Military officials have advised people to stay in shelters during the attacks
Ukraine has come under heavy Russian bombardment overnight, with a child among three people killed in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said early on Thursday.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack on Ukraine's capital was "massive" with military officials confirming at least 24 people had been injured.
A five storey-building collapsed in the Darnytski district and a fire had also been reported in a high-rise residential building in the neighbouring Dnipro district,the mayor added.
The wave of missiles comes after more than 100,000 Ukrainian homes were left without power by the latest Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
In a post on Telegram, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said the child who was killed was a 14-year-old girl.At least five children had been injured in the latest drone strikes.
He noted more than 20 districts had been targeted, with many buildings including a kindergarten catching on fire.
Three and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting on the ground shows no sign of abating.
Trump has been pushing for a Putin-Zelensky summit. Ukraine's president has backed the move, but he has sought security guarantees from Western allies to prevent any future Russian attack in the event of a peace deal.
On Tuesday, Zelensky met the head of Britain's armed forces, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, in Kyiv, where they discussed efforts to end the war.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has said he would meet Ukrainian representatives in New York this week, telling Fox News "we talk to the Russians every day".
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned that handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of a peace deal was a "trap".
Watch: Fifth grader recounts friend protecting him from gunfire during shooting
Witnesses to a mass shooting in the US state of Minneapolis have described the "terrifying" scenes after an attacker opened fire on a church in which children were celebrating Mass on Wednesday morning.
One young boy described being protected by a friend who got hit himself.
Two children were killed and 17 others injured in an incident that the FBI is treating as an anti-Catholic hate crime.
The attacker, named as 23-year-old Robin Westman, died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities have not yet given a suspected motive.
The young survivor, 10-year-old Weston Halsne, explained to CBS affiliate station WCCO that his friend saved him from bullets by lying on top of him.
"I was like two seats away from the stained glass window," he said. "My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit."
He continued: "My friend got hit in the back, he went to the hospital... I was super scared for him but I think now he's okay."
Weston said he and his classmates were well-drilled in what to do in a shooting situation - but not in the environment in which they found themselves. "We practise it every month, but not in church, only in the school," he said.
The suspect Westman is believed to have approached the side of the Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, and fired dozens of shots through the windows using three firearms. Police also found a smoke bomb at the scene.
Officials are investigating whether the shots were fired from inside the building or outside it, noting that no casings from bullets were found inside.
Locals described their confusion when they heard the shots ring out. One man, Mike Garrity, told NBC News that he believed it was the sound of a nail gun at a nearby construction site.
Bill Bienemann, who lives two blocks away, spoke to reporters near the scene and recalled the moment: "I said there's no way that could be gunfire because there's so much of it."
Another local resident, PJ Mudd, who was working from home on Wednesday morning, told the Wall Street Journal he heard three booms. "It suddenly dawned on me - it was a shooting."
Mr Mudd then ran to the church, where he saw three magazine cartridges on the ground.
Watch: Minneapolis residents react to Catholic school shooting
Witnesses including Mr Garrity also described the horrifying spectacle of children emerging from the church covered in blood.
Another neighbour, Patrick Scallen, told the BBC that he saw three children fleeing the building - one of them a girl with a head wound.
"She kept saying, 'please hold my hand, don't leave me', and I said I wasn't going anywhere."
A nanny who works nearby said she was relieved to see some children leaving the building unharmed, but was disturbed by "the looks on their faces alone".
"You see videos online, but it does not compare to seeing it and witnessing it in person," Madee Brandt told NBC. "That was rough... it is terrifying."
Hundreds of people attended a vigil for the victims on Wednesday evening at another nearby school.
Those who were injured in the shooting are expected to recover, and some have already been released from hospital.
One mother told CNN that she was relieved her children were not hurt in the incident, but that she had "such mixed feelings right now".
Carla Maldonado spoke of being "incredibly sad and angry that this has to be a thing in any school". She went on to say: "The lives that were lost [are] too much. One is too much. It's not okay."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz offered a similar sentiment, saying the situation was "all too common - not just in Minnesota, but across the country".
Walz said US President Donald Trump and his team had expressed their "deep condolences" and offered assistance.
Trump later said the US flag would be flown at half-mast at the White House as a show of respect to the victims.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, was among those who paid tribute to the young victims, saying he was "profoundly saddened" by the attack.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga was seen to harbour presidential ambitions
A nephew of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who was at the centre of a sex tape scandal last year, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, diverted money for personal use, a court ruled.
Nicknamed "Bello" because of his good looks, the married Engonga gained notoriety last year, when he appeared in leaked videos having sex with different women - many of them wives and relatives of people close to the centre of power.
The leak occurred while he was in detention, accused of depositing a huge sum of embezzled money into secret accounts in the Cayman Islands.
He was found guilty along with five other officials who allegedly claimed the money as an allowance for travel - the amounts ranged from $9,000 (£6,600) to $220,000.
Engonga's arrest last October and public humiliation was seen as an attempt to destroy any hope he had of becoming the next president of the oil-rich central African state.
His uncle is the world's longest-serving president having been in power since 1979, and has appointed his son, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, as his vice-president.
Engonga used to investigate crimes such as money laundering, but found himself at the infamous Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo, after being accused of corruption.
His phones and computers were seized and a few days later the intimate videos started appearing online in their dozens.
The authenticity of the videos was never verified, but as the computer equipment was in the hands of the security forces, suspicion fell on someone there leaking it, perhaps to trash Engonga's reputation.
As well as imposing a jail sentence, the tribunal fined Engonga $220,000, supreme court press director Hilario Mitogo was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying in a WhatsApp message to journalists.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending a military parade in the centre of Beijing, alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping, is quite the photo-op.
It's also a key diplomatic win for Xi.
The Chinese leader has been trying hard to project Beijing's power on the international stage - not just as the world's second-largest economy, but also as a diplomatic heavyweight.
He has emphasised China's role as a stable trading partner while Trump's tariffs upended economic relationships.
Now, while a deal with Putin to end the war in Ukraine continues to elude the US President, Xi is getting ready to host him in Beijing.
Kim's attendance, a surprise announcement, is no less significant. Trump said last week, in a meeting with the South Korean president, that he wanted to meet Kim Jong Un again.
His last shot at diplomacy with the reclusive dictator ended with no breakthroughs - despite two summits that captivated the world. Trump is suggesting he wants to try again.
Meanwhile, the Chinese leader is signalling that he may hold the geopolitical cards in this game, and that his influence – though limited – on both Kim and Putin may prove crucial in any deal.
The parade on 3 September will see a display of China's military might to mark 80 years since Japan surrendered in World War Two, bringing an end to its occupation of parts of China.
But now Xi has also turned it into a display of something more - and the timing is key. The White House has suggested that President Trump could be in the region at the end of October and is open to meeting Xi.
There is plenty on the table for them to discuss, from a long-awaited tariffs deal and the sale of TikTok in the US, to Beijing's ability to persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire or more in Ukraine.
Now, having met both Kim and Putin, the Chinese leader would be able to sit down with Trump without feeling like has has been left out of the loop – and given his close relationship with both leaders, he may even have information his US counterpart does not.
Russia and North Korea are pariahs in the eyes of the western world. Kim for much longer than Putin because of his weapons programme, but his support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has renewed the condemnation.
So the invitation to Beijing is a big step for him - the last time a North Korean leader attended a military parade in China was in 1959.
There has been little public contact between Xi and Kim since 2019, when they met to mark the 70th anniversary of China-North Korean ties. Beijing was also Kim Jong Un's first stop in 2018 before his summits with President Trump to curb Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought Kim Jong Un and Vladmir Putin closer
China has tried to stay publicly neutral on the war in Ukraine, while urging a peaceful solution. But the US and its allies have accused Beijing of supporting Moscow's efforts by supplying components Russia can use in its war effort.
Some analysts wondered if China's relationship with North Korea had soured as Kim grew closer to Putin. But Kim's visit to Beijing next week suggests otherwise.
It's not a relationship the North Korean leader can easily give up - his economy depends heavily on China, which provides almost 90% of food imports. And being on that stage with not just Putin and Xi, but other leaders, from Indonesia, Iran etc, also offers Kim legitimacy.
For Xi, this is diplomatic leverage with Washington ahead of a possible summit with Trump.
The two countries have continued talks to try and strike a deal and avert ruinous tariffs and a trade war. Another 90-day pause is under way but the clock is ticking, so Xi will want the strongest hand possible as negotiations go on.
He has much to offer: China has helped Trump in the past when he tried to meet Kim Jong Un. Could Xi do that again?
More important perhaps is what role China could play in ending the war in Ukraine.
The most striking question of all: could there be a meeting between Xi, Putin, Kim and Donald Trump?
Susan Monarez was confirmed to lead the US public health agency by the Senate in July
The White House says it has fired the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, after she refused to resign on Wednesday.
In a statement, it said she was "not aligned with the president's agenda" and she had been removed from her position at the health agency.
The US health department earlier announced her departure, which prompted a statement from Dr Monarez's lawyers who said she had not been told of her removal and she would not resign.
They said she was being targeted for refusing "to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts" and accused Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr of "weaponising public health".
"As her attorney's statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the president's agenda," the White House said later on Wednesday, adding that she had been terminated from her position as director.
A long-time federal government scientist, Dr Monarez was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the CDC and was confirmed in a Senate vote along party lines in July.
Almost immediately after Dr Monarez's departure was first announced by the health department, at least three senior CDC leaders resigned from the agency.
Among them was Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who warned about the "rise of misinformation" about vaccines in a letter seen by the BBC's US partner CBS News. She also argued against planned cuts to the agency's budget.
Daniel Jernigan, who led the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, also quit citing "the current context in the department".
Head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis, also said he was no longer able to serve "because of the ongoing weaponising of public health".
There are also reports, including by NBC News, that Dr Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, has also resigned.
The exodus comes as health experts voice concern over the agency's approach to immunisations under the leadership of Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic.
Getty Images
Dr Demetre Daskalakis fronts a press conference about Monkeypox at the White House in 2022
Earlier on Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new Covid vaccines while limiting who could receive them.
The vaccines will be available for all seniors, but younger adults and children without underlying health conditions will be excluded.
"The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded," Kennedy wrote on X.
Dr Monarez was the first CDC director in 50 years to not hold a medical degree. Her background is in infectious disease research.
Dr Monarez departure comes about a week after a union representing CDC employees announced that it had fired about 600 employees.
The wide-ranging layoffs included employees working on the government's response to infectious diseases, including bird flu, as well as those researching environmental hazards and handling public record requests.
While Singapore was one of the first places in the world to ban vaping in 2018, the practice has persisted
Singaporean authorities have announced tougher penalties for vaping as they try to crack down on the increasing use of drug-laced vapes in the country.
These include stiffer fines, longer jail terms and even caning. Foreigners may also be deported.
While Singapore was one of the first places in the world to ban vaping in 2018, the practice has persisted and in recent months the city-state has seen a rise in popularity of vapes laced with etomidate, an anaesthetic drug.
This has caused widespread alarm in the country which has some of the world's toughest drug laws.
In recent months, authorities have acknowledged the growing prevalence of etomidate-laced vapes, more popularly known as Kpodsin Singapore. The nickname is short for "ketamine pods" and refers to how etomidate has similar effects to ketamine.
A test of a random sample of 100 seized vapes in July found that a third contained etomidate.
Videos of teenagers and young adults acting erratically in public while vaping have also gone viral on social media, sparking concern among Singaporeans who widely support the country's tough penalties on drug trafficking and use.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Thursday that the tougher laws were needed as "vapes have become a gateway for very serious substance abuse" where the devices have become "delivery devices" for drugs.
The government has sharpened its penalties for vaping, while reclassifying etomidate as a Class C controlled drug for six months. The new rules will come into effect on 1 September.
Those caught vaping - even if they use regular vapes - will face increased fines starting from S$500 (£288; $390) and state-mandated rehabilitation. The penalties will be even harsher for those caught with etomidate-laced vapes.
Suppliers of drug-laced vapes will face up to 20 years in jail and 15 strokes of the cane.
Foreigners working in Singapore will not only face the same penalties, but also risk getting their residential and employment permits revoked, and may be deported and banned from re-entering the country.
The rules also apply to tourists. The BBC understands that signs will be placed throughout Changi Airport reminding arriving visitors of the vaping ban, along with vape disposal bins so that users can get rid of their devices without facing penalties.
The rules are intended as an interim measure while the government comes up with new laws to deal with etomidate and any other drug that could be delivered through vapes.
These measures come on top of a large-scale public health campaign and enforcement programme.
In recent weeks the island has been blanketed with government advertisements on buses, trains and public areas urging people to stop vaping, while local media outlets have been awash with reports on the issue.
Vape disposal bins have been placed in community clubs and universities, while an anti-vaping health education programme has been rolled out in schools.
Authorities have also launched roving patrols of trains, bus terminals and parks, where officials can conduct spot checks on members of the public and search their bags.
With many of the vapes in Singapore coming from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, authorities have also stepped up checks at land crossings, the airport, and other points of entry into the island.
Singapore's crackdown comes as other countries have moved to impose stiffer rules on vaping to curb the use among children and young people.
Miguel Uribe died two months after the shooting in Bogotá
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for shooting Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay at a rally in Bogotá in June.
The conservative senator, who was 39, underwent multiple surgeries after being hit by three bullets but died on 11 August.
The teenager was charged with attempted murder and the illegal possession on firearms.
After years of growing peace, the shooting shocked Colombians, who still remembered the political violence of the 1980s and 90s when several presidential candidates and influential Colombian figures were assassinated.
Police say they believe a dissident group of the former left-wing FARC rebels was behind the assassination.
Uribe was shot in the head at a campaign rally on 7 June, with unverified video of the assassination widely circulated online.
Local media reports suggest that after he was arrested, he cried out: "I did it for money for my family."
The senator was a popular member of the right-wing Democratic Centre party, and had been seeking his party's nomination for the 2026 presidential election.
His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, announced his own presidential campaign earlier this week, in what he said was an effort keep his son's legacy alive.
Uribe Londoño was a member of Bogotá's city council in the late 80s and a senator for Colombia's Conservative Party in the early 90s.
She was kidnapped by Los Extraditables in 1990 - an alliance created by leading drug lords. She was held hostage by them for five months before being shot dead during a botched rescue attempt.
Uribe often cited her as his inspiration to run for political office "to work for our country".
Unprecedented wildfires have scarred northern Spain in recent weeks
A record one million hectares - equivalent to about half the land area of Wales - have burned across the European Union so far this year, making it the worst wildfire season since records began in 2006.
Spain and Portugal have been hit especially hard, with roughly 1% of the entire Iberian Peninsula scorched, according to EU scientists.
The worsening fire season in the Mediterranean has been linked directly to climate change in a separate study by the World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London.
Experts warn that more frequent and severe fires across Europe are likely to continue in the future.
More than two thirds of the area burned in the EU is in Spain and Portugal alone.
In Spain, more than 400,000 hectares have burned since the beginning of this year up until 26 August, according to the Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
This record is more than six times the Spanish average for this time period between 2006 and 2024.
Neighbouring Portugal has also suffered a record burn area of 270,000 hectares so far - almost five times the average for the same period.
The combined burn area across the Iberian peninsula this year is 684,000 hectares - four times the area of Greater London, and most of it burned in just two weeks.
Fires have been concentrated in forested areas of northern Portugal and in Spain's north-western regions of Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León.
Protected areas like Picos de Europa National Park have been impacted, as well as major routes on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage network which usually attracts more than 100,000 visitors in the summer months.
The events have triggered the largest known deployment of the EU civil protection mechanism's firefighting force.
Smoke from fires has dramatically decreased air quality in the area, with southerly wind sending smoke as far as France and the UK.
Climate change makes the conditions leading to wildfires more likely, but in a vicious cycle, the fires also release more planet-warming carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into our atmosphere.
CO2 released by fires in Spain this year has reached a record 17.68 million tonnes, according to the EU. This is more than any total annual CO2 emissions since 2003 from wildfires in that country, when data was first recorded by satellites.
For comparison, it is more than the total annual CO2 emitted by all of Croatia in 2023.
Climate change caused by humans made fire-prone conditions in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus about 10 times more likely, according to a rapid attribution study by World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London.
It was responsible for a 22% increase in the extreme weather conditions behind the fires, said WWA.
It is causing more extreme heat, which dries out vegetation, increasing flammability, said Theodore Keeping, wildfire scientist at the centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London.
The continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more of these extreme fires, the researchers warned.
"It was urgent 10 years ago to stop burning fossil fuels," said Dr Fredi Otto, Professor in Climate Science at Imperial and leader of the WWA, describing it as "lethal for people and ecosystems".
"Today, with 1.3C of warming [since pre-industrial times], we are seeing new extremes in wildfire behaviour that have pushed firefighters to their limit," said Mr Keeping.
The scientists have begun a rapid analysis on the wildfires in Spain and Portugal and expect similar findings related to climate change.
Across Southern and Eastern Europe, rural depopulation is also contributing to the intense wildfires, Mr Keeping added.
In regions like Spain and Portugal, a rising number of young people are relocating to cities in search of more profitable employment. Once-managed agricultural land is being abandoned and becoming overgrown, eliminating fire breaks and increasing the amount of flammable vegetation vulnerable to intense blazes.
Fire-hardy ecosystems struggling to cope
Fires have always been an important component of Mediterranean ecosystems and much of the natural wildlife has co-evolved to exist alongside fire.
In fact, species like the Iberian hare benefit from the newly opened habitat and native cork oaks can quickly colonise burned land.
Management techniques such as prescribed burning and vegetation removal have long kept yearly fires in check.
And regrowth of burned vegetation have typically offset the carbon emissions from wildfire as carbon once again became stored in plants and soil.
However, modern wildfires are larger, more frequent and more severe. Where forested regions struggle to regrow before the next fire, they can become part of a climate feedback loop, according to Dr Thomas Smith, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics.
"A warming climate is driving more frequent and larger fires, which is in turn driving carbon emissions that remain in the atmosphere, which is leading to a warmer climate," he explained.
The escalating risk from a hotter and drier climate makes fire management more difficult and poses a threat to long-term ecosystem stability.
There are also risks of accelerated soil erosion and water contamination from ashes washed into rivers and reservoirs, according to Professor Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildlife Research at Swansea University.
Efforts to manage excess vegetation in fire-risk areas, as well as advances in preventing ignitions, fire detection and fire fighting could help reduce the number and severity fires in future.
Watch: How the Catholic school shooting unfolded in Minneapolis
Two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed and 17 people were injured when an attacker fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church at people celebrating Mass, police said.
Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, was filled with students when the shooting happened on Wednesday. Of the 17 injured victims, 14 are children and all are expected to survive.
The attacker, 23-year-old Robin Westman, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene and had no "significant criminal history", authorities said.
"This was a deliberate act of violence against innocent children and other people worshipping," Police Chief Brian O'Hara told reporters.
"The sheer cruelty and cowardice of firing into a church full of children is absolutely incomprehensible," he added.
The motive for the shooting is still unknown. It is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime against Catholics, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Police began receiving calls of a shooting just before 08:00 local time (14:00BST) on Wednesday.
The attacker approached the side of the building and fired dozens of shots through the church windows using three firearms - a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. Police also found a smoke bomb at the scene.
Officials are investigating if he shot inside the building or if all the shots came from outside the church, noting that no casings from bullets were found inside.
"I could hear 'boom, boom, boom'," P.J Mudd, who lives close to the church and was working from home on Wednesday morning, told the Wall Street Journal. "It suddenly dawned on me - it was a shooting."
He then ran to the church where he saw three magazine cartridges on the ground.
Watch: 'Minnesotans will not step away' after shooting, says Governor Tim Walz
A 10-year-old boy who survived the attack told CBS affiliate WCCO that his friend saved him from bullets by lying on top of him.
"I was like two seats away from the stained glass window," he said. "My friend, Victor, saved me though, because he laid on top of me, but he got hit."
"My friend got hit in the back, he went to the hospital... I was super scared for him but I think now he's okay," he said.
The school, located in a residential area of southern Minneapolis, is home to students aged between 5 and 14.
The attacker's mother, Mary Grace Westman, previously worked at the school, according to a school newsletter from 2016. A post on Facebook says she retired from the role in 2021.
Police did find a note the suspect scheduled to publish online at the time of the shooting. The FBI assisted officials and took it down.
Governor Tim Walz said President Donald Trump and his team had expressed their "deep condolences" and offered assistance.
He said the situation is "all too common - not just in Minnesota, but across the country", adding that he hoped no community or school ever had to go through a day like this.
Trump later said the US flag would be flown at half-mast at the White House as a show of respect to the victims.
Military officials have advised people to stay in shelters during the attacks
Ukraine has come under heavy Russian bombardment overnight, with a child among three people killed in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said early on Thursday.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack on Ukraine's capital was "massive" with military officials confirming at least 24 people had been injured.
A five storey-building collapsed in the Darnytski district and a fire had also been reported in a high-rise residential building in the neighbouring Dnipro district,the mayor added.
The wave of missiles comes after more than 100,000 Ukrainian homes were left without power by the latest Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
In a post on Telegram, Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration, said the child who was killed was a 14-year-old girl.At least five children had been injured in the latest drone strikes.
He noted more than 20 districts had been targeted, with many buildings including a kindergarten catching on fire.
Three and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting on the ground shows no sign of abating.
Trump has been pushing for a Putin-Zelensky summit. Ukraine's president has backed the move, but he has sought security guarantees from Western allies to prevent any future Russian attack in the event of a peace deal.
On Tuesday, Zelensky met the head of Britain's armed forces, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, in Kyiv, where they discussed efforts to end the war.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has said he would meet Ukrainian representatives in New York this week, telling Fox News "we talk to the Russians every day".
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned that handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of a peace deal was a "trap".
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing on 3 September, China's foreign ministry has said - in what is believed to be his first international level meeting of leaders.
The so-called "Victory Day" parade will mark the 80th anniversary of China's war against Japan and the end of World War Two.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin will also be among the 26 heads of state expected to attend the event.
China is expected to display its latest weaponry including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.
The highly choreographed parade will see tens of thousands of military personnel march in formation through Tiananmen Square, including troops from 45 of the so-called echelons of China's military as well as war veterans.
The 70-minute parade, which will be surveyed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, is expected to be closely watched by analysts and western powers.
Kim attending the parade in the centre of Beijing standing alongside Russia's Putin and China's Xi will be quite the photo op.
But it will also be a key diplomatic win for Xi.
US President Donald Trump is trying to make a deal with Putin to end the war in Ukraine. He has also in the last week announced he wants to meet Kim again.
The Chinese leader is signalling here that he holds the geopolitical cards in this game. He has influence – although it is limited – on both leaders.
The timing is also key. The White House has suggested that President Trump could be in the region at the end of October and is open to meeting Xi.
The Chinese leader would go into any summit with the US president fully briefed by Kim and Putin and will know he is not being left out of the loop.
It's been six years since Kim visited Beijing - he last attended the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2019.
The reclusive North Korean leader also visited Beijing three times in 2018, marking a particularly busy year for international trips as he rarely travels abroad.
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Susan Monarez was confirmed to lead the US public health agency by the Senate in July
The White House says it has fired the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Susan Monarez, after she refused to resign on Wednesday.
In a statement, it said she was "not aligned with the president's agenda" and she had been removed from her position at the health agency.
The US health department earlier announced her departure, which prompted a statement from Dr Monarez's lawyers who said she had not been told of her removal and she would not resign.
They said she was being targeted for refusing "to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts" and accused Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr of "weaponising public health".
"As her attorney's statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the president's agenda," the White House said later on Wednesday, adding that she had been terminated from her position as director.
A long-time federal government scientist, Dr Monarez was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the CDC and was confirmed in a Senate vote along party lines in July.
Almost immediately after Dr Monarez's departure was first announced by the health department, at least three senior CDC leaders resigned from the agency.
Among them was Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who warned about the "rise of misinformation" about vaccines in a letter seen by the BBC's US partner CBS News. She also argued against planned cuts to the agency's budget.
Daniel Jernigan, who led the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, also quit citing "the current context in the department".
Head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis, also said he was no longer able to serve "because of the ongoing weaponising of public health".
There are also reports, including by NBC News, that Dr Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology, has also resigned.
The exodus comes as health experts voice concern over the agency's approach to immunisations under the leadership of Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic.
Getty Images
Dr Demetre Daskalakis fronts a press conference about Monkeypox at the White House in 2022
Earlier on Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved new Covid vaccines while limiting who could receive them.
The vaccines will be available for all seniors, but younger adults and children without underlying health conditions will be excluded.
"The emergency use authorizations for Covid vaccines, once used to justify broad mandates on the general public during the Biden administration, are now rescinded," Kennedy wrote on X.
Dr Monarez was the first CDC director in 50 years to not hold a medical degree. Her background is in infectious disease research.
Dr Monarez departure comes about a week after a union representing CDC employees announced that it had fired about 600 employees.
The wide-ranging layoffs included employees working on the government's response to infectious diseases, including bird flu, as well as those researching environmental hazards and handling public record requests.
Zhenhao Zou was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 24 years, in June
Two women who reported being drugged and raped by prolific sex offender Zhenhao Zou said they were attacked within 24 hours of each other, the BBC has established.
The first woman who says she was raped told us she was shocked to learn about the second attack and had since felt guilt for not reporting her rape sooner.
Metropolitan Police detectives investigating Zou's offences initially questioned whether the two women might be the same person, because the two attacks sounded identical and happened in such a short space of time.
This timing showed Zou was confident, a source familiar with the investigation told the BBC World Service. "He was getting away with it, so he wanted to do it more and more," they said.
Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence
Zou was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 24 years, in June.
The Chinese national was convicted for drugging and raping 10 women - three in the UK and seven in China - between September 2019 and May 2023. All victims appear to have been Chinese.
But after his trial, detectives - having described Zou as one of the UK's "most prolific predators" - said they feared he may have attacked 50 more women.
Since Zou's trial, 24 women have come forward in both the UK and China, including the victims of these two attacks.
The first woman, who we are calling Rachel, says she met Zou for drinks in late October 2022. He drove her to his waterside villa in Zhupingsha village, near the Chinese city of Dongguan, where he gave her a whisky cocktail that left her so dizzy that she says she could barely move. After she lay down upstairs to recover, she says he raped her.
Phone records and messages shared with the BBC reveal Rachel had tried to call a friend for help afterwards, but Zou had grabbed her phone from her and spoke to the friend himself.
Zou did not return Rachel's phone to her until the following afternoon. In a series of frantic messages on the Chinese app WeChat, Rachel told her friend she was still in Zou's house and asked why she hadn't been able to come and get her.
Her friend explained that she had heard Rachel crying out for help on the phone, but that Zou wouldn't reveal his address.
"My friend was afraid that if she kept asking, he'd go to extremes and hurt me," Rachel later told the BBC. She says Zou ended up dropping her home just before 14:00. "The man treated me as a toy," she said.
Rachel said she didn't report her rape to police in China because she feared she did not have sufficient evidence and was worried about people finding out.
We do not know exactly what else was in the cocktail that Rachel drank, but when UK police raided Zou's London apartment they found a substance called butanediol - which converts into date-rape drug GHB in the body.
Butanediol is a controlled substance in the UK, but it can be easily bought without a prescription in China to treat insomnia, where it costs as little as $3 (£2.22) per 500ml, the BBC has found.
Zou had also repeatedly searched online for information around the sleeping drug triazolam, which is a banned substance in the UK but available on prescription in China, according to evidence shown at his trial.
A screenshot of WeChat messages circulating among Zou's former classmates, seen by the BBC, shows Zou had begun researching prescription sleeping pills in China in January 2020, asking a friend there if he knew anyone who had been prescribed them from whom he could "buy from directly".
The second victim who was attacked on the same day in October 2022 is referred to as Female D, because her identity was not known to UK police at the time of Zou's trial. He was, however, convicted of raping her using video evidence from his devices. She contacted UK police shortly after his trial ended in March 2025, having learned of his conviction.
Through documents shown at his trial, we have established that Zou met Female D for a date just a few hours after he had driven Rachel home. He drugged and raped her, filming the attack. In a victim impact statement read at Zou's sentencing in June, Female D said that she had been unable to escape until 04:00 the following day.
Rachel - the first victim from late October 2022 - also decided to report her experiences to the Met Police in March 2025. With the help of an independent translator, she submitted an anonymous statement over email.
Responding to her report, a police officer sought more information on Rachel's identity, saying it "seemed we may have already had contact with this person" and that the account sounded "very much identical to one we already have from this time period".
Rachel said she clarified that she had never reported the case to Chinese or British police.
The BBC has verified that initials shared by the Met in the correspondence to check Rachel's identity with her, in fact belonged to Female D.
The Met Police told us its investigation into Zou continued, including liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service around potential further charges.
Det Ch Insp Tariq Farooqi said: "The scale of his offending – which spanned two continents – makes him one of the most dangerous sexual offenders the Met has ever brought to justice."
In her victim impact statement, Female D said she had been haunted by nightmares after the attack and "couldn't be alone after dark".
Rachel says she feels if she had called the police the next day, Female D might not have become a victim. "I know everyone will say this is his fault, not mine, but I still feel sorry."
Since his conviction, former schoolfriends of Zou in China have revealed how he asked them for advice about assembling spy cameras that may have helped him keep a record of his crimes - including just before UK police first arrested him.
A series of messages, shared with the BBC, appear to show Zou asking one friend for advice about building mini cameras on 21 December 2023. Documents submitted to court during Zou's trial show he searched online for "hidden camera" and "electric alarm clock camera" on the same day and made purchases on eBay of surveillance equipment.
Zou messaged the same friend once again on 17 January 2024.
He was arrested by police seven days later.
During a search of his London apartment, police later found a spy camera in a box alongside a memory card containing video evidence of his rapes.
Details of help and support with sexual violence are available at BBC Action Line
If you have information about this story that you would like to share with us please get in touch.
You can speak to BBC journalist wanqing.zhang@bbc.co.uk in Chinese or English - please include contact details if you are willing to speak to her.
Miguel Uribe died two months after the shooting in Bogotá
A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention for shooting Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay at a rally in Bogotá in June.
The conservative senator, who was 39, underwent multiple surgeries after being hit by three bullets but died on 11 August.
The teenager was charged with attempted murder and the illegal possession on firearms.
After years of growing peace, the shooting shocked Colombians, who still remembered the political violence of the 1980s and 90s when several presidential candidates and influential Colombian figures were assassinated.
Police say they believe a dissident group of the former left-wing FARC rebels was behind the assassination.
Uribe was shot in the head at a campaign rally on 7 June, with unverified video of the assassination widely circulated online.
Local media reports suggest that after he was arrested, he cried out: "I did it for money for my family."
The senator was a popular member of the right-wing Democratic Centre party, and had been seeking his party's nomination for the 2026 presidential election.
His father, Miguel Uribe Londoño, announced his own presidential campaign earlier this week, in what he said was an effort keep his son's legacy alive.
Uribe Londoño was a member of Bogotá's city council in the late 80s and a senator for Colombia's Conservative Party in the early 90s.
She was kidnapped by Los Extraditables in 1990 - an alliance created by leading drug lords. She was held hostage by them for five months before being shot dead during a botched rescue attempt.
Uribe often cited her as his inspiration to run for political office "to work for our country".
Unprecedented wildfires have scarred northern Spain in recent weeks
A record one million hectares - equivalent to about half the land area of Wales - have burned across the European Union so far this year, making it the worst wildfire season since records began in 2006.
Spain and Portugal have been hit especially hard, with roughly 1% of the entire Iberian Peninsula scorched, according to EU scientists.
The worsening fire season in the Mediterranean has been linked directly to climate change in a separate study by the World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London.
Experts warn that more frequent and severe fires across Europe are likely to continue in the future.
More than two thirds of the area burned in the EU is in Spain and Portugal alone.
In Spain, more than 400,000 hectares have burned since the beginning of this year up until 26 August, according to the Copernicus European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).
This record is more than six times the Spanish average for this time period between 2006 and 2024.
Neighbouring Portugal has also suffered a record burn area of 270,000 hectares so far - almost five times the average for the same period.
The combined burn area across the Iberian peninsula this year is 684,000 hectares - four times the area of Greater London, and most of it burned in just two weeks.
Fires have been concentrated in forested areas of northern Portugal and in Spain's north-western regions of Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León.
Protected areas like Picos de Europa National Park have been impacted, as well as major routes on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage network which usually attracts more than 100,000 visitors in the summer months.
The events have triggered the largest known deployment of the EU civil protection mechanism's firefighting force.
Smoke from fires has dramatically decreased air quality in the area, with southerly wind sending smoke as far as France and the UK.
Climate change makes the conditions leading to wildfires more likely, but in a vicious cycle, the fires also release more planet-warming carbon dioxide gas (CO2) into our atmosphere.
CO2 released by fires in Spain this year has reached a record 17.68 million tonnes, according to the EU. This is more than any total annual CO2 emissions since 2003 from wildfires in that country, when data was first recorded by satellites.
For comparison, it is more than the total annual CO2 emitted by all of Croatia in 2023.
Climate change caused by humans made fire-prone conditions in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus about 10 times more likely, according to a rapid attribution study by World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London.
It was responsible for a 22% increase in the extreme weather conditions behind the fires, said WWA.
It is causing more extreme heat, which dries out vegetation, increasing flammability, said Theodore Keeping, wildfire scientist at the centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London.
The continued burning of fossil fuels will lead to more of these extreme fires, the researchers warned.
"It was urgent 10 years ago to stop burning fossil fuels," said Dr Fredi Otto, Professor in Climate Science at Imperial and leader of the WWA, describing it as "lethal for people and ecosystems".
"Today, with 1.3C of warming [since pre-industrial times], we are seeing new extremes in wildfire behaviour that have pushed firefighters to their limit," said Mr Keeping.
The scientists have begun a rapid analysis on the wildfires in Spain and Portugal and expect similar findings related to climate change.
Across Southern and Eastern Europe, rural depopulation is also contributing to the intense wildfires, Mr Keeping added.
In regions like Spain and Portugal, a rising number of young people are relocating to cities in search of more profitable employment. Once-managed agricultural land is being abandoned and becoming overgrown, eliminating fire breaks and increasing the amount of flammable vegetation vulnerable to intense blazes.
Fire-hardy ecosystems struggling to cope
Fires have always been an important component of Mediterranean ecosystems and much of the natural wildlife has co-evolved to exist alongside fire.
In fact, species like the Iberian hare benefit from the newly opened habitat and native cork oaks can quickly colonise burned land.
Management techniques such as prescribed burning and vegetation removal have long kept yearly fires in check.
And regrowth of burned vegetation have typically offset the carbon emissions from wildfire as carbon once again became stored in plants and soil.
However, modern wildfires are larger, more frequent and more severe. Where forested regions struggle to regrow before the next fire, they can become part of a climate feedback loop, according to Dr Thomas Smith, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics.
"A warming climate is driving more frequent and larger fires, which is in turn driving carbon emissions that remain in the atmosphere, which is leading to a warmer climate," he explained.
The escalating risk from a hotter and drier climate makes fire management more difficult and poses a threat to long-term ecosystem stability.
There are also risks of accelerated soil erosion and water contamination from ashes washed into rivers and reservoirs, according to Professor Stefan Doerr, Director of the Centre for Wildlife Research at Swansea University.
Efforts to manage excess vegetation in fire-risk areas, as well as advances in preventing ignitions, fire detection and fire fighting could help reduce the number and severity fires in future.
A German navy ship pictured docking in Greenland - an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has summoned the top US diplomat in Copenhagen, following a report that American citizens have been conducting "covert influence operations" in Greenland.
Denmark's public broadcaster DR quoted sources as saying the aim was to infiltrate Greenland's society and promote its secession from Denmark to the US, although it was unable to clarify whether the men were working on their own.
Rasmussen said in a statement that "any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the Kingdom [of Denmark] will of course be unacceptable", and the US charge d'affaires had been summoned in that light.
The BBC has approached the US embassy for comment.
However, US President Trump has said several times he wants to annex Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Vice-President JD Vance has accused Copenhagen of underinvesting in the territory.
On a visit to Greenland a few months ago, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned the US that "you cannot annex another country".
The US currently has no ambassador in Copenhagen, so Rasmussen has summoned Mark Stroh, who as charge d'affaires is the most senior diplomat in the Danish capital.
Denmark's foreign minister said in a statement to the BBC that the government was "aware that foreign actors continue to show an interest in Greenland and its position in the Kingdom of Denmark".
"It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead," he added.
Denmark is a member of Nato and the European Union and has long seen the US as one of its closest allies, and Danes have been shocked by Trump's determination to control its semi-autonomous territory. The US president said this year he would not rule out seizing it by force.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen has already summoned the US ambassador to Denmark this year in response to a separate report in May suggesting US spy agencies had been told to focus their efforts on Greenland.
DR's report on Wednesday gave details of a visit by one American to Greenland's capital Nuuk, saying he was seeking to compile a list of Greenlanders who backed US attempts to take over the island. The aim would be to try to recruit them for a secession movement, DR said.
The earlier May report in the Wall Street Journal also referred to learning more about Greenland's independence movement, as well as attitudes to American mineral extraction.
At the time, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard did not deny the report but accused the Journal of "breaking the law and undermining our nation's security and democracy".
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the government could not change what had happened but could take responsbility
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a long-awaited apology to the Greenlandic women and their families affected by what she called "systematic discrimination" during a contraceptive campaign.
During the 1960s and 70s thousands of Inuit women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with contraceptive devices, as part of a birth-control programme administered by Danish doctors.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility," Frederiksen said of the scandal.
"On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say sorry," she said, acknowledging that victims had "experienced both physical and psychological harm".
The scale of the birth-control programme was first brought to light in 2022, by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign.
The device used is commonly known as a coil and is placed inside the womb, or uterus, to prevent pregnancy.
In the past few years, many women have come forward to say they were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent.
Few had previously been aware of the contraceptive campaign, and the reports prompted shock and anger.
Records from the national archives showed that, between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had an IUD implanted.
Of these, it is unclear how many cases lacked consent. However, dozens of women have come forward sharing traumatic personal accounts and some were left sterile.
A group of 143 women have since filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation:138 of them were under 18 at the time.
Use of the birth control was so widespread that Greenland's population growth severely slowed.
Speaking on Danish television last December, the former Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute B Egede, said it was "genocide".
A formal inquiry was launched, and the findings will be released next month, following two years of investigation.
"Even though we do not have the full picture," Frederiksen said, "it makes a serious impression on the government, that so many Greenlandic women unanimously report that they have been subjected to abuse by the Danish healthcare system."
One of the victims, Henriette Berthelsen, said she was happy with the apology, even if it had come quite belatedly.
Naja Lyberth, who is a psychologist, told the BBC in an earlier interview that it was 100% clear the government had broken the law by "violating our human rights and causing us serious harm".
"An apology, that's nice of course, and makes my clients happy. That's part of what they need," said Mads Pramming, the lawyer representing the women told the BBC.
"[What] we've not heard anything about," he added, "is whether they also admit or agree that they that this was a human rights violation."
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, and did not gain home rule until 1979, however Copenhagen continued to oversee the healthcare system, before Greenland took responsibility in 1992.
Getty Images
Naja Lyberth said some women had suffered health complications and infertility because of the scandal
A few cases of forced contraception also took place after this time, and as late as 2018, as the BBC has previously reported.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said his government also recognised its own responsibility but said on Facebook it was about time that Denmark had officially apologised.
"For too long, the victims... have been silenced to death. It's sad that an apology only comes now - it's too late and too bad," he said.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility for the fact that the truth comes out, and that responsibility is placed where it belongs. The upcoming investigation will show the full extent of the assaults and help ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
Mette Frederiksen acknowledged that the case had caused "anger and sadness for many Greenlanders and many families" and had damaged perceptions of Denmark.
This case is one of several controversies involving the Danish treatment of Greenlanders, including forced adoptions, the removal of Inuit children from their families, and the legally fatherless, that have rocked relations between the Arctic territory and Copenhagen, and contributed to calls for independence.
Greenland and Denmark agreed to investigate the coil scandal in 2022. At the time Danish historian Soeren Rud told the BBC that the rationale for the policy was partly financial, but also the result of colonial attitudes.
After the World War Two Greenland's tiny population rocketed and by 1970 it had almost doubled. Mr Rud said Denmark wanted to limit the growth of the population, adding that this reduced "the challenges of providing housing and welfare services".
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic MP in the Danish parliament, welcomed the apology and told the BBC it was important for both Greenlandic and Danish society to achieve closure.
"These different cases that are not historic, but actually present. These are people living today, that have been affected by this."
"We also need to focus on compensation for the women," she continued. "Of course, we're going to look into the report. We're going to follow up politically."
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the government could not change what had happened but could take responsbility
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a long-awaited apology to the Greenlandic women and their families affected by what she called "systematic discrimination" during a contraceptive campaign.
During the 1960s and 70s thousands of Inuit women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with contraceptive devices, as part of a birth-control programme administered by Danish doctors.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility," Frederiksen said of the scandal.
"On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say sorry," she said, acknowledging that victims had "experienced both physical and psychological harm".
The scale of the birth-control programme was first brought to light in 2022, by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign.
The device used is commonly known as a coil and is placed inside the womb, or uterus, to prevent pregnancy.
In the past few years, many women have come forward to say they were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent.
Few had previously been aware of the contraceptive campaign, and the reports prompted shock and anger.
Records from the national archives showed that, between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had an IUD implanted.
Of these, it is unclear how many cases lacked consent. However, dozens of women have come forward sharing traumatic personal accounts and some were left sterile.
A group of 143 women have since filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation:138 of them were under 18 at the time.
Use of the birth control was so widespread that Greenland's population growth severely slowed.
Speaking on Danish television last December, the former Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute B Egede, said it was "genocide".
A formal inquiry was launched, and the findings will be released next month, following two years of investigation.
"Even though we do not have the full picture," Frederiksen said, "it makes a serious impression on the government, that so many Greenlandic women unanimously report that they have been subjected to abuse by the Danish healthcare system."
One of the victims, Henriette Berthelsen, said she was happy with the apology, even if it had come quite belatedly.
Naja Lyberth, who is a psychologist, told the BBC in an earlier interview that it was 100% clear the government had broken the law by "violating our human rights and causing us serious harm".
"An apology, that's nice of course, and makes my clients happy. That's part of what they need," said Mads Pramming, the lawyer representing the women told the BBC.
"[What] we've not heard anything about," he added, "is whether they also admit or agree that they that this was a human rights violation."
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, and did not gain home rule until 1979, however Copenhagen continued to oversee the healthcare system, before Greenland took responsibility in 1992.
Getty Images
Naja Lyberth said some women had suffered health complications and infertility because of the scandal
A few cases of forced contraception also took place after this time, and as late as 2018, as the BBC has previously reported.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said his government also recognised its own responsibility but said on Facebook it was about time that Denmark had officially apologised.
"For too long, the victims... have been silenced to death. It's sad that an apology only comes now - it's too late and too bad," he said.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility for the fact that the truth comes out, and that responsibility is placed where it belongs. The upcoming investigation will show the full extent of the assaults and help ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
Mette Frederiksen acknowledged that the case had caused "anger and sadness for many Greenlanders and many families" and had damaged perceptions of Denmark.
This case is one of several controversies involving the Danish treatment of Greenlanders, including forced adoptions, the removal of Inuit children from their families, and the legally fatherless, that have rocked relations between the Arctic territory and Copenhagen, and contributed to calls for independence.
Greenland and Denmark agreed to investigate the coil scandal in 2022. At the time Danish historian Soeren Rud told the BBC that the rationale for the policy was partly financial, but also the result of colonial attitudes.
After the World War Two Greenland's tiny population rocketed and by 1970 it had almost doubled. Mr Rud said Denmark wanted to limit the growth of the population, adding that this reduced "the challenges of providing housing and welfare services".
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic MP in the Danish parliament, welcomed the apology and told the BBC it was important for both Greenlandic and Danish society to achieve closure.
"These different cases that are not historic, but actually present. These are people living today, that have been affected by this."
"We also need to focus on compensation for the women," she continued. "Of course, we're going to look into the report. We're going to follow up politically."
Leaders from France, Germany and Poland have travelled to Moldova to show support for the country's accession to the EU and warn of Russia's "relentless" efforts to undermine that ambition.
The visit comes as Moldova marks 34 years of independence from Moscow, declared as the Soviet Union fell apart.
But it is also taking place a month before critical parliamentary elections in which the EU and the Moldovan government fear pro-Russian elements could gain ground.
Flanked by European heads of state, Moldova's pro-Western President Maia Sandu told her country that it proved EU membership was "not a distant dream, but a project we are working on", one that is vital as a guarantee of security.
"The merciless war that Russia wages against Ukraine shows us daily that Europe means freedom and peace, whilst Putin's Russia means war and death," the president said.
Ukraine is close by, just across the border.
Last year Sandu called a referendum on enshrining the goal of EU membership in the constitution. The "yes" vote narrowly won.
Shortly after that vote, the president, who went to Harvard and used to work for the World Bank, won a second term after a tense second round.
There were allegations of Russian interference with evidence of everything from widespread disinformation campaigns to paying cash for votes, as our own team discovered on the ground.
Today, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that is because Moscow "is trying relentlessly to undermine freedom and prosperity in Moldova," as Vladimir Putin attempts to return it to Russia's fold.
In response, Sandu is focused on forging strong relations with Europe.
In Chisinau she laid out the red carpet for her guests, greeting each of the leaders in turn before leading them along a red carpet lined by soldiers standing to attention in white, elaborately embroidered capes.
Inside, in front of EU flags, President Emmanuel Macron described membership of the bloc as the "clear and sovereign choice" of Moldova and said he was there to convey "a message of solidarity and confidence" in that process from France.
Donald Tusk recalled how Poland's own journey from beneath Moscow's shadow towards EU accession had been littered with challenges, but worth the work. "You have chosen the right path," said the Polish prime minister. "You chose peace not war, and we support your aspirations."
Moldova has been a firm supporter of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, fearful that its own land was also in Putin's sights. Today, Merz said that Europe and the US were "putting everything" into trying to end the war there.
"We want to see the weapons in Ukraine finally to fall silent …ideally today…but not at any cost," the chancellor warned. "We don't want to see the capitulation of Ukraine. Such a capitulation would only buy time for Russia, and Putin would use that to prepare the next war."
President Sandu's party, PAS, are hoping that elections next month will give it a new mandate to push ahead with reforms and keep moving closer towards Europe, after the country began formal accession talks last year.
But polls suggest PAS will lose seats – and likely its majority - in parliament.
Which is why the president called in the European cavalry for Independence Day: keen to make Moldova's path to EU membership as "irreversible" as she asserts.
The Israeli army wants people to leave Gaza City before moving in
The Israeli military has told Palestinians that the evacuation of Gaza City is "inevitable", as its forces prepare to conquer it.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the military's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said families relocating to the south would "receive the most generous humanitarian aid".
Israeli tanks pushed into a new area of Gaza City overnight, forcing more residents to flee, witnesses said. Thousands have already moved because of recent Israeli advances - mostly to other parts of the city, where about a million Palestinians still live.
The evacuation call comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to chair a meeting on a post-war vision for Gaza at the White House.
In early August, Israel announced plans to occupy the whole Gaza Strip - including Gaza City, which it described as Hamas's last stronghold.
The UN and non-governmental organisations have warned that an Israeli offensive in Gaza City would have a "horrific humanitarian impact".
Late on Tuesday, tanks entered the Ibad al-Rahman district, in the city's northern outskirts, destroying several homes, Reuters news agency reported.
"All of a sudden, we heard that the tanks pushed into Ibad al-Rahman, the sounds of explosions became louder and louder, and we saw people escaping towards our area," Saad Abed told Reuters in a message from his home in Jala Street, about 1km (0.6 miles) away.
On Wednesday, the tanks reportedly retreated to Jabalia, an area further north where they have been operating.
Bombardment also continued in Gaza City's Shejaiya, Zeitoun and Sabra districts.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that its troops had engaged in combat in the Jabalia area and on the outskirts of Gaza City, adding that they had eliminated a "terrorist cell" and located a weapons storage facility.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.
But Netanyahu is facing both international and domestic pressure.
On Tuesday evening, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv demanding a ceasefire deal to bring home the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Only 20 of the 50 hostages are believed to be alive.
In Washington on Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the White House was working on "a very comprehensive plan" for post-war Gaza.
He told Fox News that the plan "for the next day" would be discussed at a "large meeting in the White House" chaired by Trump on Wednesday.
He gave no details but said he expected the conflict in Gaza to be settled "one way or another, certainly before the end of this year".
Israel's military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Almost 62,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have confirmed that there is famine in the Gaza City area.
President Zelensky posted images from energy sites hit in the overnight strikes
More than 100,000 Ukrainian homes have been left without power by the latest Russian drone attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Poltava, Sumy and Chernihiv regions were affected, Zelensky stated in a post on Telegram.
Ukraine's energy ministry said it was a continuation of Moscow's policy of destroying civilian infrastructure ahead of winter. Last year, Ukraine said Russia had destroyed half of its electricity-generating capacity.
In his post on Wednesday, Zelensky said Russia had carried out almost 100 drone attacks overnight. Energy facilities were the main targets, but a school in the Kharkiv region and a high-rise building in Kherson were also hit, he said.
"New steps are needed to put pressure on Russia to stop the strikes and truly guarantee security. We are working with partners for such pressure," Zelensky added.
Three and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting on the ground shows no sign of abating.
Moscow has not laid claim to Dnipropetrovsk, unlike Donetsk and Ukraine's four other eastern regions.
On Wednesday Russia's defence ministry said its troops had seized a village in Donetsk. Although Russian forces have suffered high casualties, they have made recent gains in the region.
A painting stolen by the Nazis that was spotted in an Argentinian estate agent's advert has vanished, a prosecutor says following a raid on the home.
Portrait of a Lady by Giuseppe Ghislandi was featured hanging above a sofa inside a property near Buenos Aires, which was being sold by the daughter of a senior Nazi who fled Germany after World War Two.
A police raid on the house this week however turned up no painting - but two weapons were seized, federal prosecutor Carlos Martínez told local media.
Mr Martínez said they were treating it as an alleged cover-up of smuggling, Argentinian daily Clarin reported.
The newspaper reported that the furnishings had been rearranged and the picture was missing from the wall when they raided the property.
Peter Schouten of the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, which first reported the long-lost artwork's reappearance, said there was evidence "the painting was removed shortly afterwards or after the media reports about it appeared".
"There's now a large rug with horses and some nature scenes hanging there, which police say looks like something else used to hang there".
Portrait of a Lady was among the collection of Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker, much of which was forcibly sold by the Nazis after his death.
Some of the works were recovered in Germany after the war, and put on display in Amsterdam as part of the Dutch national collection.
For more than 80 years, the location of late-baroque Italian portraitist Giuseppe Ghislandi's painting of the Contessa Colleoni had been unknown until now.
AD's investigation found wartime documents that suggest the painting was in the possession of Friedrich Kadgien, an SS officer and senior financial aide to Hermann Göring, who fled in 1945 before eventually moving to Argentina, where he became a successful businessman.
Kadgien died in 1979, but a US file seen by AD included the line: "Appears to possess substantial assets, could still be of value to us".
The paper added that it had made several attempts to speak to his two daughters in Buenos Aires over the years but to no avail.
It was only when one of Kadgien's daughters put the house up for sale that they made any progress in locating the missing works.
Another looted artwork - a floral still-life by the 17th-century Dutch painter Abraham Mignon - was also spotted on one of the sister's social media, AD reported.
Following the photo's appearance, one of the sisters told the Dutch paper she didn't know what they wanted from her, nor what painting they "are talking about".
Lawyers for Goudstikker's estate said they would make every effort to reclaim the painting.
His sole-surviving heir, daughter-in-law Marei von Saher, said her family "aims to bring back every single artwork robbed from Jacques' collection, and to restore his legacy".
According to AD, she took possession of 202 pieces in 2006.
The government wants an 80,000 increase in soldier numbers by 80,000 by the early 2030s
Germany's cabinet has passed a draft bill which will introduce voluntary military service. The bill could also lead to conscription if more troops are needed.
It's part of a move to boost German national defences, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Compulsory military service in Germany was ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made boosting Germany's military a priority given the threat from Russia and said "we are now back on the path to a military service army".
He summed up his thinking earlier this year saying: "We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we don't have to defend ourselves."
Germany's plans also follow calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence.
When his coalition government came to office earlier this year, it loosened borrowing restrictions to enable a surge in defence spending and then announced plans for 3.5% of economic output to go on defence over the next four years.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius wants to increase the number of soldiers in service from 182,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new Nato force targets and strengthen Germany's defences.
The defence ministry also wants to increase the number of reservists to 200,000.
In future, all 18-year-old Germans, both men and women, will be sent an online questionnaire asking if they are willing to volunteer for military service. It will include questions about their physical fitness.
Men will be required to complete the form, but it will be voluntary for women.
Quentin Gärtner, 18, who heads the country's Federal Pupils' Conference, said his generation wanted to contribute the defence of German democracy - but that young people's voices should be heard.
"We can only do our part and take responsibility for our society when we are included in every decision-making process affecting our generation," he told the BBC. "The ministry of defence has not reached out to us yet... He can call me any time."
In a statement, the government said military service would be voluntary for as long as possible.
However, it said that if the security situation worsened or if there too few volunteers came forward, the government could decide to use compulsion with the approval of the German parliament, the Bundestag.
Pistorius told Deutschlandfunk radio he expected military service to remain voluntary.
"With attractive pay and attractive military service, I am very confident that we will succeed in attracting young men and women to the Bundeswehr," he said.
In recent years, the defence ministry has stepped up advertising campaigns and career events in a bid to recruit soldiers.
In the first six months of this year, the Bundeswehr has reported a 28% increase in the number of new recruits, compared with the same period last year.
Some members of Pistorius's Social Democrat party, the junior partner in the coalition, have criticised the plans, saying the Bundeswehr should be made a more attractive employer, rather than re-introducing compulsory military service.
Members of Chancellor Merz's conservatives have warned that the insistence on approval by the Bundestag before reintroducing conscription could delay matters too much.
Some commentators have questioned whether this is the right step for Germany.
Johannes Angermann, writing for public broadcaster MDR, said military service would rob the younger generation of "time and money". He argued for an improved professional army instead.
Meanwhile, anti-war group Rheinmetal Entwaffnen said in a post on social media: "We want nothing to do with the wars of the ruling classes and are not prepared to die for a country that is increasingly cutting back on all social infrastructure. We will not fight your wars!"
Cyan Boujee said the backlash had been a "learning curve" for her and other influencers
A South African influencer linked to a controversial job scheme in Russia has apologised for her role in promoting it in a country where many young people are desperate to find jobs.
Cyan Boujee, whose real name is Honour Zuma, came under scrutiny after one of the videos she posted online advertising jobs for women aged between 18 and 22 went viral.
It prompted the government to issue a warning about the scheme and alert people to the dangers of human trafficking and "unverified job opportunities overseas".
"Immediately when I saw the comments on my stories and on my videos… I knew that this is not something I stand with," the 24-year-old told her 902,000 followers on Instagram.
Popularly known as Cyan, the influencer has removed the promotional videos from her social media pages. They had described an opportunity for a "fresh new start" for young women at the start of their careers.
In a video shot in Tatarstan in Russia and posted over the weekend on TikTok, where she has 1.7 million followers, Cyan had said it was a two-year "start programme" for those wanting to acquire professional skills - though it was not made clear in what professions.
She had explained those hired would be given jobs and taught how to speak Russian.
There have been allegations that some of those recruited to work in Tatarstan have ended up working in a weapons factory, making drones that have been used in Russia's war in Ukraine.
In her Instagram apology, Cyan acknowledged that "human trafficking is a very, very serious matter", adding that the backlash had been a "huge learning curve" for her and "and all the other influencers".
"I knew this is something I had to delete immediately, I didn't care about the money," she said.
"I apologise and I believe that this is not something that will be repeated again."
There has been a huge fallout on social media over the job videos, with a petition launched calling on influencers to use their platforms to instead "spread awareness about the signs and dangers of trafficking".
The authorities have launched an investigation into the scheme. Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel said "so-called opportunities" were often "linked to serious risks of labour exploitation and human trafficking".
"Never rely solely on social media promotions or unsolicited social media advertisements, always cross-check and verify job opportunities through official channels," he said on Wednesday.
One of the main recruiters in the scheme promoted by Cyan and other influencers is a special economic zone in Tatarstan, which is where weapons are believed to be produced.
A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime released in May looked into the recruitment of people for the "start" programme.
It said that "potential recruits are enticed to participate under false pretences regarding the nature of the work, the working conditions and opportunities for education", adding that the objective is to support the "drone production programme".
Most work "directly in drone production, while others work as support staff - cleaners and caterers".
In one of her now-deleted videos, Cyan had said "apparently girls are treated fairly here - Africans, Asians, Latin Americans".
The Israeli army wants people to leave Gaza City before moving in
The Israeli military has told Palestinians that the evacuation of Gaza City is "inevitable", as its forces prepare to conquer it.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the military's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee said families relocating to the south would "receive the most generous humanitarian aid".
Israeli tanks pushed into a new area of Gaza City overnight, forcing more residents to flee, witnesses said. Thousands have already moved because of recent Israeli advances - mostly to other parts of the city, where about a million Palestinians still live.
The evacuation call comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to chair a meeting on a post-war vision for Gaza at the White House.
In early August, Israel announced plans to occupy the whole Gaza Strip - including Gaza City, which it described as Hamas's last stronghold.
The UN and non-governmental organisations have warned that an Israeli offensive in Gaza City would have a "horrific humanitarian impact".
Late on Tuesday, tanks entered the Ibad al-Rahman district, in the city's northern outskirts, destroying several homes, Reuters news agency reported.
"All of a sudden, we heard that the tanks pushed into Ibad al-Rahman, the sounds of explosions became louder and louder, and we saw people escaping towards our area," Saad Abed told Reuters in a message from his home in Jala Street, about 1km (0.6 miles) away.
On Wednesday, the tanks reportedly retreated to Jabalia, an area further north where they have been operating.
Bombardment also continued in Gaza City's Shejaiya, Zeitoun and Sabra districts.
The Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday that its troops had engaged in combat in the Jabalia area and on the outskirts of Gaza City, adding that they had eliminated a "terrorist cell" and located a weapons storage facility.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.
But Netanyahu is facing both international and domestic pressure.
On Tuesday evening, tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv demanding a ceasefire deal to bring home the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Only 20 of the 50 hostages are believed to be alive.
In Washington on Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said the White House was working on "a very comprehensive plan" for post-war Gaza.
He told Fox News that the plan "for the next day" would be discussed at a "large meeting in the White House" chaired by Trump on Wednesday.
He gave no details but said he expected the conflict in Gaza to be settled "one way or another, certainly before the end of this year".
Israel's military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Almost 62,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; and the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have confirmed that there is famine in the Gaza City area.
US disaster-preparedness was again under scrutiny earlier in the summer following deadly flooding in Texas
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has reportedly suspended a number of staff who criticised the agency's direction under US President Donald Trump.
The staff are said to have been among those who recently signed an open letter that castigated Trump officials over cuts and alleged interference, warning that another "national catastrophe" akin to Hurricane Katrina was possible.
More than 20 employees were told on Tuesday that they had been put on administrative leave, according to sources who spoke to the BBC's US partner, CBS News. The BBC has asked Fema for comment.
There has been renewed scrutiny of US disaster readiness after recent deadly flooding in Texas.
Trump set about drastically overhauling the disaster-management agency soon after returning to office in January, when he mooted the idea of "maybe getting rid of Fema" altogether.
He has characterised the organisation as inefficient and suggested that state-level officials were better placed to respond to natural disasters.
Reports suggest that hundreds of employees - representing about a third of Fema's workforce - have left their jobs since the start of the year for various reasons.
Of the 191 Fema employees who signed Monday's open letter criticising the agency's direction under Trump, the majority remained anonymous.
The letter reflected on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, pointing out that the storm had claimed more than 1,800 lives and had highlighted the need for competent American disaster-management leadership.
It took the Trump administration to task for cuts to the agency's funding and workforce, the failure to appoint a permanent agency boss and other issues including the perceived "censorship of climate science".
Addressing the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, the letter made demands including a defence against "interference" from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and an end to "politically motivated firings".
The aim was to "to prevent not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of Fema itself", the document said.
In response, a Fema official defended the agency's work and reforms under Trump - saying it was committed to delivering for the American people and had previously been "bogged down by red tape" and other inefficiencies. DHS is yet to respond.
Some of those who lent their names to the letter of protest received emails on Tuesday saying they had been put on administrative leave "effective immediately, and continuing until further notice", according to copies of the emails seen by CBS.
The group would begin a "non-duty status" and would continue to receive pay and benefits, the emails said. The emails did not give a reason for the move, but reassured that it was "not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive".
The New York Times reported that a higher number of about 30 employees had received the email.
The Washington Post reported that at least two of the suspended Fema staff had been involved in the federal response to July's deadly flooding in Texas.
Scores of people died in the disaster - including 27 attendees of a girls' summer camp. Questioned by lawmakers about accusations that some rescue work had been delayed, Fema's acting administrator described the response as a "model" one.
Among the other natural disasters with which US disaster officials have contended this year were rampant wildfires in Los Angeles.
The row over the Fema suspensions comes with the North Atlantic hurricane season under way and with expectations that the agency will be busier than usual because of warmer sea temperatures – made more likely by climate change.
Artwork: the dinosaur had long spikes sticking out from the side of its head
Scientists have discovered a bizarre armoured dinosaur which had metre-long spikes sticking out from its neck.
The species, called Spicomellus afer, lived 165 million years ago, and is the oldest example of a group of armoured dinosaurs called ankylosaurs.
The elaborateness and spikiness of the animal found in Morocco has come as a shock to experts, who now have to rethink how these armoured dinosaurs evolved.
Prof Richard Butler, from the University of Birmingham who co-led the research, told BBC News that it was the "punk rocker" of its time.
Punk rock is a sub-culture and music style that first emerged in the 1970s. It's followers often have spiky hair and accessories.
"It is one of the strangest dinosaurs ever discovered," said Prof Butler.
Prof Butler's project co-leader, Prof Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum, added that it was surprising that the spikes were fused directly on to the bone.
"We don't see that in any other animal, living or extinct," she said.
"It's absolutely covered in really weird spikes and protrusions all over the back of the animal, including a bony collar that wraps around its neck and some sort of weapon on the end of its tail, so a most unusual dinosaur," she said.
The discovery is so unusual that the two professors are considering whether the discovery might force a rethink of theories on how ankylosaurs evolved.
Getty/Matt Dempsey
Spot the difference: punk rockers (left) are known for their spiky hair and accessories
These animals survived late into the time dinosaurs were on Earth, in a period known as the Cretaceous. This was between 145 to 66 million years ago.
The end of this period saw the emergence of large carnivorous predators, such as T Rex, so it had been thought that ankylosaurs started off with simple small armoured plates on their back, which then became larger and more extensive to protect themselves from these big beasts, according to Prof Butler.
"If you had asked me what I would have expected the oldest known ankylosaur to look like I would have said something with quite simple armour," he told BBC News.
"Instead, we have an animal bristling with spikes like a hedgehog, the most bizarre armour that we've ever found in any animal, far outside the range of armour seen in later ankylosaurs."
The researchers don't have enough of the skeleton to be sure of the animal's proportions, but they estimate it would have been about four metres long and one metre high, weighing around two tonnes.
Getty
As ankylosaurs evolved, their armour became simpler and possibly more functional
The discovery raises the possibility that ankylosaurs started off with elaborate armour in an earlier dinosaur period, known as the Jurassic, which evolved over tens of millions of years to become more simple and possibly more functional, according to Prof Maidment.
"What we are speculating is that maybe these structures actually were used for display, and it was only later in the Cretaceous, when we start to see gigantic dinosaurs with huge jaws and crushing bites, that they actually then needed to co-opt these display structures as body armour."
Trustees of the NHM
The dinosaur fossils were discovered by a team of scientists in Morocco.
The discovery was made by a local farmer in what is now the Moroccan town of Boulemane. It was the first ankylosaur to be found on the African continent. Prof Butler recalls the moment when he first saw the fossils.
"it was a jaw dropping, spine-tingling moment, perhaps the most exciting in my career. It was clear right away that this animal was much weirder than we imagined and that we had enough of it to make sense of it," he said.
Prof Driss Ouarhache, who led the Moroccan team involved in the research, from the Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, said: "This study is helping to drive forward Moroccan science. We've never seen dinosaurs like this before, and there's still a lot more this region has to offer."
Watch: Rescuers are rushing to evacuate residents from submerged areas in Punjab
Some 200,000 people have been evacuated as floods devastate parts of Pakistan's Punjab province.
Rescuers carried residents to safety in boats after disaster authorities warned of "exceptionally high" floods along the Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers. Several districts called in the army to help.
It comes after Pakistani officials said India had warned it would release water from major dams upstream, acknowledging this would flood parts of what is Pakistan's most populous province.
Both countries have suffered intense rainfall in recent weeks, with monsoon rains killing more than 800 people in Pakistan since June.
The country's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned people in affected areas to stay away from rivers, drains and low-lying zones.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the federal government would fully co-operate with regional authorities to avert the risk of flooding, particularly in the urban areas of Gujarat, Sialkot, and Lahore – Pakistan's second-most populous city.
Sialkot has seen more rainfall in 24 hours than the highest record in the past 49 years, according to Pakistan's chief meteorologists. This has left cars, homes and buildings submerged.
Many of the city's residents are stranded, the federal planning minister has told the BBC.
Reuters
The city of Sialkot has been partially submerged by floodwaters after record rainfall
Rescuers have been going door-to-door in villages, relocating residents and their livestock by boat.
These boats have saved more than 32,000 people who were trapped by floodwater, the Reuters news agency reports, citing local officials.
The BBC travelled alongside rescuers as they evacuated hundreds of people from one village in Kasur district, on the border with India.
The Sutlej River had overflowed, submerging homes and washing away the walls that were meant to protect them.
One resident, Nadeem Ahmad, told us he was refusing to leave.
He has been through multiple evacuations over the years and has said his family simply can't afford to leave once again.
He showed us the dozens of cows he keeps near his home, and the hay he stores to feed them. "I'm already using their winter supply," he said.
Others have accepted help from emergency teams, choosing to stay in shelters or with friends and relatives who live on higher ground.
We joined more than 20 men, women and children who had huddled together on a small boat. One woman cradled her two-month-old child on her lap as the boat sped through brown currents.
Azadeh Moshiri/BBC
Emergency teams helped hundreds of people evacuate from a village in Kasur district
Azadeh Moshiri/BBC
The BBC joined more than 20 people, including children, evacuating together on one boat
These floods are ruinous to many families in a country where more than 40% of people live below the poverty line.
That is why many people the BBC has spoken to in the past two days have said they are refusing to evacuate.
They would rather take their chances - protecting as much of their property and their belongings as they can - even if that means risking their lives.
Around half the residents of a village we visited, a community of about 3,000 people located two hours from Lahore, were refusing to evacuate.
According to disaster authorities in Pakistan, Wednesday's flooding follows a warning from India that it would release water from major upstream dams.
When India's reservoirs are overwhelmed, the release of water can cause heavy flooding downstream - which is happening across swathes of Pakistan's Punjab, officials say.
India's warning was a rare moment of public diplomacy between the two countries, which went through their most significant military conflict in decades in May.
Both have both been ravaged by floods after extreme monsoon rains.
On Tuesday a landslide on the route to the popular Hindu shrine Vaishno Devi killed at least 30 people in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.
Industry experts have estimated it could cost anywhere from £500,000 up to £4m, said Ruth Faulkner, the managing editor for Retail Jeweller magazine.
The diamond looked to be an 8-10 carat vintage stone, which Ms Faulker said is "quite rare" for an antique piece.
Jewellery journalist Rachael Taylor said the softer sparkle on the stone was likely because it was an antique cut by hand rather than by machine.
She added that Swift's ring plays into a trend towards vintage styles with different cuts and oversized stones, which fits into the singer's "romantic" aesthetic.
"Whenever a celebrity gets engaged, if their ring is particularly standout, it's always going to spark a bit of interest in that," Ms Faulker added.
@dualipa/Instagram
Chunky gold bands, as seen on Dua Lipa, have been increasingly popular this year, Ms Fitzpatrick said
General trends have been leaning towards bigger stones for celebrities and the public alike - but stars are opting for statement pieces to set them apart, Rhona Fitzpatrick, the founder and CEO of the Diamond Expert, told BBC News.
Rings spotted on different celebrities' fingers this year - such as Zendaya's unusual horizontally set diamond and Dua Lipa's round diamond on a chunky gold band - show a preference for a larger stone in a less traditional setting.
Even when celebrities stick to trends - such as big, oval diamonds - they tend to do it in an extravagant way which is harder to replicate.
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage via Getty Images
Zendaya wore her east-west set diamond - on her left hand - at the Golden Globes earlier this year
Cristiano Ronaldo's partner, Georgina Rodríguez, made headlines when she shared a picture of the ring she received from the footballer earlier this month.
The huge, oval cut rock is reportedly worth up to $5m (£3.7m), Ms Fitzpatrick said.
"It's not the kind of ring you'd be popping to Tesco with," she added.
Following Rodríguez's announcement, some bridal jewellery suppliers started to bring out their own takes on the ring.
"It's a lot harder for everyday people to afford the same price tag," Ms Fitzpatrick said, adding that some jewellers are instead opting for cheaper lab-grown diamonds as a way to cater to a larger variety of styles.
@Georginagio/Instagram
"Yes, I do. In this and all my lives," Georgina Rodríguez said as she shared the news of her engagement
This alternative has been increasingly popular, Ms Fitzpatrick said, adding that around 52% of the world's engagement rings now feature lab-grown diamonds.
Some customers are also opting for lab-grown for ethical reasons- but Ms Taylor said the debate is not as simple as it looks.
Lab-grown is not automatically more sustainable than natural mined stones, as the process uses a significant amount of energy.
Ms Taylor said some communities are financially dependent on the industry and rely on it for survival. There are, however, concerns over working conditions in diamond mines.
"As long as you are buying from a reliable source that's cleaning up the environment and looking after the communities involved," Ms Taylor said, "you have to decide, what's more important to you?"
She added that the ethics surrounding antique diamonds like Swift's are also complicated.
"Vintage can be more of an ethical choice, but its origin and story you don't necessarily know," Ms Taylor said.
Buying antique diamonds means no additional mining, but you also "have no idea what circumstances that was mined in", she added.
"If we're talking 100 plus years ago, that circumstance was probably not very nice."
Shoppers have increasingly turned to repurposing vintage pieces to create something more bespoke, Ms Faulkner said.
Couples will often choose to re-use jewellery with a "story behind it", she said, such as pieces that are passed down from relatives.
While it's not known whether Swift's ring has a backstory, she is clearly happy with the choice. But if her lyrics are anything to go by, it's the not most important thing.
"I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings," she sings in her song, Paper Rings.
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