The US and Ukraine have signed a deal that will give Washington access to some of the war-torn country's natural resources.

Months in the making, it sets up an investment fund that Ukraine hopes will cement US assistance as the country struggles to repel Russia three years after the invasion.

The BBC has seen a draft of the deal but not the final text. Based on that and the public statements from both sides, here are seven key takeaways.

No Ukrainian payback to US

Trump has previously demanded that Ukraine pay back the $350bn (£264bn) of aid that he claims has been provided by the US during the war - a condition that Zelensky rejected.

But Washington appears to have made a concession. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the agreement did not dictate that his country pay back any supposed "debt".

• Follow reaction to deal as it happens
• What minerals does Ukraine have?

Trump has styled the agreement as a win for his side as well, saying his country will get back "much more in theory" than the billions that were provided to Ukraine by his predecessor Joe Biden.

Tougher tone from US towards Putin

The language used by the US in announcing the deal is notably harsher towards Russia than is usually the case from the Trump administration.

A statement by the US Treasury Department refers to "Russia's full scale invasion" and adds that "no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine".

This will hearten Kyiv, which has demanded more pressure be placed on Russia in talks between Moscow and Washington discussing a possible ceasefire.

Oil and gas included alongside minerals

Despite the fact that much of the talk around the deal relates to Ukraine's mineral wealth, the agreement also includes provisions for new oil and gas projects, and related infrastructure.

In all cases, the resources stay in Ukrainian ownership, even though the US will get joint access.

This has been seen as a softening of the Ukrainian position, since it was not in earlier drafts of the deal.

No hindrance to Kyiv's EU ambitions

Ukraine has long aspired to join the European Union and accession talks formally began last June.

There were some concerns in Kyiv that the resources deal could hinder Ukraine's ability to join the EU, if it gave preferential treatment to US investors, as Kyiv and Brussels already have a strategic partnership on raw materials.

But the deal's text says that the US acknowledges Ukraine's intention to join the EU and the need for this agreement not to conflict with that.

It also says that if Ukraine needs to revisit the terms of the deal because of "additional obligations" as part of joining the EU, then the US agrees to negotiate in good faith.

Additionally, Kyiv says the US will support additional transfers of investment and technology in Ukraine, including from the EU and elsewhere.

Profits to be reinvested in Ukraine for 10 years

Another intriguing element of the deal is that, for the first decade of the reconstruction investment fund, profits will be "fully reinvested in Ukraine's economy".

This is potentially significant if there is no financial benefit for the US for 10 years. Ukraine says it expects that any money that comes into the fund will go towards rebuilding the country and new projects.

After that initial period, profits may be distributed between the partners. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the deal was a signal to the American people that "we have a chance to participate, get some of the funding and the weapons, compensation for those and be partners with the success of the Ukraine people".

A US military commitment back on table...

The US has framed the deal as an essential one to sign if Ukraine is to continue to receive its military assistance.

Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko - who flew to Washington DC to sign the deal - said it envisaged the US contributing new assistance in the future, such as air defence systems.

• How much has US given to Ukraine?

This, too, would mark a change in strategy for Trump - who has sought to wind down military support for Ukraine since returning to the White House.

One outstanding question is what the accord will ultimately mean for the state of the war. The Kremlin has not yet responded to the agreement.

...but US can still walk away any time

It appears there are no concrete security guarantees from the US, which is something Ukraine and Europe have long been pushing the White House to provide.

Trump has long been reluctant to give the same military commitment that Biden had given.

Instead, his interest in staying the course with US support for Ukraine is more implicit, due to the economic commitments set out in this deal.

That means there would still be a fragility about the commitment of Ukraine's most important ally.

British vets could face price caps on medicines, prescriptions and other services like cremations, the regulator has indicated, as it outlined changes it is considering to the way the UK's £2bn veterinary sector operates.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has been investigating the sector, looking at whether a lack of competition in the sector has contributed to soaring prices.

Prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA research.

The regulator is also pushing for more transparency as part of the overhaul due to be finalised in the coming months.

In addition to the price caps, the CMA is looking into a ban on bonuses linked to offering specific treatments.

It said on Thursday that it would look into a ban on any policies that would curtail vets' "clinical freedom". Some vets had reported feeling under pressure to meet targets in relation to the treatments they sell.

It found that businesses were marking up medicine prices, sometimes by as much as four times the purchase cost.

The watchdog also found there was a lack of transparency around the cost of treatments and what choices were available.

In a list of potential remedies, the CMA said vets could be forced to create a clear online display of prices for medicines, surgeries, treatments and out-of-hours help. The working paper also suggested that the mark-up charged on pet cremations, sold to customers at a "vulnerable moment", might be capped.

The watchdog has also suggested a comparison website making it compulsory for clinics to inform owners if cheaper options are available.

The CMA expects to release a provisional report on what measures it will take in the summer months, with a final decision by November.

The CMA said basic local vet services are worth £2bn-£2.5bn a year, but when other aspects such as cremation, specialist treatments and medicines are taken into account, the overall value of the industry is estimated at £5.7bn a year.

The competition body highlighted how the sector was increasingly being dominated by larger firms and how this might be reducing consumer choice.

There are about 5,000 vet practices in the UK, it said, but since 2013, approximately 1,500 of these have been acquired by six large corporate groups.

They are CVS, Independent Vetcare Ltd, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home and VetPartners.

Four of these six tend to retain the name and branding of an independently-owned practice when they buy it, which the CMA said may create an "illusion of competition" for consumers if they are trying to shop around to find alternative practices.

A fourth round of Iran-US talks over Tehran's nuclear programme has been postponed.

The foreign minister of Oman, facilitating negotiations, said Saturday's talks in Rome were being rescheduled because of logistical reasons, adding that a new date would be set when agreed by all sides.

It comes after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday warned that Iran would "pay the consequence" for its support of Yemen's Houthi rebels. Washington has also this week targeted companies it says have links to Tehran with sanctions.

President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and five other world powers in 2018, and has long said he would make a "better" deal.

Trump has previously warned of military action if these new talks, which began in April, do not succeed. Both sides described the first round of talks in Oman's capital Muscat as "constructive".

Iran's foreign ministry confirmed that latest stage of talks had been postponed, but Washington is yet to officially comment.

However, an unnamed US source told the Reuters news agency that Washington "never confirmed" its participation in the fourth round of talks, nor had their timing been confirmed.

The delay is unlikely to mean that the talks have broken down, with both sides eager to avoid war.

But reports from Tehran have described growing doubt about the usefulness of the talks, pointing to the new sanctions and what Tehran calls contradictory positions from the US delegation.

Part of Trump's "maximum pressure" policy toward Tehran, the sanctions announced on Wednesday target entities said by the US to be involved in the illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals.

The US State Department said in a statement: "The Iranian regime continues to fuel conflict in the Middle East, advance its nuclear program, and support its terrorist partners and proxies.

"Today, the United States is taking action to stem the flow of revenue that the regime uses to fund these destabilizing activities."

Media reports in Iran also pointed to Hegseth's post on X earlier on Thursday, which was reposted by Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff who has been leading the US delegation.

"Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to the Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing," the post read.

Trump has said that he is looking for a solution that would close Iran's pathways to build a nuclear bomb. But there are those in his administration who are pushing for the complete dismantlement of Iran's nuclear enrichment programme.

They are also pushing for Iran to stop support for its proxies in the region, including the Houthis.

Iran says its programme is peaceful and that it has a right to enrichment. It is hoping for a deal to limit, but not dismantle, its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

After Russia, Iran has been under the most extensive set of sanctions in history – the sanctions that the US has imposed on the country.

President Massoud Pezeshkian has centred Iran's economic policies on the promise of the lifting these sanctions.

Voters across England are heading to the polls to choose councillors and mayors. For plenty of them, it was the perfect excuse to take the dog for a walk too.

Elections are taking place in 23 councils on Thursday, alongside six mayoral races. Voters in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency will also elect their new MP.

BBC News is on hand to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments across all platforms.

Online

Follow all the latest election developments on the BBC News website and app.

A round-the-clock live page will feature the expertise of polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice, with input from BBC News reporters stationed at counts across England.

Check the results in your area as they come in with our easy-to-use postcode lookup tool.

Our Local Elections 2025 page will be continually updated with explainers and detailed analysis from our political correspondents and editors.

TV and streaming

From 23:10 BST on Thursday, Laura Kuenssberg will host an Elections 2025 Special on BBC One, with political editor Chris Mason and correspondent Damian Grammaticas reporting from the count in Runcorn and Helsby. Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice will be on hand to offer his analysis and insight.

On Friday, BBC Breakfast will take a comprehensive look at the results and will bring you the latest live reaction from the Runcorn and Helsby by-election. At 12:00 BST, Laura Kuenssberg's Election 2025 Special will be back on BBC Two until 14:00 BST. From 14:00 to 16:00 BST, it will continue on BBC One, and will then switch to the BBC News Channel.

On Sunday 4 May, Politics England will bring you the latest developments live from 10:00 BST on BBC One.

All of our coverage will be available for streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Radio and Sounds

BBC News will be providing results on local radio on Thursday night, along with bulletins on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live. On Friday, the Today programme will bring you all the latest analysis from 06:00 BST.

A special edition of Newscast hosted by Adam Fleming and Chris Mason will also be available on the BBC Live News stream on BBC Sounds from 07:00 BST on Friday. Across the weekend, Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell will wrap up the rest of the results with episodes on Saturday and Sunday.

• POSTCODE LOOKUP: Check if there is an election in your area
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• FULL COVERAGE: Catch up on all our election stories

US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is leaving his post with the Trump adminstration, according to media reports.

Waltz, who was the president's principal adviser on national security issues, has had a difficult tenure amid accusations that senior officials used insecure methods of communication to conduct government business.

Last month, he took responsibility for a group chat on the Signal messaging app in which high-ranking officials planned military strikes in Yemen in the company of a journalist who was inadvertently added.

Waltz's deputy Alex Nelson Wong has also reportedly been removed from his post in what appears to be a shakeup of the US' security establishment.

In March, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he had been mistakenly added to a group chat on Signal, in which senior officials - including Waltz, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - discussed confidential information about a planned military strike on Yemen.

Mr Goldberg revealed he was added to the chat by Mike Waltz, who later took responsibility for the fiasco.

At the time, Trump and US intelligence chiefs downplayed the security risks and said no classified material was shared.

President Trump had defended Waltz, saying he was "doing his best" with "equipment and technology that's not perfect".

But Democrats and some Republicans had called for an investigation into what several lawmakers described as a major breach.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in Istanbul, with 50,000 police officers deployed to the city as authorities attempt to crack down on May Day protests.

Public transport was shut down to stop people reaching Taksim Square, where demonstrations have been banned since 2013.

Footage from the Turkish capital showed clashes between riot police and protesters with demonstrators chanting as police forcefully move detainees onto buses.

The city saw huge protests in March after the arrest of the opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - the main rival to Turkey's President Erdogan.

On 1 May each year, marches led by workers and unions are held as part of International Labour Day celebrations in many countries.

Taksim Square – the heart of Istanbul – was under a tight lock down, with police and metal barriers along all roads leading to the area.

Authorities were determined, perhaps this year more than ever, to ensure there were no major protests on the square, and they had enough riot police to ensure that.

The square, normally busy with bustling crowds, looked lifeless, with restaurants and shops sealed shut.

The only way past the lines of police was with permission. Several labour unions were allowed briefly onto Taksim, carrying red banners and flowers.

Standing in front of the Republic Monument, which commemorates the founding of the modern Turkey in 1923, one speaker complained about the restrictions they faced. Trucks with water canon parked a short distance away.

On roads leading to the square, groups of tourists passed by on foot from time to time, dragging suitcases, unsure of where they could go and unable to reach taxis.

The square was sealed off for several days before 1 May, according to AFP news agency.

A student named Murat said streets had been "blocked... as if it's a state of emergency", he told AFP.

"We weren't allowed into the squares... We were taken from the streets in small groups under torture. It's not a situation we're facing for the first time. It probably won't be the last."

On Wednesday, 100 people were detained for allegedly planning to protest in the square.

The city's authorities said on Thursday that 382 people had been arrested for "non-authorised demonstrations".

Rights group Amnesty International has urged Turkey to lift the ban on demonstrations in Taksim.

The restrictions "are based on entirely spurious security and public order grounds", said Dinushika Dissanayake, an Amnesty's specialist on Europe.

In a statement, the group called on officials to respect the right to protest and "not use force against peaceful protesters".

Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest in March triggered mass protests on the streets of Istanbul as hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators came out in support of Istanbul's mayor, who is being held in jail on corruption charges he denies.

He has said his arrest is political, but the has government denied this and insists the Turkish courts are fully independent.

Mayor since 2019, Imamoglu is widely viewed as the only politician capable of challenging Erdogan in the 2028 election. Imamoglu was confirmed as the opposition party's candidate while he was in custody.

Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years, first as prime minister then as president from 2014. He cannot run again for the presidency after 2028 - unless he changes Turkey's constitution.