Two tiny, remote Antarctic outposts populated by penguins and seals are among the obscure places targeted by the Trump administration's new tariffs.

Heard and McDonald Islands - a territory which sits 4,000km (2,485 miles) south-west of Australia - are only accessible via a seven-day boat trip from Perth, and haven't been visited by humans in almost a decade.

President Trump on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping import tax scheme, in retaliation for what he said are unfair trade barriers on US products.

A handful of other Australian territories were also hit by the new tariffs, in addition to the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard, the Falkland Islands and The British Indian Ocean Territory.

"It just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

Like the rest of Australia, the Heard and McDonald Islands, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island are now subject to a tariff of 10%. A tariff of 29% was imposed on the Norfolk Island, which is also an Australian territory and has a population of about 2,200 people.

Heard Island, though, is barren, icy and completely uninhabited - home to Australia's largest and only active volcano, Big Ben, and mostly covered by glaciers.

It is believed the last time people ventured on to Heard Island was in 2016, when a group of amateur radio enthusiasts broadcasted from there with permission of the Australian government.

Mike Coffin, from the University of Tasmania, has made the journey to the surrounding waters seven times to conduct scientific research, and is sceptical about the existence of major exports from the island to the US.

"There's nothing there," he told the BBC.

As far as he knows, there are only two Australian companies which catch and export Patagonian toothfish and mackerel icefish.

What is in abundance, however, is unique and spectacular nature.

The islands are listed by Unesco World Heritage as a rare example of an ecosystem untouched by external plants, animals or human impact.

"It's heavily colonised by penguins and elephant seals and all kinds of sea birds," said Prof Coffin, who studies the undersea geography of the islands.

He recalls observing from afar what he thought was a beach, only the sands "turned out to be probably a few 100,000 penguins".

"Every time a ship goes there and observes it, there's lava flowing down the flanks [of Big Ben]," he said, describing it sweeping over ice and sending up steam.

It's hard to get a clear picture of the trade relationship between the Heard and McDonald Islands and the US.

According to export data from the World Bank, the islands have, over the past few years, usually exported a small amount of products to the US.

But in 2022 the US imported US$1.4m (A$2.23m; ) from the territory, nearly all of it unnamed "machinery and electrical" products.

The US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.

As with many governments around the world, the tariffs have frustrated Australia's leaders, with Albanese saying they are "totally unwarranted" and "not the act of a friend."

April Hubbard sits on the theatre stage where she plans to die later this year.

She is not terminally ill, but the 39-year-old performance and burlesque artist has been approved for assisted dying under Canada's increasingly liberal laws.

Warning: This article contains details and descriptions some readers may find disturbing

She is speaking to BBC News from the Bus Stop Theatre, an intimate auditorium with a little under 100 seats, in the eastern city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Illuminated by a single spotlight on a stage she has performed on many times before, she tells me she plans to die here "within months" of her imminent 40th birthday. She'll be joined by a small group of her family and friends.

April plans to be in a "big comfy bed" for what she calls a "celebratory" moment when a medical professional will inject a lethal dose into her bloodstream.

"I want to be surrounded by the people I love and just have everybody hold me in a giant cuddle puddle and get to take my last breath, surrounded by love and support," she says.

April was born with spina bifida and was later diagnosed with tumours at the base of her spine which she says have left her in constant, debilitating pain.

She's been taking strong opioid painkillers for more than 20 years and applied for Medical Assistance in Dying (Maid) in March 2023. While she could yet live for decades with her condition, she qualified to end her life early seven months after applying. For those who are terminally ill it is possible to get approval within 24 hours.

"My suffering and pain are increasing and I don't have the quality of life anymore that makes me happy and fulfilled," April says. Every time she moves or breathes, she says it feels like the tissues from the base of her spine "are being pulled like a rubber band that stretches too far", and that her lower limbs leave her in agony.

We meet April as, almost 3,000 miles away, MPs are scrutinising proposals to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. They voted in principle in support of those plans in November 2024, but months of detailed scrutiny have followed - and further votes in the Commons and Lords are required before the bill could possibly become law.

This week, the BBC witnessed a man's death in California, where assisted dying laws are far more similar to those being considered in Westminster.

Critics say Canada is an example of the "slippery slope", meaning that once you pass an assisted dying law it will inevitably widen its scope and have fewer safeguards.

Canada now has one of the most liberal systems of assisted dying in the world, similar to that operating in the Netherlands and Belgium. It introduced Maid in 2016, initially for terminally ill adults with a serious and incurable physical illness, which causes intolerable suffering. In 2021, the need to be terminally ill was removed, and in two years' time, the Canadian government plans to open Maid to adults solely with a mental illness and no physical ailment.

Opponents of Maid tell us that death is coming to be seen as a standard treatment option for those with disabilities and complex medical problems.

"It is easier in Canada to get medical assistance in dying than it is to get government support to live," says Andrew Gurza, a disability awareness consultant and friend of April's.

Andrew, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, says he respects April's decision, but tells us: "If my disability declines and my care needs got higher, I'd still want to be here. To know there's a law that's saying you could easily end your life - it's just really scary."

Before she was approved for Maid, April was assessed by two independent physicians who were required to inform her of ways to alleviate her suffering and offer alternative treatments.

"The safeguards are there," she says, when we press her about disabled people who feel threatened by assisted dying, or whether Maid is being used as a shortcut to better quality care. "If it's not right for you and you're not leading the charge and choosing Maid, you're not going to be able to access it unless it's for the right reasons," she adds.

There were 15,343 Maid deaths in 2023, representing around one in 20 of all deaths in Canada - a proportion that has increased dramatically since 2016 and is one of the highest in the world. The average age of recipients was 77.

In all but a handful of cases, the lethal dose was delivered by a doctor or nurse, which is also known as voluntary euthanasia. One doctor we spoke to, Eric Thomas, said he had helped 577 patients to die.

Dr Konia Trouton, president of the Canadian Association of Maid Assessors and Providers, has also helped hundreds of patients to die since the law was introduced.

The procedure is the same each time - she arrives at the home of the person who has been given approval for Maid and asks if they wish to go ahead with it that day. She says the patients always direct the process and then give her the "heads up and ready to go".

"That gives me an honour and a duty and a privilege to be able to help them in those last moments with their family around them, with those who love them around them and to know that they've made that decision thoughtfully, carefully and thoroughly," she adds. If the answer is yes, she opens her medical bag.

Demonstrating to the BBC what happens next, Dr Trouton briefly puts a tourniquet on my arm. She shows me where the needle would be inserted into a vein in the back of my hand to allow an intravenous infusion of lethal drugs.

In her medical bag she also has a stethoscope. "Strangely, these days I use it more to determine if someone has no heartbeat rather than if they do," she tells me.

A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action Line

Some 96% of Maid provisions are under "track one" where death is "reasonably foreseeable". Dr Trouton says that means patients are on a "trajectory toward death", which might range from someone who has rapidly spreading cancer and only weeks to live or another with Alzheimer's "who might have five to seven years".

The other 4% of Maid deaths come under "track two". These are adults, like April, who are not dying but have suffering which is intolerable to them from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

That is in stark contrast to Labour MP Kim Leadbeater's bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, which says patients must be expected to die within six months. The Westminster bill would not allow doctors to give a lethal dose – rather patients would have to self-administer the drugs, usually by swallowing them.

Death via intravenous infusion normally takes just a few minutes, as the lethal drugs go straight into the bloodstream, whereas swallowing the drugs means patients usually take around an hour or two to die, but can take considerably longer, although they are usually unconscious after a few minutes.

Dr Trouton told me she regarded the Canadian system as quicker and more effective, as do other Maid providers. "I'm concerned that if some people can't swallow because of their disease process, and if they're not able to take the entire quantity of medication because of breathing difficulties or swallowing difficulties, what will happen?"

'Canada has fallen off a cliff'

But opponents argue it's being used as a cheaper alternative to providing adequate social or medical support.

One of them is Dr Ramona Coelho, a GP in London, Ontario, whose practice serves many marginalised groups and those struggling to get medical and social support. She's part of a Maid Death Review Committee, alongside Dr Trouton, which examines cases in the province.

Dr Coelho told me that Maid was "out of control". "I wouldn't even call it a slippery slope," she says "Canada has fallen off a cliff."

"When people have suicidal ideations, we used to meet them with counselling and care, and for people with terminal illness and other diseases we could mitigate that suffering and help them have a better life," she says. "Yet now we are seeing that as an appropriate request to die and ending their lives very quickly."

While at Dr Coelho's surgery I was introduced to Vicki Whelan, a retired nurse whose mum Sharon Scribner died in April 2023 of lung cancer, aged 81. Vicki told me that in her mum's final days in hospital she was repeatedly offered the option of Maid by medical staff, describing it as like a "sales pitch".

The family, who are Catholic, discharged their mother so she could die at home, where Vicki says her mum had a "beautiful, peaceful death". "It makes us think that we can't endure, and we can't suffer a little bit, and that somehow now they've decided that dying needs to be assisted, where we've been dying for years.

"All of a sudden now we're telling people that this is a better option. This is an easy way out and I think it's just robbing people of hope."

'Not a way I want to live'

So is Canada an example of the so-called slippery slope? It's certainly true that the eligibility criteria has broadened dramatically since the law was introduced nine years ago, so for critics the answer would be an emphatic yes and serve as a warning to Britain.

Canada's assisted dying laws were driven by court rulings. Its Supreme Court instructed Parliament that a prohibition on assisted dying breached the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The extension of eligibility for those who were not terminally ill was in part a response to another court decision.

In Britain, judges in the most senior courts have repeatedly said any potential change to the law around assisted dying is a matter for Parliament, after the likes of Tony Nicklinson, Diane Pretty and Noel Conway brought cases arguing the blanket ban on assisted suicide breached their human rights.

April knows some people may look at her, a young woman, and wonder why she would die.

"We're the masters of masking and not letting people see that we're suffering," she says. "But in reality, there's days that I just can't hide it, and there's many days where I can't lift my head off the pillow and I can't eat anymore.

"It's not a way I want to live for another 10 or 20 or 30 years."

Additional reporting by Joshua Falcon.

Stock markets in London, Paris and Berlin fell as trading began on Thursday after US President Donald Trump's sweeping announcements on tariffs.

The UK's FTSE 100 share index was down 1% while France's Cac 40 fell 1.7%.

Earlier Asian markets had slid, while the price of gold, which is seen as a safer assest in times of turbulance, climbed to a record high.

Traders are concerned about the global economic impact of Trump's tariffs, which they fear could stoke inflation and stall growth.

Markets across Asia had fallen sharply after Trump's announcement, with the Nikkei in Japan closing down nearly 3% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index 1.5% lower.

The price of gold hit a record high of $3,167.57 an ounce at one point on Thursday, before falling back.

A combination of a 10% baseline levy and higher duties on a number of other trading partners reverses decades of liberalisation that shaped the global trade order.

"This is the worst-case scenario," said Jay Hatfield, chief executive at Infrastructure Capital Advisors.

"Enough to potentially send the US into a recession," he added, echoing nervous market sentiment.

• Live: Follow the latest reaction to the tariff announcement
• The countries hit hardest by the new US tariffs - the plan at a glance
• Faisal Islam: The biggest change to global trade in 100 years

George Saravelos, head of FX at Deutsche Bank Research, said the new US trade tariffs were a "highly mechanical" reaction to trade deficits, rather than the "sophisticated assessment" the White House had promised.

He warned the move "risks lowering the policy credibility of the [Trump] administration".

"The market may question the extent to which a sufficiently structured planning process for major economic decisions is taking place. After all, this is the biggest trade policy shift from the US in a century," he said.

Cosmetics company Lush and car repair chain Kwik Fit are among firms which have warned they will raise prices due an increase in employers' National Insurance (NI).

Other firms have told the BBC they will reduce how much profit they make, freeze hiring or in some cases cut jobs to cover the higher costs.

From Sunday, employers will have to pay NI at 15% on salaries above £5,000, instead of 13.8% on salaries above £9,100 currently.

The Treasury said the billions raised will be spent on public services, including the NHS.

Lush told the BBC that with 3,600 employees in the UK and Ireland, it would have to find an extra £2.7m per year.

Kasey Swithenbank, Lush's retail head for the UK and Ireland, said: "We are going to be taking small incremental price changes. We are taking an approach where we look at certain categories at key points of the year so hopefully our customers don't feel the full burden straight away."

Kwik Fit, which employs around 7,000 people, estimates the NICs rises will cost it £6.4m.

This will have a knock-on effect on prices, and recruitment, said Mark Slade, its managing director.

"We are really careful to make sure KwikFit is always competitive and benchmarked against the people around us - but the reality is that includes increasing prices."

He added: "There will be some people who aren't replaced over the coming year and that will be in the senior levels."

What are the changes?

• The rate that employers pay in contributions will rise from 13.8% to 15% on a worker's earnings above £175 per week. The government expects about 940,000 firms to pay more, 250,000 companies to pay less, and 820,000 to see no change.
• The threshold when employers start paying the tax on each employee's salary will be reduced from £9,100 per year to £5,000.
• But Employers Allowance - the amount employers can claim back from their National Insurance bill - has been raised from £5,000 to £10,500.

BBC Breakfast contacted around 200 UK businesses and charities in March, across different industries, from sole traders to large companies to get a sense of the impact of the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions.

Some 121 completed the questionnaire and around 100 of these businesses told us they had at least an approximate idea of how much increases in employer NICSs would cost them.

The costs ranged from £1,000 to £39m depending the size of the business and the number of employees.

Around 60 of the businesses which were planning to increase the staff count before announcement said the Budget had affected these plans.

How will firms manage the rises?

BBC Breakfast's questionnaire asked employers to choose from a list of actions they would take to manage increases in NICs.

• 77 said they would pass on costs to customers in price rises

• 68 said they would freeze or reduce hiring

• 81 said they would reduce their profit margins

• 39 said they would manage increases through job losses

Businesses most frequently told us they would choose a combination of these things.

Allison Kirkby, chief executive of BT, said the tax changes, which will cost the firm £100m, will mean it speeds up job cuts it was already planning.

She added that BT is "delighted" with tax relief on infrastructure investment in the Spring Statement and UK planning reforms.

"At the moment, like the country, we are focused on getting BT back to growth," she said.

"Predictability on taxation, on regulation and on planning is super helpful for the investment that goes into infrastructure like ours, which is the digital backbone of the country."

Angela Burns is the chief executive of the Webb Hotel Group, a group of four hotels based in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands.

It employs just under 300 people, and she says the NICs rises alone will cost £200,000 a year, with additional minimum wage and pension costs taking that to £600,000.

"It's really tough because our labour force is the main expense in our business," she said.

"As soon as it was announced in the budget in October, we started to look at restructuring, and as people have left, we haven't re employed. So we've actually cut our workforce down from about 320 to about 280 now to prepare ourselves."

She said prices would have to be moved "slightly upwards".

"But it's a balancing act as to what customers are prepared to pay," she added.

Greg Strickland, general manager of trampoline activity firm Jump Xtreme in Bolton, said the changes added £30,000 of costs "overnight".

He said it had cut 16 hours per week off some 40-hour contracts to cover the cost.

Meanwhile Andrew Lane, managing director of Union Industries in Leeds said the firm, which makes industrial doors, shares about half its post-tax profit with employees.

"This is going to hit them," he said. "There will be less money to distribute to our employee-owners."

The government has predicted the changes will raise between £14.6bn and £18.3bn a year over five years when compensation for public sector employers is taken into account.

A Treasury spokesperson told the BBC the government was "pro-business" and that it knew the "vital importance of small businesses to our economy".

They said October's budget "took difficult decisions on tax to stabilise the public finances, including the NHS which has now seen waiting lists fall five months in a row".

They added: "We are now focused on creating opportunities for businesses to compete and access the finance they need to scale, export and break into new markets."

Additional reporting by Oliver Smith & Jennifer Meierhans

Last year, on 17 September, at around 15:30, a pager which a nurse called Adam was given at the start of his shift at a hospital in Lebanon received a message. The devices had been distributed by Hezbollah, the Shia Muslim group, to thousands of its members, including Adam, and he said it was how he and his colleagues expected to be alerted of emergencies or a disaster.

"The pager started beeping non-stop and, on the screen, it said 'alert'," Adam, who did not want to use his real name for safety reasons, said. The text appeared to have been sent by the group's leadership. To read it, he had to press two buttons, simultaneously, with both hands. Adam did it many times, but the beeps continued. "Then suddenly, as I was sitting at my desk," he said, "the pager exploded".

On his phone, Adam showed me a video of the room, filmed by a colleague minutes after he was rescued. There was a trail of blood on the floor. "I tried to crawl to the door because I had locked it while I changed my clothes," he said. The blast had opened a hole in the wood desk. I noticed a beige-like object. "That's my finger," he said.

Hezbollah is known for being a powerful militia and is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by countries including the UK and the US. But in Lebanon, it is also a significant political movement with representation in parliament and a social organisation. Here, being a Hezbollah member does not necessarily mean you are a fighter. In fact, many are not. Adam told me he had never been one. People can work in the group's large array of institutions that include hospitals and emergency services, for example.

Hezbollah had decided to equip members with low-tech pagers for communicating rather than smartphones which it feared could be used by Israel, its arch-enemy, to gather sensitive information about the group. It turned out, though, that the devices which Hezbollah had distributed were part of a years-long elaborate Israeli plan: an explosive compound had been concealed within the pagers, waiting to be activated – and that is what happened on that day.

In the attack, Adam, who is 38, lost his thumb and two fingers on his left hand, and part of a finger on the other. He was blinded in his right eye, which has been replaced with a glass eye, and has only partial sight in the other. He showed me a picture of him in a hospital bed, taken an hour after the explosion, with his face burned, entirely blooded, covered with bandages. Despite his wounds, Adam remained committed to Hezbollah. I asked him how he felt when he looked at himself like that. "Very good," he said in English. Then, in Arabic, he told me: "Because we believe that the wounds are a kind of medal from God. Honouring what we go through fighting a righteous cause."

But the group is no longer the force it was since being dealt a devastating blow in Israel's bombing campaign and invasion of Lebanon, which followed the pager attacks, and faces serious challenges. At home, there is discontent among some supporters over the lack of funds for reconstruction, while the new government has vowed to disarm the group. In neighbouring Syria, the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime has disrupted the route used by Iran, its main supporter, for the supply of weapons and money.

I visited communities in southern Lebanon that were destroyed by Israel's attacks, and saw that support for Hezbollah appeared undimmed. But, in views rarely expressed to media, others who backed it said the war had been a mistake, and even questioned the group's future as a military force.

You can listen to more from Hugo in his radio documentary - Crossing Continents: Hezbollah in trouble - here

Hezbollah, or Party of God, was created in the 1980s in response to Israel's occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. To this day, the destruction of Israel remains one of its official goals. Their last war had been in 2006, which was followed by years of relative calm. Violence flared up again in 2023 after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. When Israel started bombarding Gaza, Hezbollah began firing rockets in around northern Israel, saying it was acting in support of Palestinians. Israel responded with air strikes on southern Lebanon, and tens of thousands of people were forced to flee on both sides of the border.

The pager attacks were a turning point in what had been, until then, an intensifying but relatively contained conflict. The devices exploded as people were working, shopping or at home. About a dozen people, including two children, were killed, and thousands wounded, many of them maimed. The attack caused anger in Lebanon, because of what was seen as its indiscriminate nature. A day later, walkie-talkies used by the group suddenly exploded too. I was at a funeral of some of the victims of the pagers when there was a loud blast. Hezbollah members, desperate, asked us to turn off our cameras or phones, as no-one knew what else could explode.

In the following weeks, Israel carried out a relentless bombing campaign and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. Across the country, around 4,000 people were killed and almost 18,000 others wounded. For Hezbollah, the conflict proved to be catastrophic. The group's top leaders were assassinated, many of its fighters killed and much of its arsenal destroyed. Among the dead was Hassan Nasrallah, who had been the head of Hezbollah for more than 30 years, assassinated in a massive air strike on the group's secret headquarters under apartment blocks in the Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based in Beirut.

At the end of November, battered, the group agreed on a ceasefire that was essentially a surrender.

Southern Lebanon is the heartland of Lebanon's Shia Muslim community, which is the bulk of Hezbollah's support base, and one of the regions of the country where the group has traditionally had a significant presence. I travelled to the border town of Kfar Kila, which had a pre-war population of 15,000 and was one of the first to fall when Israel invaded. Israel's stated war goal was to allow the return of residents to its northern communities, which had been emptied because of Hezbollah's attacks. In Kfar Kila, there was almost nothing left standing, and yellow Hezbollah flags dotted the huge piles of broken concrete and twisted metal.

A 37-year-old woman called Alia had come with her husband and three daughters, aged 18, 14 and 10. The youngest was wearing a badge with a smiley picture of Nasrallah. "I only knew that this was my house because of the remains of this plant over there, the roses, and this tree," Alia told me. From the street, she pointed at what she could identify in the rubble. "This is the couch. There, the curtains. That was the living room. And that was the bedroom. That's my daughter's bicycle," she said. "There's nothing to recover".

According to the World Bank, costs related to reconstruction and recovery are estimated at $11bn (£8.5bn) across the country. One of Hezbollah's immediate challenges is to give financial help to people affected by the war, which is crucial to keep supporters on board. Those who lost their houses have received $12,000 to cover for a year's rent. But the group has not promised money to rebuild what was destroyed or to give compensation for destroyed businesses. The limited support is already fuelling discontent. Aila's shop had stock worth $20,000, and she was concerned no-one would cover her losses.

Iran, Hezbollah's backer, is one of the group's main sources of funds, weapons and training. But Lebanon's international allies want to cut off any financial support from Iran, to put even more pressure on Hezbollah, and say there will be no help if the Lebanese government does not act against Hezbollah. With the group weakened militarily, critics see this as a unique opportunity to disarm it.

Alia told me: "We don't want any aid that comes with conditions about our arms... We won't allow them to take our dignity, our honour, take away our arms just for us to build a house. We'll build it ourselves."

It is not surprising that Hezbollah's supporters remain defiant. For many, the group is a fundamental part of their lives, essential in their identities. But Hezbollah's power is seen - and felt - beyond its base. Before the war, its military wing was considered to be stronger than the Lebanese national army. A solid parliamentary bloc means that virtually no major decision has been possible without Hezbollah's consent. Because of Lebanon's fractured political system, the group has representation in the government. In short, Hezbollah has had the ability to paralyse the state, and many times has done so.

But the war has diminished the group's domestic position too. In January, the Lebanese parliament elected a new president, former army chief Joseph Aoun, after a two-year impasse that critics had blamed on Hezbollah. In the past, its MPs and allies would walk out of the chamber when a vote was scheduled. But Hezbollah, severely wounded and with its communities in need of help, felt it could no longer block the process, which was seen as vital to unlock some international support. In his inauguration speech, Aoun promised to make the Lebanese army the sole carrier of weapons in the country. He did not mention Hezbollah, but everyone understood the message.

Ultimately, Hezbollah's future may lie with Iran. One of the reasons for Iran to have a strong Hezbollah in Lebanon was to deter any Israeli attack, especially on its nuclear facilities. This is now gone. Other groups backed by Iran in the region, part of what it calls the Axis of Resistance, have also been significantly weakened, including Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen. And the fall of the Assad regime in Syria has interrupted Iran's land corridor to Lebanon - and Hezbollah. Even if Iran decides to rearm Hezbollah, it will not be easy.

Nasrallah has been succeeded by Naim Qassem, his former deputy, who is not seen as charismatic or influential. From time to time, rumours emerge of internal disagreements. And whispers of dissent among the rank and file are spreading. In southern Lebanon, I met a businessman who did not want to have his name published, fearing that he could become a target on social media. On the wall of his office, he had pictures of Hezbollah's leaders. Now, he was critical of the group.

"The mistakes have been huge," he said. "Hezbollah decided to engage in a war to support Gaza without proper calculations, without consulting the people or the Lebanese state". (To date, Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.) He told me a lot of supporters shared his view. "If Hezbollah don't do a proper reassessment of the situation... they will destroy themselves and harm us along the way. We brought this destruction on ourselves, and we're now suffering".

As part of the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah agreed to remove its weapons and fighters from southern Lebanon, and a Western diplomatic official told me the group had largely done it. Israel was required to withdraw its troops, but has remained in five positions, saying this is needed for the safety of its border communities. The Israeli military has also carried out air strikes on targets and people it says are linked to Hezbollah. Lebanon says the Israeli permanence in Lebanese territory and its attacks are violations of the deal.

Discussions about Hezbollah's disarmament are likely to be difficult and long. A source familiar with the group told me one of the options was for Hezbollah's arsenal, believed to still include long-range missiles, to be put under the control of the state, while its fighters, estimated to be several thousand, could be integrated into the Lebanese army.

The businessman told me: "A lot of the families, especially those of wounded and martyred fighters, are totally dependent on Hezbollah. These people won't disengage from Hezbollah immediately… Without a plan, it would be a recipe for internal conflict. It would drive Lebanese to fight against each other".

For weeks, I tried to interview a representative from Hezbollah, but no-one was made available.

Adam, the pager casualty, has now returned to his work as a nurse. He no longer does nightshifts, however, as he cannot see well. The explosion also left shrapnel in head and chest. As he gets tired easily, he needs to take constant breaks to rest. Physiotherapy sessions are helping him adapt to using what is left of his left thumb and middle finger.

Prominent in his living room, is a picture he framed, of himself, with his injured hands, holding a pager. He shared with me another picture, of his maimed hand, only now it also bore a tattooed message which expressed that his wounds were a cheap sacrifice in honour of Nasrallah, the late Hezbollah leader. He, like many, still believes in the group's purpose, and the role it plays.

Fundamentally wrong, was how Germany's outgoing chancellor, Olaf Scholz, described the new Trump tariffs.

A unilateral attack - that was the view of Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

French President Emmanuel Macron called them brutal, unfounded and certain to have a "massive impact" on the European economy.

He convened an emergency meeting with representatives of French businesses most affected by the newly announced 20% tariffs on EU goods sold to the US and issued a call to arms to European business "not to invest in America for some time until we have clarified things".

"What message would we send by having major European players investing billions of euros in the American economy at a time when [the US] is hitting us?" he said.

For France it's wine, champagne and the aeronautical industry, for Germany it's cars, and for Italy it's luxury goods. It's well known these sectors sell well abroad and now risk being clobbered by US import taxes.

Overall, the chemicals, machinery and equipment industries in the EU are seen as the most vulnerable to the tariffs.

But dig a little deeper and there are other EU sectors, reliant on the US market, that could come as a bit of a surprise.

French cognac, generally dismissed as an old person's tipple in Europe, is the booze of choice for many American rappers, playing a prominent role in the music and lifestyle of stars like Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. More than 40% of French brandy is exported to the US.

Spain exports a lot of gas turbines to the US, alongside tonnes of olive oil.

Which EU countries are most exposed?

When we look at which EU countries are most exposed to the US in terms of GDP, the picture is also not quite what you might imagine.

Ireland is highly dependent on the US in terms of goods and services. Those exports - a lot linked to the pharmaceutical industry (which is currently exempt from the 20% tariffs, until the US boosts its own production) and also tech - make up a fifth of Ireland's GDP.

Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta are more exposed than the EU average in terms of services exports.

Belgium, the Netherlands and Slovakia are in a similar position when it comes to goods.

Germany has a greater exposure to the US than the other major EU economies, at over 5% of GDP, followed by Italy (about 4%), France (3%) and Spain (just over 2%). These figures were collated in 2024 by CaixaBank research based on Eurostat figures for the previous year.

Will the EU retaliate?

The response to the new US tariffs is being coordinated at EU HQ in Brussels. The European Commission deals with all overarching trade matters for the bloc's members.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen claims they hold "a lot of cards", including the strength to negotiate and the power to push back.

The US economy is mighty. It makes up 25% of global GDP.

But the EU single market of 450 million people (the biggest single market in the world) stands very close in size at 22% of global GDP.

So, yes, the EU can bite - hard - as well as bark when it comes to retaliating against Donald Trump's tariffs. Especially if, as EU figures have suggested, the bloc targets US services like Big Tech, possibly including Apple, Meta, Amazon and even Elon Musk's platform X.

But that risks a new backlash by the Trump administration. And the EU wants to avoid upping the ante.

If you take politics into account, not just economics, the EU has less room for manoeuvre than you might think.

Take energy supplies, the EU has been buying US liquified natural gas (LNG) after it weaned itself off Russian gas following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Tricky to reduce or heavily tax those imports. That would badly impact EU consumers, not only US industry, and it would worsen already dismal relations with the US.

Think of all the recent rows over defence spending and Ukraine. Aside from the economic hell the EU sees and hopes to avoid in the new Trump tariffs, the bloc also really wants to sidestep a trade war with the country that used to be Europe's best friend.

So, the Brussels plan is: threaten heavy retaliation, hope Donald Trump is persuaded to negotiate, then pray he'll stage a U-turn on tariffs.

The EU's trade commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, says he's speaking to his US counterparts on Friday. It's an opening gambit. The EU is in no rush to retaliate.

What could the EU offer the US in a negotiation?

The Trump administration has ruled out any country negotiating its way out of the new tariffs before they become live this weekend. But after that, what could the EU offer the US president to persuade him to back down?

Trump is incandescent about the EU's massive trade surplus. It sells far more goods than it buys from the US. The surplus for 2024 was around $200bn (€180bn; $153bn).

It's the other way round when it comes to services - the US sells far more to the EU than the other way round. That is why the EU thinks its main retaliatory leverage against the US would lie in services, like banks and big tech.

To redress the goods imbalance, the EU could offer to buy more LNG from the US, or more military equipment, following its pledge to Washington to do more for its own security.

But that would break a different EU promise - to boost withering European arms industries by trying to buy EU when re-arming EU countries. It is something the US has already objected to, so that's tricky.

Brussels could also cut direct and indirect tariffs on US goods. It could lose quotas on US agricultural produce.

It would be hugely reluctant to comply with another US ask: to water down its much-trumpeted digital regulations, aimed at limiting monopolies and placing restrictions on speech and content in the EU.

How bad can this all get?

How do you price in the possible collapse of the international trading system, EU officials ask.

European firms fret about their markets being flooded by cheap goods from non-EU countries that are also hit by Trump tariffs and seeking to sell elsewhere.

The risk is very real when it comes to China. Trump is slapping more that 50% tariffs on Beijing when you add it all up.

Would the EU have to ratchet up its import duties on Chinese goods to protect itself and could that lead to an unintended trade war with China?

These are anxious and hugely uncertain economic times.

Which is why the European Commission says it also wants to focus on matters it can control - if EU capitals agree - and that is reducing internal barriers within the EU single market.

Those barriers, such as tax regimes, vary from country to country and impact the EU's overall economic growth and competitiveness.

The IMF calculates they're equivalent to a 45% tariff on EU manufacturing; 110% when it comes to services.

That is far higher than the tariffs now imposed on the EU by Donald Trump.

EU countries say they're united in combating those. So far they've been divided over completing their own internal market.

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to his Top Gun co-star Val Kilmer, who died earlier this week aged 65.

Appearing at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Cruise led a crowd in The Colosseum theatre in a moment of silence to "honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer".

"I can't tell you how much I admired his work, how much I thought of him as a human being and how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun," Cruise said of Kilmer, who played his rival Ice Man in Top Gun in 1986.

The 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick marked Kilmer's last movie role. Kilmer, also known for his roles playing Batman and Jim Morrison in The Doors, died Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

In Las Vegas, Cruise bowed his head in the cavernous theatre, which was packed with movie theatre owners and others who work in the industry.

"Thank you, Val - wish you well on your next journey," Cruise said afterwards.

Cruise was speaking during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon. He also showed off a sneak peek trailer of Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, which is set to be released later this year, and honoured the film's director Christopher McQuarrie, who was named CinemaCon's director of the year.

• Hollywood remembers 'wonderful' actor Val Kilmer
• Val Kilmer: A brilliant, underrated and unpredictable film star
• Look back at Val Kilmer's best-known roles

The trailer showed Cruise, who is famous for doing his own stunts, in a series of action-packed scenes - on fighter jets, in explosions and wing walking on a vintage plane.

As Hollywood paid tribute to Kilmer, Cruise had been one of the few stars who waited to publicly commented on the actor's death.

The star has been vocal about how much he enjoyed working with Kilmer. He said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he cried having him on set for Top Gun: Maverick.

"I was crying, I was crying. I got emotional," Cruise said on the show about working with Kilmer. "He's such a brilliant actor. I love his work."

Kilmer's family told US media that he died after coming down with a pneumonia. The actor had two tracheotomies while undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

The procedures forced him to use a voice box to speak, and in the 2022 film, he types on a screen to communicate with Cruise's character. Toward the end of their scene together, Kilmer's Iceman gets up from his chair and coarsely tells Cruise: "The Navy needs Maverick".

The two embrace and then Iceman pokes fun, questioning Cruise about who is the better pilot.

The owners of a container ship have filed a legal claim against the owners of a tanker that it struck in a crash in the North Sea.

The Stena Immaculate, a US-registered tanker carrying aviation fuel, was anchored 16 miles (26km) off East Yorkshire when it was hit by the Portuguese-flagged Solong on 10 March.

Court records indicate that a legal claim was filed at the Admiralty Court on Thursday by "the owners and demise charterers" of the Solong against "the owners and demise charterers" of the Stena Immaculate.

It follows a separate legal claim filed against the owners of the Solong - Ernst Russ - on Monday by the co-owners of the Stena Immaculate, Stena Bulk and Crowley.

No further details about either claim are currently available, with Stena Bulk having been approached for comment.

In a statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for Ernst Russ said: "As part of the legal proceedings arising from the collision between the Solong and Stena Immaculate, the owners of the Solong have filed a claim in the Admiralty Court in London.

"This is usual process for large maritime casualties and represents another step in working toward the conclusion of this tragic incident.

"Meanwhile, Ernst Russ continues to offer all necessary assistance in support of the ongoing investigations."

Following the incident, Stena Bulk said 17,515 barrels of jet fuel were lost due to the crash and the subsequent fire, with the Solong still burning a week after the incident before arriving in Aberdeen on Friday.

On Monday, Ernst Russ confirmed it had set up a fund ahead of any "verified" legal claims against it.

On Thursday, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) released an interim report into the incident, which resulted in fires and a rescue operation that saved 36 crew from both vessels.

It found the vessels did not have "dedicated lookouts" in what were "patchy conditions".

One crew member on the Solong, Mark Pernia, is missing and presumed dead. He was reported to be in the forward area of the ship at the time of impact.

The ship's captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, and is due to stand trial next year.

On Wednesday, President Trump unveiled new tariffs on imports to the US which will form a central part of his government's new trade policy.

In his speech, he listed the new tariffs to be imposed on a number of countries, including the country's biggest trading partners, and a more complete list was released later by the White House.

No further tariffs were announced for Canada or Mexico. Both countries had already seen tariffs imposed in Feburary - though these have since been partially rolled back.

China will now see an effective tariff of 54%, as the new 34% tariff will be added to the 20% tariff already in place.

Here are all the new tariffs by trading partner, with the highest tariffs at the top. Use the arrows at the bottom of the table to move to the next page.

Read more:

• At a glance: The countries hit hardest by these plans
• UK: What this means for you and your money
• Explainer: What are tariffs, and why is Trump using them?
• Analysis: Trump's tariffs are his biggest gamble yet

At least 27 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a school in northern Gaza that was serving as a shelter for displaced families, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

Dozens more were wounded when the Dar al-Arqam school in the north-eastern Tuffah district of Gaza City was hit, it cited a local hospital as saying.

The Israeli military said it struck "prominent terrorists who were in a Hamas command and control centre" in the city, without mentioning a school.

The health ministry earlier reported the killing of another 97 people in Israeli attacks over the previous 24 hours, as Israel said its ground offensive was expanding to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory.

The spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, said children and women were among the dead following the strike on Dar al-Arqam school.

He also said a woman who was heavily pregnant with twins was missing along with her husband, her sister, and her three children.

Video from the nearby al-Ahli hospital showed children being rushed there in cars and trucks with serious injuries.

A statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the site in Gaza City that it struck had been used by Hamas fighters to plan attacks against Israeli civilians and troops.

It added that numerous steps had been taken to mitigate harm to civilians.

Overnight, at least 12 people were killed when several homes in Gaza City's eastern Shejaiya district were struck, the Civil Defence said.

It posted a video that appeared to show the bodies of two young children being pulled by rescuers from the remains of a collapsed building.

A witness, who asked not to be named, told BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline programme that he had been sleeping when he was "suddenly shaken by a violent explosion and discovered that it occurred at the house of our neighbours, the Ayyad family".

There was no immediate comment from the IDF, but on Thursday morning it ordered residents of Shejaiya and four neighbouring areas to immediately evacuate to western Gaza City, warning that it was "operating with great force... to destroy the terrorist infrastructure".

This week, the IDF issued similar evacuation orders for several areas of northern Gaza, as well as the entire southern city of Rafah and parts of neighbouring Khan Younis, prompting around 100,000 Palestinians to flee, according to the UN.

Israel renewed its aerial bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza on 18 March after the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage release deal agreed with Hamas in January came to an end and negotiations on a second phase of the deal stalled.

The IDF's chief spokesperson, Brig-Gen Effie Defrin, told a briefing on Thursday that its operation had "progressed to another stage" in recent days.

"We have expanded operations in the southern Gaza Strip with the goal of encircling and dividing the Rafah area," he said. "In northern Gaza, our troops are operating against terrorist targets, clearing the area, and dismantling terrorist infrastructure."

He added that over the past two weeks Israeli forces had struck more than 600 "terrorist targets" across Gaza and "eliminated more than 250 terrorists".

Before the strike in Tuffah, Gaza's health ministry had said that at least 1,163 people had been killed over the same period. A UN agency has said they include more than 300 children.

On Wednesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces were establishing another military corridor that would cut off Rafah from Khan Younis.

He argued that military pressure would force Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages it is holding, up to 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

However, Hamas said it would not engage with Israel's latest proposal for a new ceasefire, which is said to have been co-ordinated with the US, one of the mediators in the negotiations.

The Palestinian group said it accepted only the plan put forward by the two other mediators, Qatar and Egypt, for a 50-day truce.

The full details of that plan have not been disclosed, but it is understood the regional proposal would see five hostages being released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza where they have recently redeployed, and the influx of humanitarian aid. There would also be negotiations on ending the war.

Israel wants a larger number of hostages be released at the start of a new truce.

In another development on Thursday, the IDF said the general staff's fact-finding mechanism was investigating the killing by Israeli forces of 15 Palestinian emergency workers near Rafah on 23 March, as well as their burial in what a UN official described as a "mass grave".

"We want to have all the facts in a way that's accurate and we can also hold accountable people if we need to," an IDF spokesman said.

A Palestinian paramedic who survived the attack, speaking to the BBC, challenged the Israeli account of how five ambulances, a fire engine and a UN vehicle were fired on while responding to emergency calls.

The military said the vehicles were "advancing suspiciously" towards its troops without headlights or emergency signals. It also said a Hamas operative and "eight other terrorists" were among those killed, but named only one.

The survivor, Munther Abed, insisted that "all lights were on" until the vehicles came under direct fire. He also rejected the military's claim that Hamas might have used the ambulances as cover, saying all the emergency workers were civilians.

The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

More than 50,520 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

A woman who was attacked on a Tube train in central London has said she was then left standing on a platform for a "harrowing" 30 minutes because no one answered the emergency calls she made from a help point.

Sally Wynter said she had been left traumatised after being punched by a stranger on a busy Victoria line train on 27 March, but her attacker was able to get away because she could not raise the alarm.

Ms Wynter has written to Sir Sadiq Khan - who has overall responsibility for the Tube network - describing the intercom system as a failure and urging him to "fix it now".

City Hall has apologised, saying it was unacceptable her calls were not answered and an investigation had begun.

'No response'

Ms Wynter told BBC London that as her train had approached Green Park station at about 16:30 GMT, she "suddenly felt a punch to the right side of my right arm".

"I was pushed into the glass by a stranger that I hadn't seen before," she said, adding her attacker then got off the train.

When she got off the Tube at the next stop, Oxford Circus, she was "in shock" and pressed the emergency button on the platform's intercom "at least four times", expecting a member of staff to respond and then try to stop the assailant.

She said when she received no response, she had tried to contact British Transport Police (BTP), but could not get an urgent response.

She then called 999 and was re-directed to BTP, but gave up and left, she added.

BTP said officers attended the station after being made aware of the incident and conducted a search for the victim.

As they could not find her at the station, a telephone statement was arranged for later in the evening.

The force added that a man from south London was later arrested and bailed in connection with the assault.

It was later reported to police that a child had been attacked at Green Park station shortly after the assault on Ms Wynter, by a man of the same description.

Ms Wynter said she believed it was the same attacker and the second assault could have been prevented if her calls had been answered.

Help points, which include a fire alarm and buttons to call for assistance and for in an emergency, are installed across the Tube network.

Ms Wynter said her situation highlighted that the system failed to help passengers in need, which she said was "very dangerous".

"There's a variety of reasons people use these points and it's quite clear to me that the way these help points are set up is antiquated - these systems don't integrate properly into the campaign around what people should do."

She added: "I was lucky in the sense that I was away from my attacker but it could have been so much worse.

"It's an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. "

In a letter to Ms Wynter, London's Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said passengers on TfL's network "deserved to feel safe" and have "confidence that if things do go wrong, help is always available".

Mr Dance added he was "deeply saddened" about what happened and invited Ms Wynter for a meeting.

In a statement, TfL said: "We are investigating as a matter of urgency why Ms Wynter did not get the help she should have and have reached out to her to offer support."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on goods from countries across the world, on what he called "Liberation Day".

He says the move will make America wealthy again, but economists warn that prices could rise for Americans and fears of a global trade war have grown.

What are tariffs and which countries is Trump targeting?

Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries. Companies bringing the goods into the country pay the amount, typically a percentage of the goods' value, to the government.

Trump has announced a 10% "baseline" tariff on all imports to the US – this is what the UK will face.

But 60 countries will be hit with higher rates of up to 50%, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Countries in the European Union are facing a 20% tariff. The tariffs are set to take effect in days.

Trump also confirmed previously announced tariffs on specific goods, including 25% on steel, aluminium and foreign-made cars.

Read more:

• What are tariffs and why is Trump using them?
• At a glance: Trump's tariffs on China, the EU and others

Why is Trump so keen to use tariffs?

Trump says "tariff" is his favourite word, and since the 1980s he has held a strong belief that the taxes can boost the US economy.

He believes they will encourage US consumers to buy more American-made goods, and increase the amount of tax raised. Trump also wants to reduce the gap between the value of US goods imported and exported.

The White House said the measures were necessary because countries were taking advantage of the US by imposing their own high tariffs and other trade barriers.

"For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike," Trump said as he announced the tariffs.

However, Trump is taking an enormous risk upon which he is staking his presidency, our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher writes.

If successful, the move could fundamentally reshape the global economic order. Trump promises that it will rebuild American manufacturing and make the country more self-reliant.

But it risks alienating allies, while economists warn it could raise prices and threaten a global recession.

A messy global trade war looks inevitable, suggests the BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam.

Trump's decision to take tariff revenues to a level beyond those seen during the 1930s will mean huge changes to world trade patterns, he says.

Read more:

• A longtime goal fulfilled - and Trump's biggest gamble yet
• This is the biggest change to global trade in 100 years

Will prices go up for US consumers?

Economists warn this is likely because companies are likely to pass the increased cost of imported goods onto their customers. They could also reduce imports, meaning fewer products are available - putting further pressure on prices.

To raise the revenue Trump is hoping for, US consumers are going to have to swallow rises and keep on buying items made in other countries in similar quantities as now, says the BBC's deputy economics editor Dharshini David.

And as she points out, history shows the frontline casualties tend to be consumers, due to reduced choice and higher prices, and exporters.

"Growth, jobs and price stability are in the firing line," she writes.

Cars, lumber used to build houses, beer, whisky and tequila, and avocados are among the goods that could become more expensive.

Read more:

• History shows these wars rarely end well
• Six things that could get more expensive for Americans

How is the world reacting to Trump's tariffs?

Global stockmarkets fell after tariffs were announced and a series of world leaders condemned the measures.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said "the global economy will massively suffer" and that "the consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe".

EU countries are finalising a response to 25% steel and aluminium tariffs, which have already been introduced, and could announce further measures.

It has promised to protect European businesses, including Germany's car industry, Italy's luxury goods and France's wine and champagne producers.

China has promised "resolute countermeasures", which are likely to hurt US companies trying to sell into the huge Chinese market.

However, Trump's tariffs may also benefit China by allowing President Xi Jinping to portray his country as a champion of free trade, the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell says. Countries could be encouraged to build or strengthen their trade relationships with China.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the economy will be hurt by the latest tariffs but promised to react with "cool and calm heads".

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs the government would launch a consultation to explore how retaliatory tariff measures against US products could affect British firms.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said the tariffs will "fundamentally change the international trading system".

He said Canada would retaliate against US tariffs soon, "with purpose and with force", to protect workers and strength the economy.

Read more:

• UK firms react: "It's a huge blow to Scottish whisky"
• How five big economies see new Trump Tariffs
• Global stocks slide as Trump tariffs hit markets
• World leaders criticise Trump tariffs as 'major blow'

How tariffs could affect UK households - and their money

The UK is now facing a 10% tariff on all goods heading to the US but there's a lot of uncertainty about what it could mean for the UK itself:

Prices could rise – or fall

Once tariffs are in place, the value of the dollar could strengthen. That might push up import costs for UK firms buying goods, which could then be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

But some economists say prices might actually drop at first. That's because firms that usually sell to the US might start sending their goods to countries like the UK instead – possibly leading to a surge of cheaper goods here.

Your job could be affected

Higher prices might lead workers to ask for bigger pay rises. If UK companies see their profits squeezed, job cuts could follow. More than 25,000 jobs in the car manufacturing sector could be at risk.

Interest rates could stay high

Rates are currently at 4.5%, and economists had expected two cuts this year. But if inflation rises because of higher prices, rates might stay higher for longer.

Read more

• How Trump's tariffs might affect you and your money

The UK government is launching a consultation with businesses on how taking retaliatory tariff measures against the US would impact them.

It comes after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of 10% on all UK imports.

The government has previously said it would not be rushed into a knee-jerk response to Trump's imposition of tariffs on its trading partners around the world while insisting all options were on the table.

But in a toughening of this stance, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs he would "seek the views of UK stakeholders over four weeks until 1 May 2025 on products that could be potentially included in any UK tariff response".

He said talks were ongoing with the US government to secure an economic deal aimed at avoiding or reducing tariffs but warned that the UK "reserves the right to take any action we deem necessary if a deal is not secured".

In the event of reaching a deal with the US, the consultation with businesses would be paused, he added.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he said the fact the US had put lower tariffs on the UK compared to other countries "vindicated the pragmatic approach the government has taken". However, he said he was "disappointed" by the increase.

Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith questioned Reynolds' claim that the government's approach had been "vindicated".

• Live updates: Reaction to Trump's tariffs announcement
• At a glance: What president's new taxes mean for EU, China and others
• Global reaction: World leaders criticise Trump tariffs as 'major blow'
• Explainer: What are tariffs, and why is Trump using them?
• Chris Mason: UK relief but not delight at Trump tariffs

"The government got no special favours," he said noting that the UK was facing the same tariffs as more than 125 other countries and territories including the Congo and the Christmas Islands.

He said the EU was being hit by 20% tariffs and the UK's lower rate of 10% was actually a vindication of those who "were pilloried and abused" for backing Brexit.

"They [Labour] should regret the 48 times they voted to stay in Europe and thank us for getting Brexit done."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Trump was telling the UK he would only lower tariffs "if you lower your standards".

"If the government gives in to Trump's threats it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again."

She reiterated her party's call for an "economic coalition of the willing" against the tariffs.

In addition to the 10% tariffs, a 25% tariff has been put on UK car exports, as well as steel and aluminium products.

The UK exported almost £60bn worth of goods to the US last year, mainly machinery, cars and pharmaceuticals.

The government's official forecaster estimates a worst-case scenario trade war could reduce UK economic growth by 1% and wipe out the £9.9bn of economic headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave herself at last week's Spring Statement.

It could mean that in order to meet her own fiscal rules, she would have to raise taxes or make cuts to government spending.

From Saturday, all goods imported to the US from anywhere in the world will face a 10% "baseline" tariff.

Donald Trump announced higher rates for some countries he singled out as the "worst offenders" for trade.

Our correspondents have been answering your questions about what this means and the impact it could have.

What happens to US products that are made in China?

Mike Heafield, 60, in Preston, asks Senior Technology reporter, Graham Fraser, What happens to products - like the iPhone - that are made in China by US companies?

One eye-catching consequence of the tariffs announcement has been the impact on Apple, with its share price falling 7%.

The US tech giant has large manufacturing bases in some of the countries hit hardest by President Trump's policy - notably China, which faces tariffs of 54%, and Vietnam (46%).

In 2019, when Trump was first in the White House, Apple was given Chinese tariff exemptions. Apple bosses will be hoping to work out a similar deal this time.

The global investment bank Citi said: "If Apple cannot get exempted this time and assuming Apple gets hit by the accumulative 54% China tariffs and does not pass it through, we estimate about 9% negative impact to the company's total gross margin."

In February, Apple committed to invest more than $500bn (£396bn) in the US over the next four years. At the time, Trump claimed Apple's support for US manufacturing was partially a response to his trade policies, including tariffs.

How will the tariffs impact US consumers?

Paul Miller, in Devon, asks Dharshini David, Deputy Economics editor, about the impact of tariffs on US consumers, and whether the UK could gain from them.

US shoppers could very much be the frontline casualties in this trade war, blighted by higher prices and less choice, regardless of the president's rhetoric.

And that does mean that producers will seek out and take advantage of new markets.

We saw that in the president's first term, when the likes of Vietnam and Malaysia took advantage of the tariffs he imposed on China to increase the amount they sold to America.

Ironically, they consequently are in the firing line now - and so will likely be vying to sell more to the UK – good for consumers, less so for competing businesses

Already, many producers are turning their sights beyond established customers – think whisky makers looking towards Asia. That is likely to intensify.

Trump's announcement may mean a redraft of the global trade map – and our own shopping lists.

• Live updates: Reaction to Trump's tariffs announcement
• At a glance: What president's new taxes mean for EU, China and others

Will this have an effect on the UK's cost of living?

Jock Scott, from Nuneaton, asks Business reporter Nick Edser if the US tariffs have an effect on the UK's cost of living.

As ever when looking at the implications of the tariffs, there's a lot of uncertainty over this. In some circumstances UK prices could go up, in others they could fall.

The tariffs announced by Trump on Wednesday will be paid for by the businesses which import goods into the US. This means the initial impact of price rises is likely to be on US consumers, if American firms pass on the extra costs.

However, some economists think the tariffs could strengthen the value of the dollar against other currencies. If the pound weakens against the dollar, then UK firms importing goods from the US will face higher costs. This could then lead to higher prices of these goods in UK shops if companies cannot absorb the increased costs themselves.

Also, if the UK government decides to retaliate with tariffs of its own on US goods entering the UK, there is a risk UK prices could rise if British businesses pass on the extra costs to customers.

However, some economists have suggested prices could also fall as a result of the tariffs.

Swati Dhingra, an economist and member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates, has suggested that firms which normally send their goods to the US may instead send them to countries which don't have such steep tariffs, like the UK, potentially leading to a flood of cheaper goods.

What does this mean for my pension?

Robert Jones, from Cardiff, asks Kevin Peachy, Cost of living correspondent, about the impact of tariffs on our pension investments.

There is little doubt Trump's announcement on tariffs has led to immediate moves in share prices and are also likely to have a longer-term economic impact.

Robert and Stephen have mentioned the drop in the value of their pension investments, and the situation will be unsettling for millions of people with any kind of investments.

Experts say that investors have always had to ride economic shocks. Investments, by definition, require a long-term outlook and strategy. So, they are urging people not to panic or make knee-jerk decisions.

That said, for those about to draw on investments, it may be more worrying, albeit that most pension savings are moved into safer holdings like cash or bonds as people approach retirement age. The state pension is unaffected.

Does the UK have a 'Brexit benefit' over the EU?

Paul Naldrett from Windsor asks Business correspondent Marc Ashdown if the UK's position outside of the European Union is actually an opportunity as the EU is given 20% tariffs.

Some are referring to a "Brexit benefit" because the UK is only subject to 10% tariffs rather than the 20% being slapped on the EU.

Not only will that limit the pain felt by British businesses compared to their European neighbours, but it could present trading opportunities.

UK exporters to America could have a competitive edge, with US importers only facing half the tax by dealing with UK businesses instead of EU businesses.

British firms - and consumers - could also benefit from cheaper goods finding their way here instead of America if the extra costs prove insurmountable.

But, there are concerns about the impact that could have on homegrown industries if cheap products, possibly with lower standards, flood the UK market.

One country that did not feature on Donald Trump's list of tariffs on US trade partners was Russia.

US outlet Axios quoted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as saying this was because existing US sanctions on Russia "preclude any meaningful trade" and noting that Cuba, Belarus and North Korea were also not included.

However, nations with even less trade with the US - such as Syria, which exported $11m of products last year according to UN data quoted by Trading Economics - were on the list.

The US imposed large-scale sanctions on Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Trump has generally taken a friendlier approach to Russia since his return to the White House.

He has made ending the war a priority and a top Russian official is in Washington this week for meetings with his administration, as negotiations continue on a deal.

Last month, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on countries buying Russian oil if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not agree to a ceasefire.

On Thursday, Russian media also argued that their country was not on the sweeping tariffs list because of existing sanctions.

"No tariffs have been imposed on Russia, but that's not because of some special treatment. It's simply because Western sanctions are already in place against our country," says state-run Rossiya 24 TV.

According to its sister channel Rossiya 1, Russia is missing from the list "to the disappointment of many in the West".

Many Kremlin-controlled media outlets have specifically referred to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Fox News: "Russia and Belarus, we don't trade with. They're sanctioned."

According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US imported goods from Russia worth $3.5bn (£2.7bn) in 2024. It mainly consisted of fertilisers, nuclear fuel and some metals, according to Trading Economics and Russian media.

Some of the Russian coverage has taken a mocking tone, with pro-Kremlin NTV saying Trump treated America's allies in Europe as "serfs" who only respond with "moaning".

Many, such as Zvezda TV which is run by Russia's defence ministry, note the inclusion of uninhabited Heard Island and McDonald Islands on the tariffs list.

"Looks like it's some penguins who will have to pay the 10% tariff," Zvezda said.

• Live updates: Reaction to Trump's tariffs announcement
• At a glance: The countries hit hardest by these plans
• Watch: Three things to know about Trump's plans
• Global reaction: How five big economies see new Trump tariffs
• BBC Verify: How were Donald Trump's tariffs calculated?
• UK: What this means for you and your money
• Explainer: What are tariffs, and why is Trump using them?
• US analysis: Trump's tariffs are his biggest gamble yet

Ukraine, meanwhile, is facing a 10% tariff on its exports to the US.

The country's first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said the new US tariff would mostly hit small producers.

She also said Ukraine was "working to secure better terms".

In 2024, Ukraine exported $874m (£642m) worth of goods to the US and imported $3.4bn from the US, according to the deputy prime minister.

"Ukraine has much to offer the United States as a reliable ally and partner," she added. "Fair tariffs benefit both countries."

Despite the small scale of trade, the US has provided significant material support for the war against Russia. Trump has argued that the US has spent $300-$350bn on such aid, while the US Department of Defense said $182.8bn had been "appropriated" - a figure that covers US military training in Europe and replenishment of US defence stocks - for Operation Atlantic Resolve.

The US has also been attempting to reach a deal for access to Ukrainian minerals as part of negotiations to end the war.

The government has approved plans to expand London Luton Airport.

Luton Rising, the airport's owners, wanted to increase airport capacity from 18 million annual passengers to 32 million by 2043.

This would involve building a new terminal, new taxiways and increasing the capacity in the existing terminal.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the proposals despite the Planning Inspectorate recommending she reject them over environmental concerns.

Due to the scale of the project, the airport had to submit a Development Consent Order to the Secretary of State for Transport for a final decision.

The decision had been delayed three times - most recently so newly appointed Alexander could have more time to consider the application.

Paul Kehoe, the independent chair of Luton Rising which is owned by Luton Borough Council, welcomed the approval which could bring "significant economic, employment and social benefits for our town".

He said: "At a new capacity of 32 million passengers per year, our scheme will deliver up to 11,000 new jobs, additional annual economic activity of up to £1.5bn, and up to an additional £13m every year for communities and good causes."

Andrew Lambourne of campaign group LADACAN, which has opposed the airport's expansion, said the government had ignored local people.

He said: "The government has said it believes in local decision making, yet has ignored the 90% of residents, groups and councils which strongly opposed this application because they know it is out-of-keeping with the area.

"People living under the flight path are already at risk of health damage from being awoken by night flights, so adding 70% more is inhumane.

"And with climate change worsening, the last thing any of us need is 70,000 more aircraft a year creating greenhouse gases and contrails."

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A man shot dead by police officers at Milton Keynes railway station has been named.

David Joyce, 38, was from the city and was killed on Tuesday after police responded to reports of a man with a gun at the station. It later emerged he was carrying a knife.

Thames Valley Police said a single shot was fired by one officer and Mr Joyce was given first aid, but died at the scene.

The force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which named Mr Joyce and is carrying out an investigation into the case.

The IOPC said Mr Joyce was formally identified at a post-mortem examination on Thursday morning. The provisional cause of his death was a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

The watchdog added that it had already viewed a "substantial amount" of CCTV and police body-worn camera footage of the incident.

The investigation team said all officers who attended the scene were being treated as witnesses.

Statements were being taken from members of the public who were at the station at the time and more CCTV footage is being obtained from nearby buildings.

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged the public to "vote for change in your community", as he launched Labour's local election campaign for England.

The elections on 1 May are the party's first major test at the ballot box since winning power in last July's landslide victory.

But Labour is now facing a more challenging backdrop, after slumping in the polls in recent months.

At an event in Derbyshire, a key target council which is currently run by the Conservatives, Sir Keir said Labour councils would "work hand-in-hand" with the government on its plan for change, including bringing back community policing, supporting High Streets and fixing potholes.

He acknowledged people were "still struggling with the cost of living" but said the government was "turning things around".

The PM pointed to increases in the minimum wage, falling NHS waiting lists and cuts to fuel duty as examples of the difference the government was making.

But he accused "tired" Tory councils of "putting on the blockers" and "holding Britain back".

"Last year, the general election was that opportunity to vote for change for the country," Sir Keir said.

"This year, the local elections are the chance to vote for change in your community."

Speaking to a crowd of activists at the same event, Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said Conservative councils had "let public services crumble".

She added: "That is why we need great Labour mayors, leaders and councillors delivering the change across our great towns, cities and counties, so that we can transform the lives of people at a local level."

Elections will be held for 23 councils, while there will also be mayoral elections in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and - for the first time - in Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire.

Meanwhile, the party is facing a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby, after former Labour MP Mike Amesbury resigned following his conviction for assaulting a constituent.

Elections to all 21 county councils in England were due to place.

But last month the government announced local elections would be postponed in nine areas, where councils are being reorganised.

The Conservatives are defending the most seats in the upcoming elections, which were last contested in 2021 when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was enjoying a surge in support following the rollout of the Covid vaccine.

Other areas where Labour is hoping to make gains include Durham and Nottinghamshire, parts of the country where the party won seats at last year's general election.

However, it is facing a difficult economic backdrop, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves setting out sweeping benefit cuts last month amid pressures on public spending.

On Wednesday US President Donald Trump announced new global tariffs, which could hit the UK's economic growth and wipe out the headroom the chancellor has to meet her spending and borrowing rules.

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Tate Modern has announced it has received a major gift from a couple of art dealers in the form of a painting by the US modern artist Joan Mitchell.

It was unveiled on Thursday as one of a group of works being donated by the Miami-based philanthropists, Jorge M and Darleen Pérez.

The six-metre-long triptych, entitled Iva 1973, can now be viewed for free at the London gallery next to Mark Rothko's Seagram Murals.

Tate director Maria Balshaw said the gift was "one of the most important" it has received, describing the donation as "transformational".

'Accessible to all'

"To place such a significant and valuable work in public hands is an act of incredible generosity," said Balshaw.

"It is also an endorsement of Tate's ability to share our collection with the broadest possible audience," she added. "And to care for that collection for future generations."

Mitchell, who would've been 100 this year, was one of the most celebrated artists of the abstract expressionist movement.

Arts Minister, Sir Chris Bryant said the "spectacular donation" of Mitchell's "masterpiece", which was originally dedicated to her dog, shows "the amazing difference one person's generosity can make".

"I'm very grateful for this donation and for the work that went into making it possible," he said.

"We are committed to ensuring art is for everyone, everywhere and the generosity of the Pérez family ensures that great art remains accessible to all, whilst also enriching our national collection."

'Female artists play significant role'

Argentine-American businessman Mr Pérez is best known as the chairman and CEO of The Related Group, a Miami-based real estate company.

He has given or pledged over $100m (£76m) to Miami's public art museum, which was renamed the Pérez Art Museum Miami in his honour in 2013.

He also founded a not-for-profit contemporary art space in Miami called El Espacio 23.

Mr Perez told BBC News: "We've been talking to the Tate for a long time, we're great admirers of the Tate.

"Our hope is always that our art is seen by the highest number of people. The Tate has huge viewership, millions and millions of people coming in."

He added the work suited being displayed next to other famous artists. "This painting, when you see it next to the Rothko's, really resounds," he said, "and it'll be there forever.

"So when you talk about legacy, we like to think that our names will not be forgotten, and that they will live, not only with the British audience, but also with the international audience that comes to the Tate.

"We hope it fills a gap in the collection that is very important and maybe the most important art movement in America. It's found its home, we're very pleased with it here."

Mrs Pérez noted female artists "play a significant role in shaping the cultural landscape" and that is was therefore "pivotal that we support and celebrate their contributions."

"We've long admired Joan Mitchell's work and are thrilled to share Iva with the world through Tate Modern."

Their gift also includes a multimillion-dollar endowment to support Tate's curatorial research.

Also, a range of works and photographs by artists from across Africa and the African diaspora - including by Yinka Shonibare, El Anatsui and Malick Sidibé - will make their way from the Pérezes to Tate's collection over the coming years.

Additional reporting by Steven Wright.

US President Donald Trump has imposed a 10% tariff on goods from most countries being imported into the US, with even higher rates for what he calls the "worst offenders".

But how exactly were these tariffs - essentially taxes on imports - worked out? BBC Verify has been looking at the calculations behind the numbers.

What were the calculations?

When Trump presented a giant cardboard chart detailing the tariffs in the White House Rose Garden it was initially assumed that the charges were based on a combination of existing tariffs and other trade barriers (like regulations).

But later, the White House published what might look like a complicated mathematical formula.

But the actual exercise boiled down to simple maths: take the trade deficit for the US in goods with a particular country, divide that by the total goods imports from that country and then divide that number by two.

A trade deficit occurs when a country buys (imports) more physical products from other countries than it sells (exports) to them.

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For example, the US buys more goods from China than it sells to them - there is a goods deficit of $295bn. The total amount of goods it buys from China is $440bn.

Dividing 295 by 440 gets you to 67% and you divide that by two and round up. Therefore the tariff imposed on China is 34%.

Similarly, when it applied to the EU, the White House's formula resulted in a 20% tariff.

Are the Trump tariffs 'reciprocal'?

Many commentators have pointed out that these tariffs are not reciprocal.

Reciprocal would mean they were based on what countries already charge the US in the form of existing tariffs, plus non-tariff barriers (things like regulations that drive up costs).

But the White House's official methodology document makes clear that they have not calculated this for all the countries on which they have imposed tariffs.

Instead the tariff rate was calculated on the basis that it would eliminate the US's goods trade deficit with each country.

Trump has broken away from the formula in imposing tariffs on countries that buy more goods from the US than they sell to it.

For example the US does not currently run goods trade deficit with the UK. Yet the UK has been hit with a 10% tariff.

In total, more than 100 countries are covered by the new tariff regime.

'Lots of broader impacts'

Trump believes the US is getting a bad deal in global trade. In his view, other countries flood US markets with cheap goods - which hurts US companies and costs jobs. At the same time, these countries are putting up barriers that make US products less competitive abroad.

So by using tariffs to eliminate trade deficits, Trump hopes to revive US manufacturing and protect jobs.

But will this new tariff regime achieve the desired outcome?

BBC Verify has spoken to a number of economists. The overwhelming view is that while the tariffs might reduce the goods deficit between the US and individual countries, they will not reduce the overall deficit between the US and rest of the world.

"Yes, it will reduce bilateral trade deficits between the US and these countries. But there will obviously be lots of broader impacts that are not captured in the calculation", says Professor Jonathan Portes of King's College, London.

That's because the US' existing overall deficit is not driven solely by trade barriers, but by how the US economy works.

For one, Americans spend and invest more than they earn and that gap means the US buys more from the world than it sells. So as long as that continues, the US may continue to keep running a deficit despite increasing tariffs with it global trading partners.

Some trade deficits can also exist for a number of legitimate reasons - not just down to tariffs. For example, buying food that is easier or cheaper to produce in other countries' climates.

Thomas Sampson of the London School of Economics said: "The formula is reverse engineered to rationalise charging tariffs on countries with which the US has a trade deficit. There is no economic rationale for doing this and it will cost the global economy dearly."

What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

The UK government is launching a consultation with businesses on how taking retaliatory tariff measures against the US would impact them.

It comes after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of 10% on all UK imports.

The government has previously said it would not be rushed into a knee-jerk response to Trump's imposition of tariffs on its trading partners around the world while insisting all options were on the table.

But in a toughening of this stance, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs he would "seek the views of UK stakeholders over four weeks until 1 May 2025 on products that could be potentially included in any UK tariff response".

He said talks were ongoing with the US government to secure an economic deal aimed at avoiding or reducing tariffs but warned that the UK "reserves the right to take any action we deem necessary if a deal is not secured".

In the event of reaching a deal with the US, the consultation with businesses would be paused, he added.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he said the fact the US had put lower tariffs on the UK compared to other countries "vindicated the pragmatic approach the government has taken". However, he said he was "disappointed" by the increase.

Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith questioned Reynolds' claim that the government's approach had been "vindicated".

• Live updates: Reaction to Trump's tariffs announcement
• At a glance: What president's new taxes mean for EU, China and others
• Global reaction: World leaders criticise Trump tariffs as 'major blow'
• Explainer: What are tariffs, and why is Trump using them?
• Chris Mason: UK relief but not delight at Trump tariffs

"The government got no special favours," he said noting that the UK was facing the same tariffs as more than 125 other countries and territories including the Congo and the Christmas Islands.

He said the EU was being hit by 20% tariffs and the UK's lower rate of 10% was actually a vindication of those who "were pilloried and abused" for backing Brexit.

"They [Labour] should regret the 48 times they voted to stay in Europe and thank us for getting Brexit done."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Trump was telling the UK he would only lower tariffs "if you lower your standards".

"If the government gives in to Trump's threats it will only encourage him to use the same bullying tactics again and again."

She reiterated her party's call for an "economic coalition of the willing" against the tariffs.

In addition to the 10% tariffs, a 25% tariff has been put on UK car exports, as well as steel and aluminium products.

The UK exported almost £60bn worth of goods to the US last year, mainly machinery, cars and pharmaceuticals.

The government's official forecaster estimates a worst-case scenario trade war could reduce UK economic growth by 1% and wipe out the £9.9bn of economic headroom Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave herself at last week's Spring Statement.

It could mean that in order to meet her own fiscal rules, she would have to raise taxes or make cuts to government spending.

US President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on goods from countries across the world, on what he called "Liberation Day".

He says the move will make America wealthy again, but economists warn that prices could rise for Americans and fears of a global trade war have grown.

What are tariffs and which countries is Trump targeting?

Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries. Companies bringing the goods into the country pay the amount, typically a percentage of the goods' value, to the government.

Trump has announced a 10% "baseline" tariff on all imports to the US – this is what the UK will face.

But 60 countries will be hit with higher rates of up to 50%, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Countries in the European Union are facing a 20% tariff. The tariffs are set to take effect in days.

Trump also confirmed previously announced tariffs on specific goods, including 25% on steel, aluminium and foreign-made cars.

Read more:

• What are tariffs and why is Trump using them?
• At a glance: Trump's tariffs on China, the EU and others

Why is Trump so keen to use tariffs?

Trump says "tariff" is his favourite word, and since the 1980s he has held a strong belief that the taxes can boost the US economy.

He believes they will encourage US consumers to buy more American-made goods, and increase the amount of tax raised. Trump also wants to reduce the gap between the value of US goods imported and exported.

The White House said the measures were necessary because countries were taking advantage of the US by imposing their own high tariffs and other trade barriers.

"For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike," Trump said as he announced the tariffs.

However, Trump is taking an enormous risk upon which he is staking his presidency, our North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher writes.

If successful, the move could fundamentally reshape the global economic order. Trump promises that it will rebuild American manufacturing and make the country more self-reliant.

But it risks alienating allies, while economists warn it could raise prices and threaten a global recession.

A messy global trade war looks inevitable, suggests the BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam.

Trump's decision to take tariff revenues to a level beyond those seen during the 1930s will mean huge changes to world trade patterns, he says.

Read more:

• A longtime goal fulfilled - and Trump's biggest gamble yet
• This is the biggest change to global trade in 100 years

Will prices go up for US consumers?

Economists warn this is likely because companies are likely to pass the increased cost of imported goods onto their customers. They could also reduce imports, meaning fewer products are available - putting further pressure on prices.

To raise the revenue Trump is hoping for, US consumers are going to have to swallow rises and keep on buying items made in other countries in similar quantities as now, says the BBC's deputy economics editor Dharshini David.

And as she points out, history shows the frontline casualties tend to be consumers, due to reduced choice and higher prices, and exporters.

"Growth, jobs and price stability are in the firing line," she writes.

Cars, lumber used to build houses, beer, whisky and tequila, and avocados are among the goods that could become more expensive.

Read more:

• History shows these wars rarely end well
• Six things that could get more expensive for Americans

How is the world reacting to Trump's tariffs?

Global stockmarkets fell after tariffs were announced and a series of world leaders condemned the measures.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said "the global economy will massively suffer" and that "the consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe".

EU countries are finalising a response to 25% steel and aluminium tariffs, which have already been introduced, and could announce further measures.

It has promised to protect European businesses, including Germany's car industry, Italy's luxury goods and France's wine and champagne producers.

China has promised "resolute countermeasures", which are likely to hurt US companies trying to sell into the huge Chinese market.

However, Trump's tariffs may also benefit China by allowing President Xi Jinping to portray his country as a champion of free trade, the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell says. Countries could be encouraged to build or strengthen their trade relationships with China.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer acknowledged the economy will be hurt by the latest tariffs but promised to react with "cool and calm heads".

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told MPs the government would launch a consultation to explore how retaliatory tariff measures against US products could affect British firms.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said the tariffs will "fundamentally change the international trading system".

He said Canada would retaliate against US tariffs soon, "with purpose and with force", to protect workers and strength the economy.

Read more:

• UK firms react: "It's a huge blow to Scottish whisky"
• How five big economies see new Trump Tariffs
• Global stocks slide as Trump tariffs hit markets
• World leaders criticise Trump tariffs as 'major blow'

How tariffs could affect UK households - and their money

The UK is now facing a 10% tariff on all goods heading to the US but there's a lot of uncertainty about what it could mean for the UK itself:

Prices could rise – or fall

Once tariffs are in place, the value of the dollar could strengthen. That might push up import costs for UK firms buying goods, which could then be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

But some economists say prices might actually drop at first. That's because firms that usually sell to the US might start sending their goods to countries like the UK instead – possibly leading to a surge of cheaper goods here.

Your job could be affected

Higher prices might lead workers to ask for bigger pay rises. If UK companies see their profits squeezed, job cuts could follow. More than 25,000 jobs in the car manufacturing sector could be at risk.

Interest rates could stay high

Rates are currently at 4.5%, and economists had expected two cuts this year. But if inflation rises because of higher prices, rates might stay higher for longer.

Read more

• How Trump's tariffs might affect you and your money

The Charity Commission is to examine the bitter dispute that led to the Duke of Sussex and several others resigning from the charity he co-founded.

The watchdog announced it had begun a "regulatory compliance case" involving Sentebale, following concerns raised by its head Sophie Chandauka.

Ms Chandauka told the BBC she welcomed the move by the commission, which comes after she said she had "blown the whistle" on issues including bullying and harassment, and warned of the prince's "toxicity" for the charity.

Sources close to the founders and former trustees of Sentebale have previously rejected the allegations and said they "look forward to the adjudication of the truth".

The Charity Commission's announcement is the first step in assessing the complaints and allegations over what has happened at Sentebale, which was founded in 2006 to help children in southern Africa affected by HIV and Aids.

It will then decide whether inquiries need to be escalated.

An acrimonious boardroom battle led to Prince Harry, his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and trustees resigning from their roles after Ms Chandauka had resisted attempts to remove her as chair.

Ms Chandauka previously said she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission, and made a whistleblower complaint about issues including what she described as an abuse of power, bullying, sexism and racism.

On Thursday, Ms Chandauka said in a statement that the concerns brought to the commission included "governance, administration and management matters".

The Sentebale head said she hoped the public and donors would now see there was a new board of trustees "acting appropriately to demonstrate and ensure good governance and a healthy culture".

Insiders have claimed personality clashes and tensions around leadership had added to Sentebale's challenges - and the watchdog is likely to hear financial concerns from some of those formerly involved with running the charity.

"It is devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation," those trustees leaving the charity said a statement.

Among the likely claims are that £500,000 of Sentebale's money was spent on consultants in a strategy to get donations from wealthy individuals and foundations in the US, but which sources close to the former trustees say had not delivered adequate results.

The financial fears come despite the charity receiving an extra £1.2m from Prince Harry's earnings from his best-selling memoir Spare.

A Sentebale spokeswoman rejected the claim that £500,000 had been spent on US consultants - and defended its approach to seeking new funds for the charity. Sources also claim Ms Chandauka had raised funding to cover the cost of the consultants and that her own family had become significant donors to the charity.

Sentebale told the BBC it had hired a US firm called Lebec to help build a new fundraising strategy, and that by October 2024 a team of six consultants had set up 65 key relationships with potential donors, who might help Sentebale in the future.

It said the 12-month deal with Lebec, a women-led strategy firm, had successfully delivered links to "high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporations, foundations and partner non-profits".

"Lebec provided the positioning strategy, the tools, and the insights to enter the US market successfully and with credibility," a spokeswoman for Sentebale said.

The one-off donation from Prince Harry from his Spare book was "incredibly useful" but did not represent a long-term "funding pipeline", said Sentebale.

The dispute has become increasingly personal.

Ms Chandauka argued the controversy around Prince Harry leaving the UK had become a barrier to potential donors.

She said the "toxicity" of Prince Harry's brand was the "number one risk for this organisation".

Ms Chandauka also spoke about a dispute over a video at a fundraising polo match, where it had been claimed Meghan was manoeuvring her out of the way during a prize-giving ceremony.

"Prince Harry asked me to issue some sort of a statement in support of the duchess and I said I wouldn't," said Ms Chandauka.

Sources close to Prince Harry and Meghan have rejected suggestions there was any conflict or anything negative about how the prize line-up was organised, saying it had been misrepresented.

They say the full video with sound shows Meghan politely helping the group get ready for the photo by asking: "Do you want to come over here?".

Ms Chandauka says she and her leadership team are focusing on the day-to-day operations of the charity, and looking forward to working with their supporters as "we recalibrate for an ambitious future".

The government has approved plans to expand London Luton Airport.

Luton Rising, the airport's owners, wanted to increase airport capacity from 18 million annual passengers to 32 million by 2043.

This would involve building a new terminal, new taxiways and increasing the capacity in the existing terminal.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the proposals despite the Planning Inspectorate recommending she reject them over environmental concerns.

Due to the scale of the project, the airport had to submit a Development Consent Order to the Secretary of State for Transport for a final decision.

The decision had been delayed three times - most recently so newly appointed Alexander could have more time to consider the application.

Paul Kehoe, the independent chair of Luton Rising which is owned by Luton Borough Council, welcomed the approval which could bring "significant economic, employment and social benefits for our town".

He said: "At a new capacity of 32 million passengers per year, our scheme will deliver up to 11,000 new jobs, additional annual economic activity of up to £1.5bn, and up to an additional £13m every year for communities and good causes."

Andrew Lambourne of campaign group LADACAN, which has opposed the airport's expansion, said the government had ignored local people.

He said: "The government has said it believes in local decision making, yet has ignored the 90% of residents, groups and councils which strongly opposed this application because they know it is out-of-keeping with the area.

"People living under the flight path are already at risk of health damage from being awoken by night flights, so adding 70% more is inhumane.

"And with climate change worsening, the last thing any of us need is 70,000 more aircraft a year creating greenhouse gases and contrails."

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The list of would-be buyers for TikTok in the US - both rumoured and confirmed - has grown longer as the deadline for deciding its future looms.

The social media giant faces being shut down in the US unless it sells to an American company by 5 April.

The runners and riders range from US tech giants to the British entrepreneur dubbed "the king of homemade porn".

However, TikTok and its Chinese owner, ByteDance have still not confirmed they are willing to do a deal.

They also continue to reject the reason for the sale - that the US considers their ties to the Chinese government a national security threat.

It is also not clear what exactly would be sold, in particular what would happen to TikTok's algorithim, which decides what content to expose users to, and is considered a big reason for its success.

"TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand - it's simply not as powerful," said Kelsey Chickering, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

Despite all this uncertainty, Ms Chickering said it was unlikely the app would go offline in the US as it briefly did in January.

"It is highly unlikely that TikTok will go dark again. All signs point to a deal or another extension."

Last-minute bids

As with everything else to do with the app's future, who exactly is attempting to buy it is cloaked in uncertainty.

According to the New York Times, Amazon recently sent a letter to the US Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressing interest.

Amazon declined to comment when approached by BBC News.

Another late-stage bid reportedly came from an app marketing and analytics company called AppLovin.

They have remained similarly tight-lipped on the speculation, though - at least in public.

A third last-minute bidder includes the man once called "the king of homemade porn" by the Sunday Times - British OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely.

His proposed bid - and all the media attention which comes with it - happens to coincide with the relaunch of a company he co-founded in 2022.

One confirmed bidder is Perplexity, an AI search startup which counts Amazon's Jeff Bezos among its backers.

The company recently published its "vision" for what its version of TikTok would look like for America.

Another potential investor is Frank McCourt, who founded the Project Liberty organisation in 2021, which aims to give more power to internet users.

He says he would scrap the current algorithm in favour of a far more open version where users have more control over what they see on the platform.

Also part of this bid are Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary.

A bid from MrBeast?

According to the Financial Times, a consortium of American businesses is close to getting US government endorsement for a bid - though of course it is up to ByteDance, not the White House, whether they sell or not.

The group includes Trump loyalist Marc Andreessen and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Oracle already handles the data for TikTok in the US.There are a number of other potential bids which have been mentioned by Donald Trump when he has been asked.

He has said, in responses to questions from reporters, that Elon Musk may be interested in getting hold of TikTok, and has also mentioned Microsoft in the past.

Microsoft had a bid rejected in 2020 when the previous Tump administration explored a TikTok ban which never happened.

YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, or MrBeast to his millions of fans, has also said he's been contacted by a number of different groups trying to get him to be the face of a new bid.

But whoever ends up being picked by the White House to go forward with a bid will still have to get over the same huge hurdle: how do you buy a company that's not for sale?

Decisions taken within the next few days will determine whether British Steel's Scunthorpe plant stays open, the BBC understands.

The plant's Chinese owner, Jingye, has cancelled two cargo shipments of coking coal for the site's two blast furnaces and it has not yet paid for iron pellets that are scheduled to arrive next week.

Without coal and iron ore, the blast furnaces will shut down within weeks.

Last week British Steel launched a consultation on the proposed closure of its two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, putting up to 2,700 jobs at risk.

It has been meeting with the trade unions Community, GMB and Unite.

The GMB's national officer, Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, said that a union meeting with workers on Wednesday had shown that ''Jingye has no intention of running the plant responsibly. Nationalisation is now the only option to save UK steel-making."

Sources close to the consultation accuse Jingye of deliberately undermining talks to save the plant by closing down the supply of raw materials.

A British Steel spokesperson said: "We are not able to comment at this time".

British Steel has been owned by Jingye since 2020. The Chinese firm says it has invested more than £1.2bn into British Steel to maintain operations and claims it has suffered financial losses of about £700,000 a day.

Zengwei An, the company's chief executive, said the launch of the consultation process had been "a necessary decision given the hugely challenging circumstances the business faces", including the imposition of US tariffs and higher environmental costs.

The BBC reported last week that the company had drawn up a £2bn investment plan and that it had expected the government to contribute half.

The BBC understands that British Steel recently rejected a government offer of £500m.

There are growing calls for the government to nationalise the company.

On Tuesday, North Lincolnshire Council voted unanimously in favour of the company being brought back into public ownership, while last week in Parliament, Conservative MPs and the deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, also called for nationalisation.

Questioned on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning, business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds MP, said he was ''strongly committed to the UK having a steel industry'' and that he was making sure ''we are closely engaged on this issue''.

However declined to comment on reports that public ownership was being actively considered by ministers, saying to BBC Radio 4: "We are talking to the company. It's in private ownership, that is the situation that we have inherited, we are trying to find a way through that."

"I know for the workforce in particular this is a really difficult time,'' he added.

New trade tariffs unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday are expected to have a major global impact, and have been condemned by the European Union and other key US allies.

But Trump's latest import taxes may get a different response in China, whose leader could see them as a gift.

Here, BBC reporters in five major economies look at the nuances of how the announcements are being received where they are.

Europe could hurt US, but doesn't want to escalate

By Katya Adler, Europe editor in Brussels

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen spoke on behalf of all European Union (EU) countries when she said the new tax imports would cause "dire" consequences for millions of people around the globe.

She said there was "no clear path through the complexity and chaos" that the new tariffs would unleash worldwide.

But the Commission has promised to protect EU businesses, some of which will be more hard hit than others - like Germany's car industry, Italy's luxury goods and France's wine and champagne producers.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called an emergency meeting of French business leaders later on Thursday.

As the biggest single market in the world, the EU can hurt the US - targeting goods and services, including 'big tech' like Apple and Meta with counter-measures.

But it says its aim is not to up the ante here – it's to persuade Trump to negotiate.

On Wednesday night, Italian PM Georgia Meloni said that while she considered the tariffs wrong, everything would be done to try and reach an agreement with the US.

Tariffs a gift for Chinese leader

By Stephen McDonell, China correspondent in Beijing

A 54% tariff hit on Chinese goods entering the US is certainly huge and will no doubt hurt Chinese companies trying to sell into that market.

Beijing's countermeasures will also hurt US companies trying to reach the massive Chinese market.

But, in one way, these moves from Trump are also a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi is portraying his country as a champion of free trade, a backer of multilateral institutions, and making comparisons with the world's other superpower which is seen as trashing both of these.

Just last week, China's leader was sitting down with chief executives from big international corporations – including many from Europe – and the imagery was clear. The US under Donald Trump = chaos, trade destruction, national self-interest. China under Xi Jinping = stability, free trade, global cooperation.

The Chinese government has already mobilised its state media sector to attack this latest round of tariffs from the Trump Administration.

People may quibble with the Chinese Communist Party's reading of where the world sits, but every time Trump takes measures like these, it makes Xi's sales pitch easier to deliver.

And economic necessity may draw many countries closer to China and further from the US.

• Are Trump's Asia tariffs a 'full-frontal assault' on China?
• 'Not the act of a friend': Australia angry over tariffs

Some relief but no delight in UK

By Chris Mason, BBC political editor in London

Folks in government here had picked up a sense of the mood music – a sense that the UK was "in the good camp rather than the bad camp" as one figure put it to me – but they had no idea in advance what that would mean exactly.

But now we do know - a 10% tariff on the UK's exports to the US.

I detect a sense of relief among ministers, but make no mistake - they are not delighted. The tariffs imposed on the UK will have significant effects, and the tariffs on the UK's trading partners will have a profound impact on jobs, industries and global trading flows in the weeks, months and years to come.

It will be "hugely disruptive," as one government source put it.

There is an acute awareness in particular about the impact on the car industry.

Negotiations with the US over a trade deal continue. I am told a team of four UK negotiators are in "pretty intensive" conversation with their US counterparts – talking remotely, but willing to head to Washington if signing a deal appears imminent.

• Read more from Chris Mason: UK ministers stay up late for Trump announcements

India fears impacts - but some sectors have hope

By Nikhil Inamdar, India business correspondent in Delhi

Asian economies are among the hardest hit by Trump's new tariffs. Americans will have to pay a 46% tax on imported goods from Vietnam, and 49% for goods from Cambodia.

Relatively speaking, India has fared better.

But a 26% across-the-board tariff rate is still steep, and will severely affect major "labour-intensive exports", says Priyanka Kishore of the Asia Decoded consultancy.

"That will likely have a knock-on impact on domestic demand and headline gross domestic product(GDP)" at a time when growth is already stuttering, according to Kishore.

But India's electronics exports may potentially benefit as higher tariffs on rivals such as Vietnam could leads to the re-routing of trade.

That is unlikely to mitigate the overall negative growth impact of Trump's salvo though.

Unlike Canada, Mexico or the European Union, India has so far adopted a conciliatory approach to Trump and is negotiating a bilateral deal with the US. Whether this triggers a retaliation in Delhi, will be very closely watched.

The pharmaceutical industry - which accounts for India's largest industrial exports at some $13bn (£9.9bn) annually - will be breathing a sigh of relief, however, as medicines are exempt from these "reciprocal" tariffs.

• Can Trump' tariffs spark manufacturing boom in India?

South Africa hits out, as continent reels from aid cuts

By Wycliffe Muia in Nairobi

Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" are targeting dozens of African countries, including 30% for South Africa and 50% for Lesotho.

Many of these nations are already grappling with the effects of US foreign aid cuts, which provided health and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable countries.

South Africa - like some of the continent's other biggest economies including Nigeria and Kenya - has long had open trade agreements with the US, and the new tariffs could significantly affect existing economic ties.

It is included in the long list of countries dubbed the "worst offenders" that now face higher US rates - payback for unfair trade policies, Trump says.

"They have got some bad things going on in South Africa. You know, we are paying them billions of dollars, and we cut the funding because a lot of bad things are happening in South Africa," he said, before going on to name other countries.

In a statement, the South African presidency condemned the new tariffs as "punitive", saying they could "serve as a barrier to trade and shared prosperity".

• Read more from Wycliffe Muia: South Africa and Nigeria among countries hit by Trump's tariffs

• At a glance: The countries hit hardest by these plans
• UK: What this means for you and your money
• Explainer: What are tariffs, and why is Trump using them?
• Analysis: Trump's tariffs are his biggest gamble yet

It's 10am, and in a little over two hours, Wayne Hawkins will be dead.

The sun is shining on the bungalow where the 80-year-old lives in San Diego, California with his wife of more than five decades, Stella.

I knock on the door and meet his children - Emily, 48, and Ashley, 44 - who have spent the last two weeks at their father's side.

Wayne sits in a reclining chair where he spends most of his days. Terminally ill, he is too weak to leave the house.

He has invited BBC News to witness his death under California's assisted dying laws - because if MPs in London vote to legalise the practice in England and Wales, it will allow some terminally ill people here to die in a similar way.

Half an hour after arriving at Wayne's house, I watch him swallow three anti-nausea tablets, designed to minimise the risk of him vomiting the lethal medication he plans to take shortly.

Are you sure this day is your last, I ask him? "I'm all in," he replies. "I was determined and decided weeks ago - I've had no trepidation since then."

His family ask for one last photo, which I take. As usual, Stella and Wayne are holding hands.

Shortly after, Dr Donnie Moore arrives. He has got to know the family over the past few weeks, visiting them on several occasions alongside running his own end-of-life clinic. Under California law, he is what is known as the attending physician who must confirm, in addition to a second doctor, that Wayne is eligible for aid in dying.

Dr Moore's role is part physician, part counsellor in this situation, one he has been in for 150 assisted deaths before.

On a top shelf in Wayne's bedroom sits a brown glass bottle containing a fine white powder - a mixture of five drugs, sedatives and painkillers, delivered to the house the previous day. The dosage of drugs inside is hundreds of times higher than those used in regular healthcare and is "guaranteed" to be fatal, Dr Moore explains. Unlike California, the proposed law at Westminster would require a doctor to bring any such medication with them.

When Wayne signals he is ready, the doctor mixes the meds with cherry and pineapple juice to soften the bitter taste - and he hands this pink liquid to Wayne.

No one, not even the doctor, knows how long it will take him to die after taking the lethal drugs. Dr Moore explains to me that, in his experience, death usually occurs between 30 minutes and two hours of ingestion, but on one occasion it took 17 hours.

This is the story of how and why Wayne chose to die. And why others have decided not to follow the same course.

We first met the couple a few weeks earlier, when Wayne explained why he was going ahead with the decision to have an assisted death - a controversial measure in other parts of the world.

"Some days the pain is almost more than I can handle," he said. "I just don't see any merit to dying slow and painfully, hooked up with stuff - intubation, feeding tubes," he told me. "I want none of it."

Wayne said he had watched two relatives die "miserable", "heinous" deaths from heart failure.

"I hate hospitals, they are miserable. I will die in the street first."

Wayne met Stella in 1969; the couple married four years later. He told us it was something of an arranged marriage, as his mother kept inviting Stella for dinner until eventually the penny dropped that he should take her out.

They lived for many years in Arcata, northern California, surrounded by sweeping forests of redwood trees, where Wayne worked as a landscape architect, while Stella was a primary school teacher. They spent their holidays hiking and camping with their children.

Now Wayne is terminally ill with heart failure, which has already brought him close to death. He has myriad other health issues including prostate cancer, liver failure and sepsis which brings him serious spinal pain.

He has less than six months to live, qualifying him for an assisted death in California. His request to die has been approved by two doctors and the lethal medication is self-administered.

It was during our first meeting that he asked the BBC to return to observe his final day, saying he wanted terminally ill adults in the UK to have the same right to an assisted death as him.

"Britain is pretty good with freedoms and this is just another one," he said. "People should be able to choose the time of their death as long as they meet the rules like six months to live or less."

Stella, 78, supports his decision. "I've known him for over 50 years. He's a very independent man. He's always known what he wants to do and he's always fixed things. That's how he's operating now. If this is his choice, I definitely agree, and I've seen him really suffer with the illness he's got. I don't want that for him."

Wayne would also qualify under the proposed new assisted dying law in England and Wales. The measures return to the House of Commons later this month, when all MPs will have a chance to debate and vote on changes to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The proposed legislation, tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, says that anyone who wants to end their life must have the mental capacity to make the choice, that they must be expected to die within six months, and must make two separate declarations - witnessed and signed - about their wish to die. They must satisfy two independent doctors that they are eligible.

MPs in Westminster voted in favour of assisted dying in principle last November but remain bitterly divided on the issue. If they ultimately decide to approve the bill, it could become law within the next year and come into practice within the next four years.

There are also divisions here in California, where assisted dying was introduced in 2016. Michelle and Mike Carter, both 72 and married for 43 years, are each being treated for cancer - Mike has prostate cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes, and Michelle's advanced terminal ovarian cancer has spread throughout much of her body.

"I held my mother's hand when she passed; I held my father's hand when he passed," Michelle told me. "I believe there's freedom of choice however for me, I choose palliative care… I have God and I have good medicine."

Michelle's physician, palliative care specialist Dr Vincent Nguyen, argued that assisted dying laws in the US state lead to "silent coercion" whereby vulnerable people think their only option is to die. "Instead of ending people's lives, let's put programmes together to care for people," he said. "Let them know that they're loved, they're wanted and they're worthy."

He said the law meant that doctors have gone from being seen as healers to killers, while the message from the healthcare system was that "you are better off dead, because you're expensive and your death is cheaper for us".

Some disability campaigners say assisted dying makes them feel unsafe. Ingrid Tischer, who has muscular dystrophy and chronic respiratory failure, told me: "The message that it sends to people with disabilities in California is that you deserve suicide assistance rather than suicide prevention when you voice a desire to end your life.

"What does that say about who we are as a culture?"

Critics often say that once assisted dying is legalised, over time the safeguards around such laws get eroded as part of a "slippery slope" towards more relaxed criteria. In California, there was initially a mandatory 15-day cooling off period between patients making a first and second request for aid in dying. That has been reduced to 48 hours because many patients were dying during the waiting period. It's thought the approval process envisaged in Westminster would take around a month.

'Goodbye,' Wayne tells his family

Outside Wayne's house on the morning of his death, a solitary bird begins its loud and elaborate song. "There's that mockingbird out there," Wayne tells Stella, as smiles flicker across their faces.

Wayne hates the bird because it keeps him awake at night, Stella jokes, hand in hand with him to one side of his chair. Emily and Ashley are next to Stella.

Dr Moore, seated on Wayne's other side, hands him the pink liquid which he swallows without hesitation. "Goodnight," he says to his family - a typical touch of humour from a man who told us he was determined to die on his terms. It's 11.47am.

After two minutes, Wayne says he is getting sleepy. Dr Moore asks him to imagine he is walking in a vast sea of flowers with a soft breeze on his skin, which seems appropriate for a patient who has spent much of his life among nature.

After three minutes Wayne enters a deep sleep from which he will never wake. On a few occasions he lifts his head to take a deep breath without opening his eyes, at one point beginning to snore softly.

Dr Moore tells the family this is "the deepest sleep imaginable" and reassures Emily there is no chance her dad will wake up and ask, "did it work?"

"Oh that would be just like him," Stella says with a laugh.

The family start to reminisce about hiking holidays and driving around in a large van they converted to become a camper. "Me and dad insulated it and put a bed in the back," says Ashley.

On the walls are photos of Emily and Ashley as small children next to huge carved Halloween pumpkins.

Dr Moore is still stroking Wayne's hand and occasionally checking his pulse. For a man who Emily says was "always walking, always outdoors, always active", these are the final moments of life's journey, spent surrounded by those who mean most to him.

At 12.22pm Dr Moore says, "I think he's passed… He's at peace now."

Outside, the mockingbird has fallen silent. "No more pain," says Stella, embracing her children in her arms.

I step outside to give the family some space, and reflect on what we have just seen and filmed.

I have been covering medical ethics for the BBC for more than 20 years. In 2006, I was present just outside an apartment in Zurich where Dr Anne Turner, a retired doctor, died with the help of the group Dignitas - but California was the first time I had been an eyewitness to an assisted death.

This isn't just a story about one man's death in California - it's about what could become a reality here in England and Wales for those who qualify for an assisted death and choose to die this way.

Whether you're for or against the proposed new Westminster law, the death of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional time for a family. Each death leaves an imprint, as will Wayne's.

Additional reporting by Josh Falcon

Hungary's government has announced it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The move was announced by a senior official in Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government hours after Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is sought under an ICC arrest warrant, arrived in Hungary for a state visit.

Orban had invited Netanyahu as soon as the warrant was issued last November, saying the ruling would have "no effect" in his country.

In November, ICC judges said there were "reasonable grounds" that Netanyahu bore "criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu has condemned the ICC's decision as "antisemitic".

The ICC, a global court, has the authority to prosecute those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Hungary is a founding member of the ICC, which counts 125 member states, and will be the first European Union nation to pull out of it.

The US, Russia, China and North Korea are among the nations that are not part of the ICC, and therefore do not recognise its jurisdiction.

Israel is also not part of the treaty, but the ICC ruled in 2021 that it did have jurisdiction over the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, because the UN's Secretary General had accepted that Palestinians were a member.

Hungary now needs to send written notification to the UN Secretary General to leave the treaty, with the withdrawal taking effect one year later, according to article 127 of the Rome Statute.

Since the warrant was issued, Hungarian authorities should technically arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the court in the Hague, although member states do not always choose to enforce ICC warrants.

In Europe, some ICC member states said they would arrest the Israeli leader if he set foot in their country, while others, such as Germany, announced that he would not be detained if he visited.

The White House had said the US rejected the ICC decision and Netanyahu has visited the country since the warrant was issued in November. His visit to Hungary marks Netanyahu's first trip to Europe since then.

Hungarian Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, greeted Netanyahu on the tarmac of Budapest airport on Wednesday night, welcoming him to the country.

Soldiers lined a red carpet laid out for the Israeli leader as he exited his plane. After military honours at the presidential palace, he will meet Orban on Thursday.

Israel is appealing against the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and strongly rejects the accusations. It both denies the authority of the ICC and the legitimacy of the warrants.

In the same ruling, ICC judges also issued a warrant against Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, whom Israel says is dead.

The visit comes as Israel announced it was expanding its Gaza offensive and establishing a new military corridor to put pressure on Hamas, as deadly Israeli strikes were reported across the Palestinian territory.

The war in Gaza was triggered by the deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed some 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages being taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, Palestinian health authorities say.