Israel's war in Gaza grinds on, but opposition is growing.

In recent weeks, thousands of Israeli reservists – from all branches of the military – have signed letters demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government stop the fighting and concentrate instead on reaching a deal to bring back the remaining 59 hostages being held by Hamas.

Eighteen months ago, few Israelis doubted the war's logic: to defeat Hamas and return the hostages.

For many, the January ceasefire and subsequent return of more than 30 hostages raised hopes that the war might soon end.

But after Israel broke the ceasefire and returned to war in mid-March, those hopes were dashed.

"We came to the conclusion that Israel is going to a very bad place," Danny Yatom, a former head of the spy agency Mossad told me.

"We understand that what mainly bothers Netanyahu is his own interests. And in the list of priorities, his interests and the interests of having the government stable are the first ones, and not the hostages."

Many of those signing recent letters are, like Yatom, long time critics of the prime minister. Some were involved in the anti-government protests that preceded the outbreak of war on 7 October 2023 following Hamas's attack on Israel.

But Yatom says that's not why he decided to speak out.

"I signed my name and I am participating in the demonstrations not because of any political reason, but because of a national reason," he said.

"I am highly concerned that my country is going to lose its way."

The first open letter to be published, in early April, was signed by 1,000 air force reservists and retirees.

"The continuation of the war does not contribute to any of its declared goals," they wrote, "and will lead to the death of the hostages".

The signatories urged Israelis to follow their lead before time ran out on the estimated 24 hostages still thought to be alive in Gaza.

"Every day that passes is further risking their lives. Every moment of hesitation is a crying shame."

In the weeks since, similar letters have appeared from almost every branch of the military, including elite fighting and intelligence units, along with a number of decorated commanders.

More than 12,000 signatures all.

After 7 October, hundreds of thousands of Israeli reservists answered the call, eager to serve.

But now, more and more are refusing, with reports suggesting that reserve attendance has dropped to as little as 50-60%.

For a military that depends heavily on reservists to fight its wars, it's a looming crisis on a scale not seen since Israel's first Lebanon war in 1982.

In a leafy Jerusalem park, I met "Yoav" (not his real name), an infantry reservist who asked not to be identified.

Yoav served in Gaza last summer but said he wouldn't do it again.

"I had the feeling that I needed to go to help my brothers and sisters," he told me.

"I believed I was doing something good. Complicated but good. But now, I don't see it in the same way anymore."

The government's determination to keep fighting Hamas, while hostages risk death in the tunnels of Gaza, Yoav said, was misplaced.

"We are very strong and we can beat Hamas, but it's not about beating Hamas," he said. "It's about losing our country."

During his time in Gaza, Yoav told me, he tried to be "the best moral soldier that a man can be".

But the longer the war goes on, critics say, the harder it is for Israel to claim, as government officials often do, that its military is the most moral army in the world.

In a recent column in the left of centre newspaper Haaretz, the retired general Amiram Levin said it was time for soldiers – starting with senior commanders - to think about disobeying orders.

"The risk of being dragged into war crimes and suffering a fatal blow to the Israel Defense Forces and our social ethos," he wrote, "make it impossible to stand idly by".

Some of Israel's critics, including those who have brought cases before the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice, argue that such lines have already been crossed.

Netanyahu has lashed out at the protesters, dismissing their concerns as "propaganda lies", spread by "a small handful of fringe elements – loud, anarchist and disconnected pensioners, most of whom haven't served in years".

But polls suggest the protest letters reflect a growing public conviction: that the release of the remaining hostages should come before everything.

In Tel Aviv, where noisy anti-war demonstrations have been held for well over a year, images of the hostages are held aloft, while other protestors sit on the road, cradling pictures of Palestinian children killed during the war.

Amid the row generated by the letters, such emotive displays appear to have rattled the authorities.

On 20 April, the police briefly told protesters that "pictures of children or babies from Gaza" would not be permitted, along with posters displaying the words "genocide" or "ethnic cleansing".

Following expressions of outrage from the organisers, the police quickly backed down.

Meanwhile, the prime minister continues to speak of his determination to defeat Hamas.

Military pressure, Netanyahu continues to insist, is the only way to bring the hostages home.

The estranged husband of a woman who served a poisonous mushroom lunch to her family says it was "very rare" for her to hold social gatherings at home.

Simon Patterson was invited to the fatal meal prepared by Erin Patterson - but decided not to attend the day before.

Mr Patterson is the first witness in the trial of Ms Patterson - who is charged with the murder of three relatives and the attempted murder of another, with the case centring on a beef wellington lunch at her house in July 2023.

Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty and her defence team says she "panicked" after unintentionally serving poison to family members she loved.

Three people died in hospital in the days after the meal, including Ms Patterson's former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Local pastor Ian Wilkinson survived after weeks of treatment in hospital.

The jury has been shown text messages exchanged between Simon and Erin Patterson the day before the deadly mushroom lunch.

Mr Patterson said he felt "too uncomfortable" about attending the lunch.

Erin Patterson responded: "That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow... It's important to me that you're all there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that I need to have."

The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson invited the group to lunch "on the pretence she'd been diagnosed with cancer".

The court in Morwell, regional Victoria, heard that between the couple's marriage in 2007 and separation in 2015, there were a number of periods of separation and reconciliation - including Erin Patterson leaving her husband and their baby son in the middle of a road trip across Australia in 2009.

Mr Patterson had to drive from Townsville to Perth - a distance of about 5,000 km (3,100 miles) - alone with the child, he told the court.

The couple met in 2002, while both working at Monash City Council, where Mr Patterson was a civil engineer.

Asked about his wife, Mr Patterson said: "Erin is very intelligent.

"Some of the things that attracted me to her in the first place is definitely her intelligence. She's quite witty and can be quite funny."

Asked about how his wife got on with his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, Mr Patterson said: "She especially got on with dad. They shared a love of knowledge and learning in the world."

With his voice faltering, Mr Patterson added: "I think she loves his gentle nature."

He said Ms Patterson held a university degree in business and accounting, and was also qualified as an air traffic controller having worked at Melbourne's Tullemarine airport.

Mr Patterson painted a picture of a relationship peppered with periods of separation - the first within the first two years of marriage - at one point becoming emotional and asking for tissues.

After the final separation there was a lot of communication by text message he said, including "banter" and talk about politics, he said.

But there was a change in the relationship in 2022 when Ms Patterson was "upset" when her husband listed himself as separated on his tax return.

The "chatty nature" of their relationship "pretty much stopped" after this, Mr Patterson said - with communication now only about the "practical management" of their family life.

Wearing a navy suit, white shirt and purple tie, he told that Ms Patterson received a "substantial inheritance" from her grandmother which Mr Patterson estimated at A$2m ($1.3m; £964,000) - though it was not paid in a lump sum and was "dribbled out" by the executors of the estate.

The jury has heard that there is no dispute that the lunch of beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans contained death cap mushrooms and caused the guests' illnesses.

Whether Ms Patterson intended to kill or cause very serious injury is the main issue in the case, the judge has told the jury.

The court heard the couple had married in 2007 and had two children together - though separated permanently in 2015 .

They had remained "amicable" including sharing family holidays, though there was a falling out over child support payments in 2022, the jury was told.

During the prosecution's opening statement on Wednesday, lead defence barrister Nanette Rogers said the jury would hear evidence that Ms Patterson had travelled to a location, near her home in Leongatha, where death cap mushroom sightings had been logged on a naturalist website.

And in the days after the lunch, she took a number of steps to "conceal" what she had done, the prosecution alleged.

There'd be evidence that she lied to investigators about the source of the mushrooms in the dish - saying some had come from Asian grocery in Melbourne and she'd never foraged wild ones. And she made a trip to a local dump to dispose of a food dehydrator prosecutors say she used to prepare the toxic meal.

Ms Patterson's barrister has said she did not deliberately serve poisoned food to her guests.

"The defence case is that she panicked because she was overwhelmed by the fact that these four people had become so ill because of the food she had served them."

President Donald Trump has asked for more time on the US economy as it contracted for the first time in three years, stoking recession fears.

He said the figure was misleading because companies had stockpiled imports ahead of his imposition of tariffs.

Trump, however, said $8tn (£6tn) of inward investment had been promised, which he argued would restore American manufacturing prowess.

The US economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.3%, the US commerce department said, a sharp downturn after growth of 2.4% in the previous quarter. It comes as Trump marks 100 days in office, with opinion polls indicating public discontent over his economic stewardship.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon at a White House event attended by business leaders, Trump blamed his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, for the disappointing gross domestic product data.

"This is Biden's economy because we took over on January 20th," Trump said. "I think you have to give us a little bit of time to get moving."

It comes in the aftermath of the Republican president's import taxes, which have disrupted global trade and markets.

• 'We don't care': A defiant China looks beyond Trump's America
• Why the IMF is worried about the economy - three things to know

Trump's finger pointing at Biden drew scorn from Democrats.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of the US House of Representatives, said: "This is not Joe Biden's economy, Donald, it is your economy.

"It is the Trump economy, it is a failed economy and the American people know it."

At Wednesday's White House event, Trump touted planned investments in technology, healthcare and infrastructure.

He introduced CEOs of major companies, including Hyundai's Jose Munoz, Toyota's Ted Ogawa, and Johnson & Johnson's Joaquin Duato.

Trump also urged Congress to pass his tax bill, which includes trillions of dollars in tax and spending cuts, but faces opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.

At a television appearance earlier in the day with cabinet members, Trump played down fears of shortages of items such as toys, as trade between the US and China falls sharply.

"Well, maybe the children will have to have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know?" he said. "And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally."

Trump has enacted 10% levies on almost all countries importing to the US, after announcing a 90-day pause on higher tariffs. The amount paid by these countries could change after the period expires in July.

Another 25% tariff has been imposed on Mexico and Canada. The levies on China, however, have led to an all-out trade war with the world's second largest economy.

Trump imposed import taxes of up to 145% on Chinese goods coming into the US and China hit back with a 125% tax on American products.

His administration said when the new tariffs were added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

Russian drones have killed at least two people and injured another five in a sustained attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa, the governor of the region has said.

Residential high-rise buildings, a supermarket and school were damaged, Oleh Kiper posted on Telegram.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of Kharkiv said a drone had struck a petrol station in the city centre, and explosions were also heard in the city of Sumy.

Russia has not yet commented on the attacks.

"The enemy is attacking Odesa with strike drones. There is considerable damage to civilian infrastructure, particularly dwellings," Kiper posted, before later confirming the casualties.

"Two people died and five others were injured as a result of the strike. Medics are providing all necessary assistance to the victims," he said.

The city's Mayor Gennady Trukhanov said: "The enemy has launched another massive attack on the city. Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure have been damaged in various areas of Odessa."

Videos and images uploaded to social media, which the BBC has not yet verified, show explosions and damaged buildings.

Odesa, a strategically important port city on the Black Sea, has a population of around a million people. It has come under repeated attack since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The latest attack comes as the US signed a deal with Ukraine on the joint exploitation of its energy and mineral resources.

The long-anticipated deal shows much more solidarity with Ukraine than is usual for US President Donald Trump's administration.

The two countries agreed to establish a reconstruction investment fund to spur Ukraine's economic recovery from its war with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week announced a temporary ceasefire for the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the ceasefire would run from the morning of 8 May until 11 May - which coincides with victory celebrations to mark the end of World War Two.

In response, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an immediate ceasefire lasting "at least 30 days".

The estranged husband of a woman who served a poisonous mushroom lunch to her family says it was "very rare" for her to hold social gatherings at home.

Simon Patterson was invited to the fatal meal prepared by Erin Patterson - but decided not to attend the day before.

Mr Patterson is the first witness in the trial of Ms Patterson - who is charged with the murder of three relatives and the attempted murder of another, with the case centring on a beef wellington lunch at her house in July 2023.

Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty and her defence team says she "panicked" after unintentionally serving poison to family members she loved.

Three people died in hospital in the days after the meal, including Ms Patterson's former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Local pastor Ian Wilkinson survived after weeks of treatment in hospital.

The jury has been shown text messages exchanged between Simon and Erin Patterson the day before the deadly mushroom lunch.

Mr Patterson said he felt "too uncomfortable" about attending the lunch.

Erin Patterson responded: "That's really disappointing. I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow... It's important to me that you're all there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that I need to have."

The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson invited the group to lunch "on the pretence she'd been diagnosed with cancer".

The court in Morwell, regional Victoria, heard that between the couple's marriage in 2007 and separation in 2015, there were a number of periods of separation and reconciliation - including Erin Patterson leaving her husband and their baby son in the middle of a road trip across Australia in 2009.

Mr Patterson had to drive from Townsville to Perth - a distance of about 5,000 km (3,100 miles) - alone with the child, he told the court.

The couple met in 2002, while both working at Monash City Council, where Mr Patterson was a civil engineer.

Asked about his wife, Mr Patterson said: "Erin is very intelligent.

"Some of the things that attracted me to her in the first place is definitely her intelligence. She's quite witty and can be quite funny."

Asked about how his wife got on with his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, Mr Patterson said: "She especially got on with dad. They shared a love of knowledge and learning in the world."

With his voice faltering, Mr Patterson added: "I think she loves his gentle nature."

He said Ms Patterson held a university degree in business and accounting, and was also qualified as an air traffic controller having worked at Melbourne's Tullemarine airport.

Mr Patterson painted a picture of a relationship peppered with periods of separation - the first within the first two years of marriage - at one point becoming emotional and asking for tissues.

After the final separation there was a lot of communication by text message he said, including "banter" and talk about politics, he said.

But there was a change in the relationship in 2022 when Ms Patterson was "upset" when her husband listed himself as separated on his tax return.

The "chatty nature" of their relationship "pretty much stopped" after this, Mr Patterson said - with communication now only about the "practical management" of their family life.

Wearing a navy suit, white shirt and purple tie, he told that Ms Patterson received a "substantial inheritance" from her grandmother which Mr Patterson estimated at A$2m ($1.3m; £964,000) - though it was not paid in a lump sum and was "dribbled out" by the executors of the estate.

The jury has heard that there is no dispute that the lunch of beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans contained death cap mushrooms and caused the guests' illnesses.

Whether Ms Patterson intended to kill or cause very serious injury is the main issue in the case, the judge has told the jury.

The court heard the couple had married in 2007 and had two children together - though separated permanently in 2015 .

They had remained "amicable" including sharing family holidays, though there was a falling out over child support payments in 2022, the jury was told.

During the prosecution's opening statement on Wednesday, lead defence barrister Nanette Rogers said the jury would hear evidence that Ms Patterson had travelled to a location, near her home in Leongatha, where death cap mushroom sightings had been logged on a naturalist website.

And in the days after the lunch, she took a number of steps to "conceal" what she had done, the prosecution alleged.

There'd be evidence that she lied to investigators about the source of the mushrooms in the dish - saying some had come from Asian grocery in Melbourne and she'd never foraged wild ones. And she made a trip to a local dump to dispose of a food dehydrator prosecutors say she used to prepare the toxic meal.

Ms Patterson's barrister has said she did not deliberately serve poisoned food to her guests.

"The defence case is that she panicked because she was overwhelmed by the fact that these four people had become so ill because of the food she had served them."

A Columbia University student and Palestinian activist arrested by US immigration authorities has been released from custody, US media reports.

Mohsen Mahdawi, who has permanent US residency or "green card" status, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) when he turned up at an American citizenship interview in Vermont in mid-April.

Mr Mahdawi's legal team petitioned for his release alleging unlawful incarceration.

The US government says he was undermining US foreign policy. Luna Droubi, one of his lawyers, argued that the arrest was "in direct retaliation for his advocacy on behalf of Palestinians and because of his identity as a Palestinian".

Vermont District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi from prison on bail on Wednesday, pending the court's ruling on the habeas petition challenging his detention, according to a statement by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is part of his legal representation.

The judge denied a request from government lawyers to delay his release by seven days.

In the statement, Ms Droubi said the claims against him are "baseless" and a "disgrace to the US Constitution". She said she was "relieved" that Mr Mahdawi had been released, and vowed to "keep fighting until Mohsen is free for good".

Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, responded after his release, saying "no judge, not this one or another, is going to stop the Trump Administration from restoring the rule of law to our immigration system".

Mr Mahdawi thanked supporters outside the courtroom, saying, "We are pro-peace and anti-war".

"To my people in Palestine: I feel your pain, I see your suffering; and I see freedom and it is very very soon."

One day before his arrest, Mr Mahdawi had told CBS News, the BBC's US partner, that he believed the citizenship interview could be a setup.

"It's the first feeling of like, I've been waiting for this for more than a year," Mr Mahdawi said. "And the other feeling is like, wait a minute. Is this a honey trap?"

Several prominent politicians, including independent Senator Bernie Sanders who represents Vermont, have spoken out in support of Mr Mahdawi and called for his release.

US authorities have detained multiple students and graduates involved in the protest movement against the war, including Columbia University's Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University's Rumeysa Ozturk.

Both the US and Ukraine have said they are broadly ready to sign a deal which would give American firms access to Ukraine's minerals.

"We are ready to sign this afternoon if they are," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine "decided to make last minute changes" to the agreement.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was flying to Washington on Wednesday after an apparent breakthrough in negotiations.

Earlier, BBC News saw a draft copy of the deal, which provides for the creation of a joint Ukrainian-US investment fund to search for minerals in Ukraine, and set outs how revenues would be split.

On Wednesday afternoon a US source familiar with the talks criticised Ukraine for seeking to re-open some terms that had already been agreed upon over the weekend.

Both US and Ukrainian teams worked through the night on Friday into Saturday to finalise the documents, as well as into the early morning on Wednesday, the source told the BBC.

They added that the sticking points include governance of the fund, the transparency mechanism, and steps to ensure that all funds are fully traceable.

Despite these last minute negotiations, the signing could still happen by the end of Wednesday if the US side believes that Ukraine is complying with already agreed upon terms, the source said.

"Nothing's been removed," Bessent said when asked about any changes to the deal. "It's the same agreement that we agreed to on the weekend. No changes on our side."

Technical documents were signed last week by representatives of both countries.

In Kyiv, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine expected the deal to be signed within "the next 24 hours".

"This is truly a good, equal and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine," Shmyhal said.

Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for an agreement as a prerequisite to offering any future security guarantees to Kyiv, as Ukraine continues to fight against invading Russian forces.

Ukraine is believed to have vast reserves of critical rare minerals like graphite, titanium and lithium beneath its soil. They are highly sought after because of their use in renewable energy, military applications and industrial infrastructure.

The Trump administration's push for access to another country's mineral wealth comes amid a growing trade war with China, where 90% of the world's current stocks are sourced from.

The draft deal also appears to give the US sweeping access to Ukrainian industries beyond minerals.

While it does not specify security support that Washington is willing to provide in return, it states that the deal is "a tangible demonstration of the United States of America's support for Ukraine's security".

The agreement comes days after Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, and as talks between Moscow and Washington over a possible ceasefire in Ukraine continue.

The latest Trump-Zelensky talks appeared to be far more amicable than their meeting at the White House in February, and have led to a softening in tone from the US president towards his Ukrainian counterpart in the days that followed, as well as an increased level of criticism of Russia's attacks.

Speaking on Wednesday, Trump said: "As you know, we're looking for rare earth [minerals] all the time.

"They have a lot, and we made a deal, so we can start digging and doing what we have to do. It's also good for them."

The initial agreement was due to be signed in February, but fell apart following the heated exchange between the two leaders, when Trump accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three".

President Donald Trump has asked for more time on the US economy as it contracted for the first time in three years, stoking recession fears.

He said the figure was misleading because companies had stockpiled imports ahead of his imposition of tariffs.

Trump, however, said $8tn (£6tn) of inward investment had been promised, which he argued would restore American manufacturing prowess.

The US economy contracted at an annual rate of 0.3%, the US commerce department said, a sharp downturn after growth of 2.4% in the previous quarter. It comes as Trump marks 100 days in office, with opinion polls indicating public discontent over his economic stewardship.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon at a White House event attended by business leaders, Trump blamed his Democratic predecessor, President Joe Biden, for the disappointing gross domestic product data.

"This is Biden's economy because we took over on January 20th," Trump said. "I think you have to give us a little bit of time to get moving."

It comes in the aftermath of the Republican president's import taxes, which have disrupted global trade and markets.

• 'We don't care': A defiant China looks beyond Trump's America
• Why the IMF is worried about the economy - three things to know

Trump's finger pointing at Biden drew scorn from Democrats.

Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, minority leader of the US House of Representatives, said: "This is not Joe Biden's economy, Donald, it is your economy.

"It is the Trump economy, it is a failed economy and the American people know it."

At Wednesday's White House event, Trump touted planned investments in technology, healthcare and infrastructure.

He introduced CEOs of major companies, including Hyundai's Jose Munoz, Toyota's Ted Ogawa, and Johnson & Johnson's Joaquin Duato.

Trump also urged Congress to pass his tax bill, which includes trillions of dollars in tax and spending cuts, but faces opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.

At a television appearance earlier in the day with cabinet members, Trump played down fears of shortages of items such as toys, as trade between the US and China falls sharply.

"Well, maybe the children will have to have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know?" he said. "And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally."

Trump has enacted 10% levies on almost all countries importing to the US, after announcing a 90-day pause on higher tariffs. The amount paid by these countries could change after the period expires in July.

Another 25% tariff has been imposed on Mexico and Canada. The levies on China, however, have led to an all-out trade war with the world's second largest economy.

Trump imposed import taxes of up to 145% on Chinese goods coming into the US and China hit back with a 125% tax on American products.

His administration said when the new tariffs were added on to existing ones, the levies on some Chinese goods could reach 245%.

North Korea has said the development of its first road bridge to Russia is a "significant" milestone in relations between the two countries, according to the country's state media KCNA.

Construction of the bridge - set to span the Tumen river in the country's northeast - began on Wednesday. It will be situated near the only other land connection between Russia and North Korea - a Soviet era rail bridge called the 'Friendship Bridge'.

The bridge is set for completion by mid-2026, according to Russia's Kommersant newspaper.

It comes shortly after North Korea confirmed for the first time that it had sent troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The new bridge is the latest sign of deepening ties between the two heavily-sanctioned countries, which have drawn closer since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Plans for the new bridge were decided during Russian president Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang last year, where he signed an agreement on "comprehensive strategic partnership" with North Korea - the highest level of bilateral ties for Moscow.

At a ceremony marking the start of the bridge's construction, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the bridge was "far beyond just an engineering task".

"It symbolises our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighbourly relations and increase inter-regional cooperation," he added.

Construction of the bridge began on the same day South Korean lawmakers said more than 600 North Korean troops had been killed fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, citing their intelligence officials.

In return for military support, Moscow appeared to have provided Pyongyang with technical assistance on spy satellites, drones and anti-air missiles, they added.

Earlier this week, North Korea said its soldiers had helped "completely liberate" Russia's Kursk border region, eight months after Ukraine's surprise incursion.

Ukraine says some of its forces are still in the Russian region.

A US district judge has found Apple wilfully violated her injunction in a case brought by Epic Games — and that a top Apple executive "outright lied" under oath.

The injunction was supposed to block Apple from anticompetitive conduct and pricing, opening the App Store up to outside payment options.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said she was referring the matter to the US Attorney for Northern District of California to investigate whether a criminal contempt proceeding is appropriate.

Apple responded to the ruling late Wednesday.

"We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," an Apple spokesperson said.

Wednesday's judgement refers to a 2021 case brought by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, one of the world's most popular games, which argued that third-party payment options should be available to customers.

It challenged the up-to-30% cut Apple takes from purchases - and argued that the App Store was monopolistic.

• Apple dealt major blow in Epic Games trial

In her 2021 judgement, Judge Gonzalez Rogers stated that Apple could no longer prohibit developers linking to their own purchasing mechanisms.

As well as game purchasing, another example of how this would work is a movie-streaming service being able to tell customers to subscribe via its own website, without using Apple's in-app purchasing mechanism.

In a contempt order issued Wednesday, Judge Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple nevertheless continued to interfere with competition with attempts that the court stated "will not be tolerated".

Judge Gonzalez Rogers added that internal company documents she reviewed showed Apple deliberately violated the injunction.

The documents reveal "that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option," she wrote.

She said CEO Tim Cook ignored executive Phillip Schiller's urging to have Apple comply with the injunction and allowed CFO Luca Maestri to convince him not to.

"Cook chose poorly," she wrote.

She also said Apple's vice president of finance Alex Roman "outright lied under oath".

The judge wrote that one example of Apple's attempts to evade the injunction included a decision to charge a 27% commission on off-app purchases. where it had previously charged nothing.

The company also imposed new barriers and requirements to discourage customers from using competing purchasing platforms, she said.

In a post on X, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic Games would return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week and offered an olive branch to his long-time rival.

"Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return 'Fortnite' to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic," Sweeney wrote.

In another post, he wrote: "NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple's 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there."

Both the US and Ukraine have said they are broadly ready to sign a deal which would give American firms access to Ukraine's minerals.

"We are ready to sign this afternoon if they are," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine "decided to make last minute changes" to the agreement.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko was flying to Washington on Wednesday after an apparent breakthrough in negotiations.

Earlier, BBC News saw a draft copy of the deal, which provides for the creation of a joint Ukrainian-US investment fund to search for minerals in Ukraine, and set outs how revenues would be split.

On Wednesday afternoon a US source familiar with the talks criticised Ukraine for seeking to re-open some terms that had already been agreed upon over the weekend.

Both US and Ukrainian teams worked through the night on Friday into Saturday to finalise the documents, as well as into the early morning on Wednesday, the source told the BBC.

They added that the sticking points include governance of the fund, the transparency mechanism, and steps to ensure that all funds are fully traceable.

Despite these last minute negotiations, the signing could still happen by the end of Wednesday if the US side believes that Ukraine is complying with already agreed upon terms, the source said.

"Nothing's been removed," Bessent said when asked about any changes to the deal. "It's the same agreement that we agreed to on the weekend. No changes on our side."

Technical documents were signed last week by representatives of both countries.

In Kyiv, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine expected the deal to be signed within "the next 24 hours".

"This is truly a good, equal and beneficial international agreement on joint investments in the development and recovery of Ukraine," Shmyhal said.

Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for an agreement as a prerequisite to offering any future security guarantees to Kyiv, as Ukraine continues to fight against invading Russian forces.

Ukraine is believed to have vast reserves of critical rare minerals like graphite, titanium and lithium beneath its soil. They are highly sought after because of their use in renewable energy, military applications and industrial infrastructure.

The Trump administration's push for access to another country's mineral wealth comes amid a growing trade war with China, where 90% of the world's current stocks are sourced from.

The draft deal also appears to give the US sweeping access to Ukrainian industries beyond minerals.

While it does not specify security support that Washington is willing to provide in return, it states that the deal is "a tangible demonstration of the United States of America's support for Ukraine's security".

The agreement comes days after Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, and as talks between Moscow and Washington over a possible ceasefire in Ukraine continue.

The latest Trump-Zelensky talks appeared to be far more amicable than their meeting at the White House in February, and have led to a softening in tone from the US president towards his Ukrainian counterpart in the days that followed, as well as an increased level of criticism of Russia's attacks.

Speaking on Wednesday, Trump said: "As you know, we're looking for rare earth [minerals] all the time.

"They have a lot, and we made a deal, so we can start digging and doing what we have to do. It's also good for them."

The initial agreement was due to be signed in February, but fell apart following the heated exchange between the two leaders, when Trump accused Zelensky of "gambling with World War Three".

A US district judge has found Apple wilfully violated her injunction in a case brought by Epic Games — and that a top Apple executive "outright lied" under oath.

The injunction was supposed to block Apple from anticompetitive conduct and pricing, opening the App Store up to outside payment options.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said she was referring the matter to the US Attorney for Northern District of California to investigate whether a criminal contempt proceeding is appropriate.

Apple responded to the ruling late Wednesday.

"We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court's order and we will appeal," an Apple spokesperson said.

Wednesday's judgement refers to a 2021 case brought by Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, one of the world's most popular games, which argued that third-party payment options should be available to customers.

It challenged the up-to-30% cut Apple takes from purchases - and argued that the App Store was monopolistic.

• Apple dealt major blow in Epic Games trial

In her 2021 judgement, Judge Gonzalez Rogers stated that Apple could no longer prohibit developers linking to their own purchasing mechanisms.

As well as game purchasing, another example of how this would work is a movie-streaming service being able to tell customers to subscribe via its own website, without using Apple's in-app purchasing mechanism.

In a contempt order issued Wednesday, Judge Gonzalez Rogers found that Apple nevertheless continued to interfere with competition with attempts that the court stated "will not be tolerated".

Judge Gonzalez Rogers added that internal company documents she reviewed showed Apple deliberately violated the injunction.

The documents reveal "that Apple knew exactly what it was doing and at every turn chose the most anticompetitive option," she wrote.

She said CEO Tim Cook ignored executive Phillip Schiller's urging to have Apple comply with the injunction and allowed CFO Luca Maestri to convince him not to.

"Cook chose poorly," she wrote.

She also said Apple's vice president of finance Alex Roman "outright lied under oath".

The judge wrote that one example of Apple's attempts to evade the injunction included a decision to charge a 27% commission on off-app purchases. where it had previously charged nothing.

The company also imposed new barriers and requirements to discourage customers from using competing purchasing platforms, she said.

In a post on X, Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney said Epic Games would return Fortnite to the US iOS App Store next week and offered an olive branch to his long-time rival.

"Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return 'Fortnite' to the App Store worldwide and drop current and future litigation on the topic," Sweeney wrote.

In another post, he wrote: "NO FEES on web transactions. Game over for the Apple Tax. Apple's 15-30% junk fees are now just as dead here in the United States of America as they are in Europe under the Digital Markets Act. Unlawful here, unlawful there."

A natural resources deal between the United States and Ukraine has finally been agreed after months of twists and turns.

The deal will see the two countries collaborate to ensure that "mutual assets, talents, and capabilities" can accelerate Ukraine's recovery, according to the US Treasury Department.

The US said the agreement "signals to Russia" that the Trump administration is "committed to a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous" Ukraine.

It comes after months of uncertainty over the fate of an agreement, following Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky clash with US President Donald Trump on a visit to the White House in February.

But the prospect of resurrecting the deal increased after the two leaders had a far more amicable conversation at the funeral of Pope Francis last week, and negotiators finally managed to get the deal over the line.

• Why did Putin's Russia invade Ukraine?
• Ukraine says outline of minerals deal signed with US

What minerals does Ukraine have?

Kyiv estimates that about 5% of the world's "critical raw materials" are in Ukraine.

This includes some 19m tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which the Ukrainian Geological Survey state agency says makes the nation "one of the top five leading countries" for the supply of the mineral. Graphite is used to make batteries for electric vehicles.

Ukraine has 7% of Europe's supplies of titanium, a lightweight metal used in the construction of everything from aeroplanes to power stations.

It is also home to a third of all European lithium deposits, the key component in current batteries.

Other elements found in Ukraine include beryllium and uranium, which are both crucial for nuclear weapons and reactors.

Deposits of copper, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, cobalt and manganese are also significant.

Further, Ukraine has significant deposits of rare earth metals. These are a group of 17 elements that are used to produce weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products vital in the modern world.

Some of the mineral deposits, however, have been seized by Russia. According to Svyrydenko, resources worth $350bn (£277bn) remain in occupied territories today.

In 2022, SecDev, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Canada, conducted an evaluation, which established that Russia had occupied 63% of Ukrainian coal mines, as well as half of its manganese, caesium, tantalum and rare earth deposits.

Dr Robert Muggah, principal of SecDev, says that such minerals add a "strategic and economic dimension" in Russia's continued aggression. By seizing them, he says, Moscow denies access to revenue for Ukraine, expands its own resource base and influences global supply chains.

Why does the US want Ukraine's minerals?

Critical minerals "are the foundation of the 21st Century economy", Dr Muggah explained. They are key to renewable energy, military applications and industrial infrastructure and play "a growing strategic role in geopolitics and geoeconomics", he said.

Additionally, the US has been keen on a deal for Ukraine's mineral resources because it wants to reduce dependency on China, which controls 75% of rare earth deposits in the world, according to the Geological Investment Group.

In December, China banned the export of some rare earth minerals to the US, having previously limited mineral exports to the US the previous year.

Beijing then imposed more export controls on rare earth minerals as part of an escalating trade war with the US, sparked by Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs in April.

How will a deal help Kyiv exploit its minerals?

The draft of the deal appeared to give the US sweeping access to Ukrainian industries beyond minerals.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that the fund created by the agreement would "attract global investment into our country".

Some commentators described the initial US offer as "colonial", but Kyiv is interested in joint exploration of its resources.

According to the World Economic Forum, Ukraine has about 20,000 mineral deposits covering 116 types, but only about 15% of sites were being actively exploited at the time of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

For instance, the country's sizeable lithium deposits are still largely untapped. Likewise, rare earth deposits are known to exist, but none of them have yet been mined, because of a lack of investment.

Developing these mineral resources is extremely difficult and expensive, according to Iryna Suprun, chief executive of the Geological Investment Group, a mining advisory firm based in Ukraine.

She argues that if Ukraine can attract US investors to help develop its natural resources, it will be highly beneficial for the country's economy.

"We will get technologies that our mining industry lacks so much," Ms Suprun explained. "We will get capital. That means more jobs, tax payments. We'll receive revenue from the development of mineral deposits."

Trump has previously suggested the presence of US contractors in Ukraine would act as a security guarantee to deter Russian aggression in the future, but Ukraine and European leaders have insisted that would not be enough.