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.

Social media influencers pose a "new and increasing threat" for uncontacted indigenous people, a charity has warned after the arrest of a US tourist who travelled to a restricted Indian Ocean island.

Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, allegedly landed on North Sentinel Island in an apparent attempt to make contact with the isolated Sentinelese tribe, filming his visit and leaving a can of coke and a coconut on the shore.

Survival International, a group that advocates for the rights of tribal people, said the alleged act endangered the man's own life and the lives of the tribe, calling it "deeply disturbing".

The US said it was aware and "monitoring the situation".

Andaman and Nicobar Islands' police chief HGS Dhaliwal told news agency AFP that "an American citizen" had been presented before the local court and was remanded for three days for "further interrogation".

AFP, citing Mr Dhaliwal, said Mr Polyakov blew a whistle off the shore of the island in a bid to attract the attention of the tribe for about an hour.

He then landed for about five minutes, leaving his offerings, collecting samples and recording a video.

The police chief told AFP: "A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island."

It is illegal for foreigners or Indians to travel within 5km (three miles) of the islands in order to protect the people living there.

According to police, Mr Polyakov has visited the region twice before - including using an inflatable kayak in October last year before he was stopped by hotel staff.

On his arrest earlier this week, the man told police he was a "thrill seeker", Indian media reported.

Survival International said the Sentinelese have made their wish to avoid outsiders clear over many years and underlined that such visits pose a threat to a community which has no immunity to outside diseases.

Jonathan Mazower, spokesperson for Survival International, told the BBC they feared social media was adding to the list of threats for uncontacted tribal people. Several media reports have linked Mr Polyakov to a YouTube account, which features videos of a recent trip to Afghanistan.

"As well as all the somewhat more established threats to such peoples - from things like logging and mining in the Amazon where most uncontacted peoples live - there are now an increasing number of... influencers who are trying to do this kind of thing for followers," Mr Mazower said.

"There's a growing social media fascination with this whole idea."

Survival International describes the Sentinelese as "the most isolated Indigenous people in the world" living on an island around the size of Manhattan.

Mr Mazower told the BBC an estimated 200 people belong to the tribe, before adding it was "impossible" to know its true number.

Few details are known about the group, other than they are a hunter-gatherer community who live in small settlements and are "extremely healthy", he said.

He added that the incident highlighted why government protections for communities such as the Sentinelese are so important.

The UN's Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention sets out obligations for governments to protect the rights. India's government has an initiative focusing on tribal welfare, but the country has come under criticism in recent years for failing to protect against evictions.

It is not the first time an outsider has attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese.

In November 2018, John Allen Chau, also a US national, was killed by the tribe after visiting the same island.

Local officials said the 27-year-old was a Christian missionary.

Mr Chau was shot with bows and arrows upon landing. Reports at the time suggested he had bribed fisherman to take him to the island.

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

Europe's leaders had been preparing for "Trump's trade war" - but the reality of a 20% blanket US tariff still came as a shock.

"This decision is a catastrophe for the economic world," said French Prime Minister François Bayrou.

"The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe," said the EU's Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who was on a trip to Central Asia.

The message from the EU, which has the task of responding on behalf of its 27 member states, is that Europe is ready to negotiate with the US but at the same time poised to hit back too.

Europe 'calibrates' its response

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic aims to talk tariffs with his US counterparts on Friday.

"We'll act in a calm, carefully phased, unified way, as we calibrate our response, while allowing adequate time for talks," he said.

For every European country, President Donald Trump's tariffs will be a severe blow, and national governments have been trying to allay the fears of industry and commerce.

Italy's Giorgia Meloni – who until Wednesday seemed more reluctant than others to retaliate in kind against the US – cleared her diary and hastily summoned ministers and business leaders to an emergency summit.

Italy exports €1.6bn (£1.35bn) worth of agrifood products and €2bn worth of wine to the US, Alessandro Apolito of the country's main farmers' organisation Coldiretti told the BBC.

Aside from economic losses, he says there is a risk that US consumers will turn to imitations, capturing market share that would otherwise go to authentic Italian products.

In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez rejected Trump's claim that the EU was imposing 39% tariffs on US goods, insisting in reality it was just 3%.

"It's just an excuse to punish countries and implement sterile protectionism. The trade war will affect everyone, but it'll hit the one imposing it most of all," he warned.

Europe's businesses hold their breath

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce fears a 14% cut in exports to the US, especially in machinery and electrical equipment. Sánchez has announced a €14.1bn response plan to help business with finance and look for new markets beyond the US.

Slovakia is more exposed than most EU countries, because of its heavy reliance on industrial exports, and some economists are warning of a deep fall in economic output of at least 2.5% in just two years.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of a potential 0.4% fall in its economic output this year.

Even before Trump's announcement, the French government had revised down expected growth this year to 0.7%.

• 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

The French wine and spirits sector in particular is likely to be hit. The head of one of the main wine organisations, Jérôme Bauer, has warned of a net loss of €1bn (£835m) to France's wine industry.

Italy's winemakers are holding their breath too.

"We've halted exports for almost two weeks now. Everything is paralysed, because clients aren't placing orders and importers aren't importing," says Stefano Leone of Marchesi Antinori, a winery in Tuscany with over six centuries of history.

The US accounts for 12 to 13% of total sales, and Leone says the company is in a state of limbo.

"We're waiting to understand what decisions to make, depending also on any countermeasures the European Union may adopt in response to the United States. We're hoping some form of negotiation will take place and lead to a concrete outcome."

Sentiment across Europe's markets was glum as investors sold shares considered most vulnerable to Trump's tariffs. One of the big German companies, Adidas, saw 12% of its value wiped off the stock market.

Small companies as well as large are going to be hit.

"This is the first year we've started exporting to the United States, and the tariffs affect us even more directly," says Rocco Mangiaracina, who runs a small family business producing 20,000 bottles of olive oil a year in Sicily.

"Only a week ago, we sent our first 900 bottles to the American market."

French government spokeswoman Sophie Primas said "we are ready for this trade war", but added that "the [European] Union must be strong, it must be united for this".

Europe's biggest economy, Germany, was quick to call out an "unprecedented attack on the international trading system, free trade, and global supply chains".

But Germany is still waiting for chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz to form a government, so it was up to acting chancellor Olaf Scholz to point out that the "world's strongest internal market with 450 million consumers" gave Europe strength.

So how will the EU respond and can it stay united?

• 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

Retaliation in two steps

It has already laid out a measured response.

From mid-April, a first package of EU tariffs worth up to €26bn will be slapped on US goods, in retaliation for 25% US tariffs on EU steel and aluminium exports which were already announced in March. These had been put back to give space for a negotiated solution. If they go ahead they'll cover a wide range of agricultural, food and textile goods.

Discussions are currently under way on an even bigger package of countermeasures that are due to come in at the end of April.

In von der Leyen's words, Europe "holds a lot of cards". Further measures would not just include US goods, but potentially its digital services too.

Trump complains about the US trade deficit with the EU, but with services the US has a €109bn trade surplus with the EU, according to Brussels.

If the EU decides to impose tariffs or restrictions on Big Tech services or limiting US access to public contracts, it could use what some have labelled its "big bazooka" - more drily known as the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI).

That would need majority support from EU member states, but it is a powerful weapon when Europe's businesses are under threat.

Peter Dige Thagesen, head of geopolitics at the Danish Industry board, told the BBC that Trump "threw a hand grenade right into global trade, creating enormous uncertainty".

He said US tariffs would hit smallest companies that exported to the US the hardest. While the EU had to respond proportionately, he said it had to keep negotiating to avoid a deeper trade war.

While the majority of European leaders were quick to condemn the US tariffs, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto laid the blame squarely at the EU's feet. Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban, is widely seen as Trump's biggest ally in Europe.

"It has again been proven that in Brussels incompetent people are leading the European institutions, who are also suffering from a very serious Trump-phobia," said Szijjarto.

Although Norway is not an EU member state, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the US decision to impose a 15% tariff was "bad news" that would have consequences for many Norwegian companies and jobs.

Norway is primarily an exporter and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg fears it could be hit by a "triple squeeze". Not just by Trump tariffs and lower growth, but by the EU's countermeasures too.

It could be a trade war with many casualties.

Additional reporting by Giulia Tommasi in Rome.