US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order on Wednesday hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil.

That will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the United States to 50% - among the highest rates imposed by the US.

The new rate shall be "effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order", the executive order stated.

The US president had earlier warned he would raise levies, saying India "don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine".

"The Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to US national security and foreign policy, necessitating stronger measures to address the national emergency," according to a White House statement.

"India's importation of Russian Federation oil undermines US efforts to counter Russia's harmful activities."

The White House said that India import and subsequent reselling of Russian oil on the market "further enables the Russian Federation's economy to fund its aggression [in Ukraine]".

It stated that the US president is using the tariff to "deter countries from supporting the Russian Federation's economy".

It added that the US will determine which other countries import oil from Russia, and will "recommend further actions to the President as needed".

The threatened tariff hike follows meetings by Trump's top envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

New Delhi had previously called Trump's threat to raise tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia "unjustified and unreasonable".

In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".

He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

India also criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the tariffs, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia.

Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs.

"Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the foreign ministry statement said.

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

A military base in the US state of Georgia is on lockdown as officials search for an active shooter.

A Facebook post from the military base said the site was locked down at 11:04 EST (16:04 GMT) and said "casualties have been reported".

It is unclear how many people were shot or are injured in the Wednesday shooting that took place at Fort Stewart, 240 miles (386km) south east of Atlanta.

"We are currently assessing the situation, but we can confirm an active shooter," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told the Associated Press.

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A woman whose brother died in the Air India crash and then received the wrong body says it has "added trauma" to her family.

Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his husband Jamie, 45, were among the 242 people on board the flight which crashed on 12 June soon after taking off for London Gatwick from Ahmedabad.

His sister Arwen Greenlaw told BBC Newsnight her family was seeking dignity and closure as well as accountability for those who mislabelled her brother's remains.

The Foreign Office said it continues to support families affected by the Air India crash with "dedicated caseworkers", adding that the "formal identification of bodies is a matter for the Indian authorities".

Ms Greenlaw, from Cambridge, told the BBC she wanted "dignity" for her brother and "closure for the family".

"If that is not possible - because the worst case scenario is that he has been cremated as somebody else - then we need to know that in order to move on," she added.

"Somebody mislabelled remains - that has added trauma."

She said it appeared there was a "lack of forensic protocols" at the scene of the crash, and the site was "not closed for 48 hours".

"It just can't happen again," she said.

"I think the whole family were and still are in complete disbelief because it is things that happen on the news and to other people. It was shocking and is confusing."

• What we know so far about Air India crash investigation
• Read the preliminary report
• Are India's skies safe? Air safety watchdog responds amid rising concerns

There were 230 passengers and 12 crew on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.

Many people living in a residential neighbourhood near Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport where the jet came down were also killed, taking the number of confirmed casualties to at least 270. This included a number of medical students staying in the area.

A preliminary investigative 15-page report published last month said fuel to the engines of the plane cut off just seconds after take-off.

Circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear. The report said in recovered cockpit voice recordings, one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

A final report into the crash is expected in 12 months.

In the days after the fatal crash, Ms Greenlaw said their mother flew out to India as part of the formal identification process.

"By her own words it was a chaotic scene," Ms Greenlaw recalled. "She went straight to the hospital to give a blood sample, we were told it would be up to 72 hours to get a positive identification - and that was about right.

"She returned from India with what she thought were her son's remains. It has been the equivalent of losing him twice.

"Mum had seen the situation there, smelt the smells, seen the sights, seen the crash site. I think for her that made it more real to be able to see that."

Ms Greenlaw explained when the casket was returned it was tested and found to be "the remains of two different people".

As a result, a coroner in London decided to carry out further tests and the family were able to get some DNA from Fiongal's headphones that proved the remains were not his.

"I would say we go up and down with feelings," Ms Greenlaw said when asked how the family are feeling.

"We are not naïve, we understand it must have been a horrendous situation and my heart goes out to those who did the clear up - but we know Finn's remains were found.

"At that point you would expect the remains to come home. If he had not been matched we could get our heads around that."

Mr Greenlaw-Meeks founded The Wellness Foundry in Ramsgate, in Kent, in 2018 with his husband joining as a managing director five years later.

They had also been due to be hosting workshops at Ramsgate Pride event in June.

Moments before boarding the Air India flight, the pair posted a video to social media on their last night in the country, where Mr Greenlaw-Meeks reflected on a "magical experience".

"They were amazing," Ms Greenlaw said.

"Two parts of the one soul. They lived together, they married and they died together. They were two halves of one."

The Foreign Office told the BBC it is continuing to liaise with the Gujarati government and the Indian government on behalf of the Inner West London Senior Coroner to support the coronial process.

"We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them," a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

"Foreign Office staff continue to support the families and loved ones in line with our consular remit.

"We have allocated dedicated caseworkers to each family who wish to have one."

Ms Greenlaw's comments come days after a separate memorial service was held on Sunday in Wembley to remember two other victims who died on the flight - Ashok and Shobhana Patel.

Their son Miten Patel told the BBC last month that he had discovered "other remains" were in his mother's casket when her body was returned to the UK.

Doctors had to re-identify Mr Patel's mother's remains and his family were also able to recover his father's ring, which he was wearing when the plane crashed.

India's foreign ministry previously said: "In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements.

"All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased.

"We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue."

A British man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown his daughter-in-law in a Florida swimming pool during a row over his grandchildren.

Mark Gibbon, 62, was on holiday with his family at the Solterra Resort in Davenport, near Walt Disney World Resort, when the disagreement between the pair erupted, Polk County Sheriff department said.

Mr Gibbon, from Beaconsfield, is accused of pushing and holding the 33-year-old woman's head under the water multiple times preventing her from breathing.

He is charged with attempted 2nd-degree murder and two counts of battery.

Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement: "It's great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world.

"Because Mr Gibbon couldn't control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated."

The woman told officers the pair began arguing about his grandchildren while they were in the holiday rental home's swimming pool, before he allegedly tried to drown her.

A young girl then jumped into the pool in an attempt to stop Mr Gibbon drowning the woman, the sheriff's office said.

Mr Gibbon is accused of only stopping when two sisters who were holidaying next door said they had called the Sheriff's office.

He has been taken to Polk County Jail.

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

An elderly woman has died and another person is missing after a massive wildfire swept through parts of southern France, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee.

The woman died in her home, seven firefighters have also been treated for smoke inhalation and one person is still missing, authorities said. Two people are in hospital, one of whom is in a critical condition.

The blaze broke out on Tuesday near the village of La Ribaute in the Aude region, and has already burned more than 13,000 hectares (50 sq miles) - an area larger than Paris - making it the largest wildfire in France this year.

More than 1,800 firefighters, supported by 500 vehicles, were deployed to the area.

The main affected villages are Lagrasse, Fabrezan, Tournissan, Coustouge and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse.

Officials say the fire is advancing rapidly, driven by strong winds, dry vegetation and hot summer weather.

Jacques Piraud, mayor of the village of Jonquières, where at least four houses burned, told Le Monde that around 80% of the village was burnt.

"It's dramatic. Its black, the trees are completely charred," he said.

Images show blackened, burnt out cars and people sat on beaches three hours away where thick black clouds were still visible.

"This is a disaster of unprecedented scale," firefighter spokesman Eric Brocardi told RTL radio.

At least 25 homes have been destroyed and more than 2,500 households are without electricity. Authorities have closed roads across the region and warned it is still too dangerous for residents who fled on Tuesday night to return home.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for firefighters and local officials on X, saying all government resources were being mobilised. He urged residents to follow evacuation orders and exercise "the utmost caution".

Prime Minister François Bayrou is expected to visit the affected area later on Wednesday.

Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude area, said firefighters were monitoring the fire's perimeter to prevent new outbreaks. She said: "The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress."

The region has become increasingly vulnerable in recent years due to lower rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which once helped slow the spread of wildfires.

Despite planes dropping water bombs on the flames, Roesch warned the fire "will keep us busy for several days. It's a long-term operation".

A combination of low rainfall, high temperatures and the removal of vineyards - which once helped act as natural firebreaks - has made for worsening fire conditions in Aude.

Scientists have long warned that the Mediterranean's soaring hot and dry summers place the region at high risk of severe wildfires. According to France's emergency management service, nearly 15,000 hectares (57.9 square miles) have burned nationwide this summer in more than 9,000 separate fires. The Aude blaze now accounts for the vast majority of the damage.

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militant and political movement, says it will disregard a decision by Lebanon's government to task the army with establishing a state monopoly on arms.

"We will treat this decision as if it does not exist," Hezbollah said in a statement on Wednesday, describing it as a "grave sin".

The comments come despite mounting international pressure for the group to disarm.

The Iranian-backed group was significantly degraded in last year's war with Israel but has, so far, refused to give up its arsenal, despite calls from the US and domestic rivals.

Hezbollah also said that the Lebanese cabinet's decision to try and confine arms supply and production to state forces was the result of American "diktats".

It added that it was open to dialogue and discussions on "the national security strategy", but not "in the context of aggression".

On Tuesday, Lebanon's cabinet asked the military to present a plan that will see all arms brought under state control by the end of the year.

The plan is to be presented to the cabinet by the end of this month for discussion and approval, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told a press conference after the six-hour cabinet meeting.

In June, American officials presented a roadmap to Lebanese authorities that proposed Hezbollah's full disarmament in exchange for Israel halting its strikes and withdrawing troops from five locations in southern Lebanon, which have been occupied despite a ceasefire deal reached in November.

The group's leader, Naim Qassem, in a televised address while the cabinet meeting was underway, said Hezbollah would not discuss "the issue of the weapons" while Israeli attacks continue, accusing Israel of breaching the terms of the ceasefire. Israel says its attacks are to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping and rearming.

Despite its weakened status, Hezbollah still enjoys significant support among Lebanon's Shia Muslim population, and discussions around its disarmament risk elevating tensions in the country, where many still remember the 1975-1990 civil war.

More than 400 additional deaths are estimated to be linked to the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year, according to a new study.

The figure, published on Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA, looks at deaths that have been attributed to factors caused by the wildfires, like poor air quality and delays in accessing healthcare.

It is a higher figure than the official death count of 31 by the Los Angeles County, which tallied deaths caused directly by the fires.

The study comes as hundreds of wildfires burn across the US and Canada, prompting air quality advisories in cities like Chicago, Buffalo and New York.

The Palisades and Eaton fires tore through Los Angeles in January, destroying thousands of structures and leading to the evacuation of more than 100,000 Los Angeles residents.

• Why wildfires are becoming faster and more furious
• The far-reaching impacts of wildfire smoke – and how to protect yourself

The latest study revealed that around 440 people are estimated to have died as a result of the wildfires between 5 January and 1 February.

Researchers said they tallied the figure by looking at all deaths and their causes in Los Angeles during the period of the fires, and comparing it to similar data from previous years.

The results show that there were nearly 7% more deaths during the wildfires. Some are attributed to lung and heart conditions exacerbated by smoke or stress, while others are more indirect - like delayed healthcare treatment for dialysis or cancer patients as a result of fire-related disruptions.

The authors said that the findings underscore the need for officials to count both direct and indirect fatalities of wildfires and other climate-related emergencies when trying to quantify their impact.

"They also highlight the need for improved mortality surveillance during and after wildfire emergencies," the authors said, noting that their figures are provisional as there may have been additional fire-related deaths beyond the scope of the study.

The BBC has reached out to Los Angeles County officials for comment on the study's findings.

Another study released on Wednesday in JAMA that looked at the aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires showed that 22% of adults in the region had reduced lung function, and half displayed symptoms of depression.

The fires, which broke out in August 2023 and were the worst to affect Hawaii in recent history, killed at least 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures.

The authors of the Maui study said their results show the need for "sustained clinical monitoring and community-based mental health supports" months after a climate disaster.

A second study on the Hawaii fires suggests that Maui saw the highest suicide and drug overdose rates in the month of the 2023 wildfires.

Wildfires have become more frequent in recent years as a result of climate change, driven by hotter and drier weather that fuels fire spread.

In addition to directly threatening lives and structures, smoke from wildfires has been shown to have adverse health effects on people.

Wildfire smoke has been found to be harmful to certain immune cells in the lungs, with a toxicity four times greater than particulates from other types of pollution.

This can have a long-term impact on cardiovascular health, experts have said.

Older people, pregnant women and young children, as well as those with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease or asthma, are more likely to get sick, experts say. But the smoke can also impact healthy adults.

After nearly two years of war, Hamas's military capability is severely weakened and its political leadership under intense pressure.

Yet, throughout the war Hamas has managed to continue to use a secret cash-based payment system to pay 30,000 civil servants' salaries totalling $7m (£5.3m).

The BBC has spoken to three civil servants who have confirmed they have received nearly $300 each within the last week.

It's believed they are among tens of thousands of employees who have continued to receive a maximum of just over 20% of their pre-war salary every 10 weeks.

Amid soaring inflation, the token salary - a fraction of the full amount - is causing rising resentment among the party faithful.

Severe food shortages – which aid agencies blame on Israeli restrictions - and rising cases of acute malnutrition continue in Gaza, where a kilogramme of flour in recent weeks has cost as much as $80 - an all-time high.

With no functioning banking system in Gaza, even receiving the salary is complex and at times, dangerous. Israel regularly identifies and targets Hamas salary distributors, seeking to disrupt the group's ability to govern.

Employees, from police officers to tax officials, often receive an encrypted message on their own phones or their spouses' instructing them to go to a specific location at a specific time to "meet a friend for tea".

At the meeting point, the employee is approached by a man - or occasionally a woman - who discreetly hands over a sealed envelope containing the money before vanishing without further interaction.

An employee at the Hamas Ministry of Religious Affairs, who doesn't want to give his name for safety reasons, described the dangers involved in collecting his wages.

"Every time I go to pick up my salary, I say goodbye to my wife and children. I know that I may not return," he said. "On several occasions, Israeli strikes have hit the salary distribution points. I survived one that targeted a busy market in Gaza City."

Alaa, whose name we have changed to protect his identity, is a schoolteacher employed by the Hamas-run government and the sole provider for a family of six.

"I received 1,000 shekels (about $300) in worn-out banknotes - no trader would accept them. Only 200 shekels were usable - the rest, I honestly don't know what to do with," he told the BBC.

"After two-and-a-half months of hunger, they pay us in tattered cash.

"I'm often forced to go to aid distribution points in the hope of getting some flour to feed my children. Sometimes I succeed in bringing home a little, but most of the time I fail."

In March the Israeli military said they had killed the head of Hamas's finances, Ismail Barhoum, in a strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. They accused him of channelling funds to Hamas's military wing.

It remains unclear how Hamas has managed to continue funding salary payments given the destruction of much of its administrative and financial infrastructure.

One senior Hamas employee, who served in high positions and is familiar with Hamas's financial operations, told the BBC that the group had stockpiled approximately $700m in cash and hundreds of millions of shekels in underground tunnels prior to the group's deadly 7 October 2023 attack in southern Israel, which sparked the devastating Israeli military campaign.

These were allegedly overseen directly by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed - both of whom have since been killed by Israeli forces.

Anger at reward for Hamas supporters

Hamas has historically relied on funding from heavy import duties and taxes imposed on Gaza's population, as well as receiving millions of dollars of support from Qatar.

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing which operates through a separate financial system, is financed mainly by Iran.

A senior official from the banned Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, one of the most influential Islamist organisations in the world, has said that around 10% of their budget was also directed to Hamas.

In order to generate revenue during the war, Hamas has also continued to levy taxes on traders and has sold large quantities of cigarettes at inflated prices up to 100 times their original cost. Before the war, a box of 20 cigarettes cost $5 - that has now risen to more than $170.

In addition to cash payments, Hamas has distributed food parcels to its members and their families via local emergency committees whose leadership is frequently rotated due to repeated Israeli strikes.

That has fuelled public anger, with many residents in Gaza accusing Hamas of distributing aid only to its supporters and excluding the wider population.

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid that has entered Gaza during the ceasefire earlier this year, something Hamas denies. However BBC sources in Gaza have said that significant quantities of aid were taken by Hamas during this time.

Nisreen Khaled, a widow left caring for three children after her husband died of cancer five years ago, told the BBC: "When the hunger worsened, my children were crying not only from pain but also from watching our Hamas-affiliated neighbours receive food parcels and sacks of flour.

"Are they not the reason for our suffering? Why didn't they secure food, water, and medicine before launching their 7 October adventure?"

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order on Wednesday hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil.

That will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the United States to 50% - among the highest rates imposed by the US.

The new rate shall be "effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order", the executive order stated.

The US president had earlier warned he would raise levies, saying India "don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine".

"The Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to US national security and foreign policy, necessitating stronger measures to address the national emergency," according to a White House statement.

"India's importation of Russian Federation oil undermines US efforts to counter Russia's harmful activities."

The White House said that India import and subsequent reselling of Russian oil on the market "further enables the Russian Federation's economy to fund its aggression [in Ukraine]".

It stated that the US president is using the tariff to "deter countries from supporting the Russian Federation's economy".

It added that the US will determine which other countries import oil from Russia, and will "recommend further actions to the President as needed".

The threatened tariff hike follows meetings by Trump's top envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

New Delhi had previously called Trump's threat to raise tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia "unjustified and unreasonable".

In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".

He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

India also criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the tariffs, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia.

Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs.

"Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the foreign ministry statement said.

Ghana's ministers of defence and environment have died in a military helicopter crash in the central Ashanti region, along with six other people, a government spokesperson says.

Chief of Staff Julius Debrah told a press conference that Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, had been killed in the crash, which he described as a "national tragedy".

Earlier, the Ghana Armed Forces said the aircraft, which was carrying three crew and five passengers, had gone "off the radar".

It had taken off from the capital, Accra, at 09:12 local time (and GMT) and was heading to the gold-mining town of Obuasi for a national event.

The authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash.

The chief of staff has directed the country's flags to fly at half-mast.

He extended condolences to "the servicemen who died in service to the country," on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama and the government.

Ghana's Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed was also among the dead, along with Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress party.

The crew members were named as Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

A military base in the US state of Georgia is on lockdown as officials search for an active shooter.

A Facebook post from the military base said the site was locked down at 11:04 EST (16:04 GMT) and said "casualties have been reported".

It is unclear how many people were shot or are injured in the Wednesday shooting that took place at Fort Stewart, 240 miles (386km) south east of Atlanta.

"We are currently assessing the situation, but we can confirm an active shooter," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told the Associated Press.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Apple is planning to boost investments in its home country by another $100bn (£750m) as it comes under pressure from the Trump administration to do more manufacturing in the US.

The White House said the money would be used to try to expand Apple's supply chain in the US and would add to the company's previous pledge to spend $500bn in the US over four years.

Apple did not immediately comment.

On an investor call last week, chief executive Tim Cook referenced the company's earlier commitment and said it was looking to "do more" in response to a new wave of tariffs poised to hit its products.

Earlier this spring President Donald Trump singled out Apple by name, threatening to raise tariffs on the company's products if it did not move manufacturing of its iPhones to the US.

In a statement on Wednesday, the White House said the firm's latest pledge was a sign that Trump's policies were working to boost corporate investments in the US.

"Today's announcement with Apple is another win for our manufacturing industry that will simultaneously help reshore the production of critical components to protect America's economic and national security," spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.

Apple has long made the bulk of its products in China.

It avoided duties during Trump's first term, after working with the president to announce investments in the US.

Since Trump launched a new tariff war in January, announcing an additional 30% levy on Chinese-made goods, the company has responded to changes by reworking its supply chain, shipping goods to the US primarily from India and Vietnam.

But the company still paid out more than $800m in new border taxes on its products over the three months ended in June, reflecting Trump's sweeping global so-called reciprocal tariffs, which have been in place since April.

It is expecting to pay another $1.1bn in coming months, despite exemptions from the measures that the White House granted to certain electronics in April.

With tariffs on Indian-made goods also set to ramp up to 50%, the company is now scrambling for new alternatives.

It is also bracing for a potential hit from White House plans for new tariffs specific to the semiconductor industry.

Despite those headwinds, Apple shares rose 4% in morning trade.

Mr Cook, who personally donated $1m to Trump's inaugural committee, is expected to make the investment announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

On the call with investors, Mr Cook emphasised Apple's involvement in the US, and its longstanding strategy of working with "third parties" to make investments.

He pointed to its previously announced plans to launch a "manufacturing academy" in Michigan.

Apple has also agreed to invest $500m in MP Materials, which is working to expand production of rare earths in the US. The US government has taken a stake in that company as well, while committing to a minimum price for its output.

Since his return to office, Trump has often promoted high-profile commitments of investments by firms like Apple. Analysts say the numbers he uses often appear exaggerated and there is no evidence yet of a wider trend.

Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world's longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy's boot.

The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean – will be able to withstand earthquakes.

It is the latest attempt by Italian officials to launch the Messina Bridge project - several have tried over the years but plans have later been scrapped due to concerns over cost, environmental damage, safety or potential mafia meddling.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has admitted the most recent project has not been easy.

However, she said on Wednesday that she considers it an "investment in Italy's present and future".

"We enjoy difficult challenges when they make sense," Meloni said.

According to the final project, the bridge over the Messina strait will span 3.3km (2.05 miles) and stretch between two 400-metre (1,300 feet) high towers, with two railway lines in the middle will run and three lanes of traffic on either side.

Rome is hoping to classify the bridge as a military expenditure to make it count towards the Nato target of 5% of GDP spent on defence.

Transport minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing Lega party and a government ally of Meloni, celebrated the milestone, saying that the goal was to complete the bridge between 2032 and 2033.

He also claimed the bridge would create 120,000 jobs a year and bring economic growth to the area. The regions of Sicilia and Calabria are two of the poorest in Europe.

However, the project will still need to be rubber-stamped by the Italian Court of Auditors as well as environmental agencies, both at national and EU level.

Local residents on either side of the strait whose properties may be expropriated will also have to be consulted and could legally challenge the decision, meaning the construction of the bridge may be delayed or stall altogether.

It would not be the first time that the bridge's building has been held up. Since the first plans for it were drawn up more than 50 years ago, various ideas for it have had to be shelved for various reasons and it has long faced stern opposition.

This has included concerns that huge amounts of taxpayers' money would be siphoned off by the Sicilian and Calabrian mafias, which have a broad influence over politics and society in southern Italy.

On Wednesday, local politicians reiterated their unhappiness with the government's decision.

Senator Nicola Irto of the Democratic Party (PD) called the project was "controversial and divisive", saying it would divert "crucial resources from local transportation, modern infrastructure, safe schools and quality healthcare facilities".

Giusy Caminiti, the mayor of Villa San Giovanni near where the bridge would be built on the Calabrian shore, said her town would be badly affected and urged more time for consultations.

Grassroots Calabrian committee "No to the Bridge" slammed Wednesday's announcement and said it was a political manoeuvre, rather than the outcome of a thorough technical evaluation.

Local groups that oppose the bridge also say its construction would use millions of litres of water a day while both Sicily and Calabria regularly struggle with drought.

Currently the only way for trains to cross the Strait is to have the coaches shunted onto ferries and carried over the sea in a 30-minute journey.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first world leaders to visit Washington weeks after US President Donald Trump started his second term.

He called Modi his "great friend" as the two countries set an ambitious target of doubling their trade to $500bn by 2030.

But less than six months later, the relationship appears to have hit rock bottom.

Trump has now imposed a total of 50% tariffs on goods imported from India, and his earlier threat of levying an extra 10% for the country's membership in the Brics grouping, which includes China, Russia and South Africa as founding members, still stands.

He initially imposed a 25% tariff, but announced an additional 25% on Wednesday as a penalty for Delhi's purchase of Russian oil - a move the Indian government called "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable".

And just last week, Trump called India's economy "dead".

This is a stunning reversal in a relationship that has gone from strength to strength over the past two decades, thanks to efforts by successive governments in both countries, bipartisan support and convergence on global issues.

In the past few weeks, there were positive signals from Washington and Delhi about an imminent trade deal. Now that looks increasingly difficult, if not impossible.

So what went wrong?

A series of missteps, grandstanding, geopolitics and domestic political pressure seem to have broken down the negotiations.

Delhi has been restrained in its response so far to Trump's tirades, hoping that diplomacy might eventually help secure a trade deal. But in Trump's White House, there are no guarantees.

Trump has commented on many issues that Delhi considers red lines. The biggest among them is Trump repeatedly putting India and its rival Pakistan on an equal footing.

The US president hosted Pakistani army chief Asim Munir at the White House just weeks after a bitter conflict between the two South Asian rivals.

He then signed a trade deal with Pakistan, offering the country a preferential tariff rate of 19%, along with a deal to explore the country's oil reserves. He went as far as saying that some day, Pakistan might sell oil to India.

Another constant irritant for Delhi is Trump's repeated assertion that the US brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

India sees its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir as its internal affair and has always rejected third-party mediation on the issue. Most world leaders have been sensitive to Delhi's position, including Trump in his first stint as president.

But that's no longer the case. The US president has doubled down on his claim even after Modi told India's parliament that "no country had mediated in the ceasefire".

Modi didn't name Trump or the US but domestic political pressure is mounting on him not to "bow down" to the White House.

"The fact that this is happening against the backdrop of heavy and high-level US engagement with Islamabad immediately after an India-Pakistan conflict is even more galling for Delhi and the wider Indian public. This all sharpens concerns harboured by some in India that the US can't truly be trusted as a partner," says Washington-based South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman.

He adds that some of the anger in Delhi might "be Cold War-era baggage coming to the fore", but "this time around it's intensified by real-time developments as well".

Modi's government thrives on nationalist issues, so its supporters would likely expect a firm response to the US.

It's a Catch-22 situation - Delhi still wants to clinch a deal but also doesn't want to come across as buckling under Trump's pressure.

And it appears that Delhi is gradually releasing the restraint. In its response to Washington's anger over India's purchase of Russian oil, Delhi vowed to take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its "national interests and economic security".

But the question is why Trump, who loved India's hospitality and called it a great country earlier, has gone on a tirade against a trusted ally.

Some analysts see his insults as a pressure tactic to secure a deal that he thinks works for the US.

"Trump is a real estate magnate and a tough negotiator. His style may not be diplomatic, but he seeks the outcomes diplomats would. So, I think what he's doing is part of a negotiating strategy," says Jitendra Nath Misra, a former Indian ambassador and now a professor at OP Jindal Global University.

A source in the Indian government said that Delhi gave many concessions to Washington, including no tariffs on industrial goods, and a phased reduction of tariffs on cars and alcohol. It also signed a deal to let Elon Musk's Starlink start operations in India.

But Washington wanted access to India's agriculture and dairy sectors to reduce the $45bn trade deficit it runs with Delhi.

But these sectors are a red line for Modi or, for that matter, any Indian prime minister. Agriculture and related sectors account for more than 45% of employment in India and successive governments have fiercely protected farmers.

Mr Kugelman believes giving in to Washington's demands isn't an option for India.

"India first needs to assuage public anger and make clear it won't give in to the pressure. This is critical for domestic political reasons," he says.

He also believes that Trump's insistence that India stop importing oil from Moscow has more to do with his growing frustration over Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We're seeing Trump continuing to ratchet up his pressure tactics, trying to cut Russia off from its most important oil buyers by penalising them for doing business with Moscow," he says.

But Delhi can't afford to stop importing oil from Russia overnight.

India is already the world's third biggest consumer of crude and may surpass China in the top position by 2030 as its energy demand is likely to increase with a fast-growing middle class, according to International Energy Agency (IEA).

Russia now accounts for more than 30% of India's total oil imports, a significant jump from less than 1% in 2021-22.

Many in the West see this as India indirectly funding Moscow's war but Delhi denies this, arguing that buying Russian oil at a discount ensures energy security for millions of its citizens.

India also sees Russia as its "all-weather" ally. Moscow has traditionally come to Delhi's rescue during past crises and still enjoys support among the wider Indian public.

Moscow is also Delhi's biggest arms supplier, though its share in India's defence import portfolio dropped to 36% between 2020-25 from 55% between 2016 and 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

This was largely due to Delhi boosting domestic manufacturing and buying more from the US, France and Israel.

But Russia's role in India's defence strategy can't be overstated. This is something the West understood and didn't challenge - until Trump decided to break from established norms.

So far, India was able to successfully walk the diplomatic tightrope with the West overlooking its strong ties to Russia.

The US has long viewed India as a bulwark against China's dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, which ensured bipartisan support for Delhi in Washington.

And Moscow (though sometimes reluctantly) didn't react harshly to its ally forging close ties with Washington and other western countries.

But now Trump has challenged this position. How Delhi reacts will decide the future of the India-US relationship.

India has been measured in its response so far but is not holding back completely. In its statement, it said that the US had encouraged it to keep buying oil from Russia for global energy market stability.

It also said that targeting it was unjustified as the EU continues to buy energy, fertiliser, mining and chemical products from Russia.

While things seem bad, some analysts say that all is not lost. India and the US have close links in many sectors, which can't be uprooted overnight.

The two countries cooperate closely in the space technology, IT, education and defence sectors.

Many large domestic IT firms have invested heavily in the US, and most big Silicon Valley firms have operations in India.

"I think the fundamentals of the relationship are not weak. It's a paradox that the day Trump announced 25% tariffs and unspecified penalties, India and the US collaborated in a strategic area when an Indian rocket sent a jointly-developed satellite into space," says Mr Misra.

It will be interesting to see how India reacts to Trump's sharp rhetoric.

"Trump is unapologetically transactional and commercial in his approach to foreign policy. He has no compunction about deploying these potentially alienating harsh tactics against a close US partner like India," says Mr Kugelman.

But he adds that there's a lot of trust baked into the partnership, given the work that has gone into it over the past two decades.

"So what's lost can potentially be regained. But because of the extent of the current malaise, it could take a long time."

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US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order on Wednesday hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its purchases of Russian oil.

That will raise the total tariff on Indian imports to the United States to 50% - among the highest rates imposed by the US.

The new rate shall be "effective with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time 21 days after the date of this order", the executive order stated.

The US president had earlier warned he would raise levies, saying India "don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine".

"The Russian Federation's actions in Ukraine pose an ongoing threat to US national security and foreign policy, necessitating stronger measures to address the national emergency," according to a White House statement.

"India's importation of Russian Federation oil undermines US efforts to counter Russia's harmful activities."

The White House said that India import and subsequent reselling of Russian oil on the market "further enables the Russian Federation's economy to fund its aggression [in Ukraine]".

It stated that the US president is using the tariff to "deter countries from supporting the Russian Federation's economy".

It added that the US will determine which other countries import oil from Russia, and will "recommend further actions to the President as needed".

The threatened tariff hike follows meetings by Trump's top envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, aimed at securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.

New Delhi had previously called Trump's threat to raise tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia "unjustified and unreasonable".

In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".

He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

India also criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the tariffs, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia.

Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs.

"Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security," the foreign ministry statement said.

Nigeria's customs agency says it has seized over 1,600 birds bound for Kuwait, in what it described as the country's "largest" wildlife-trafficking bust.

Ring-necked parrots and green- and yellow-fronted canaries were intercepted at Lagos International Airport, by Nigeria's Customs Service (NCS) on 31 July, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is the "largest" seizure by number, NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada told the BBC, in a country where wildlife trafficking is frequent.

Nigeria's porous borders, widespread corruption and weak enforcement have made it a key transit hub for ivory, pangolin scales and other wildlife products.

The NCS said it was able to intercept the birds through routine checks.

The statement said the shipment didn't have the required documentation and permits. Although the birds are common, they are required to have proper papers.

An investigation is underway to find and prosecute those responsible for the illicit cargo, it said, adding that the birds would be handed to the National Parks Service for rehabilitation before being released into the wild.

Although the seizure was made on 31 July, it was only shared publicly on Tuesday so as to not "jeopardise" the investigation, said Mr Maiwada.

He added that most trafficked animals from Nigeria are bound for Asia.

Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) - the international treaty which governs the trade in rare plants and animals - but remains a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking.

The illegal wildlife trade globally generates $7-$23bn (£5-17bn) annually, according to animal conservation charity BirdLife International.

Songbirds like canaries are in high demand in the global trafficking trade due to popular singing competitions, the charity said.

While rare species of wild parrots can fetch $1,000 or more.

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A Chinese fighter jet plane crashes in the waters off Taiwan's coast, prompting Chinese warships to blockade the island for a "search and rescue".

Taiwanese soldiers manning Dadan Island, a rocky outcrop mere kilometres from China's coast, begin vanishing mysteriously.

Then one night, a fishing boat lands on Dadan. A signal flare arcs into the inky sky – and illuminates Chinese soldiers who have spilled out of the boat and amassed on the beach.

This is the key scenario in Zero Day Attack, a new Taiwanese television show about a fictional Chinese military invasion. Beijing has long viewed self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, vowing to "reunify" with it some day while not ruling out the use of force.

The series, which aired its first episode over the weekend, was partially funded by the Taiwanese government, which hopes to raise awareness about the threat China poses.

But the show has also landed at a highly divisive moment in Taiwan and attracted criticism of fear-mongering.

Zero Day Attack focuses on how various parts of Taiwanese society grapple with the invasion, from the president to rural villagers.

The anthology series features several scenarios on how an invasion could unfold, provided by defence experts consulted by the production team.

These include the disruption of Taiwan's communication lines; Chinese disinformation campaigns; "fifth column" supporters of China stirring up unrest; and military officials turned collaborators who conspire against Taiwan.

Showrunner Chen Hsin-mei told the BBC she wanted to make the series to "warn the Taiwanese people that the war is really coming," citing China's rising use of "disinformation campaigns and grey zone warfare to put our society in chaos and make us confused about our identity".

Zero Day Attack's message echoes the rhetoric of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government and its leader President William Lai, who have warned about China's threat and preached the need to raise the island's defences.

Taiwan's culture ministry has partially funded Zero Day Attack, while the military provided support for filming and production. Chunghwa Telecoms, Taiwan's largest telecommunications company in which the government has a minority stake, also contributed funding.

Other private investors include billionaire Robert Tsao, a well-known supporter of Taiwanese independence who has funded civil defence efforts.

Ms Chen told the BBC that at no point did the authorities try to influence the show. She also said she was not a member of the DPP or any political party.

But even before a single episode was broadcast, Zero Day Attack has become a political lightning rod, given the charged topic.

'Selling dried mangoes'

A 17-minute trailer posted online last year by the production team swiftly racked up hundreds of thousands of views and comments.

While some praised it for its message, others criticised it for sowing anxiety and discord with China.

This debate has intensified with the series premiere, which was the most-watched show on several platforms on Saturday, according to the production company.

In recent days Wang Hung-wei, a prominent lawmaker from the opposition Kuomintang party, criticised Zero Day Attack as "selling dried mangoes", a Taiwanese euphemism that means stoking unnecessary fear about the destruction of one's country.

Pointing to the government's funding of the show, Ms Wang said the DPP was "using the state apparatus to achieve its political goals".

A commentary by Wang Kunyi of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society accused the show of pushing Taiwan independence "so that Taiwan becomes a place that never knows peace".

He added that it was evidence of Lai's government "once again using all kinds of channels to play the 'anti-Communist card' and stir up anxiety of war".

The DPP and Lai are often accused by their critics, including the opposition and China, as pushing for Taiwan's independence. Any formal declaration as such would be considered as an act of war by Beijing.

While Lai has in the past described himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan's independence", he has also insisted Taiwan has no need to formally declare independence because it is already a sovereign nation.

Zero Day Attack has also garnered positive reviews. One published by the public broadcaster PTS said it "expresses the worries and anxieties of Taiwanese from various political camps in a highly realistic and reasonable way".

"It's a good watch," said one commenter on Zero Day Attack's Facebook page. "The Taiwanese people can relate to it as it reflects our current situation, the Chinese Communist Party must be repulsed as their tactics have been exposed."

Some have praised the first episode, which depicts the invasion quietly beginning amid a contentious presidential election marked by violence and political fighting.

They were struck by how uncannily that episode reflected the current fractious mood in Taiwanese politics. Last month the island held a controversial failed recall vote of Kuomintang lawmakers accused of being too friendly with China. Another round will take place later this month.

This has led to questions about the show's timing and if it was meant to influence the recall votes. Ms Chen told the BBC that the show's production had begun long before the recall movement started.

The discussion around the show goes to the heart of one of Taiwan's most existential questions: how real is the threat of a Chinese invasion?

Taiwan has had its own government since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. In the following decades, the island saw largely peaceful relations and stronger economic ties with China.

Polls show that most Taiwanese do not believe Beijing will attack imminently, and prefer the "status quo" in Taiwan's relationship with China, which means neither unifying with Beijing nor formally declaring independence.

But the question of a Chinese invasion has become sharper and more political in recent years.

Chinese grey zone warfare has spiked, raising fears that Chinese warplanes and ships repeatedly entering Taiwan's airspace and waters could trigger a conflict.

The US warned this year that China poses an "imminent threat" to Taiwan. American officials have repeatedly claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping is building up his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.

Beijing has never confirmed this date. But it is a warning that Lai takes seriously.

He has pledged to increase Taiwan's military spending, his government has carried out reforms in the army, and last month Taiwan staged its largest and longest ever Han Kuang drills aimed at defending against a possible Chinese attack.

Lai has stressed that these efforts are aimed at protecting Taiwan and not to seek war. His political opponents however say he is antagonising Beijing which reviles Lai as a "separatist", and that he is leading Taiwan towards greater conflict with China.

Beijing has repeatedly emphasised that it seeks "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan. It has dismissed any talk of a Chinese invasion as a pretext manufactured by those in favour of Taiwan independence to drum up support.

Zero Day Attack has been seen as one such provocation. Last week, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang accused the DPP government of using the show to "peddle anxieties and attempting to provoke war".

He said Zero Day Attack was "plunging Taiwan into the flames of war and using the Taiwan people as cannon fodder for 'Taiwan independence'.

Ms Chen however insisted that her show is "not talking bad about China or depicting it as evil".

"We are talking about war, and how Taiwanese people struggle and respond to it. And that's because the terror of war has never stopped, all over the world."

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

An elderly woman has died and another person is missing after a massive wildfire swept through parts of southern France, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee.

The woman died in her home, seven firefighters have also been treated for smoke inhalation and one person is still missing, authorities said. Two people are in hospital, one of whom is in a critical condition.

The blaze broke out on Tuesday near the village of La Ribaute in the Aude region, and has already burned more than 13,000 hectares (50 sq miles) - an area larger than Paris - making it the largest wildfire in France this year.

More than 1,800 firefighters, supported by 500 vehicles, were deployed to the area.

The main affected villages are Lagrasse, Fabrezan, Tournissan, Coustouge and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse.

Officials say the fire is advancing rapidly, driven by strong winds, dry vegetation and hot summer weather.

Jacques Piraud, mayor of the village of Jonquières, where at least four houses burned, told Le Monde that around 80% of the village was burnt.

"It's dramatic. Its black, the trees are completely charred," he said.

Images show blackened, burnt out cars and people sat on beaches three hours away where thick black clouds were still visible.

"This is a disaster of unprecedented scale," firefighter spokesman Eric Brocardi told RTL radio.

At least 25 homes have been destroyed and more than 2,500 households are without electricity. Authorities have closed roads across the region and warned it is still too dangerous for residents who fled on Tuesday night to return home.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for firefighters and local officials on X, saying all government resources were being mobilised. He urged residents to follow evacuation orders and exercise "the utmost caution".

Prime Minister François Bayrou is expected to visit the affected area later on Wednesday.

Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude area, said firefighters were monitoring the fire's perimeter to prevent new outbreaks. She said: "The fire is advancing in an area where all the conditions are ripe for it to progress."

The region has become increasingly vulnerable in recent years due to lower rainfall and the removal of vineyards, which once helped slow the spread of wildfires.

Despite planes dropping water bombs on the flames, Roesch warned the fire "will keep us busy for several days. It's a long-term operation".

A combination of low rainfall, high temperatures and the removal of vineyards - which once helped act as natural firebreaks - has made for worsening fire conditions in Aude.

Scientists have long warned that the Mediterranean's soaring hot and dry summers place the region at high risk of severe wildfires. According to France's emergency management service, nearly 15,000 hectares (57.9 square miles) have burned nationwide this summer in more than 9,000 separate fires. The Aude blaze now accounts for the vast majority of the damage.

Ghanaian authorities have taken possession of a luxury car allegedly linked to proceeds of crime from popular musician Charles Nii Armah, better known as Shatta Wale, following a request from the US.

The 2019 Lamborghini Urus is allegedly tied to the criminal enterprise of Ghanaian Nana Kwabena Amuah, who is serving a seven-year jail term in the US for fraud.

Wale denies knowledge or connection with the jailed Ghanaian, saying he is a "third-party owner" of the car. "I don't know who shipped [it] to the country," he said.

Shatta Wale is one of Ghana's best-known stars and collaborated with Beyoncé on the song Already which featured on her 2019 Lion King album.

Wale took to social media to criticise the authorities over the recovery of the bright yellow Lamborghini, questioning why officers stormed his home with guns.

"Bringing guns to my house was uncalled for," the dancehall artist wrote on his social media page, accusing the agency's chief executive of humiliating him.

Wale said he had bought the car for $150,000 ($113,000) and that he had presented supporting documents to the officers.

The Lamborghini is expected to be returned to the US "as part of [Amuah's] $4.7m restitution", Eoco said, adding that the FBI and the US Justice Department intended to formally ask for mutual legal assistance for its return.

The agency said the car had been retrieved in a civil manner without any incident.

"It is a standard safety protocol for officers of the surveillance and asset recovery unit to carry weapons whilst on operation for their safety," Eoco said in a statement.

Wale was later allowed to personally surrender the car, which is now in Eoco's custody.

US court records indicate that Amuah and his co-conspirators had impersonated vendors to defraud nearly 70 public and private organisations across the country.

They tricked entities into wiring money into bank accounts controlled by the group through shell companies.

In 2023, Amuah was sentenced to 86 months in prison and the car was reportedly one of the items flagged as part of restitution to victims.

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Twenty people have been killed and more than 30 injured in central Gaza after four lorries overturned on a crowd, the Hamas-run civil defence agency says.

Crowds rushed to the vehicles on a road south east of Deir al-Balah on Tuesday evening. They climbed on top of the lorries, causing the drivers to lose control, local journalists told the BBC.

The area was under Israeli military control and the roads were rugged and dangerous, civil defence agency spokesman Mahmoud Basal said.

The private transport association now operating in Gaza said that 26 commercial trucks entered the territory on Tuesday. Six were looted, and four of those overturned, resulting in deaths and injuries.

Israel announced that is would start to allow the gradual entry of goods into Gaza via the private sector to "increase the volume of aid" entering the enclave while reducing reliance on the UN.

The approved supplies include baby food, fruits, vegetables, hygiene products and basic staples.

The BBC has contacted the Israeli ministry of defence for comment.

Hamas said civilians had been waiting for basic supplies to be delivered via road for weeks. "This often results in desperate crowds swarming the trucks," its media office said.

Aid trucks have been frequently rushed, leading to chaotic scenes.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, Jordan said Israeli settlers attacked a Gaza-bound aid convoy of 30 lorries and accused Israel of failing to prevent such attacks.

The convoy crossed the Jordanian border and was heading towards Gaza's Zikim crossing. Settlers blocked the road and pelted the trucks with stones, smashing windscreens.

"This requires a serious Israeli intervention and no leniency in dealing with those who obstruct these convoys," government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.

He added this was the second attack on a Jordanian aid convoy, following a similar incident on Sunday.

On Wednesday the Hamas-run health ministry reported five new deaths as a result of malnutrition, bringing its total to 193 since the start of the war, including 96 children.

More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups have warned of mass starvation in Gaza, and accuse Israel of impeding the distribution of crucial aid.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, denies there is starvation in the territory and insists his country is not blocking aid.

Last week, Israel's military said it would open humanitarian corridors to allow aid convoys into Gaza following mounting international pressure.

It also announced what it called a "local tactical pause in military activity" for humanitarian purposes in three areas, and permitted foreign aid drops.

About 90% of Gaza's 2.1 million people have been displaced, some repeatedly, and are living in overcrowded and dire conditions.

The UN has repeatedly called for the full and sustained entry of humanitarian supplies, but access remains sporadic and many aid trucks are looted.

Israel insists there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and has repeatedly refuted what it describes as "the false claim of deliberate starvation".

Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken to Gaza as hostages.

At least 61,020 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

Russia has more than doubled the number of drones and missiles fired towards Ukraine since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, a BBC Verify analysis has found, despite his calls for a ceasefire.

Attacks had already been rising under former President Joe Biden in 2024 but climbed sharply after Trump's election victory in November. Since he returned to office in January, recorded aerial attacks from Moscow have reached their highest levels of the war.

Throughout his campaign Trump vowed to bring an end to fighting in just one day if returned to office. He claimed during his 2024 campaign that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been averted had a president who the Kremlin "respected" held office.

However, in his efforts to achieve a ceasefire he has been accused at times of favouring Russia by critics, and his administration has paused deliveries of air defence munitions and other military supplies to Ukraine on two separate occasions.

The pauses - announced in March and July and since reversed by the president - came as Russia steadily increased missile and drone production. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, ballistic missile construction in Russia grew by 66% over the past year.

The data reviewed by BBC Verify - based on daily incident reports issued by the Ukrainian Air Force - showed that Russia launched 27,158 munitions between 20 January - when Trump's presidency began - and 19 July, compared to 11,614 over the final six months of Biden's term.

"This brutal war was brought on by Joe Biden's incompetence, and it has gone on for far too long," White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to BBC Verify.

"President Trump wants to stop the killing, which is why he is selling American-made weapons to NATO members and threatening Putin with biting tariffs and sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire."

In the opening weeks of the new administration, the White House issued a series of warm statements seemingly intended to entice President Vladimir Putin towards a settlement. During this period, Russian attacks on Ukraine briefly fell when compared to the final weeks of the Biden administration.

But by February, when US diplomats led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's delegation for a summit in Riyadh, attacks had started to climb again.

The talks, which Rubio said were a starting point to bring an end to the war, have been followed by mediated discussions between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey.

Attacks peaked early last month, when Moscow launched 748 drones and missiles towards Ukraine on 9 July, according to the Ukrainian Air Force data. More than a dozen people were reportedly injured by the barrage and two were killed.

While Trump has expressed anger at the escalating Russian attacks on several occasions, his mounting frustration does not appear to have had an impact on Moscow's strategy.

On 25 May, Russia launched its then-largest recorded barrage, prompting Trump to angrily ask: "What the hell happened to him [Putin]?"

Since then, Russia has exceeded that number of reported launches on 14 occasions. Trump has responded by demanding that the Kremlin reach a peace deal with Ukraine by 8 August.

The number of Russian munitions penetrating Ukrainian air defences appears to be increasing, with explosions around the capital Kyiv becoming a daily part of life for residents of the city.

"Every time you go to sleep, you don't know if you're going to wake up the next morning, and that's just not a normal way to live," Dasha Volk, a journalist living in the city, told the BBC's Ukrainecast programme in June.

"Every time you hear an explosion or a missile flying over your head, lots of thoughts are going through my mind - I'm going to die now, things like that."

Ukraine 'vulnerable' to aerial attacks

Senator Chris Coons, a senior Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told BBC Verify that Trump's decision to suspend weapons supplies on two occasions and his broader approach to Russian relations may have convinced the Kremlin that it had the freedom to increase attacks.

"It's clear Putin feels emboldened by Trump's weakness and has increased his vicious assault on the Ukrainian people, repeatedly attacking hospitals and maternity wards, the Ukrainian power grid, and other civilian sites," he said.

The growing attacks have renewed calls for the US to send fresh supplies of Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine. The Patriots are the most capable and expensive air defence systems that Ukraine has. Each Patriot battery costs around $1bn (£800m), and each missile costs nearly $4m.

Trump has overturned the previous supply pauses and agreed to sell weapons to Nato members, who will in turn supply them to Kyiv. Trump appeared to imply that the deal would include fresh supplies of Patriot batteries.

Justin Bronk, an analyst focussing on the Russian military at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said restrictions on the supply of military equipment imposed by the White House had made Ukraine "vulnerable" to missile and drone attacks.

But he also noted that Russia has ramped up the production of missiles and so-called 'kamikaze' drones such as the Geran-2 - a domestically produced version of the Iranian Shahed drone. Mr Bronk said that Russia's increased stockpiles, coupled with "significant reductions" in supply of US interceptor missiles had encouraged Moscow to escalate its air campaign.

Ukraine's Military Intelligence agency (HUR) recently told domestic media that Russia was now producing up to 85 ballistic missiles per month, up from 44 in April 2024.

Russia is reportedly producing 170 Geran drones per day, having established a massive manufacturing facility at Alabuga in the south of the country.

In a recent interview with Russian military TV, the facility's director Timur Shagivaleyev boasted that Alabuga had become "the largest combat drone production plant in the world", adding that his workers were producing nine times more units than initially expected.

Satellite images show the facility has expanded significantly since mid-2024, with a number of new warehouses built on the site.

Other structures, including what appear to be expansions to worker dormitories, remain under construction.

Senator Coons warned that the increase in production meant that Washington must make clear that it is not preparing to walk away from the conflict as some administration officials have threatened he could do, emphasising that peace can only be achieved through "surging security assistance".

He added that President Trump must make it clear to Russia that it "cannot simply try to outlast the West".

"In order to do that, he needs to maintain a consistent and sustained position on the war."

Meanwhile, Ms Volk said that every day the Russian campaign drags on and Ukrainian interceptions fall public morale is hammered.

"People are getting tired because of these attacks, they really affect our lives," she said.

"We know what we are fighting for, but it becomes more difficult every year because everyone is getting exhausted. That's the reality."

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

When the Titan submersible went missing during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in 2023, David Lochridge hoped the five people on board – including his former boss - could be rescued.

"I always hoped that what happened wouldn't happen. But I just knew if they kept carrying on the way they were going and with that deficient equipment, then there would be an incident," he told the BBC.

The whistleblower had been sacked by the firm behind the sub, Oceangate, after warning about safety issues in 2018.

In June 2023 the sub imploded killing all five people on board – including Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush.

A report from the US Coast Guard (USCG) published on Tuesday found that Oceangate's failures over safety, testing and maintenance were the main cause of the disaster.

"There is so much that could have been done differently. From the initial design, to the build, to the operations - people were sold a lie," Lochridge told the BBC.

But he firmly believes the US authorities could - and should - have done more to stop Oceangate.

Lochridge had joined Oceangate seven years earlier as the company's Director of Marine Operations. He moved his family from Scotland to the US, and was full of excitement about the company's ambitions.

Oceangate was building a new submersible to take paying passengers down to the most famous wreck in the world - the Titanic.

And he was going to be involved in the project from the very start, working alongside the team designing the sub.

The straight-talking Glaswegian has worked at sea for more than 25 years, first with the Royal Navy and later as a submersible pilot. He also led submarine rescue operations, responding to distress calls from people trapped underwater. He knows about the risks involved in deep dives.

His responsibilities included planning dives and, as chief pilot, he would be the one taking the sub and its passengers 3,800m beneath the waves to see the Titanic. Safety was at the heart of his role.

"As the director of marine operations, I'm the one responsible for everybody," he told BBC News. "I was responsible for the safety of all Oceangate personnel and all of the passengers that were going to be coming in the sub."

A prototype for the new submersible, which would eventually be called Titan, was being developed with the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The plan was to build its hull - the part where the passengers would sit - out of carbon fibre.

No deep diving sub had been made out of this material before - most have hulls constructed from titanium or steel. But Lochridge had confidence in the APL team.

He said he was told by Oceangate's CEO Stockton Rush that the craft would undergo a safety assessment by an independent marine organisation, known as certification.

Lochridge was adamant that this third-party oversight was essential - especially because Titan was to be made of experimental materials.

But by the summer of 2016 he was starting to have doubts about the project.

Oceangate stopped working with APL and decided to bring the design and construction of Titan in-house.

Lochridge was worried. He didn't have the same confidence in Oceangate's engineers. He told the BBC he didn't think they had experience of building subs able to withstand the immense pressures found at the depth of the Titanic.

"At that point, I started asking questions… and I felt I had a duty of care to keep asking them," he said.

As the parts for Titan began to arrive, and the craft started to take shape, Lochridge said he was spotting problem after problem.

"When the carbon hull came in, it was an absolute mess," he said.

He saw visible gaps in the material, areas where the layers of carbon fibre were coming apart - known as delamination.

And he identified issues with other key components.

The carbon fibre hull had titanium domes fitted on each end, but he said the metal had been machined incorrectly. He was also worried that the sub's view port had not been designed to work at extreme depths.

Most concerning, he learnt that Titan was not going to be independently certified for safety.

He told the BBC that he had always been outspoken on safety issues - so he wasn't going to stay silent.

"I brought up all the issues that I was seeing… but I was just met with resistance all the way," he said.

In January 2018, he outlined his concerns again to Stockton Rush. This time Rush asked him to complete an inspection of the vessel.

Titan was at a crucial point of its development. Passengers had already paid deposits for dives to the Titanic planned for later that year. Test dives were about to start in the Bahamas before those expeditions got underway.

Lochridge wanted Oceangate to delay these plans.

"I formulated a report and I sent it out to all the directors in the company."

The following day he was summoned to a meeting with Rush and several other Oceangate employees.

A transcript from the two-hour-long meeting, where the itemised report was picked over, reveals a heated exchange between Lochridge and Rush.

Towards the end of the meeting, in response to Lochridge's safety concerns, Rush says: "I have no desire to die. I've got a nice granddaughter. I'm going to be around. I understand this kind of risk, and I'm going into it with eyes open, and I think this is one of the safest things I will ever do."

To Lochridge's surprise, immediately after this meeting he was fired.

But he was so concerned about Titan that he got in touch with the US government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration - OSHA.

OSHA told him his case was urgent because it involved public safety and that he would be placed under the whistleblower protection scheme, designed to protect employees from retaliation by employers if they've reported concerns about workplace safety.

As part of this process, OSHA passed Lochridge's concerns about Titan to the US Coast Guard (USCG) in February 2018.

But Lochridge says after OSHA wrote to Oceangate to tell them it was starting an investigation, everything changed.

In March, Oceangate asked Lochridge to drop the OSHA complaint - and demanded he pay $10,000 for legal costs. Lochridge declined.

Then in July 2018, Oceangate sued Lochridge - and his wife Carole - for breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, fraud and theft, amongst other allegations. The following month, Lochridge countersued for unfair dismissal.

Lochridge maintains that throughout the process OSHA was slow and failed to protect him from the ongoing retaliation he was receiving from Oceangate.

"I provided all the documentation to OSHA, I was on the phone to OSHA every few weeks." he said. "OSHA did nothing."

'They beat us down'

In December 2018, under increasing pressure from Oceangate's lawyers, Lochridge and his wife took the decision to drop the case.

This meant the legal proceedings were settled, and as part of this agreement Lochridge withdrew his complaint at OSHA. OSHA stopped its investigation and also notified the US Coast guard that the complaint had been suspended. Lochridge also signed a non-disclosure agreement.

"Carole and I did everything we physically could, we just got to the point that we were completely burned… We had nothing left to give to it. They beat us down."

Oceangate continued at pace with its plans to reach the Titanic.

In 2018 and 2019, the prototype sub made its first test dives in the Bahamas - including one, piloted by Stockton Rush, that reached a depth of 3,939m.

A crack was later found in the sub's carbon fibre hull, and in 2020 that damaged hull was swapped out for a new one, in what became the second version of Titan.

In 2021, the company started taking passengers to the Titanic, and over the next two summers made 13 dives to the famous wreck.

But in June 2023, the sub went missing with five people on board - including Stockton Rush. After days of anxious waiting, the sub's wreckage was found littered across the ocean floor.

At the US Coast Guard's public hearings held last year, Lochridge criticised OSHA for its lack of action. "I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented."

"It didn't need to happen. It didn't - and it should have been stopped."

In response to Mr Lochridge, a spokesperson for OSHA said its whistleblower protection programme was limited to protecting individuals against employer retaliation. They said their investigation had "followed the normal process and timeline for a retaliation case".

OSHA said it does not investigate whistleblowers' underlying allegations about public safety… but instead refers those to the appropriate agency - in this case, the US Coast Guard.

The spokesperson said: "The Coast Guard, not OSHA, had jurisdiction to investigate Mr. Lochridge's allegations regarding the safe design and construction of marine vessels."

But the US Coast Guard's report into the disaster agrees with Lochridge and says that OSHA's slow handling of the investigation was a missed opportunity for early government intervention.

The report also criticises a lack of effective communication and coordination between OSHA and the USCG. It said action has now been taken to improve this following the disaster.

Jason Neubauer, the chair of the USCG's Marine Board of Investigation, told the BBC that the coast guard could have done more.

"The system did not work for the whistleblower in this case, and that's why we just need to get better - and we have."

Oceangate said that in the wake of the accident, it had permanently wound down operations and directed its resources towards cooperating with the inquiry.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to cancel $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccines being developed to counter viruses like the flu and Covid-19.

The move will impact 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, HHS said.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a vaccine sceptic, announced he was pulling the funding over claims that "mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses".

Doctors and health experts have criticised Kennedy's longstanding questioning of the safety and efficacy of vaccines and his debunked views on health policies.

The development of mRNA vaccines to target Covid-19 was critical in helping slow down the pandemic and saving millions of lives, said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr Offit told the BBC that Kennedy's move will put the US in a "more dangerous" position to respond to any potential future pandemic, since mRNA vaccines have a shorter development cycle, which is why they were able to be used to respond to the Covid pandemic.

In a statement, Kennedy said his team had "reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. "[T]he data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," he said.

He said the department was shifting the funding toward "safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate".

But the mRNA vaccines are "remarkably safe" and key to helping prevent against severe infections from viruses like Covid, said Dr Offit, who invented the rotavirus vaccine.

HHS said the department that runs the projects, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), would focus on "platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices".

While some vaccines use an inactivated virus to trigger an immune response, mRNA vaccines work by teaching cells how to make proteins that can trigger an immune response. Moderna and Pfizer's mRNA vaccines were tested in thousands of people before being rolled out and were found to be safe and effective.

Since taking office, Kennedy has taken a number of steps to transform how the nation's health department develops and regulates vaccines.

In June, he fired all 17 members of a committee that issues official government recommendations on immunisations, replacing them with some people who have criticized the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

He also removed the Covid vaccine from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.

A top UN official has warned there would be "catastrophic consequences" if Israel expands its military operations in Gaza, after reports Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is pushing for a total reoccupation of the strip.

Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenča told a meeting of the UN Security Council such a move would be "deeply alarming" if true, and could endanger the lives of more Palestinians, as well as Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu plans to meet with his security cabinet this week.

"The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip - and defeating Hamas," a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying.

The security cabinet, which is due to meet Thursday, would need to approve such an action.

It has been suggested that the plan could be a negotiating tactic to pressure Hamas after a recent breakdown of ceasefire talks or an attempt to shore up support from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners.

Israel has been facing mounting international pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza amid images and reports of Palestinians suffering from starvation or malnutrition.

In his remarks, Jenča warned against any expansion of Israel's military operations.

"This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza," he said.

He added that under international law, Gaza "is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state".

Israel's military said it already had operational control of 75% of Gaza, but the new plan would propose occupying the entire region - including areas where more than two million Palestinians now live.

The proposals have proved divisive in Israel, with reports that the army chief and other military leaders oppose the strategy.

The unnamed Israeli official responded by saying: "If that doesn't work for the chief of staff, he should resign."

The families of hostages have expressed their fear that the decision could endanger their loved ones, with 20 out of 50 believed to be alive in Gaza.

Jenča reiterated to the UN Security Council the call for a ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Citing the "squalid" and "inhumane" conditions faced by Palestinians, he urged Israel to immediately allow the unimpeded passage of sufficient aid.

"Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, and the aid that is permitted to enter is grossly inadequate," Jenča said.

He also condemned the ongoing violence at food distribution sites, saying more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the end of May while trying to access food and supplies.

Last week, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said the total death toll from a lack of food since October 2023 had risen to 154, including 89 children.

It also reported that more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign.

UN agencies have warned there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza, and reported at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths this month.

Israel has previously insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is "no starvation" in Gaza.

Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken to Gaza as hostages.

Russia has more than doubled the number of drones and missiles fired towards Ukraine since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, a BBC Verify analysis has found, despite his calls for a ceasefire.

Attacks had already been rising under former President Joe Biden in 2024 but climbed sharply after Trump's election victory in November. Since he returned to office in January, recorded aerial attacks from Moscow have reached their highest levels of the war.

Throughout his campaign Trump vowed to bring an end to fighting in just one day if returned to office. He claimed during his 2024 campaign that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been averted had a president who the Kremlin "respected" held office.

However, in his efforts to achieve a ceasefire he has been accused at times of favouring Russia by critics, and his administration has paused deliveries of air defence munitions and other military supplies to Ukraine on two separate occasions.

The pauses - announced in March and July and since reversed by the president - came as Russia steadily increased missile and drone production. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, ballistic missile construction in Russia grew by 66% over the past year.

The data reviewed by BBC Verify - based on daily incident reports issued by the Ukrainian Air Force - showed that Russia launched 27,158 munitions between 20 January - when Trump's presidency began - and 19 July, compared to 11,614 over the final six months of Biden's term.

"This brutal war was brought on by Joe Biden's incompetence, and it has gone on for far too long," White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to BBC Verify.

"President Trump wants to stop the killing, which is why he is selling American-made weapons to NATO members and threatening Putin with biting tariffs and sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire."

In the opening weeks of the new administration, the White House issued a series of warm statements seemingly intended to entice President Vladimir Putin towards a settlement. During this period, Russian attacks on Ukraine briefly fell when compared to the final weeks of the Biden administration.

But by February, when US diplomats led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's delegation for a summit in Riyadh, attacks had started to climb again.

The talks, which Rubio said were a starting point to bring an end to the war, have been followed by mediated discussions between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey.

Attacks peaked early last month, when Moscow launched 748 drones and missiles towards Ukraine on 9 July, according to the Ukrainian Air Force data. More than a dozen people were reportedly injured by the barrage and two were killed.

While Trump has expressed anger at the escalating Russian attacks on several occasions, his mounting frustration does not appear to have had an impact on Moscow's strategy.

On 25 May, Russia launched its then-largest recorded barrage, prompting Trump to angrily ask: "What the hell happened to him [Putin]?"

Since then, Russia has exceeded that number of reported launches on 14 occasions. Trump has responded by demanding that the Kremlin reach a peace deal with Ukraine by 8 August.

The number of Russian munitions penetrating Ukrainian air defences appears to be increasing, with explosions around the capital Kyiv becoming a daily part of life for residents of the city.

"Every time you go to sleep, you don't know if you're going to wake up the next morning, and that's just not a normal way to live," Dasha Volk, a journalist living in the city, told the BBC's Ukrainecast programme in June.

"Every time you hear an explosion or a missile flying over your head, lots of thoughts are going through my mind - I'm going to die now, things like that."

Ukraine 'vulnerable' to aerial attacks

Senator Chris Coons, a senior Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told BBC Verify that Trump's decision to suspend weapons supplies on two occasions and his broader approach to Russian relations may have convinced the Kremlin that it had the freedom to increase attacks.

"It's clear Putin feels emboldened by Trump's weakness and has increased his vicious assault on the Ukrainian people, repeatedly attacking hospitals and maternity wards, the Ukrainian power grid, and other civilian sites," he said.

The growing attacks have renewed calls for the US to send fresh supplies of Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine. The Patriots are the most capable and expensive air defence systems that Ukraine has. Each Patriot battery costs around $1bn (£800m), and each missile costs nearly $4m.

Trump has overturned the previous supply pauses and agreed to sell weapons to Nato members, who will in turn supply them to Kyiv. Trump appeared to imply that the deal would include fresh supplies of Patriot batteries.

Justin Bronk, an analyst focussing on the Russian military at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said restrictions on the supply of military equipment imposed by the White House had made Ukraine "vulnerable" to missile and drone attacks.

But he also noted that Russia has ramped up the production of missiles and so-called 'kamikaze' drones such as the Geran-2 - a domestically produced version of the Iranian Shahed drone. Mr Bronk said that Russia's increased stockpiles, coupled with "significant reductions" in supply of US interceptor missiles had encouraged Moscow to escalate its air campaign.

Ukraine's Military Intelligence agency (HUR) recently told domestic media that Russia was now producing up to 85 ballistic missiles per month, up from 44 in April 2024.

Russia is reportedly producing 170 Geran drones per day, having established a massive manufacturing facility at Alabuga in the south of the country.

In a recent interview with Russian military TV, the facility's director Timur Shagivaleyev boasted that Alabuga had become "the largest combat drone production plant in the world", adding that his workers were producing nine times more units than initially expected.

Satellite images show the facility has expanded significantly since mid-2024, with a number of new warehouses built on the site.

Other structures, including what appear to be expansions to worker dormitories, remain under construction.

Senator Coons warned that the increase in production meant that Washington must make clear that it is not preparing to walk away from the conflict as some administration officials have threatened he could do, emphasising that peace can only be achieved through "surging security assistance".

He added that President Trump must make it clear to Russia that it "cannot simply try to outlast the West".

"In order to do that, he needs to maintain a consistent and sustained position on the war."

Meanwhile, Ms Volk said that every day the Russian campaign drags on and Ukrainian interceptions fall public morale is hammered.

"People are getting tired because of these attacks, they really affect our lives," she said.

"We know what we are fighting for, but it becomes more difficult every year because everyone is getting exhausted. That's the reality."

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?