the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, according to an official statement.

Only one body has been recovered so far, the statement added, revising an earlier death toll of four.

Nearly half of Dharali village was submerged on 5 August in a mudslide caused by heavy rains and flash floods. An army camp nearby also suffered extensive damage.

Rescue operations are continuing at the site of the disaster as workers search for missing people. The work has been affected by inclement weather and the blockage of a key highway near the site due to the mudslide.

Weeks of heavy rain have pounded Uttarakhand, with Uttarkashi region - home to Dharali village - among the worst hit by flooding.

Around 1,300 people have been rescued from near Dharali since last week, officials said.

Heavy rains last week had led to the swelling of the Kheerganga river in the region, sending tonnes of muddy waters gushing downwards on the hilly terrain, covering roads, buildings and shops in Dharali and nearby Harsil village.

Videos showed a giant wave of water gushing through the area, crumpling buildings in its path, giving little time for people to escape.

Uttarakhand's chief minister and other officials initially said the flash floods were caused by a cloudburst, but India's weather department has not confirmed this.

Vinay Shankar Pandey, a senior local official, said a team of 10 geologists has been sent to the village to determine the cause of the flash floods.

The sludge from Kheerganga blocked a part of the region's main river Bhagirathi [which becomes India's holiest river Ganges once it travels downstream] and created an artificial lake, submerging vast tracts of land, including a government helipad.

Rescue workers are still trying to drain the lake, which had initially receded but filled up again after more rains.

Mr Pandey said in a statement that a list of missing people included 24 Nepalese workers, 14 locals, nine army personnel and 13 and six individuals from the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.

Locals, however, have told reporters that more people from the area are still unaccounted for.

Rescue officials are using helicopters to reach Dharali, which is still blocked by debris.

A temporary bridge has also been built to allow easier access as workers continue to try and clear the blocked roads.

"Efforts are continuously being made to remove the debris and construct roads in Dharali to restore order," Mr Pandey said.

Sniffer dogs and earth-moving machinery are searching for those trapped beneath the rubble.

A rescue worker told the Press Trust of India that they were manually digging through the debris where a hotel had stood before the disaster hit.

"There was some movement of people in front of it when the disaster struck. The debris here is being dug manually with the help of radar equipment as people might be buried here," he said.

On Monday, a road-repair machine near Kheerganga plunged into a swollen river; its driver is missing, and the machine remains unrecovered.

India's weather department has predicted heavy rains and thunderstorms for various parts of Uttarakhand till 14 August with high alerts issued for eight districts, including Garhwal.

World-famous coral reefs along Western Australia's (WA) coast have suffered the worst bleaching on record after the state's "longest, largest and most intense" marine heatwave, scientists say.

Between last August and this May, warmer water temperatures led to significant heat stress on the reefs, causing many of the coral to expel the algae which gives them life and colour - a process called bleaching, which is often fatal.

The damage - which will take months to assess - spans 1,500km (932 miles) and includes areas previously unscathed by climate change.

Coral reefs worldwide have been suffering from a two-year-long global coral bleaching event, due to record high ocean temperatures.

Eight weeks of heat stress is usually enough to kill coral, and early estimates showed many WA reefs suffered between 15 and 30, said Australia's marine science agency.

"The length and intensity of the heat stress, and its footprint across multiple regions, is something we've never seen before on most of the reefs in Western Australia," James Gilmour, from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Aims), said.

In a new report, the Aims researchers found the 2024-25 season was the "most severe coral bleaching on record" for WA coral reefs across both the northwestern and central reefs.

"Areas which had given us hope because they'd rarely or not bleached before - like the Rowley Shoals, north Kimberley and Ningaloo - have been hit hard this time. Finally, climate heating has caught up with these reefs," he said.

Climate change means bleaching events are becoming more frequent, more intense and more widespread, which Dr Gilmore says gives coral reefs - which need 10 to 15 years to recover - little time to bounce back.

"Climate change caused by carbon emissions remains the greatest threat to our coral reefs, and all reefs globally," he said.

European leaders have warned against Ukrainian borders being redrawn by force – two days before a US-Russia summit on Ukraine is due to take place in Alaska.

In a statement, European leaders said "the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future."

It added the principles of "territorial integrity" must be respected and "international borders must not be changed by force".

The statement was signed by 26 of 27 leaders. Missing from the signatories was Hungary's leader Viktor Orban, who has maintained friendly relations with Russia and has repeatedly tried to block EU support for Ukraine.

The statement underscored the nervousness felt by Europeans about Moscow's actions in Ukraine, which many countries – particularly those bordering Russia or those in which the memory of Soviet occupation still lingers – believe could pose a direct threat in the near future.

In recent years Sweden and Finland have joined Nato, Baltic countries have reinstated conscription, and Poland has set aside billions to build a barrier alongside its border with Russia.

European countries have a long history of borders being redrawn by bloody wars and are extremely concerned by the prospect of the US allowing that to happen in Ukraine. A legal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over territories it conquered by force is unacceptable to the EU.

However, the notion that some Ukrainian regions currently under Russian control may not return to Kyiv is gaining ground.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that any peace deal would involve "some swapping of territories" and could see Russia taking the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and keeping Crimea. In exchange it would give up the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which it partially occupies.

Last week, while admitting that some Ukrainian territory might end up being de facto controlled by Russia, Nato chief Mark Rutte stressed that this should not be formally recognised.

In their statement, European leaders said "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has wider implications for European and international security", and stressed the need for a "just and lasting peace".

They also said Ukraine should be capable of "defending itself effectively" and pledged to continue providing military support to Kyiv, which was "exercising its inherent right of self-defence".

"The European Union underlines the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny and will continue supporting Ukraine on its path towards EU membership," the statement concluded.

Denting the apparent unity of the declaration was a line in smaller print at the bottom of the page pointing out that "Hungary does not associate itself with this statement".

In a post on social media its leader Viktor Orban said he had opted out of supporting the statement as it attempted to set conditions for a meeting to which the EU was not invited and warned leaders not to start "providing instructions from the bench".

He also urged the EU to set up its own summit with Russia – though EU leaders have been shunning direct talks with Moscow since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Monday Trump revealed he had sought Orban's advice over the chances of Ukraine winning against Russia on the battlefield. "He looked at me like, 'What a stupid question'," Trump said, suggesting that Orban felt Russia would continue to wage war until it beat its adversary.

EU leaders are due to hold talks with Trump on Wednesday. They will be hoping to put the security of the European continent and Ukrainian interests at the forefront of his mind – at a time when nervousness is growing that the peace imposed on Ukraine may end up being neither "just" nor "lasting".

Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are then expected to meet in Alaska on Friday.

The parents of a schoolboy who was murdered by a fellow pupil on his lunchbreak have called for an order protecting the identity of his 15-year-old killer to be lifted.

Harvey Willgoose, who was also 15, died when he was stabbed in the heart with a hunting knife at All Saints Catholic High School in Sheffield on 3 February.

Harvey's killer cannot be named because of his age. However, the BBC and other media have applied to have the anonymity order protecting his identity lifted.

Harvey's mum Caroline said her son's name had been "tarnished" throughout the trial, adding: "He hasn't been able to speak up for himself and he's been named. The defendant should be as well."

The trial judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, is expected to make a decision on whether to lift the order when the 15-year-old is sentenced in October.

Harvey's parents, who have set up a youth club in his memory, reiterated their earlier call to install knife arches in schools.

"Get knife arches in, then get educating children about the pure devastation that knife crime brings," said Mrs Willgoose.

"Children know there are knives in schools. Something needs to be done."

Mrs Willgoose, who has campaigned against knife crime since her son's death, added: "If you don't think there's a problem, ask your child if they have ever known of anybody bringing a knife into school.

"I think parents would be very interested in their answer."

Harvey's dad Mark said the family had previously had met with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss the issue.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

The number of migrants to cross the English Channel in small boats since Labour came to power last summer is expected to have reached 50,000.

Home Office data shows 49,797 people had arrived as of Sunday, with Monday's total due to be released later.

Government minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the BBC this was an "unacceptable number of people" but pointed to the "one in, one out" returns deal with France as a deterrent.

But the Conservative Party said the migrant crossing totals showed Labour had "surrendered our borders".

The latest figures come as ministers continue to grapple with how to effectively crack down on people-smuggling gangs - a key pledge of Sir Keir Starmer's when he became prime minister.

Baroness Smith told BBC Breakfast: "We understand how concerning this is to people."

She said the migrant crossing figures showed people-smuggling gangs had taken an "absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people" in recent years.

But the minister added the government was "making progress" on tackling people smuggling, and people had already been detained under the UK's "ground-breaking agreement" with France.

The "one in, one out" pilot will see the UK return some migrants to France in exchange for receiving the same number of asylum seekers who are believed to have legitimate claims.

The first returns are due to happen within weeks - but the initial numbers are expected to be small.

The 50,000 figure will cover 5 July 2024, when Labour came to power, to 11 August this year.

Between 5 July 2023 and 11 August 2024, during which time the Conservatives were in power for the most part, there were 36,346 migrant crossings in small boats.

A number of factors affect crossing totals, including where weather conditions are more favourable for attempts.

But the Tories accused Labour of overseeing the "worst illegal immigration crisis in our history".

"This is a taxpayer-funded ferry service for the people-smuggling trade. Every illegal immigrant should be removed immediately upon arrival," said shadow home secretary Chris Philp.

The Home Office said it wants to "end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security".

The government has made a number of announcements on illegal immigration recently amid increasing political pressure over the issue.

Baroness Smith said the Borders Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, would give ministers greater powers to "challenge the gangs".

Other measures announced include prison sentences of up to five years for criminals advertising illegal Channel crossings online, and increased funding for more National Crime Agency officers.

The moves come in the wake of a series of protests and counter demonstrations outside UK hotels which are used to house asylum seekers.

"People do not cross the Channel unless what lies behind them is more terrifying than what lies ahead," said Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity.

The charity's frontline workers say the men, women and children travelling in small boats are "often fleeing places like Sudan, where war has left them with nowhere else to turn", he added.

"To stop smugglers for good, the government must expand safe and legal routes, such as allowing family members to travel to be with their loved ones who are already settled in the UK," he said.

"Without these measures, desperate people will continue to take dangerous journeys, and the criminal gangs are likely to simply adapt their approaches."

The UK jobs market has continued to cool as vacancies fell and the number of people on payrolls dropped, the latest official figures suggest.

Job openings fell by 5.8% to 718,000 between May to July across nearly all industries, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It said there was evidence that some firms may not be recruiting new workers or replacing people who have left.

Initial estimates also indicated that the number of payrolled employees slipped between April and June, with the steepest drop in the hospitality and retail sectors.

Liz McKeown, director of economic statistics at the ONS, said the "latest figures point to a continued cooling of the labour market".

However, the slowdown was not as sharp as some economists had anticipated.

Average wage growth remained at 5%, the unemployment rate was unmoved at 4.7% and an estimated drop in people on payrolls - down 8,000 between June and July - signalled a "very gradual cooling", according to former Bank of England policymaker Andrew Sentence.

He pointed out that there are more than 30 million people on employer payrolls in the UK.

Taylor Swift has announced her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, after an intense 24 hours of speculation from fans.

Rumours began on Monday morning, when the singer's marketing team posted a carousel of 12 photos with the caption "Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…"

In the hours that followed, her boyfriend Travis Kelce confirmed that she would be a guest on his podcast New Heights and Swift's official website began a countdown to 00:12 ET (05:12 BST).

The pop star's eleventh album The Tortured Poets Department, released last year, broke the Spotify record for being the most-streamed album in a day.

The title of the album was announced on social media with a clip from Kelce's podcast, and simultaneously made available for pre-order on Swift's official website.

The release date for the new music is yet to be confirmed.

After years of headlines during her record-breaking Eras tour, Swift appeared to have a relatively quiet start to 2025.

In May this year, it was announced that she had bought back the rights to her first six albums, ending a long-running and highly publicised battle over the ownership of her music.

After her original masters sold, she vowed to re-record all six albums, which became known as "Taylor's Versions". To date, she has re-released four of the original six.

Swift announced her purchase of her original masters with a heartfelt letter to fans, where she wrote that the final two albums would "have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right."

The singer wrapped up the Eras tour in December 2024, after playing 149 shows in 53 cities.

In the UK alone, she played to almost 1.2 million people, including eight nights at Wembley Stadium. The tour generated an estimated £1bn for the country's economy.