The US has struck another vessel off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump has said.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the vessel belonged to "narcoterrorists" and that it was "trafficking narcotics."

This is the fifth strike of its kind by the Trump administration on a boat accused of trafficking drugs on international waters since September. In total, 27 people have been reported killed, but the US has not provided evidence or details about identities of the vessels or those on board them.

Some lawyers have accused the US of breaching international law, and neighbouring nations like Colombia and Venezuela have condemned the strikes.

In his Truth Social post, Trump said "intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known" route for smuggling.

He also posted an aerial surveillance video showing a small boat on water that is struck by a missile and explodes.

Trump did not specify the nationality of those on board, or what drug smuggling organisation they are suspected of belonging to. He added that no US military personnel were injured.

The strike comes after a recent leaked memo sent to Congress, and reported on by US media, that said the administration determined the US was in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels.

The US has positioned its strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels as self-defence, despite many lawyers questioning their legality.

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Two French nationals have been handed lengthy prison sentences by a court in Iran after being convicted of espionage, Iranian state media reports.

The reports do not name the defendants but they are believed to be Cecile Kohler, 40, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, the only French nationals being held in Iran. They were arrested in May 2022 during a tourist trip.

The pair have been found guilty of spying on behalf of both France and Israel, the reports say.

The announcement comes more than a month after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deal to exchange French detainees for an Iranian woman held in France was nearly complete.

Iran has previously said Kohler and Paris could be released as part of that agreement.

Another French tourist, Olivier Grondeau, 34, was released by Iran earlier this year after being handed a five-year prison sentence for "conspiracy against the Islamic republic".

Iran's judicial news agency Mizan said one of the defendants was sentenced to six years in prison for spying for France, five years for conspiracy against national security and 20 years in exile for "intelligence co-operation" with Israel.

The other was sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for France, five years for conspiring against national security and 20 years in exile for being complicit in intelligence co-operation with Israel.

Under Iranian law, jail sentences run concurrently. It is unclear what "exile" entails, though in other instances convicts have been sent to remote areas.

Mizan reports that their pre-trial detention would be deducted from their sentences and that the verdict could be contested within 20 days.

France has accused Iran of holding Kohler and Paris arbitrarily and keeping them in conditions akin to torture. Iran denies the claims.

Human rights groups say tourists and dual nationals are often held for leverage in diplomatic negotiations, released only when Iran gets something in return.

The release of British-Iranian nationals Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori in 2022, after years in detention, came after months of negotiation that saw the UK settle a debt of nearly £400m dating from the 1970s.

Kohler and Paris were touted as exchangeable for Mahdieh Esfandiari, who has been held in France since February on charges of promoting terrorism on social media. Iran has repeatedly called her detention arbitrary.

Iran is thought to currently hold around 20 Europeans in detention, according to news agency AFP.

These include British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who were detained in January while travelling through Iran on a motorcycling world tour and later charged with espionage.

Their family maintains they are innocent and are being held in "horrific conditions".

Last week, 18-year-old French-German cyclist Lennart Monterlos was released after an Iranian court acquitted him of espionage charges.

Donald Trump's quick trip to Israel and Egypt was the victory lap he wanted.

Anyone watching the speeches he made in Jerusalem and Sharm el-Sheikh, could see a man luxuriating in his power - enjoying the applause in Israel's parliament, and in Egypt, basking in the fact that so many heads of state and government had flown in.

One veteran diplomat in the room said it looked as if Trump saw the role of the world leaders there as extras on his film set.

Trump's message assembled at Sharm was, in effect, that he had created a historical turning point.

"All I've done all my life is deals. The greatest deals just sort of happen… That's what happened right here. And maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all," he said.

Observers might also have had the impression from the speeches that the job is done. It is not.

Without question, Trump can claim credit for the ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. Qatar, Turkey and Egypt used their leverage with Hamas to force it to accept.

That made it a joint effort, but Trump's role was decisive.

Without his push to demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's agreement to terms that he had previously rejected, the deal would not have been signed.

It helps to recognise what the deal is – and what it isn't.

The agreement was for a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for prisoners. It is not a peace agreement, or even the start of a peace process.

The next phase of the Trump 20-point plan requires an agreement filling in the gaps of the framework which declares that the Gaza Strip will be demilitarised, secured and governed by a committee including Palestinians.

It will report to a Board of Peace chaired by President Trump. Significant work needs to be done on the detail needed to make that happen.

The Gaza agreement is not a route map to peace in the Middle East, the ultimate and so far, unreachable destination.

Just as seriously, there is no evidence of the political will necessary to make a real peace deal. Most wars end with exhausted belligerents making some kind of agreement. The war in Gaza has become one of those, if as Trump has declared, it really is over.

The other way to end a war is with a total victory that lets the winners dictate the way ahead. The best example is the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945.

Before 9 September, when Netanyahu ordered a missile strike on Qatar he seemed to still be intent on crushing Israel's enemy so comprehensively, that Israel would be able to dictate the future of Gaza.

The strike infuriated Trump.

Qatar is one of America's key allies in the region, and the site of the biggest US military base in the Middle East. It is also a place where his sons have been doing lucrative business. Trump dismissed Netanyahu's justification that the target, which was missed, was the Hamas leadership, not Qatar.

For Trump, America's interests come before Israel's. He is not like Joe Biden, who was prepared to accept harm to America's position in the region as the necessary price for supporting Israel.

Trump is back in Washington DC. Diplomats say the Americans realise that getting the detail sorted out is vital and will not happen quickly. The problem is that they might not have enough time.

Ceasefires always get violated in their early stages. The ones that survive tend to be based on a tight agreements, made by warring parties who have decided that their best option is to make them work.

The danger is that the Gaza ceasefire lacks those underpinnings. Only 24 hours after Israelis and Palestinians, for very different reasons, shared joy and relief that hostages, prisoners and detainees were home, cracks are appearing in the ceasefire.

Hamas has, so far, returned only four of the bodies of the 28 hostages who were killed during their incarceration. Its explanation is that it is very hard to find their graves in the sea of rubble that Israel has created in Gaza.

Israel's patience is thin.

The fate of the bodies of the hostages will become a bigger and bigger issue in Israel if their remains are not repatriated.

On Tuesday evening, it was reported that Israel will not reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Wednesday and will reduce the flow of aid into the territory until Hamas finds the bodies and sends them home.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) still occupies 55% of the Gaza Strip. This morning its soldiers killed Palestinians who they said were approaching their forces. Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza told the BBC that seven people were killed in two incidents.

It could be that the IDF is still observing the rules of engagement that it was using before the ceasefire. They order troops to watch two imaginary lines around their positions. If one is crossed, they fire warning shots. If Palestinians continue to approach their positions and cross a second imaginary line, IDF troops can shoot to kill.

A big problem with the system is that Palestinians do not know where the lines are. It is crowd control with live fire.

As for Hamas, it is reasserting its power.

Its men, armed and masked are back on the streets. It has attacked rival armed clans, some of which have been protected by the IDF. Videos have circulated of Hamas killing blindfolded and kneeling men who they have accused of collaborating with the Israelis.

The grisly videos of extra-judicial executions in the street send a message to any Palestinians who want to defy them that they should not dare - and to the outside world that Hamas has survived Israel's onslaught.

Point 15 of the Trump plan for Gaza says the US "will work with Arab and international partners to develop a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to immediately deploy in Gaza". Raising and deploying that force will be impossible if the ceasefire is not solid. Potential contributors will not send in their troops to use force to disarm Hamas.

Hamas has hinted it might give up some heavy weapons but will not be disarmed. It has an ideology of Islamic resistance to Israel, and knows that without weapons its Palestinian enemies will come for revenge. Netanyahu has threatened that if no-one else will do it, Israel will finish the job. Hamas's weapons have to go, he has said, the "easy way or the hard way".

Trump has proclaimed that his Gaza deal, as it stands, will end generations of conflict between Arabs and Jews over the land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. He insists too that it will lead to a broader peace across the Middle East.

If he really believes that the job of making peace is done, then he is deluding himself. Just trying needs sustained focus, hard diplomatic work and a decision by the two sides in the fight that the time has come to make painful sacrifices and compromises. To make peace, other dreams have to be jettisoned.

Past American presidents have also believed that they can make peace in the Middle East. Trump will discover that peace is not made just because a president, however powerful, decides that it is going to happen.

Bipin Joshi threw back a grenade from Hamas attackers before being taken hostage in the assault on Israel two years ago, says the fellow Nepalese student he saved.

"I may not have survived if both grenades had exploded. Bipin showed courage and threw the grenade out," Dhan Bahadur Chaudhary told BBC Nepali.

He was speaking after the Israeli military identified his friend's body as being among four dead hostages returned by Hamas under the Gaza ceasefire accord.

Bipin was 23 and working on a kibbutz when he was taken by Hamas into captivity along with 250 others on 7 October 2023. It's unclear how or when he died.

His family and friends hoped right up to the release deadline that he might be among living hostages returned on 13 October, but he wasn't, and a day later their worst fears were confirmed.

Bipin, Dhan Bahadur and 15 other Nepalese agriculture students had been in Israel for just over three weeks when Kibbutz Alumim was attacked.

"We knew that there may be a war in Israel. But we had no idea that there may be any ground attack of that magnitude," Dhan Bahadur said. "We thought that there could be missile attacks and we would be safe if we stay underground, in the bunkers."

For the students who'd been invited under the Israeli government's "Earn and Learn Programme" it was a great opportunity to make better lives for themselves and their families in Nepal.

Dhan Bahadur credits his survival to Bipin's courage.

"At the time of attack, two grenades were thrown near the bunkers. He [Bipin] picked up one and threw it outside; one exploded inside. Due to that explosion, I and four others were injured," he says.

"He was unharmed at that point. If both grenades had exploded, I would not have been speaking with you like this."

Ten of the Nepalese students were killed in the attack. Bipin was the only one captured.

"We met for the last time when he and others were being shifted to another bunker," Dhan Bahadur says. "Because, after the injury, I could not move and I stayed in the first bunker. I later came to know that there were two attacks in the bunker where he took shelter and he was held captive from there."

• Follow live coverage here
• Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees freed as Trump hails 'historic dawn' in Middle East
• 'You're my life, my hero': Hostages reunite with families after two years
• Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel

The 27-year-old says he feels deeply saddened after hearing about his colleague's death. He and Bipin studied together in Far Western University School of Agriculture in Tikapur, Nepal.

"We made all possible efforts from our sides to secure his release. We did everything. But yesterday, we had to face such shocking news. All of Nepal is in grief. I do not know what to say. I have no words to explain my sorrow."

Dhan Bahadur says Bipin and other colleagues had the same goal of making little savings and starting their own enterprise after returning from the exchange programme in Israel.

"He loved playing football and basketball. We would chat for hours about our goals and dreams. He wanted to get his body in good shape and to buy a new mobile phone. We even recorded a song about friendship with my phone. He also talked about showcasing himself in a music video."

On 14 October, the Israeli military said it believed Bipin Joshi was "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war". There's no way of independently confirming that.

But if it's the case, Dhan Bahadur said, the international community should ask Hamas about why it happened.

He said he had not received any support from Nepal's government following his injury but hoped the Israeli government would help Bipin's family.

Bipin's immediate family members have not released any statement so far.

Footage from 7 October showed him walking inside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. His family received no signs of life for a year, until the Israeli military shared a video of him in captivity around November 2023.

Relatives described the footage as "proof of life" just hours before the ceasefire deal was agreed, and were hoping for a miracle.

Now in his hometown of Bhimdutta municipality Bipin's family are grieving after hearing news of his death.

His mother and sister had gone to the United States to lobby for the release of hostages, Bipin's cousin Kishore Joshi told BBC Nepali.

He says the family has no words to describe the grief. "His mother and sister are returning from US on Thursday. The father is not in the condition to express the pain in words."

Meanwhile it's unclear when Bipin's body will be returned to his family.

Israel is making all necessary arrangements to repatriate his remains to Nepal, as it did for the other students who died, Nepal's ministry of foreign affairs said.

"We are all shocked by the news of Bipin Joshi's death. In this time of sorrow [we] extend our deep sympathy to the grieving family," it said in a statement of condolence.

"Even after Bipin Joshi's body is brought back to Nepal, we will continue appropriate efforts in co-ordination and co-operation with the concerned government authorities and stakeholders - to uncover the truth about the actual cause and circumstances of his death."

Dhan Bahadur says he and other colleagues who returned safely from Israel plan to visit Bipin's family in Kanchanpur district.

"We will keep his memories alive. We will provide our care, support and consolation to his family."

He still feels numb.

"I returned to Nepal and I am studying at the moment. But Bipin's dreams remained unfulfilled."

An elite military unit says it has seized power in Madagascar from President Andry Rajoelina following weeks of youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island.

Standing outside the Presidential Palace, CAPSAT chief Col Michael Randrianirina said the military would form a government and hold elections within two years. He also suspended key democratic institutions, like the electoral commission.

Gen Z protestors will be part of the changes because "the movement was created in the streets so we have to respect their demands" he added.

Troops and protestors have been celebrating the apparent ousting of President Rajoelina, with thousands cheering and waving flags in the capital, Antananarivo.

Madagascar's constitutional court has named Col Randrianirina as the country's new leader, even though a statement from the president's office said he was still in charge and denounced what it described as an "attempted coup d'etat".

Rajoelina's whereabouts are unknown, but he has said he is sheltering in a "safe place" following an alleged attempt on his life by "military personnel and politicians", which CAPSAT has denied having any involvement in. There have been unconfirmed reports that the president was flown out of the country on a French military aircraft.

• My one-month-old grandson was killed by police tear gas during Madagascar protests

Col Randrianirina told the BBC that Madagascar was "a country where chaos reigns right now".

"Chaos because there's no president - he's gone abroad."

The unrest began just over two weeks ago, after a youth-led movement began protesting against chronic water and power cuts across the country.

The demonstrations soon escalated, to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, rampant corruption and the cost-of-living crisis.

Protestors clashed with security forces resulting in the death of at least 22 people and more than 100 others injured, according to the UN, although the Malagasy government has dismissed those figures and described them as based on "rumours and misinformation".

CAPSAT, which supported Rajoelina when he came into power in 2009, joined the protestors on Saturday.

President Rajoelina, an entrepreneur and former DF, was once seen as a fresh start for Madagascar.

The baby-faced leader became president at the age of just 24, earning the title of Africa's youngest leader, and going on to govern for four years, before returning to power after the 2018 election.

But he fell out of favour following allegations of cronyism and corruption, which he denied.

Despite the fact that power appears to have shifted away from him, he has continued to try to influence events.

Rajoelina attempted to dissolve the national assembly before the opposition could vote to strip him of his presidency for abandonment of post, but that didn't work.

Lawmakers voted to impeach Rajoelina by 130 votes to one blank ballot. Even members of Rajoelina's party, IRMAR, voted overwhelmingly to impeach him.

Rajoelina rejected the vote, calling it "null and void".

The African Union (AU) has warned against soldiers "meddling" in Madagascar's political affairs and rejected "any attempt at unconstitutional changes of government".

French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation "greatly worrying".

The island has gone through a series of political upheavals in recent years.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 75% of its 30 million people living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

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R&B award-winning singer Michael Eugene Archer, known to his fans as D’Angelo, died aged 51 after a battle with cancer, his family said in a statement.

His family said the singer was leaving behind a "legacy of extraordinarily moving music" and asked fans to celebrate “the gift of song that he has left for the world”.

The influential singer was known for pioneering the genre of neo-soul, which blends R&B music with other genres including hip-hop and jazz.

His three albums won him four Grammy awards. The music video for his hit song, Untitled (How Does it Feel), gained mainstream attention after he performed in the one-shot video, naked, belting the song.

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The US Supreme Court has rejected a request from right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to overturn the nearly $1.5bn (£1.1bn) defamation judgment against him.

Jones was ordered to make the payout in 2022 for claiming the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School - which killed 20 schoolchildren and six educators - was a hoax.

In order to make that payout, Jones was being forced to sell his Infowars media company to the satirical news site The Onion. He told the highest US court the sale would cause irreparable harm to him and his audience of 30 million.

Jones has not yet paid any of the damages he owes Sandy Hook families.

The Supreme Court did not explain its decision to deny his request.

Jones’s lawyers had made a free speech argument - that he should have the same protections under the First Amendment of the Constitution that journalists have. And Jones argued the financial consequences were too steep.

"The result is a financial death penalty by fiat imposed on a media defendant whose broadcasts reach millions," he told the Supreme Court in the appeal.

While The Onion's attempt to buy Infowars was rejected by a bankruptcy judge last year, Infowars could soon be up for sale again, giving The Onion another chance.

Legal pressure against Jones has been mounting since he was found liable by two juries for defamation and emotional distress over his lies about the Sandy Hook school shooting.

After the first verdict in Connecticut, Jones filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas, and Infowars was put up for auction to pay the Sandy Hook families, who had sued to collect on the judgment.

It was during Texas court proceedings that Jones acknowledged the attack was "100% real". He had previously claimed the massacre was "staged" as part of a government plot to take guns from Americans and that "no-one died".

The man accused of setting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence on fire in April was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison as part of a plea deal.

Cody Balmer, 38, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, aggravated arson, 22 counts of arson, burglary and other offenses at a court hearing on Tuesday.

While the official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg was severely damaged during the fire, people home at the time - including Shapiro, his wife, his four children, and guests and staff members - were able to escape unscathed.

Shapiro said his family was supportive of the plea agreement announced by prosecutors.

The attack against the governor and his family is part of a wave of political violence in the US, including attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, the killings of two Minnesota state officials and the killing of commentator Charlie Kirk.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania governor - standing alongside his wife - said his family has had to lean on their faith as they navigated a difficult recovery since the attack.

“We will forever be changed by this, we know that time will heal, but the scars will remain,” Shapiro said.

Balmer was accused of breaking into the govenor's residence and setting it on fire on the second day of Passover. The governor, who is Jewish, had hosted a Passover celebration the night before.

Balmer had admitted to officials that he removed petrol from a lawn mower and poured it into beer bottles to make Molotov cocktails he used in the attack, Pennsylvania State Police said.

He turned himself in 13 hours after the break-in and admitted to “harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro,” officials said.

Balmer was asked in a police interview what he would have done if he had come face to face with Shapiro. He told police he would have beaten the governor with a hammer, according to an affidavit.

Shapiro has served as Pennsylvania's governor since 2023, after working as the state's attorney general.

The Democrat was among the top picks to be Kamala Harris's running mate during the 2024 presidential election but was ultimately passed over. He has frequently been mentioned as a possible future presidential candidate.

The Trump administration is looking for alternative ways to ensure federal law enforcement officers are paid as the government shutdown enters its third week.

With Democrats and Republicans locked in a stalemate over the shutdown, officials in government are exploring alternative ways of paying for some key programmes, including a food programme for women and children.

Members of the US military, meanwhile, will be paid using funds previously allocated to the Pentagon following an order from President Donald Trump.

Thousands of federal workers have already been laid off, with Vice-President JD Vance warning of "painful" additional cuts should the shutdown continue.

It is unclear how much money would be necessary to ensure that all federal law enforcement officers are paid.

In response to a query from the BBC, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget - or OMB - confirmed that it is examining alternative ways to ensure those payments continue.

Like military personnel, federal law enforcement officers are considered "essential" and are still expected to report for duty, even without pay.

They include officers from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

• 'Your appointment's rescheduled': Shutdown cancels citizenship ceremonies
• Why the US government has shut down and what happens now

Separately, on Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had directed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to use "all available funds" to get members of the military paid on 15 October, when they would have their pay withheld.

While Trump provided no further details on where that money would be drawn from, an OMB spokesperson told the BBC that the funds would come from an amount previously allocated for defence research and development that is available for two years.

Approximately 750,000 federal employees - about 40% of the total workforce - have so far been furloughed or sent home without pay.

The administration has begun layoffs at least seven agencies, totalling about 4,000 workers so far.

With both US political parties continuing to blame each other for the shutdown, the Trump administration has said it is seeking new ways to ensure that some essential services continue.

On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her department had found an "innovative" way to ensure members of the Coast Guard continue to be paid, although she provided no further details.

Administration officials have also said tariff revenue would be used to fund the Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC.

More than 6.5m people across the country benefit from the programme, which provides food to women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum, as well as infants and children up to five years of age.

The National WIC Association, however, said in a statement that the measure "is not a permanent solution" and that a prolonged shutdown could put millions of recipients at risk.

Congressional Democrats are reportedly planning to introduce a bill that would ensure the programme remains fully funded, with Virginia Democrat Robert Scott telling the Guardian that it should be "immune to the vagaries of the annual budget process".

The Senate plans to vote for an eighth time to fund the government on Tuesday afternoon, although it is unlikely to pass.

The son of an Israeli hostage whose body remains in Gaza has told the BBC he is dealing with the realisation that "it's not over and it's going to be a longer battle".

Rotem Cooper, whose father Amiram is among 24 hostages whose bodies were not returned to Israel on Monday, said the families were trying "to find the strength somehow to pick ourselves up... and continue the fight".

He called on US President Donald Trump, Qatar, Egypt and other countries involved in peace deal negotiations "to show Hamas that this is not acceptable".

A ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed by Israel and Hamas stated that the remaining hostages in Gaza would be returned by noon on Monday, with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel released in exchange.

While the 20 hostages still alive were released, a copy of the agreement published by Israeli media appeared to acknowledge that Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all of the bodies of the deceased hostages by the deadline.

• Follow updates on this story

Their families had pinned their hopes on their loved one returning on Monday, after two years in captivity.

"We hoped and expected that maybe 15 to 20 out of the 28 deceased hostages would be released, but that didn't happen. Only four were announced," Mr Cooper said.

He described the news as a "very big disappointment" for the families.

"It's clear to us that they could have and should have released more and [that] they're playing games."

Mr Cooper's parents were both kidnapped in the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother was released later that month while his father was killed in captivity.

• Who are the released hostages?
• What happens next in Gaza ceasefire plan after hostage release?

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had been operating in the area at the time but did not confirm how he was killed, referring the BBC this week to a previous statement saying the circumstances were "under examination". Hamas has claimed he was killed by an Israeli military strike.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the relatives of many of the hostages, has called for "a very serious response" from the Israeli government and mediators, for what is described as Hamas's "violation of the agreement".

It said further stages of the peace plan should not progress until all the remaining bodies had been returned.

Mr Cooper headed to the Re'im military base in southern Israel on Monday to see the return of the 20 living hostages.

In voicenotes sent over the course of the day, he described feeling "tremendous anticipation" and a "big relief" as he saw them return. But he said the thought of the bodies coming back to Israel was "heartbreaking".

Speaking again the following day, after the news that the four bodies returned did not include Amiram's, he described the experience as a "big rollercoaster".

Mr Cooper said the return of his father's body would allow him to have "some closure" and to "sleep better at night".

"Everything has been on hold," he said.

Ruby Chen, whose son Itay's body remains in Gaza, said he had experienced a similar mix of emotions.

"We were overjoyed [on Monday] to see 20 hostages coming out and being reunited with their families, but we were very disappointed not to see more deceased hostages coming out," he said in a video message shared with the BBC by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"We request the Israeli government, the US and the mediators to continue the fight and put pressure on Hamas to adhere [to] and follow the agreement that was signed and bring back all the remaining 24 hostages in captivity," Mr Chen added.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that, following forensic tests, it had identified the four hostages whose bodies had been returned and had informed their families that their loved ones had been reburied.

It said they included Guy Iloz - who was shot at the Nova music festival and is believed to have died from the wounds - and Bipin Joshi, who it said was believed to have been "murdered in captivity during the first months of the war".

US President Donald Trump's day-long trip to the Middle East came as the Gaza deal was clinched: an agreement coming into force amounting to one of the most critical moments yet after two years of catastrophic war.

Painting as he does in primary colours, Trump's portrayal was vivid - of the biggest turning point in three millennia. On the return flight in the early hours of Tuesday, he reflected that it had been a "historic day, to put it mildly". He had earlier suggested "everlasting peace" had been grasped under his tutelage, in a region long convulsed by violence.

As part of the White House press corps, we were travelling on Air Force One – which is how I found myself at the centre of this US diplomatic tornado.

As we headed for Tel Aviv, the presidential plane took a turn to do a fly-by of the beach. It dipped a wing so we could get a view of a giant sign atop the sand that said "thank you" to Trump, and featured the Israeli flag as well as an outline of the US president's head in profile.

The manoeuvre set the mood for a trip that was a victory lap, rather than an exercise in setting out the punishing detail for starting "phase two" of the negotiations and securing a longer-term future for Gaza.

The agreement made in Doha last week was under intensive pressure on the sides from Trump. It marked one of the most profound moments for millions of people in the last two years: major combat operations in Gaza ceased, the remaining living hostages held by Hamas released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza returning to the ruins of their homes in the north amid a partial withdrawal by Israeli troops.

But I found Trump's journey was in fact to a waypoint, not a destination - a fragile truce in a century-old conflict which shows no real signs of being solved.

• Follow live updates
• Israeli hostages reunite with families after two years
• Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel
• 'Now the rebuilding begins,' says Trump

The most immediate question hanging over the trip was whether Trump's deal could hold - and whether more intensive, arguably harder, negotiations could now build on it.

During the flight, Trump came back to speak to us. Standing in the doorway as we crowded around, he clearly wanted to build up the sense of achievement, frequently referring to his own role in negotiating the deal.

"Every country is dancing in the streets," he said repeatedly. I pressed him on whether the ceasefire would stay intact. He was confident it would, saying there were "a lot of reasons why it's going to hold". But he glossed over the really big questions about what comes next, particularly how to secure and govern Gaza.

I asked him about the proposed multinational force, or International Stabilization Force (ISF), outlined in his 20-point plan but whose existence has yet to be agreed by the sides.

"It's going to be a big, strong force," said Trump, adding that it would "barely" have to be used because "people are going to behave, everybody knows their place".

On the tarmac in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted Trump with a red carpet and a military band. We then zoomed off in the motorcade towards Jerusalem, along the Route 1 motorway which had been completely cleared for the presidential convoy.

The same day, thousands watched a giant screen in a public plaza in Tel Aviv that has become known as Hostages Square. They shed tears of joy and relief as the hostages were released by Hamas in Gaza. Trump's arrival was the other half of this split-screen moment – pictures were beamed out of the US president setting foot on Israeli territory.

In the chamber of the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, the mood was altogether more raucous than that in the streets. Emblazoned on the red baseball caps handed out by staff, and worn by some of the audience, were the words: "The president of peace". Spectators shouted from the gallery behind me: "Thank you Trump." Lawmakers hammered their desks. Trump hailed a "historic dawn of a new Middle East".

He also wanted to leave little doubt the war was over, and it seemed he expected it to stay that way: Israel, he said, with America's help, had won all that it could "by force of arms". His speech meandered into extensive attacks on his political opponents in the US. He praised a major donor to his election campaign seated in the gallery.

And he even appealed to Israel's president, Isaac Herzog, seating next to him, to pardon Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption – charges that the Israeli PM denies. "Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?" Trump exclaimed, referencing the allegation that Netanyahu accepted pricy gifts.

The White House press officers who chaperone the press pool - the "wranglers" - took us back into the press vans and the motorcade made its way back to Ben Gurion airport after fewer than seven hours in Israel.

We took the short flight to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt; location of the mediated talks between Israel and Hamas that led to last week's breakthrough. On our descent, Egyptian F16s escorted us - the ultimate show for the president who loves displays of military might. Trump had wanted to celebrate every minute of the day.

But the dangers in this region are many, and the risk seemed clear that he was declaring the ultimate deal before really landing it.

That was reflected in the giant sign, written in capital letters, above the presidential podium in Sharm el-Sheikh: "PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST". There, I watched the extraordinary sight of world leaders filing into a room to stand behind Trump as he made his speech hailing peace. They lined up in front of their national flags and listened as he listed their countries one by one. Trump had been introduced to the stage by the host, Egyptian president Abdel Fatah el-Sisi, who said that the goal remained a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump has changed his position markedly since the start of this year. He became increasingly irritated by the Israeli leadership and was drawn closer to his friends in the Gulf. That came amid a diplomatic move by the Europeans to isolate Israel over its escalating campaign in Gaza and to get the Saudi leadership onboard with their vision. Trump then shifted, drawn by his Gulf allies – whose wealth and "power" he frequently referred to during the drip.

Trump presided over the signing ceremony in Sharm saying it had taken "3,000 years" to get here. But there are still many more years to go - and it will take more than one man to get there.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has told parliament he backs suspending controversial 2023 pension reforms, in the face of crucial votes of no-confidence later this week.

The changes, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, were seen as signature reforms in Emmanuel Macron's presidency.

"This autumn I will propose to parliament that we suspend the 2023 pension reform until the [2027] presidential election," Lecornu said to applause from left-wing parties.

Lecornu was reappointed prime minister last week only four days after he resigned, and needs the support of Socialist MPs in parliament if his government is to survive.

Opposition parties on the far right and far left have called confidence votes, known as "censure" votes in Lecornu, for Thursday morning and are demanding parliamentary elections.

The Socialists said they would be prepared to support the new government, but only if it promises a complete suspension of Macron's pension changes.

"If he does not explicitly say the words 'immediate and complete suspension of the pension reform', it will be censure," Socialist MP Laurent Baumel said earlier on French TV.

"He is holding his destiny in his own hands. He knows what he has do if he doesn't want to be the prime minister who resigns every week."

The reforms were finally pushed through parliament in March 2023, less than a year after Macron was voted in for a second presidential term.

There had been months of political debate, strikes and street protests, and in the end the bill had to go through without a vote in parliament using a constitutional mechanism known as 49:3.

Last week, Lecornu said it was something many French people remembered as a "wound on democracy" .

On Tuesday he made it plain to MPs that suspending the pension reform would cost €400m (£350m) in 2026 and a further €1.8bn (£1.57bn) in 2027. This will have to be "compensated by other savings," Lecornu said.

Lecornu is France's third prime minister in the past year but even if he does survive he needs to get a budget through parliament that brings down a budget deficit heading for 5.4% of economic output (GDP) this year.

France's public debt earlier this year stood at €3.4tn, or almost 114% of GDP, the third highest in the eurozone after Greece and Italy.

Read more: Macron reappoints Lecornu as French PM after days of turmoil

Lecornu has been one of Macron's most loyal allies, so his decision to row back on such a contested reform shows how keen the president is to avoid further turmoil.

Philippe Aghion, who was jointly awarded the 2025 Nobel economics prize on Monday, said earlier that he also backed a suspension of the pension reform, because it would still come at a smaller cost than the instability that would follow another government collapse.

Buenos Aires, September 2023. Hundreds of people crowded around to wave flags and film on their phones. The man with unruly hair and sideburns in the centre of them, clad in a black leather jacket, hoisted a roaring chainsaw above his head.

This was an election rally taking place in the San Martín area of the Argentine capital a month before the presidential election - and the metaphor was explicit.

The candidate Javier Milei believed the state was far too bloated, with annual debts that were bigger than Argentina's entire annual economic output.

Rather than 'trimming the fat', as some politicians delicately put it, he said he would take a chainsaw to ministries, subsidies and the ruling political class he derided as "la casta" - the caste.

Milei had form for stunts. In 2019, he dressed up in a "libertarian superhero" costume, purporting to be from Liberland - a land where no taxes are paid. In 2018, he smashed a piñata of the Central Bank on live television.

According to official data, inflation in 2023 topped 211% annually - Milei took office in December of that year. Roughly 40% of the population lived in poverty. Years of high public spending, and a reliance on printing more money and borrowing to cover deficits, had left the country in a cycle of debts and inflation.

Yet nearly two years on, the headline figures are vastly different: Argentina recorded its first fiscal surplus in 14 years -the state spending less than it's collecting - and inflation, which had hit triple figures annually, has tumbled to about 36%.

The UK Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch called the measures Milei has taken a "template" for a future Conservative government. And in the US, President Donald Trump described Milei as "my favourite president".

They will meet in Washington on Tuesday.

Foreign investors regained confidence in Argentina too. Although that recently slipped, Washington's decision last week to swap $20bn (£15bn) in dollars for pesos, effectively propping up Argentina's currency with International Monetary Fund (IMF) backing, is a sign Milei's fiscal shock therapy has appeased international lenders. Trump and Milei's meeting will hail the deal.

Yet for all the international praise, this is just one side of the story. On the streets there have been heated protests over Milei's reforms, with police firing tear gas, rubber bullets and a water cannon during clashes.

"He said in his campaign that this adjustment would be paid for by 'la casta' – the wealthy, the politicians, the evil businessmen," says Mercedes D'Alessandro, a left-wing economist and senate candidate.

But, she argues, the result was less money for pensioners and hospitals. "The adjustment in the end was directed at the working classes, not the caste."

Milei's critics argue that the price of his changes have been recession, job losses, weaker public services and declining household budgets. And now some economists say the country could be about to enter a recession.

Milei has created a paradox.

On paper, his chainsaw has achieved some of the macroeconomic successes he set out to do. But Milei has lost political support and that has spooked the markets, which in turn has destabilised his economic project.

With midterm elections looming on 26 October, Argentina is about to deliver its verdict: will Milei be punished for doing what he set out to do — and could losing political support completely unravel his economic gains?

Argentines feeling the cost

Around 700 miles from the capital in the Misiones province, tea farmer Ygor Sobol looks anxious. "We're all going backwards economically," he says. "I had to close the payroll. Now I am completely without employees."

For three generations his family has grown yerba mate, a drink popular with Argentines, but since Milei deregulated his industry by scrapping minimum prices, he says that his crops have become worth less than the cost of producing them.

Now, Mr Sobol says he can't afford to do basic tasks like cleaning and fertilising his plantation. And with the business making a loss, he's deciding what his family will have to go without too.

Argentina's multibillion dollar textile industry is also affected. Luciano Galfione, chairman of a non-profit for the sector Fundacion Pro Tejer, describes "daily" closures and job losses.

Unlike Trump's approach of raising tariffs to promote "America First", Milei cut tariffs and other criteria for imports.

"I have environmental controls, labour controls - we don't pay people $80 (£60) a month, or have 16-hour work days that might be allowed in places like Bangladesh or Vietnam. This creates an unequal playing field," Mr Galfione argues.

He believes that boosting imports has battered domestic producers. "Our sector lost more than 10,000 direct jobs. If you add indirect jobs, there are many more."

Mr Galfione also blames rising costs of utilities, health and schools for reducing the disposable income of average people, and in turn making them less likely to buy clothes.

And yet amid it all, Milei is adamant that his measures will improve the lives of ordinary Argentines.

'Everything was a huge mess'

In the run-up to the election Milei had said there was no alternative to big cuts.

As well as the soaring inflation, vast government subsidies had kept energy and transport prices down. Public spending was high, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Price controls set fixed prices for certain goods. Argentina, still, owes £31bn in debt to the IMF.

"The demand for public spending was brutal," argues Ramiro Castiñeira, an economist at the consultancy Econométrica who supports Milei.

"Society seemed willing to live with so much inflation. Or didn't recognise that inflation was a product of so much public spending."

Inflation ate away the peso currency's purchasing power. Many ordinary Argentines handed over disproportionate sums of pesos to illegal street traders to buy dollars, fearing their money would lose value overnight.

"Everything was a huge mess," explains Martin Rapetti, an economics professor at the University of Buenos Aires and executive director of think tank Equilibria.

"People felt money slipping like water through their fingers."

For many economists, drastic change (even if painful) was essential to restore credibility. And Milei promised radical change.

He went viral for ripping government ministries such as Culture and Women off a whiteboard while shouting 'afuera!' - 'out!'

Among other austerity measures, he halved government ministries, cut tens of thousands of public jobs, slashed budgets including for education, health, pensions and infrastructure, and removed subsidies – spiking utility and transport prices.

His initial devaluing of the peso by 50% caused inflation to spike but then it fell as people spent less and demand fell.

'Echoes of Thatcherism'

When I met him in April 2024 at his office, there were sculptures of him with a chainsaw on display and coasters showing Margaret Thatcher's face. Thatcher is loathed by many people in Argentina owing to the Falklands War, but Milei told me he admired her and that she was "brilliant."

Last month one British newspaper described Milei's own approach as having "echoes of Thatcherism".

Miguel Boggiano, an economist on Milei's economic advisory board, is full of praise for Milei getting inflation down and reducing the deficit. "When you bear in mind the starting point, that's a huge accomplishment," he says.

He believes this will help alleviate poverty in the long-run and enable lower taxes, but also help people to plan their own spending more easily with inflation currently fluctuating less.

But Alan Cibils, an independent economist and former professor, warns reduced inflation is only a success if it is sustained over time which he believes will not be the case.

The outsider advantage

Javier Milei is not a career politician. Before becoming president he had two years experience as a deputy in Argentina's Congress.

"Being so detached kind of shields him," Prof Rapetti observes, citing a lack of "signs of empathy in public life".

On 7 September Milei's party lost unexpectedly badly in the Buenos Aires provincial elections. His convoy was pelted with rocks on the campaign trail. The markets panicked: foreign investors sold off pesos and bonds of Argentine government debt.

Financial markets had generally supported his economic programme. But the midterm elections were upcoming and the £15bn of debt repayments are due next year.

Trump's £15bn currency swap lifeline has provided some stability: Argentine bonds and the peso rose in value in response to the announcement. But D'Alessandro argues that though US intervention might solve a wider problem, nothing will change in "people's real lives".

"We're going to continue with no investment in hospitals, education, social programmes. This money from the United States is not going to improve Argentina's infrastructure."

Flawed leader or model for other countries?

Some of Milei's supporters - like Mr Boggiano - believe there is something else at play in the round criticism of the president: In this view much of it comes down to the opposition trying to "break" what Milei has done, in order to get back into power.

"Once everyone starts to believe stability is here to stay, investment will come back," says Mr Boggiano. "I think Milei will become a model for other countries."

Others are unsure. "There is some stability which helps things not to explode," said Mr Cibils. "But I think that stability is also a mirage."

Milei had also kept inflation under control by spending the country's reserves on propping-up the peso so it didn't crash. Meanwhile, Argentina owes $20bn of debt next year.

One former central bank economist, who wished to speak anonymously, warns Milei's strategy of keeping inflation down could unravel if Argentina can't pay its debts.

"If at the end of the day we have a financial crisis that partially undoes all the effort, then it's a failure. If it ends with social unrest, any good done will be reversed," says the economist.

The left-wing governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, has been touted as a future presidential candidate, long ahead of the elections in 2027. He has spoken in favour of the welfare state. Some investors are calculating whether this could mean a return to the days of big spending.

As to the question of whether Milei has succeeded, the answer largely depends how you define success - and who it is for.

Many workers see shuttered factories, rocketing bills, and a vanishing safety net.

Meanwhile, some investors see a success story of fiscal discipline, tamed inflation, an ally in Washington and simply a "normalisation".

But even as leaders abroad watch Milei's experiment with fascination, politics may explain why few are unlikely to copy it.

If normal people lose faith in what he is doing, markets will also lose confidence that his programme is sustainable – and that could wipe out even the 'macro' successes.

"He has no political expertise, and I think you need it," Prof Rapetti argues.

Still, he believes it is too early to judge: "We are in the middle of his term… The story hasn't finished."

Top picture credit: WPA Pool/Getty Images, Bloomberg via Getty Images

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US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace deal.

It comes two years and two days after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

At least 67,183 have been killed by Israeli military operations in Gaza since then, including 20,179 children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

Here is what we know about the agreement, and what remains unclear:

What has been announced?

After intense negotiations in Egypt, Israel and Hamas have agreed to a first phase of a US peace plan, the US president said.

Announcing the deal on social media, Trump said: "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line."

"All parties" would be treated fairly, said Trump, who called these the "first steps toward... everlasting peace".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "a great day for Israel" and said his government would meet on Thursday to approve the agreement and "bring all our dear hostages home".

In confirming the announcement, Hamas said it would "end the war in Gaza, ensure the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and implement a prisoner exchange".

Israel and Hamas do not speak directly to each other - the negotiations were brokered by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.

What happens next?

Israel's government is due to vote on the deal on Thursday.

If they formally approve it, Israel must withdraw its troops from Gaza to the agreed line, a senior White House official told BBC's US partner, CBS News. The withdrawal would likely happen within 24 hours, the official said.

After this happens, a 72-hour clock will begin where Hamas must release the living hostages.

The release of the hostages would likely begin on Monday, the senior White House official said.

What do we not know?

What's been announced so far is just the initial phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan, which Israel has accepted and Hamas has partly agreed to.

However the announcements did not cover some thorny issues both sides have not reached a resolution on.

Notably, no details surround the disarmament of Hamas - a key point in Trump's plan. Hamas has previously refused to lay down its weapons, saying it would only do so when a Palestinian state had been established.

The future governance of Gaza is also a sticking point. Trump's 20-point plan states Hamas will have no future role in the Strip and proposes it be temporarily governed by a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee", before being handed over to the Palestinian Authority.

Netanyahu appeared to push back on the Palestinian Authority's involvement last week, even as he accepted Trump's plan.

Ultranationalist hardliners within Netanyahu's ruling coalition, many of whom want to reconstruct Jewish settlements in Gaza, are also likely to object to this point.

Hamas, in response, said it still expected to have some role in governing Gaza.

In addition, as of Wednesday night, Hamas had not yet received the final list of Palestinian prisoners that Israel plans to release in exchange for the hostages in Gaza, a Palestinian source told the BBC.

The 20-point plan states that 250 life sentence prisoners plus 1,700 Gazans who were detained after 7 October 2023 will be released.

What's been the reaction?

Relatives of Israeli hostages have welcomed the deal.

Eli Sharabi, whose wife and children were killed, and whose brother Yossi's body is being held by Hamas, posted: "Great joy, can't wait to see everyone home."

The mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen posted: "My child, you are coming home."

Meanwhile in Gaza, celebrations broke out after the announcement. "Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing," Abdul Majeed abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed."

World leaders have urged parties to abide by the deal.

"The suffering must end," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, adding that the UN would support the "full implementation" of the deal, as well as increase its delivery of aid and its reconstruction efforts in Gaza.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the news, saying: "This is a moment of profound relief that will be felt all around the world, but particularly for the hostages, their families, and for the civilian population of Gaza, who have all endured unimaginable suffering over the last two years."

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the agreement a "much needed step towards peace" and urged parties to "respect the terms of the plan".

Lawmakers in the US have struck a cautiously optimistic tone.

"This is a first step, and all parties need to ensure this leads to an enduring end to this war," Democrat Senator Chris Coons said in an X post.

Republican James Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it a welcome deal and said he "looks forward to learning [its] details".

With reporting by Rushdi Abualouf and Lucy Manning

India is losing sunlight.

A new study by six Indian scientists finds that over the past three decades, sunshine hours - the time direct sunlight reaches the Earth's surface - have steadily declined across most of India, driven by clouds, aerosols and local weather.

Data from 20 weather stations from 1988 to 2018 shows a persistent decline in sunshine hours nationwide, with only the northeast region seeing a mild seasonal reprieve, according to the paper published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature Portfolio.

Scientists from Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the India Meteorological Department report that the steepest annual declines occurred in the northern inland region - notably Amritsar and Kolkata - as well as along the Himalayan belt and the west coast, particularly Mumbai.

All of nine India's geograpically diverse regions showed an overall annual decline in sunshine hours, though the rate of decrease varied across India. Monthly analysis revealed significant increases from October to May, followed by sharp drops from June to July in six of the nine regions.

This seasonal pattern of sunshine intersects with a deeper, long-standing problem: India's severe air pollution crisis - it's now among the world's top 10 polluted countries - which scientists trace back to the 1990s. Rapid urbanisation, industrial growth and land-use changes drove up fossil fuel use, vehicle emissions and biomass burning, sending aerosols into the atmosphere and dimming the Sun's rays.

In winter, high air pollution from smog, temperature inversions and crop burning across the Indo-Gangetic plains produces light-scattering aerosols, which reduce sunshine hours.

These aerosols - tiny solid or liquid particles from dust, vehicle exhaust, crop burning, and other sources - persist in the air long enough to affect sunlight, climate and health.

During June-July, monsoon clouds blanket much of India, sharply reducing sunlight even though aerosol levels are lower than in winter.

Scientists note that higher sunshine hours from October to May don't indicate cleaner air; rather, they reflect more cloud-free days. Hazy winter sunlight may scatter or diffuse, lowering intensity without entirely blocking sunshine, which instruments still record as sunshine hours.

"Our study found that shrinking sunshine hours are linked to clouds that linger longer without releasing rain, blocking more sunlight. These longer-lasting clouds form indirectly due to aerosols that alter weather and climate," says Manoj Kumar Srivastava, a professor of geophysics at the Banaras Hindu University, and one of the authors of the study.

Aerosols have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground in India by about 13%, while clouds accounted for an additional 31-44% drop in surface solar radiation between 1993 and 2022, according to Sachchida Nand Tripathi, an atmospheric scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.

These patterns raise concerns for agriculture, daily life and India's solar energy ambitions, while highlighting where solar panels could be most effective.

Solar now makes up 47% of India's renewable energy capacity. The government says it's on track for 500GW of renewables by 2030, with more than 100GW of solar installed as of early 2025. But declining sunlight could cast a shadow on the country's solar ambitions.

According to Prof Tripathi, air pollution compounds the problem. It reduces solar panel output by 12-41% depending on the type of photovoltaic system - the technology that converts sunlight into electricity - and costs an estimated $245-835m in lost power generation.

Studies also show that cleaner air could boost India's annual solar energy production by 6-28 terawatt hours of electricity - enough to power millions of homes for a year.

But the impact of pollution doesn't stop at solar energy. It also takes a heavy toll on agriculture, causing an estimated 36–50% loss in crop yields - mainly rice and wheat - in the country's most polluted regions, according to Prof Tripathi.

India isn't alone in losing sunshine; across the world, rising air pollution and shifting weather patterns have dimmed the skies.

A study published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics observed that Europe likely experienced reduced sunlight reaching the ground because of air pollution between1970–2009. In Germany, sunshine hours decreased by approximately 11% from 1951 to 1980, attributed to industrial gas emissions and associated cloud formation.

Research also showed that stricter clean-air laws in the 1990s led to a rebound in sunshine hours across Europe.

China also experienced a significant decline in sunshine hours from the 1960s to the 2000s, primarily due to increased aerosol emissions from rapid industrialisation. Sunshine duration varied across Chinese cities, with some areas experiencing more significant declines due to factors such as air pollution.

The good news: scientists say the Earth's surface has gradually been receiving more sunlight since the 1980s - a trend known as global brightening, following decades of dimming.

New analysis of satellite data from 1984 to 2018 appears to confirm this, showing the effect is strongest over land and in the Northern Hemisphere, driven mainly by falling aerosols in the 1980s and 1990s and shifts in cloud patterns.

The bad news: heavily polluted countries like India are missing out. If the Sun keeps hiding behind smog, India risks running on fumes instead of full power.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Brussels as part of a national strike over government reforms and spending cuts that has brought flights to a halt and severely disrupted public transport.

Belgium's three big unions are protesting over pensions and other measures by Prime Minister Bart de Wever's centre-right government aimed at cutting the budget deficit.

There were no services at Belgium's second biggest airport at Charleroi, and all departures and many of the arrivals were cancelled at Brussels Airport.

Although trains were running, most buses, trams and underground trains in the capital ground to a halt.

Shipping at Europe's second biggest port Antwerp was suspended until Wednesday because of understaffing, and more than 100 ships waited in the North Sea for permission to dock at three ports, according to Belgium's MDK maritime and coastal services.

Belgium has been hit by several strikes since Flemish nationalist Bart de Wever came to office last February.

By midday, police said 80,0000 protesters had joined the demonstration in the Belgian capital.

Public sector workers were protesting against austerity measures and a government increasingly perceived as leaning right.

They wound through the streets of central Brussels, many wearing the red or green colours of the main unions.

A key issue for the unions is the government's plan to increase the number of days Belgians work per year before they can receive their pensions, as well as the end of special schemes for several sectors including military and railway workers.

De Wever's government has also announced measures including a maximum two-year limit on claiming unemployment benefit. Further cuts are planned for next year's budget, and some proposals such as reducing child benefit or raising VAT have already been floated.

"It's about time we came together," said Anaïs, 29. "It's always the same part of the population that has to tighten their belts."

Holding a placard showing the number 67 with a red line through it, she objected to the pension age going up: "65 is enough. 67 is too late. We are asked to work more, to work longer hours. It's not fair."

The rise in pension age was adopted 10 years ago, well before De Wever's government came to office, but it remains deeply unpopular and the government is aiming to ringfence it and make it more expensive to retire earlier.

Thierry Bodson of the ABVV union told demonstrators that "the fight against the De Wever government is not just the fight of a day or a year - it's for a whole generation", Belga news agency reported.

"We need to fight for our rights," said mother-of-two Vanessa, who had travelled from Charleroi.

"I'm worried about the measures that will be taken. What sort of future will my children have?" she told the BBC.

It is not just the federal government under pressure to cut spending. Belgium's complex multi-level governance means regional authorities are also imposing austerity measures.

The ruling coalition in Belgium's largely French-speaking Walloon region has announced that teachers in the higher tiers of secondary schools will have to work an extra two hours per week.

Many of them joined the protests today.

"Nothing is clear, and it's really worrying, but if higher-level teachers have to work more, many jobs will be cut," said Sandrine, 48, who works in education.

Although the protests were largely peaceful, there were several incidents of vandalism and arson early in the morning and some people in masks clashed with police later on.

Personal data may have been stolen in the ransomware attack that forced Asahi to halt beer production, the company has said.

Japan's biggest brewer was forced to halt production at the majority of its 30 factories in the country, after a cyber-attack late last month disrupted everything from beer shipments to its accounting system.

All of Asahi's facilities have now partially reopened and restarted production but computer systems remain down, meaning orders are being processed using pen, paper and fax machines.

In a statement on Tuesday, Asahi said it was investigating whether personal information was stolen in the attack.

The company said its Emergency Response Headquarters were working with cybersecurity experts to "restore the system as quickly as possible", and will contact those affected by the hack.

"As we continue investigating the extent and details of the impact, focusing on the systems targeted in the recent attack, we have identified the possibility that personal information may have been subject to unauthorised data transfer," it said.

"Should the investigation confirm this, we will promptly notify those concerned and take appropriate measures in accordance with applicable laws on the protection of personal information."

It remains unclear what personal information was stolen, and Asahi declined to provide more detail as the matter is currently under investigation.

Asahi Group also owns Fullers in the UK and global brands including Peroni, Grolsch, and Pilsner Urquell. But Asahi said only its systems and operations in Japan - which account for around half of its sales - have been affected by the attack.

Asahi apologised for "any difficulties" caused by the incident.

The company also said it would delay the disclosure of its third-quarter financial results, citing the disruption caused by the attack.

The disclosure would be more than 45 days after the end of the October to December quarter, Asahi said, but when exactly would depend on the progress of restoring its system.

Russia-based ransomware group Qilin claimed responsibility for the attack, which has previously hacked other big organisations, including the NHS.

The cyber-attack is the latest to have hit operations at major firms.

Jaguar Land Rover, Marks and Spencer, and Co-op are among the major British companies that have been affected this year.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre has reported a record rise in "nationally significant" cyber-attacks in the last year, with an average of four happening every week.

They urged businesses to take "concrete action" to protect themselves from attacks.

Three police officers have been killed and at least 15 other people injured in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy.

The blast was triggered as police and firefighters went into the house near Verona to carry out an eviction order for two brothers and a sister in their late 50s and mid-60s.

The three victims who died were members of the Carabinieri military police.

A man and a woman were arrested at the scene and another man who fled after the explosion was located soon after. All three have been taken to hospital.

The blast could be heard some 5km (3 miles) away and images from the scene showed the building reduced to a pile of rubble.

The head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, said the farmhouse was subject to an eviction order due to debts accrued by the three owners.

"This is a time for grieving," said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, who added that attempts had been made to evict the three siblings in the past.

"It was clear we were dealing with people who would resist in some way," he said.

Mediators had been sent to speak to the siblings who had barricaded themselves into the house. When the Carabinieri arrived shortly after 03:00 (01:00 GMT), officials believe one of the siblings triggered the blast.

"Upon entering the house, we were confronted with an act of absolute madness," provincial police commander Claudio Papagno told the Ansa news agency.

"A gas cylinder had been ignited, and the explosion directly hit our officers," he said.

Petrol bombs were also found at the property, the interior minister said.

Those injured by the blast included 11 other members of the Carabinieri and well as three members of Italy's state police and a firefighter, Ansa reported.

According to the Verona prosecutor, Raffaele Tito, the farmhouse was in a derelict state and had no electricity.

The prosecutor believed the blast had taken place on a floor above the entrance and told reporters it was a "premeditated and voluntary homicide". Shortly before the explosion, he said officers had "heard a whistle, probably the gas cylinders being opened".

"We all knew the situation was dire," neighbours told Italian media, adding that the three had previously threatened to "blow themselves up" rather than leave the house.

Piantedosi said the explosion had left a "terrible, very painful and dramatic toll".

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto joined other political leaders in paying tribute to the three men who had lost their lives in the service of their country.

Venezuela announced on Monday it would close its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government did not comment on Machado's prize, saying that the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service.

Norway's foreign ministry confirmed that Caracas had closed its embassy in Oslo without providing a reason.

The Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded her the prize on Friday in recognition of what it called "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela", while Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro referred to the 58-year-old laureate as a "demonic witch".

The Norwegian foreign ministry called the decision "regrettable".

"Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction," a ministry spokeswoman said.

She added that the Nobel Prize "is independent of the Norwegian government".

Machado has for years been campaigning against Maduro, whose 12-year rule is viewed by many nations as illegitimate.

Caracas also closed its embassy in Australia while opening new outposts in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, which it called "strategic partners in the fight" against "hegemonic pressures".

She has been forced to live in hiding for much of the past year.

• María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

In honouring her achievement, Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes called Machado a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided... in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis."

Machado told BBC Mundo her award was "like an injection" for her political movement. "It infuses energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone," she said.

Venezuela's closure of embassies in two close US allies comes after weeks of heightened tension between Caracas and Washington.

The US military has destroyed at least four boats that it said were carrying narcotics from Venezuela to the US, killing at least 21 people on board, in what the Donald Trump administration calls a war on drugs.

The strikes have attracted condemnation in countries including Venezuela and Colombia, with some international lawyers describing the strikes as a breach of international law.

The last time Norway suffered a diplomatic blow over the Nobel Peace Prize was with China in 2010, when it was awarded to political dissident Liu Xiaobo. Beijing suspended trade and other relations, and only normalised ties with Oslo six years later.

Prominent Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer has arrived in Miami after being freed from a Cuban prison.

Shortly after landing in the United States, the pro-democracy activist called for the release of hundreds of political prisoners held in Cuba.

Earlier this month, the 55-year-old revealed that he had taken the "difficult decision" to go into exile after being told his wife could also be jailed and their son sent to an institution for juvenile offenders.

In a statement, the Cuban foreign ministry said Mr Ferrer and his family had left the country following "a formal request" from the US government and insisted that Mr Ferrer had given his "explicit acceptance".

As co-ordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba - an umbrella group of dissident organisations - Mr Ferrer has been one of the most outspoken critics of Cuba's Communist government, which bans political opposition.

Like many Cuban dissidents, Mr Ferrer has been in and out of prison.

He had been released briefly in January following a deal negotiated by the Vatican under which then US President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, just days his term ended.

But Mr Ferrer was re-arrested after three months, during which he had continued to speak out against the Cuban government, which accused him of breaching the terms of his parole.

The dissident said that following his re-arrest "the cruelty of the dictatorship towards me has known no bounds".

He has accused prison authorities of humiliating and torturing him.

Fellow dissidents have described his departure from Cuba as a "forced exile".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a statement that "Ferrer's leadership and tireless advocacy for the Cuban people was a threat to the regime, which repeatedly imprisoned and tortured him".

"We are glad that Ferrer is now free from the regime's oppression," Rubio added.

He also called on the international community "to join us in holding the Cuban regime accountable for its abuses" and to demand the release of "more of 700 unjustly detained political prisoners" held on the Communist-run island.

Graduate student Nicole Lobo moved back to the US in late August after a year in the UK, shipping 10 boxes of possessions back home to Philadelphia that she expected to arrive within a few days.

Six weeks later, she is still waiting for the shipment - and fears it is lost, destroyed by UPS as the company struggles to handle a flood of packages facing new customs and tariff rules.

"It's been horrific," says the 28-year-old, who was notified last month that her boxes would be disposed of, leaving her to make frantic phone calls and send emails to try to head off the outcome.

It's an ordeal facing many UPS customers since the Trump administration in late August stopped allowing parcels worth less than $800 to enter the US without inspection, taxes or tariffs.

The decision abruptly made an estimated 4 million packages each day subject to new, more onerous processing and documentation rules.

As the influx leads to longer processing times and higher, sometimes unexpected, costs across the industry, some customers of UPS like Nicole, say they fear their packages have been lost in the backlog.

"It's beyond comprehension to me," says Janani Mohan, a 29-year-old engineer living in Michigan, who has also spent hours on hold and sent repeated emails since a tracking alert listed a box sent by her parents in India as set for disposal.

The parcel held her wedding dress, which had also been worn by her mother, an heirloom sari from her grandmother and wedding photos, among other items.

"I literally cried to them on the phone," she says. "Everything in there is very close to my heart."

Oregon-based Mizuba Tea Co, which has used UPS for more than a decade to import matcha from Japan, has five shipments together worth more than $100,000 held up in processing.

The firm has received conflicting alerts about their status, including some saying the items were set for disposal.

"My whole team is basically on scan watch," says Lauren Purvis, who runs the business with her family and is now starting to worry about running out of inventory if the limbo continues.

"It's just clear to us that the current importing systems were not prepared to handle the sheer amount of volume and paperwork."

Importers typically have 10 days after goods enter the US to submit documentation about the goods, pay tariffs and other fees, allowing the package to go to its recipient.

But the Trump administration's rapid changes to tariff rules have made it increasingly difficult to meet customs deadlines requirements, say shipping companies like FedEx and UPS, which offer customs services and often act as importers of record.

For example, businesses are now responsible for paying tariffs on any steel or aluminium contained in a product , and in many cases vouching for its country of origin - information that many businesses, let alone their shipping companies, do not know.

"Because of changes to US import regulations, we are seeing many packages that are unable to clear customs due to missing or incomplete information about the shipment required for customs clearance," a UPS spokeswoman said.

While acknowledging longer shipping times, the company said it was still successfully clearing more than 90% of international packages within a day of arrival.

The spokeswoman said its policy was to contact customers three times before moving to dispose of a package.

But seven people interviewed by the BBC, including several businesses responsible for shipping the items, said they had received no word from UPS about issues before seeing the tracking alert that their package would be trashed.

FedEx, another major player in the industry, said it does not typically destroy packages, unless directed to do so by the shipper.

Nicole, the graduate student, says she has been asked to supply more information about her items, which she did promptly in early September.

She did not hear more until seeing the notice about disposal in late September. After the BBC enquired about her package, the tracking information was updated for the first time in weeks to say it was "on the way", raising her hopes.

Likewise, Janani says the company reached out last week, after the BBC got in touch, for a few more documents and her package now appears to have cleared customs.

But for businesses, the chaos has already had real costs.

Swedish candy exporter Swedish Candy Land says more than 700 packages it sent via UPS to customers in the US in the first few weeks of September have been held up.

Co-founder Tobias Johansson says the business switched to FedEx after becoming aware of the problem and its shipments were now arriving without incident, although the process took a few days longer than before .

But the lost packages, some of which have been reported destroyed, have cost the firm roughly $50,000 in refunds, not including the expenses they incurred in shipping and brokerage fees.

"That was a big hit for us and we haven't gotten any answers yet for anything," says Mr Johansson.

Experts say the ripple effects are being felt across the supply chain, even on businesses, like Mizuba, that were not bringing in shipments using the $800 exemption from tariffs, known as de minimis.

"This can be felt pretty much across the board," says Bernie Hart, vice president of business development at Flexport, a logistics and customs business.

In a call with financial analysts last month, FedEx executives said it had been a "very stressful period" for its customers, especially smaller players.

"That is a big headwind," chief executive Raj Subramanian said, warning that changes to the trade environment would likely lead to a $1bn hit this year, including $300m in additional expenses as the firm hires and faces other costs related to the new rules.

But John Pickel, vice president of supply chain policy for the National Foreign Trade Council, which represents many shipping firms, fears the issues may get worse before they get better.

Overall trade volumes last month were lower than is typical, in part because many businesses rushed goods into the US early to beat tariffs.

"There's always been this prevailing thought that companies will figure it out," he says. "What we've seen is that is much harder than anyone anticipated."

Google's parent company Alphabet will invest $15bn (£11.29bn) to build an AI data hub in southern India's Andhra Pradesh state.

The facility, which will be set up in the port city of Visakhapatnam, is going to be a part of Google's global network of AI centres spread across 12 countries.

"It's the largest AI hub that we are going to be investing in anywhere in the world, outside of the United States," Thomas Kurien, the CEO of Google Cloud, said at an event in capital Delhi on Tuesday, adding that the investment will be spread over the next five years.

The announcement comes at a time when US President Donald Trump has been asking American companies to prioritise domestic investment.

India has emerged as a key destination for AI data centres. The country's low data costs and rapidly growing internet user base have made it a hub for cloud and AI expansion for tech giants.

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said the facility "will bring our industry-leading technology to enterprises and users in India, accelerating AI innovation and driving growth across the country".

A formal agreement to finalise the project will be signed on Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh government said.

"It is a massive leap for our state's digital future, innovation, and global standing," said the state's technology minister Nara Lokesh.

The project will combine cloud and AI infrastructure with renewable energy systems and an expanded fibre-optic network.

The project is part of the Andhra Pradesh government's plan to develop 6GW of data centre capacity by 2029, according to Bloomberg News.

Data centres are physical facilities that house the computing and networking equipment that organisations use to collect, process, store, and distribute data.

They contain servers, storage systems and network equipment like routers and firewalls, along with the necessary power and cooling systems to operate them.

In Andhra Pradesh, the government has been offering subsidised land and electricity to attract global investors.

India's data centre industry has grown rapidly over the past five years, crossing the 1GW capacity mark in 2024 and nearly tripling its 2019 level, according to global professional service firm JLL's India Data Centre Market Dynamics 2024 report.

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

A Kenyan police officer stationed at one of the gates of the president's official residence in the capital, Nairobi, has died after being shot with an arrow, officials have said.

Police said that on Monday morning, a 56-year-old man, armed with a bow and arrows, approached officers at the gate of State House and was ordered to surrender. Instead, he moved forward and shot PC Ramadhan Matanka in the ribs.

The policeman was immediately taken to hospital but died while undergoing treatment, according to a police statement.

The attack has raised questions about possible security lapses as State House is one of Kenya's most heavily guarded locations.

PC Matanka's body is now in a mortuary and there will be a post-mortem later.

An investigation is also under way to establish the motive behind the attack.

Local media are reporting that the dead policeman had been among those screening vehicles entering State House.

The alleged attacker, who had reportedly disguised himself as a homeless person carrying a sack concealing the weapons, was detained following the assault.

Video footage, published by Kenyan television channel NTV later on Monday, showed a handcuffed man with visible injuries. He was in a police vehicle and was reportedly being taken to hospital for treatment.

The man is expected to appear in court later on Tuesday, local media are reporting.

"The National Police Service condemns this heinous act and commends the officers for their swift response, which prevented further harm," police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said.

He sent his condolences to the family of the dead policeman, noting that the officer had "paid the ultimate price in the line of duty".

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Weeks after widespread protests swept Indonesia over the excessive pays of lawmakers, a new allowance raise has unleashed fresh public anger.

Lawmakers will now get 702 million rupiah ($42,400; £31,800) in recess allowances - a near-double increase from the previous allowance of 400 million rupiah, said the country's deputy house speaker.

The recess allowance is meant to support lawmakers carrying out their official duties, like visiting constituents, when parliament is not in session.

The protests earlier in August were triggered primarily by a $3,000 monthly housing allowances given to lawmakers - nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta. These were later cut, in a bid to quell anger.

August's protests began after thousands demonstrated against the housing allowances for MPs. But they soon spilled into a wider protest over corruption and economic inequality in South East Asia's largest economy.

And now, news of the latest recess allowance hike - which kicked in on 3 October - has renewed controversy around this.

Indonesian lawmakers take around five recesses a year, during which they visit their electoral districts and gather feedback from residents.

The hike in recess allowances is meant to match the increased activities by lawmakers during their recesses, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad told reporters on Saturday. He told Reuters that the previous allowance did not take into account the rise in food and transport prices.

Dasco also said on Monday that the House of Representatives would release a publicly accessible app where lawmakers are required to report on their expenditure of recess funds, to allow Indonesians to monitor their spending.

It is not unheard of for lawmakers in other countries to receive allowances on top of their basic salaries to cover their official duties to their constituents. In Australia, the electorate allowance ranges from $25,000 to $37,000 per year depending on the size of the lawmaker's constituency.

The latest incident is part of a growing anger over what many Indonesians perceive to be the impunity of the country's political elite.

"It's like Indonesians have been pranked," Lucius Karus from Formappi, a non-profit parliamentary watchdog, told local media outlets.

"We were satisfied by the abolition of the housing allowance … but, in fact, another fantastic allowance has appeared."

Part of this anger also stems from reports that a number of lawmakers had received an extra 54 million rupiah in recess allowance. Authorities later said this was due to human error and that the money had been clawed back.

"[The government's] behavior is not surprising," wrote another X user. "What is surprising is why the Indonesian people still want to choose them."

Venezuela announced on Monday it would close its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government did not comment on Machado's prize, saying that the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service.

Norway's foreign ministry confirmed that Caracas had closed its embassy in Oslo without providing a reason.

The Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded her the prize on Friday in recognition of what it called "her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela", while Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro referred to the 58-year-old laureate as a "demonic witch".

The Norwegian foreign ministry called the decision "regrettable".

"Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue open with Venezuela and will continue to work in this direction," a ministry spokeswoman said.

She added that the Nobel Prize "is independent of the Norwegian government".

Machado has for years been campaigning against Maduro, whose 12-year rule is viewed by many nations as illegitimate.

Caracas also closed its embassy in Australia while opening new outposts in Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, which it called "strategic partners in the fight" against "hegemonic pressures".

She has been forced to live in hiding for much of the past year.

• María Corina Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize

In honouring her achievement, Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes called Machado a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided... in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis."

Machado told BBC Mundo her award was "like an injection" for her political movement. "It infuses energy, hope, strength on the Venezuelan people because we realise that we are not alone," she said.

Venezuela's closure of embassies in two close US allies comes after weeks of heightened tension between Caracas and Washington.

The US military has destroyed at least four boats that it said were carrying narcotics from Venezuela to the US, killing at least 21 people on board, in what the Donald Trump administration calls a war on drugs.

The strikes have attracted condemnation in countries including Venezuela and Colombia, with some international lawyers describing the strikes as a breach of international law.

The last time Norway suffered a diplomatic blow over the Nobel Peace Prize was with China in 2010, when it was awarded to political dissident Liu Xiaobo. Beijing suspended trade and other relations, and only normalised ties with Oslo six years later.

It's been three months since Jonathan Giba moved into temporary housing for homeless veterans inside a hospital for former members of the US military in West Virginia.

He has been waiting for medical and dental consultations, after medications he was previously prescribed left him without teeth and unable to walk. Now, with the government shut down, he is preparing to wait even longer.

He calls it "political bs". The US Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital where Mr Giba is staying in Martinsburg, West Virginia, is still providing medical care, but the VA stopped other programs that help veterans find jobs and transition from military life.

"The shutdown is a waste of time, and it hurts everyone in the meantime," the Army veteran says.

Martinsburg is an American town particularly fixed to feel the impacts of the US government shutdown.

A city of nearly 20,000 people some 85 miles (136km) outside of Washington DC, federal agencies employ upwards of 3,300 people in the area, between the veterans' hospital, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processing facility and an agricultural assistance office.

Another thousand or so federal workers commute to the nation's capital each day from the Amtrak station in Martinsburg's centre.

This is Trump country, where 67% voted for the president in 2024 and a fierce independence undergirds something of a make-it-work mindset.

Because of the government shutdown, a nearby community event - the Freedom's Run Race Series - changed its route from trails near a federal Civil War battlefield site, but otherwise went on as planned. Harper's Ferry, a national park and nearby tourist draw, has been kept open with state money.

But the political bickering in Washington and perceived lack of concern about everyday Americans are not far from people's minds. And they worry about what's coming as the shutdown drags on.

On an unseasonably warm Monday nearly six days after the US government shut down, Mr Giba sits underneath the shade of a large tree chain-smoking cigarettes with fellow veterans.

One of them, Troy Williams, says politics is hurting average Americans. "This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue," he says, "this is a why aren't they working on a solution issue."

Air Force veteran Marcellus Brothers is concerned about what's ahead. "We're in limbo, it's scary."

• What makes this US shutdown different (and more difficult)
• 'No good outcome' - voters across US share concerns about shutdown
• Trump administration starts laying off thousands of workers

Republicans and Democrats have been deadlocked over government funding since it ran out on 1 October, and much of the government shut down, placing more than 700,000 people on unpaid leave. Some 200,000 other workers deemed "essential" are working without pay as the political standoff drags on.

Politicians in Washington have pointed fingers in the direction of the opposing party. On Friday, the White House began laying off thousands of federal employees.

In a state already hit by job cuts from the Trump administration's efforts to scale back the federal workforce, the shutdown threatens even steeper losses, Kelly Allen, the executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy warns.

"We have more federal government employees than coal miners in West Virginia," she says. "Of course those jobs are well paying, come with good benefits and in a state with not a whole lot of good paying jobs those are really important."

Tina Hissam, a small business employee in the area, has seen the impact of government shutdowns on her neighbours first hand.

"It hurts the small businesses, they may cancel services, they may not shop locally," she says of federal workers. "The government shutdown has a huge impact and it's really scary, I just pray that it all goes away."

Already, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) service centre - which serves the seven surrounding counties - has shut its door.

The office - responsible for assisting farmers, ranchers and landowners with tasks like applying for farm loans and disaster assistance - will remain closed until the government reopens.

And on Wednesday, the IRS furloughed 34,000 workers, so the service centre in Martinsburg may soon be affected.

History has shown that as shutdowns go on, more services are cut or shuttered because of a lack of funding.

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito has so far remained unbowed despite the potential impact on areas she represents like Martinsburg. She has voted with fellow Republicans to provide government funding without healthcare subsidies that Democrats want. Both sides' proposals have repeatedly failed.

In a local op-ed, Moore Capito noted West Virginia has the third-highest number of federal employees per capita in the country, but blamed Democrats' intransigence.

"These are our neighbours and friends - people who keep our miners safe, process veterans' benefits, secure our borders, and keep drugs out of our communities. They're now facing uncertainty about their pay checks through no fault of their own."

When the first cheques since the shutdown arrive - or don't - on Friday that impact may finally hit.

In previous shutdowns, federal workers who went without pay were given back pay, but it remains unclear if that will be the case this time around.

"The economic loss could have wide-ranging consequences on local communities, businesses and households. It could cause long-term damage to local economies," resident Mark Mulligan says.

"West Virginia is a poor state and dependent on federal jobs and handouts. The pain to the elderly, the disabled and to children could be catastrophic. "

There have been celebrations across Israel and the Palestinian territories as a major hostage and prisoner exchange on Monday marked a significant step towards ending two years of war in Gaza.

In a crucial first phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war, Hamas returned all living Israeli hostages, while Israel freed almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

US President Donald Trump landed in Israel minutes after the first hostages were reunited with their families in tearful scenes, and in a speech to Israel's parliament declared a "historic dawn in a new Middle East".

Trump then flew on to a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to meet more than 20 leaders for talks on later phases of his Gaza peace plan.

At the summit Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US signed a declaration as guarantors of the ceasefire deal which is aimed at ending two years of war that has left Gaza in ruins.

But amid the diplomatic celebrations and the joy during reunions in Israel and the Palestinian territories, many challenges still lie ahead if the ceasefire is to be built into a lasting peace.

The latter phases of Trump's 20-point peace plan are fraught with sticking points, and intense negotiations will be needed in order to move forward.

Monday's hostage and prisoner exchange completed the initial phase of the deal - and came after a ceasefire took effect on Friday and an increase of humanitarian aid entered Gaza over the weekend.

Families of the Israeli hostages were seen screaming with happiness and crying as they embraced their freed loved ones.

"I am overwhelmed with emotion and joy," said Arbel Yehoud, a former hostage herself who was reunited with her partner Ariel Cunio when he was released on Monday.

"For over two years, the hope of holding Ariel again is what sustained and drove me every single day," she said.

Buses carrying those freed from Israeli jails through Gaza and the occupied West Bank were surrounded by huge crowds waving flags and playing patriotic music.

One Palestinian woman reunited with her son said her heart was finally at peace.

Though the releases went largely as planned, Israel's hostage families expressed outrage that Hamas said it would only return the bodies of four of the deceased hostages. It is thought the remains of up to 24 others hostages remain in Gaza.

As part of the agreement, around 1,700 Palestinian detainees who had been held by Israel without charge were freed.

About 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences were also released by Israel, with about 100 being freed into the occupied West Bank. Others were deported and a small number released into East Jerusalem.

As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they were met by raucous cheers - but many looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk.

"There is joy, and there is pain, and there is happiness, and there is sorrow, said Khalil Muhammad Abdulrahman Al-Qatrous, who gathered outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis to collect his son who he said had been detained by Israel for about three months.

After being greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump visited Israel's parliament, the Knesset, where he conducted the first address by a US president since 2008.

"At last, not only for Israelis but also Palestinians, the long and painful nightmare is finally over," he told the chamber during a long address, with some politicians' breaking out into chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump".

There was a brief interruption, when an opposition member held up a piece of paper that said "Recognise Palestine".

Trump then flew onto Sharm El-Sheikh where he met more than 20 world leaders - including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and the leaders of many Muslim and Arab countries.

He posed for photos along with other leaders on a stage emblazoned with the words "Peace in the Middle East".

Among those also in attendance was former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who - under Trump's plan - is slated to play a key role in a "Board of Peace" for Gaza that would be headed and chaired by the US President.

The plan would see Gaza initially governed by a temporary transitional committee of Palestinian technocrats overseen by the "Board of Peace", before power is eventually transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) once it has undergone reforms.

But difficult negotiations will be needed in order to move forward with the latter phases of the plan.

Among the points of contention are the extent and timeline of Israeli troop withdrawal, the disarmament of Hamas, and the future governance of the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has previously said it would not disarm unless a Palestinian state was established - and has rejected the idea of foreign governance in Gaza.

Netanyahu has pushed back on any future involvement of the PA.

Asked when phase two of negotiations on a peace agreement will begin, Trump replied: "It's started".

"The phases are all a little bit mixed in with each other," he added.

Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2003, which saw 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken hostage back to Gaza.

Since then more than 67,000 people have been killed by Israel's offensive, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Its figures are seen as reliable by the UN and other international bodies. More than 9 in 10 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed according to the UN.

US President Donald Trump has told cheering Israeli lawmakers that "this is the historic dawn of a new Middle East", after helping to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

During the first such address by a US president since 2008, Trump said Monday was a "day of profound joy" after "two harrowing years".

Trump's address to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, comes on the day that the last 20 living hostages held in the Palestinian enclave were released by Hamas.

Israel is releasing 250 Palestinian prisoners and more than 1,700 other Palestinians detained during the two-year military operations in Gaza.

During a whirlwind trip to the region, Trump is also expected to attend a peace summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other world leaders.

After hearing politicians' chants of "Trump, Trump, Trump" in the Knesset, the American president said the occasion would represent "not only the end of a war" but also the possibility of a new age for "what will soon be a magnificent region".

Trump's suggestion that the region was on the dawn of a new era echoed the words he used when Israel signed landmark deals with several Arab states during his first presidency.

Trump was introduced to parliament by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who saluted his counterpart's various acts of solidarity with Israel.

Trump was the "greatest friend" Israel had ever had in the White House, Netanyahu said.

"Everything changed" in the American attitude to Israel's military campaign in Gaza when Trump was re-elected as US president last year, Netanyahu added.

The Israeli prime minister thanked Trump for his "unremitting help" in securing the return of the remaining hostages - part of a group of 251 people seized during the 7 October 2023 attacks in southern Israel by Hamas.

Trump went on to offer a tribute of his own to his counterpart, saying: "He's not the easiest guy to deal with, but that's what makes him great."

• Follow live updates
• Who are the released hostages?
• What we know about Gaza ceasefire agreement

Earlier, the US president declared the "war is over" in Gaza, after two years of fighting, as he flew to the region from the US on board Air Force One.

The ceasefire in Gaza took effect on Friday morning after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump's 20-point peace plan. The next phases are still to be negotiated.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the ceasefire would hold, and that a "board of peace" he is due to head would quickly be set up to administer the territory.

In his remarks to parliament, Netanyahu said he was "committed to this peace".

Also welcomed to the Knesset alongside Trump were other key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The names of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner received particularly loud cheers from Israeli MPs, for their own roles in brokering the ceasefire. Kushner was accompanied by his wife Ivanka Trump.

Members of Trump's audience wore red caps. Instead of Trump's signature slogan "Make America Great Again", they read "Trump the Peace President".

Trump was told by the parliamentary speaker that there was "no-one" more deserving of next year's Nobel Peace Prize.

But some Israeli lawmakers who want the war in Gaza to continue did not attend.

Soldiers have threatened to seize the state TV headquarters in Madagascar as President Andry Rajoelina was due to address the nation, his office says, amid unconfirmed reports that he has fled the country.

A French military aircraft is said to have airlifted Rajoelina from the Indian Ocean island to an unknown location, following a fortnight of nationwide protests aimed at kicking him out of power.

His failed attempts to placate young protesters - dubbed "Gen Z Mada" - saw him sack his entire government and make other concessions to no avail.

On Sunday, his office said an attempt was under way to force him from power. He has not been seen in public since Wednesday.

Rajoelina's planned address to the nation has been delayed several times - it was initially due at 1900 local time (1600 GMT).

Over the weekend, a powerful army unit - known as CAPSAT - that helped install Rajoelina in power in 2009 moved to undermine him by declaring itself in command of all the armed forces, while some of its officers joined protesters on the streets of the capital, Antananarivo.

• As it happened: How a day of drama unfolded in Madagascar

Following a meeting of military commanders on Monday, the new Chief of Army Staff installed by CAPSAT, Gen Demosthene Pikulas, assured the public that the security forces were working together to maintain order in the island nation.

By Monday evening, the general was at state TV headquarters trying to resolve the crisis, according to a statement from the presidency.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior leader in Madagascar's largest opposition party told the BBC that Madagascar was now effectively being run by CAPSAT.

The TIM party has also said it plans to bring impeachment proceedings against Rajoelina for "abandonment of post".

Several of Rajoelina's inner circle have fled to nearby Mauritius. They include former Prime Minister President Richard Ravalomanana and the businessman Maminiaina Ravatomanga.

Despite its abundant natural resources, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. About 75% of people there live below the poverty line, the World Bank says, while data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shows just over one-third of people have access to electricity.

The protests began over anger with repeated water and power cuts, then escalated to reflect wider dissatisfaction with Rajoelina's government over high unemployment, corruption, and the cost-of-living crisis.

At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the first few days of the protests, according to the UN, although the government has rejected these figures.

Eyewitnesses describe security officers opening fire on protesters with live ammunition. In one case, a newborn baby died from smoke inhalation after being exposed to tear gas.

Madagascar has been rocked by multiple uprisings since it gained independence in 1960, including mass protests in 2009 that forced then-President Marc Ravalomanana to step down and saw Rajoelina ushered into office.

Aged just 34 at the time, Rajoelina became Africa's youngest leader - going on to govern for four years, then returning to power again after the 2018 election.

Rajoelina was born into wealth and, before entering politics, had made a name for himself as an entrepreneur and DJ - setting up a radio station and an advertising company along the way.

But his sharp-suited, baby-faced appeal soon waned, as allegations of cronyism and entrenched corruption became unshakeable.

More on Madagascar's crisis:

• Behind the Gen Z protesters who want to force Madagascar's president from power
• Army general named as Madagascar PM to quell Gen Z protests

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