The US plans to impose a 25% tax on products entering the country from South Korea and Japan on 1 August, President Donald Trump has said.
He announced the tariffs in a post on social media, sharing letters he said had been sent to leaders of the two countries.
The White House has said it expects to send similar messages to many countries in the coming days as the 90-day pause it placed on some of its most aggressive tariffs is set to expire.
The first two letters suggest that Trump remains committed to his initial push for tariffs, with little change from the rates announced in April.
At that time, he said he was looking to hit goods from Japan with duties of 24% and charge a 25% on products made in South Korea.
Those tariffs were included in a bigger "Liberation Day" announcement, which imposed tariffs on goods from countries around the world.
After outcry and turmoil on financial markets following the initial tariffs announcement, Trump suspended some of the import taxes to allow for talks. That deadline is set to expire on 9 July.
On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected "a busy couple of days".
"We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals," he told US business broadcaster CNBC.
Donald Trump has said the US will send more weapons to Ukraine after an announcement last week that Washington would halt some shipments of critical arms to Kyiv.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he was "not happy" with Russia's Vladimir Putin and that Ukraine was "getting hit very hard".
Trump also indicated the US would send primarily "defensive weapons" to help Ukraine's war effort.
Among the armaments reported to have been placed on pause last week were Patriot air defence missiles and precision artillery shells. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky had appealed for the shipments to continue, describing US Patriot systems as "real protectors of life".
The White House said last week the decision had been made "to put America's interests first" in response to a defence department review of military support to other countries.
Trump's apparent change of heart came after days of deadly Russian drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. One attack on the city last Thursday has claimed a third life, according to local officials.
Trump said late on Monday that Kyiv needed to be able to defend itself.
"We're going to send some more weapons. We have to... They're getting hit very hard now," he said during a news conference with Netanyahu.
"I'm disappointed that President Putin has not stopped," he added.
The Pentagon responded with a brief statement, saying that "at President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops".
After a week of uncertainty, the US move will come as a relief to Ukraine, says the BBC's Paul Adams in Kyiv.
Kyiv had warned that the move to pause some shipments would impede its ability to defend against escalating airstrikes and Russian advances on the front lines.
Zelensky said late last week that he had spoken to Trump "about opportunities in air defence and agreed that we will work together to strengthen protection of our skies".
The war in Ukraine has been raging for more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ceasefire talks have also largely stalled after several attempts by Trump to broker a deal between the two parties.
Following a call with Putin last week, Trump said that "no progress" to end the conflict had been made, adding "I don't think he's looking to stop".
Few scenes convey British pomp and soft power more than the King and Queen in a carriage procession through the picturesque streets of Windsor. They are being joined on Tuesday by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron for the first state visit by a French president since 2008, and the first by a European Union leader since Brexit.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will be there too — a Royal Salute will be fired and Macron will inspect a guard of honour. But at a time of jeopardy in Europe, this three-day visit to Windsor and London promises much more than ceremony.
There is a genuine hope that the coming days will make a difference to both countries.
Getty Images
Macron and Starmer joined the German chancellor on a train ride to Kyiv recently, sending a powerful message of support for Ukraine at a time when US commitment appeared to be flagging
Macron will address MPs and peers at Westminster, and he and Brigitte will be treated to a state banquet back at Windsor. The trip will culminate with a UK-France summit, co-chaired by Sir Keir Starmer and Macron, during which the two governments hope to reach an agreement on the return of irregular migrants.
They will also host Ukraine's leader by video as they try to maintain arms supplies to his military.
But the wider question is how closely aligned they can really become, and whether they can put any lingering mistrust after Brexit behind them.
And, given that the trip will involve much pageantry — with the tour moving from the streets of Windsor, the quadrangle of the Castle and later to the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster — how crucial is King Charles III's role in this diplomacy?
Resetting a 'unique partnership'
It was less than two months ago that the UK and EU agreed to "reset" relations in London. Ties with France in particular had warmed considerably, driven partly by personal understanding but also strategic necessity.
The two neighbours have much in common: they are both nuclear powers and members of the United Nations Security Council.
They are also both looking to update a 15-year-old defence pact known as the Lancaster House treaties, which established a 10,000-strong Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), and they have recently been working on broadening it to include other Nato and European countries.
Getty Images
Macron has seen much of Sir Keir lately at summits in London, Canada and The Hague — and Starmer has visited France five times since becoming PM
"It has always been a unique partnership," says former French ambassador to the UK Sylvie Bermann. "I think this partnership will be crucial in the future."
All of this is unlikely to escape the notice of US President Donald Trump, who is also promised a state visit, his second to the UK, probably in September.
King Charles is 'more than a figurehead'
King Charles, who is 76, has already navigated some complex royal diplomacy this year.
Macron was the first European leader to visit Trump in the White House in February, but it was Sir Keir who stole the show days later, handing him a personal invitation from the King.
Then, when Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to Europe fresh from a bruising meeting with Trump at the White House in February, it was King Charles who welcomed him to Sandringham, and then met him again at Windsor in June.
He has spoken in the past of the heroism of Ukrainians in the face of "indescribable aggression".
Even before ascending the throne, King Charles amassed decades of experience in international affairs (he is also fluent in French). He was only 21 when he attended the funeral in 1970 of Charles de Gaulle, the wartime general who became the architect of France's current Fifth Republic.
He went on to become the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history, and now he is King he has weekly audiences with the prime minister. "The choreography is a strange dance, I suspect, between Number Ten and the Palace," says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.
"There's no doubt at all that Charles is considerably more than a figurehead."
Getty Images
King Charles at 21, attending the Mass for Charles de Gaulle in Paris
Windsor Castle, which dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, has hosted French presidents before. But there is a quiet significance in the appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales in welcoming Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, as Catherine recovers from treatment for cancer.
Between them, the King and Macron have played their part in resetting relations between the two neighbours, and by extension with the European Union too.
The King is a francophile, says Marc Roche, a columnist and royal commentator for French media: "He has always had a good relationship with France."
A year after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was France that King Charles and Queen Camilla chose for their first state visit in September 2023.
AFP via Getty Images
Queen Camilla played table tennis at a sports centre in Paris with Brigitte Macron
Macron had reminded the world in 2022 that the late Queen had "climbed the stairs of the Élysée Palace" six times — more than any other foreign sovereign. His words were warmly received in the UK.
The King received a standing ovation after an address in French to the Senate, and the Queen played table tennis at a sports centre with Brigitte Macron. France's first lady has since visited her in London for a cross-Channel book award.
Gentle touches they may have been, but it followed a very rough period in Franco-British relations.
Brexit negotiations soured relations
The mood had soured during negotiations over Brexit, which the French president said was based on a lie.
Then four years ago, Australia pulled out of a deal to buy 12 French submarines and signed a defence pact with the UK and US instead. The French foreign minister called it a "stab in the back".
Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, told the French they should "prenez un grip" and "donnez-moi un break".
Getty Images
French-British relations soured during negotiations over Brexit, which Macron (pictured with Johnson in 2020) said was based on a lie
It had been Macron's idea for a European Political Community (EPC) in 2022 that brought the UK into a broad group of countries all seeking to respond to Russia's full-scale invasion.
In 2023 the then-Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, sought to turn the page on several years of frosty relations at a Franco-British summit in Paris.
British and French prime ministers have come and gone: the UK had three in 2022, and last year France had four. It was Sunak's team that organised last year's EPC summit at Blenheim, but it was Starmer as new prime minister who chaired it.
Sébastien Maillard, who helped advise the French presidency in setting up the EPC, said he believed "on both sides there is still a lack of trust… The memory of these difficult times has not vanished".
"Trust needs time to build and perhaps the Russian threat, support for Ukraine and how to handle Trump are three compelling reasons to rebuild that trust," says Maillard, who is now at the Chatham House think tank.
Susi Dennison, of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Paris, agrees relations with France are not back to pre-Brexit levels, but suggests some things the UK and France are "bickering" about were being argued over even before the Brexit vote.
For Macron, this is a chance to not only improve the relationship but also to shine on the international stage when his popularity at home has sunk, Mr Roche believes. "It's a very important visit, especially the first day, because the French are fascinated by the Royal Family."
After eight years in power, Macron's second term still has almost two years to run, but he has paid the price politically for calling snap elections last year and losing his government's majority. His prime minister, François Bayrou, faces a monumental task in the coming months in steering next year's budget past France's left-wing and far-right parties.
As president, Macron's powers - his domaine réservé - cover foreign policy, defence and security, but traditionally France's prime minister does not travel with the head of state, so Macron comes to the UK with a team of ministers who will handle far more than international affairs.
The difficult question of migration
During the summit, the two teams will also work on nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and cultural ties. Differences still have to be sorted over "post-Brexit mobility" for students and other young people, and France is expected to push the Starmer government on that.
But most of the headlines on Thursday's UK-France summit will cover the two main issues: defence and migration.
Defending Ukraine will take pride of place. An Élysée Palace source said it would discuss "how to seriously maintain Ukraine's combat capability" and regenerate its military.
"On defence our relationship is closer than any other countries," says former ambassador Sylvie Bermann. "We have to prepare for the future… to strengthen the deterrence of Europe."
And if a ceasefire were agreed in Ukraine, the two countries could provide the backbone of the "reassurance force" being proposed by the "coalition of the willing". Sir Keir and Macron have played a prominent part in forming this coalition, but so too have the military chiefs of staff of both countries.
Migration is the stickiest problem the two countries face, however. How they deal with their differences on it — particularly on small boats — is crucial to their future relationship.
They are especially keen to sign an agreement on migrant returns and on French police stopping people boarding "taxi boats" to cross the Channel.
Getty Images
Both countries want to sign an agreement on migrant returns. More than 20,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats in the first six months of 2025
France has long argued that the UK has to address the "pull factors" that drive people to want to risk their lives on the boats — the UK, for its part, already pays for many of the 1,200 French gendarmes to patrol France's long northern coastline to stop the smugglers' boats.
The countries are believed to have been working on the terms of a "one-in, one-out" agreement, so that for every small-boat arrival in the UK that France takes back, the UK would allow in one asylum seeker from France seeking family reunification.
Several countries on the southern coasts of Europe are unimpressed because it could mean France sending those asylum seekers handed back by the UK on to their country of entry into the EU, bordering the Mediterranean.
In the UK, the opposition Conservatives have branded the idea "pathetic", accusing the government of a "national record - for failure" on curbing small-boat crossings.
And yet every country in Europe is looking for a way to cut illegal border crossings. Meghan Benton, of the Migration Policy Institute, believes a Franco-British deal could work as a possible pilot for the rest of Europe: "What works for the Channel could also work for the Mediterranean."
Getty Images
King Charles previously called on France and the UK to find common ground "to reinvigorate our friendship"
Any agreement on this tricky issue could also signal a real, practical improvement in the countries' political relationship. France's right-wing Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, has already been working with Labour's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to try to find a workable solution.
How far they get, and its wider impact on Europe, is still to be decided, but it does reflect a new willingness between the two neighbours to tackle the divisions between them.
Boris Johnson once accused France of wanting to punish the UK for Brexit. That difficult chapter appears to be over.
As Susi Dennison puts it: "There's a certain distance that will always be there, but things are operating quite well."
During King Charles' 2023 state visit to France he called on the two countries to find common ground, "to reinvigorate our friendship to ensure it is fit for the challenge of this, the 21st Century".
And so this visit will help show — both in the relationships between individuals and on concrete policy debates — whether his call has been answered.
BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
The new pterosaur has been named Eotephradactylus mcintireae, meaning 'ash-winged dawn goddess'
Scientists have discovered a new species of pterosaur – a flying reptile that soared above the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.
The jawbone of the ancient reptile was unearthed in Arizona back in 2011, but modern scanning techniques have now revealed details showing that it belongs to a species new to science.
The research team, led by scientists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, has named the creature Eotephradactylus mcintireae, meaning "ash-winged dawn goddess".
It is a reference to the volcanic ash that helped preserve its bones in an ancient riverbed.
Suzanne McIntire
The jawbone of the seagull-sized pterosaur was preserved in 209 million year-old rock
At about 209 million years old, this is now believed to be the earliest pterosaur to be found in North America.
"The bones of Triassic pterosaurs are small, thin, and often hollow, so they get destroyed before they get fossilised," explained Dr Kligman.
The site of this discovery is a fossil bed in a desert landscape of ancient rock in the Petrified Forest National Park.
More than 200 million years ago, this place was a riverbed, and layers of sediment gradually trapped and preserved bones, scales and other evidence of life at the time.
The river ran through the central region of what was the supercontinent of Pangaea, which was formed from all of Earth's landmasses.
The pterosaur jaw is just one part of a collection of fossils found at the same site, including bones, teeth, fish scales and even fossilised poo (also known as coprolites).
Dr Kligman said: "Our ability to recognise pterosaur bones in [these ancient] river deposits suggests there may be other similar deposits from Triassic rocks around the world that may also preserve pterosaur bones."
Ben Kligman
The ancient bone bed is in the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
Studying the pterosaur's teeth also provided clues about what the seagull-sized winged reptile would have eaten.
"They have an unusually high degree of wear at their tips," explained Dr Kligman. suggesting that this pterosaur was feeding on something with hard body parts."
The most likely prey, he told BBC News, were primitive fish that would have been covered in an armour of boney scales.
Scientists say the site of the discovery has preserved a "snapshot" of an ecosystem where groups of animals that are now extinct, including giant amphibians and ancient armoured crocodile relatives, lived alongside animals that we could recognise today, including frogs and turtles.
This fossil bed, Dr Kligman said, has preserved evidence of an evolutionary "transition" 200 million years ago.
"We see groups that thrived later living alongside older animals that [didn't] make it past the Triassic.
"Fossil beds like these enable us to establish that all of these animals actually lived together."
The re-eruption on Monday spewed a volcanic ash cloud 18km into the sky
Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has begun erupting again - at one point shooting an ash cloud 18km (11mi) into the sky - as residents flee their homes once more.
There have been no reports of casualties since Monday morning, when the volcano on the island of Flores began spewing ash and lava again. Authorities have placed it on the highest alert level since an earlier round of eruptions three weeks ago.
At least 24 flights to and from the neighbouring resort island of Bali were cancelled on Monday, though some flights had resumed by Tuesday morning.
The initial column of hot clouds that rose at 11:05 (03:05 GMT) Monday was the volcano's highest since November, said geology agency chief Muhammad Wafid.
"An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation," Wafid told The Associated Press.
Monday's eruption, which was accompanied by a thunderous roar, led authorities to enlarge the exclusion zone to a 7km radius from the central vent. They also warned of potential lahar floods - a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials - if heavy rain occurs.
The twin-peaked volcano erupted again at 19:30 on Monday, sending ash clouds and lava up to 13km into the air. It erupted a third time at 05:53 on Tuesday at a reduced intensity.
Videos shared overnight show glowing red lava spurting from the volcano's peaks as residents get into cars and buses to flee.
More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from the area so far, according to the local disaster management agency.
Residents who have stayed put are facing a shortage of water, food and masks, local authorities say.
"As the eruption continues, with several secondary explosions and ash clouds drifting westward and northward, the affected communities who have not been relocated... require focused emergency response efforts," say Paulus Sony Sang Tukan, who leads the Pululera village, about 8km from Lewotobi Laki-laki.
"Water is still available, but there's concern about its cleanliness and whether it has been contaminated, since our entire area was blanketed in thick volcanic ash during yesterday's [eruptions]," he said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.
Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted multiple times this year - no casualties have been reported so far.
2025年4月2日|宣布“对等关税”:特朗普4月2日在白宫玫瑰花园举行“让美国再次富有”(Make America Wealthy Again)记者会,宣布“对等关税”措施。美国对大多数国家征收10%的基准关税,但针对特定国家征收更高税额。中国、欧盟和越南分别面临34%、20%和46%的关税; 日本、韩国、印度、柬埔寨和台湾,分别受到24%、25%、26%、49%和32%进口关税的打击。
Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Aguiar and Bebe King were murdered in the attack on 29 July 2024
The families of three murdered schoolgirls have demanded "real change" before the start of the public inquiry into the Southport stabbing attacks later.
Alice Aguiar, nine; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and six-year-old Bebe King were killed on 29 July 2024 when Axel Rudakubana, then 17, walked into a dance workshop on Hart Street and began attacking children at random.
The Southport Inquiry will hold its first live hearings at Liverpool Town Hall this week.
Retired senior judge Sir Adrian Fulford will lead the inquiry and said the focus would first be on the circumstances leading to the attack, before looking at how young people are "drawn into extreme violence".
Nothing the inquiry could do would ever "change the unimaginable loss" of the families of the three murdered girls, Rachael Wong, director of law firm Bond Turner, and the families' solicitor, Chris Walker, said in a joint statement.
They added: "We all now have a responsibility to ensure that something like this never happens again...
"It is only through intense public scrutiny that real change can be effected."
PA Media
Sir Adrian Fulford promised the inquiry would proceed "at pace and with rigour"
The hearing will begin at 14:00 BST with an opening statement from Sir Adrian, before some of the families of those injured begin giving evidence on Wednesday morning.
He had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of Alice, Elsie and Bebe - plus 10 counts of attempted murder involving eight children and two adults - on what was supposed to be the first day of his trial.
Rudakubana, now 18, also admitted producing the biological toxin ricin in his bedroom and possession of terrorist material relating to an article containing an al-Qaeda training manual.
Elizabeth Cook/PA Media
Axel Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent counter extremism service three times
Sir Adrian called the attack "one of the most horrific crimes in our country's history" and promised to conduct the inquiry "at pace and with rigour".
The first part of the inquiry will look at issues including Rudakubana's contact with the government's counter-extremism service Prevent, which he was referred to three times, as well as other agencies.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the inquiry in April and said it would work for the families "to quickly understand what went wrong, answer difficult questions and do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again".
Tuesday will mark another big milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal.
The chair of the inquiry into it – Sir Wyn Williams – will publish the first part of his final report, focusing on compensation and the human impact of the scandal.
Thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the Post Office's faulty Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu.
More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison in what is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history.
Sir Wyn put those victims at the heart of the inquiry's work, which has pored over several decades worth of technical evidence and grilled many of those who had a role in ruining so many lives.
Dozens of sub-postmasters gave evidence too - many who had lost their businesses, their homes and some who served prison sentences.
Sir Wyn's findings on their treatment will surely be damning given everything he has heard since the inquiry began in 2022.
The inquiry became almost box office viewing - racking up more than 20 million views on YouTube, with people with no connection to the Post Office following it closely.
That will come in part two of the report, meaning that accountability is still a long way off.
'Patchwork quilt'
Sir Wyn has taken a big interest in compensation for the victims, admitting at one point that he'd stretched his terms of reference on the issue, "perhaps beyond breaking point".
He held four separate hearings on redress and issued an interim report in 2023, likening the various schemes to a "patchwork quilt with a few holes in it".
Victims and their legal representatives still battling to secure final payouts will be looking to see what his conclusions are on compensation and whether it is living up to the mantra of being full and fair.
They hope his recommendations will result in more action.
Still, you might be wondering why we're only getting the first part of the final report.
Sir Wyn knows how pressing compensation is to many of the victims and that's why he wants to publish his recommendations on the issue as soon as possible.
"It's something I am very keen to say as much about as I reasonably can," he told the inquiry last year.
But the implication from this is that part two - establishing what happened and who is to blame - isn't coming out any time soon.
This second report may not be published until 2026 given the sheer volume and complexity of the evidence as well as the need to give those who are criticised the chance to respond.
As for justice, any criminal trials may not start until 2028. Police investigating the scandal confirmed last month that files won't be handed to prosecutors until after the final inquiry report is published.
After years of waiting, even after part one of Sir Wyn's report is published, the sub-postmasters' long road to justice will continue.
Watch UK alert go off from a government test in 2023
The national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones in the UK will be tested again this September, the government has said.
It will see compatible phones vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds while displaying a message at 15:00 BST on 7 September, even if they are set to silent.
The alerts are intended for situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack.
Though the system has been deployed regionally five times in the past few years, a previous nationwide test in 2023 revealed technical issues - with some people receiving the alert earlier than expected and some not receiving it at all.
The Cabinet Office said at the time that the problems uncovered would be reviewed and addressed ahead of another test.
It said September's test is intended to ensure the system works well and to make sure people are familiar with the alerts, in line with other countries that also use them, like the US and Japan.
Of the approximately 87 million mobile phones in the UK, the alert will only appear on smartphones on 4G or 5G networks. Older phones, and phones connected to 2G or 3G networks, will not receive the message.
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said: "Just like the fire alarm in your house, it's important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it."
PA Media
A previous national test took place in April 2023
The system was used to send alerts to 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Eowyn in January 2025, and 3.5 million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh the previous month.
Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City Council, said it had been an "invaluable tool" and provided residents with "clear information at a critical moment".
While devices that are not connected to mobile data or wi-fi will still receive the alert, those that are switched off or in airplane mode will not.
Domestic abuse charities previously warned the system could endanger victims by potentially alerting an abuser to a hidden phone. The National Centre for Domestic Violence advised people with concealed phones to turn them off for the duration of the test.
The government stresses that emergency alerts should remain switched on, but has published a guide for domestic abuse victims on how to opt out.
The new test will also feature a version of the message in British Sign Language for deaf people.
The US plans to impose a 25% tax on products entering the country from South Korea and Japan on 1 August, President Donald Trump has said.
He announced the tariffs in a post on social media, sharing letters he said had been sent to leaders of the two countries.
The White House has said it expects to send similar messages to many countries in the coming days as the 90-day pause it placed on some of its most aggressive tariffs is set to expire.
The first two letters suggest that Trump remains committed to his initial push for tariffs, with little change from the rates announced in April.
At that time, he said he was looking to hit goods from Japan with duties of 24% and charge a 25% on products made in South Korea.
Those tariffs were included in a bigger "Liberation Day" announcement, which imposed tariffs on goods from countries around the world.
After outcry and turmoil on financial markets following the initial tariffs announcement, Trump suspended some of the import taxes to allow for talks. That deadline is set to expire on 9 July.
On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected "a busy couple of days".
"We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals," he told US business broadcaster CNBC.
Malaria treatements for children exist, but aren't suitable for babies
The first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children has been approved for use.
It's expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks.
Until now there have been no approved malaria drugs specifically for babies.
Instead they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose.
Half a million deaths in 2023
In 2023 - the year for which the most recent figures are available - malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths.
Almost all of the deaths were in Africa, and around three quarters of them were children under five years old.
Malaria treatments for children do exist but until now, there was none specifically for the very youngest babies and small children, who weigh less than 4.5kg or around 10lb.
Instead they have been treated with drugs designed for older children.
But that presents risks, as doses for these older children may not be safe for babies, whose liver functions are still developing and whose bodies process medicines differently.
Experts say this has led to what is described as a "treatment gap".
Now a new medicine, developed by the drug company Novartis, has been approved by the Swiss authorities and is likely to be rolled out in regions and countries with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.
Novartis is planning to introduce it on a largely not-for-profit basis.
The smallest and most vulnerable
The company's chief executive, Vas Narasimhan, says this is an important moment.
"For more than three decades, we have stayed the course in the fight against malaria, working relentlessly to deliver scientific breakthroughs where they are needed most.
"Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve."
The drug, known as Coartem Baby or Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed by Novartis in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation initially backed by the British, Swiss and Dutch Governments, as well as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Eight African nations also took part in the assessment and trials of the drug and they are expected to be among the first to access it.
Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, says this is another important step on the road towards ending the huge toll taken by malaria.
"Malaria is one of the world's deadliest diseases, particularly among children. But with the right resources and focus, it can be eliminated.
"The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimised dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox."
Dr Marvelle Brown, associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, says this should be seen as a major breakthrough in saving the lives of babies and young children.
"The death rate for malarial infections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely high - over 76% of deaths occur in children under five years old.
"Increase in death from malaria is further compounded in babies born with sickle cell disease, primarily due to a weak immune system.
"From a public health perspective, Novartis making this not-for-profit can help with reducing inequality in access to healthcare."
The country’s new president, in office for a little over a month, had just dispatched his senior deputies to Washington to try to work out a trade deal.
Watch: Volunteers help lead search for their neighbours after Texas flooding
The death toll from flash floods that struck central Texas on Friday has now climbed to more than 100 people and an unknown number of others are missing.
Search and rescue teams are wading through mud-piled riverbanks as more rain and thunderstorms threaten the region, but hope was fading of finding any more survivors four days after the catastrophe.
Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls' summer camp, confirmed at least 27 girls and staff were among the dead. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing.
The White House meanwhile rejected suggestions that budget cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) could have inhibited the disaster response.
At least 84 of the victims - 56 adults and 28 children - died in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River was swollen by torrential downpours before daybreak on Friday, the July Fourth public holiday.
Some 22 adults and 10 children have yet to be identified, said the county sheriff's office.
Camp Mystic said in a statement on Monday: "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy."
Richard Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Local pastor Del Way, who knows the Eastland family, told the BBC: "The whole community will miss him [Mr Eastland]. He died a hero."
In its latest forecast, the NWS has predicted more slow-moving thunderstorms, potentially bringing more flash flooding to the region.
Critics of the Trump administration have sought to link the disaster to thousands of job cuts at the NWS' parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The NWS office responsible for forecasting in the region had five employees on duty as thunderstorms brewed over Texas on Thursday evening, the usual number for an overnight shift when severe weather is expected.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected attempts to blame the president.
"That was an act of God," she told a daily briefing on Monday.
"It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings and, again, the National Weather Service did its job."
She outlined that the NWS office in Austin-San Antonio conducted briefings for local officials on the eve of the flood and sent out a flood watch that afternoon, before issuing numerous flood warnings that night and in the pre-dawn hours of 4 July.
Watch: First responders save people caught in Texas flooding
Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts had hampered the disaster response, initially appearing to shift blame to what he called "the Biden set-up", referring to his Democratic predecessor.
"But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either," he added. "I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe."
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, told a news conference on Monday that now was not the time for "partisan finger-pointing".
Watch: Senator Ted Cruz talks about the children lost at Camp Mystic
One local campaigner, Nicole Wilson, has a petition calling for flood sirens to be set up in Kerr County - something in place in other counties.
Such a system has been debated in Kerr County for almost a decade, but funds for it have never been allocated.
Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick acknowledged on Monday that such sirens might have saved lives, and said they should be in place by next summer.
Meanwhile, condolences continued to pour in from around the world.
King Charles II has written to President Trump to express his "profound sadness" about the catastrophic flooding.
The King "offered his deepest sympathy" to those who lost loved ones, the British Embassy in Washington said.
Malaria treatements for children exist, but aren't suitable for babies
The first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children has been approved for use.
It's expected to be rolled out in African countries within weeks.
Until now there have been no approved malaria drugs specifically for babies.
Instead they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose.
Half a million deaths in 2023
In 2023 - the year for which the most recent figures are available - malaria was linked to around 597,000 deaths.
Almost all of the deaths were in Africa, and around three quarters of them were children under five years old.
Malaria treatments for children do exist but until now, there was none specifically for the very youngest babies and small children, who weigh less than 4.5kg or around 10lb.
Instead they have been treated with drugs designed for older children.
But that presents risks, as doses for these older children may not be safe for babies, whose liver functions are still developing and whose bodies process medicines differently.
Experts say this has led to what is described as a "treatment gap".
Now a new medicine, developed by the drug company Novartis, has been approved by the Swiss authorities and is likely to be rolled out in regions and countries with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.
Novartis is planning to introduce it on a largely not-for-profit basis.
The smallest and most vulnerable
The company's chief executive, Vas Narasimhan, says this is an important moment.
"For more than three decades, we have stayed the course in the fight against malaria, working relentlessly to deliver scientific breakthroughs where they are needed most.
"Together with our partners, we are proud to have gone further to develop the first clinically proven malaria treatment for newborns and young babies, ensuring even the smallest and most vulnerable can finally receive the care they deserve."
The drug, known as Coartem Baby or Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed by Novartis in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation initially backed by the British, Swiss and Dutch Governments, as well as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Eight African nations also took part in the assessment and trials of the drug and they are expected to be among the first to access it.
Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, says this is another important step on the road towards ending the huge toll taken by malaria.
"Malaria is one of the world's deadliest diseases, particularly among children. But with the right resources and focus, it can be eliminated.
"The approval of Coartem Baby provides a necessary medicine with an optimised dose to treat an otherwise neglected group of patients and offers a valuable addition to the antimalarial toolbox."
Dr Marvelle Brown, associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, says this should be seen as a major breakthrough in saving the lives of babies and young children.
"The death rate for malarial infections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely high - over 76% of deaths occur in children under five years old.
"Increase in death from malaria is further compounded in babies born with sickle cell disease, primarily due to a weak immune system.
"From a public health perspective, Novartis making this not-for-profit can help with reducing inequality in access to healthcare."
Watch: Australia’s mushroom murder case... in under two minutes
The winters in Victoria's Gippsland region are known for being chilly. Frost is a frequent visitor overnight, and the days are often overcast.
But in the small town of Korumburra - a part of Australia surrounded by low, rolling hills - it's not just the weather that's gloomy; the mood here is plainly subdued.
Korumburra is where all of Erin Patterson's victims made their home. Don and Gail Patterson, her in-laws, had lived there since 1984. They brought up their four children in the town of 5,000. Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson lived nearby - her husband Ian was the pastor at the local Baptist church.
The four were invited to Erin's house on 29 July 2023 for a family lunch that only Ian would survive, after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma.
And on Monday a jury rejected Erin's claim she accidentally served her guests toxic mushrooms, finding her guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Her 10-week trial caused a massive stir globally, but here in Korumburra they don't want to talk about it. They just want to return to their lives after what has been a difficult two years.
"It's not an easy thing to go through a grieving process... and it's particularly not easy when there's been so much attention," cattle farmer and councillor for the shire Nathan Hersey told the BBC.
"There's an opportunity now for a lot of people to be able to have some closure."
Reuters
The small town of Korumburra was home to all Patterson's victims
The locals are fiercely loyal - he's one of the few people who is willing to explain what this ordeal has meant for the many in the region.
"It's the sort of place that you can be embraced in very quickly and made to feel you are part of it," he explains.
And those who died clearly helped build that environment.
Pretty much everyone of a certain generation in town was taught by former school teacher Don Patterson: "You'll hear a lot of people talk very fondly of Don, about the impact he had on them.
"He was a great teacher and a really engaging person as well."
And Mr Hersey says he has heard many, many tales of Heather and Gail's generosity and kindness.
Pinned to the Korumburra Baptist Church noticeboard is a short statement paying tribute to the trio, who were "very special people who loved God and loved to bless others".
"We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years," it read.
It's not just Korumburra that's been changed by the tragedy though.
The family were well-known in the community
This part of rural Victoria is dotted with small towns and hamlets, which may at first appear quite isolated.
The reality is they are held together by close ties - ties which this case has rattled.
In nearby Outtrim, the residents of Neilson Street – an unassuming gravel road host to a handful of houses – have been left reeling by the prosecution claim their gardens may have produced the murder weapon.
It was one of two locations where death cap mushrooms were sighted and posted on iNaturalist, a citizen science website. Pointing to cell phone tracking data, the prosecution alleged that Erin Patterson went to both to forage for the lethal fungi.
"Everyone knows somebody who has been affected by this case," Ian Thoms tells the BBC from his small farm on Nielson Street.
He rattles off his list. His son is a police detective. His wife works with the daughter of the only survivor Ian. His neighbour is good friends with "Funky Tom", the renowned mushroom expert called upon by the prosecution – who coincidentally was also the person who had posted the sighting of the fungi here.
Down the road another 15 minutes is Leongatha, where Erin Patterson's home sits among other sprawling properties on an unpaved lane.
She bought a plot of land here with a generous inheritance from her mother and built the house assuming she would live here forever.
It has been sitting empty for about 18 months, a sign on the gate telling trespassers to keep out. A neighbour's sheep intermittently drop by to mow the grass.
Getty Images
This week, the livestock was gone, and a black tarpaulin had been erected around the carport and the entrance to her house.
There's a sense of intrigue among some of the neighbours, but there's also a lot of weariness. Every day there are gawkers driving down the lane to see the place where the tragic meal happened. One neighbour even reckons she saw a tour bus trundle past the house.
"When you live in a local town you know names - it's been interesting to follow," says Emma Buckland, who stops to talk to us in the main street.
"It's bizarre," says her mother Gabrielle Stefani. "Nothing like that has [ever] happened so it's almost hard to believe."
The conversation turns to mushroom foraging.
"We grew up on the farm. Even on the front lawn there's always mushrooms and you know which ones you can and can't eat," says Ms Buckland. "That's something you've grown up knowing."
The town that's felt the impact of the case the most in recent months, though, is Morwell; the administrative capital of the City of Latrobe and where the trial has been heard.
Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial
"We've seen Morwell, which is usually a pretty sleepy town, come to life," says local journalist Liam Durkin, sitting on a wall in front of Latrobe Valley courthouse.
He edits the weekly Latrobe Valley Express newspaper, whose offices are just around the corner.
"I never thought I'd be listening to fungi experts and the like for weeks on end but here we are," he says.
"I don't think there's ever been anything like this, and they may well never be in Morwell ever again."
While not remote by Australian standards, Morwell is still a two-hour drive from the country's second largest city, Melbourne. It feels far removed from the Victorian capital – and often forgotten.
Just a few months before that fateful lunch served up by Erin Patterson in July 2023, Morwell's paper mill - Australia's last manufacturer of white paper and the provider of many local jobs - shut down. Before that, many more people lost their jobs when a nearby power station closed down.
Older people here have struggled to find work; others have left to find more lucrative options in states like Queensland.
So locals say being thrust in the spotlight now is a bit bizarre.
Laura Heller says her town is used to crime - just not like this
In Jay Dees coffee shop, opposite the police station and the court, Laura Heller explains that she normally makes about 150 coffees a day. Recently it's almost double that.
"There's been a lot of mixed feelings about [the trial]," she says.
There's been a massive uptick for many businesses, but this case has also revived long-held division in the community when it comes to the police and justice systems, she explains.
"This town is affected by crime a lot, but it's a very different type of crime," Ms Heller says, mentioning drugs and youth offending as examples.
"Half the community don't really have much faith in the police force and our magistrates."
Back in Korumburra, what has been shaken is their faith in humanity. It feels like many people around the globe have lost sight of the fact that this headline-making, meme-generating crime left three people dead.
"Lives in our local community have changed forever," Mr Hersey says.
"But I would say for a lot of people, it's just become almost like pop culture."
Though the past two years has at times brought out the worst in the community, it's also shone a light on the best, he says.
"We want to be known as a community that has been strong and has supported one another... rather than a place that is known for what we now know was murder."
Watch: Australia’s mushroom murder case... in under two minutes
The winters in Victoria's Gippsland region are known for being chilly. Frost is a frequent visitor overnight, and the days are often overcast.
But in the small town of Korumburra - a part of Australia surrounded by low, rolling hills - it's not just the weather that's gloomy; the mood here is plainly subdued.
Korumburra is where all of Erin Patterson's victims made their home. Don and Gail Patterson, her in-laws, had lived there since 1984. They brought up their four children in the town of 5,000. Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson lived nearby - her husband Ian was the pastor at the local Baptist church.
The four were invited to Erin's house on 29 July 2023 for a family lunch that only Ian would survive, after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma.
And on Monday a jury rejected Erin's claim she accidentally served her guests toxic mushrooms, finding her guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.
Her 10-week trial caused a massive stir globally, but here in Korumburra they don't want to talk about it. They just want to return to their lives after what has been a difficult two years.
"It's not an easy thing to go through a grieving process... and it's particularly not easy when there's been so much attention," cattle farmer and councillor for the shire Nathan Hersey told the BBC.
"There's an opportunity now for a lot of people to be able to have some closure."
Reuters
The small town of Korumburra was home to all Patterson's victims
The locals are fiercely loyal - he's one of the few people who is willing to explain what this ordeal has meant for the many in the region.
"It's the sort of place that you can be embraced in very quickly and made to feel you are part of it," he explains.
And those who died clearly helped build that environment.
Pretty much everyone of a certain generation in town was taught by former school teacher Don Patterson: "You'll hear a lot of people talk very fondly of Don, about the impact he had on them.
"He was a great teacher and a really engaging person as well."
And Mr Hersey says he has heard many, many tales of Heather and Gail's generosity and kindness.
Pinned to the Korumburra Baptist Church noticeboard is a short statement paying tribute to the trio, who were "very special people who loved God and loved to bless others".
"We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years," it read.
It's not just Korumburra that's been changed by the tragedy though.
The family were well-known in the community
This part of rural Victoria is dotted with small towns and hamlets, which may at first appear quite isolated.
The reality is they are held together by close ties - ties which this case has rattled.
In nearby Outtrim, the residents of Neilson Street – an unassuming gravel road host to a handful of houses – have been left reeling by the prosecution claim their gardens may have produced the murder weapon.
It was one of two locations where death cap mushrooms were sighted and posted on iNaturalist, a citizen science website. Pointing to cell phone tracking data, the prosecution alleged that Erin Patterson went to both to forage for the lethal fungi.
"Everyone knows somebody who has been affected by this case," Ian Thoms tells the BBC from his small farm on Nielson Street.
He rattles off his list. His son is a police detective. His wife works with the daughter of the only survivor Ian. His neighbour is good friends with "Funky Tom", the renowned mushroom expert called upon by the prosecution – who coincidentally was also the person who had posted the sighting of the fungi here.
Down the road another 15 minutes is Leongatha, where Erin Patterson's home sits among other sprawling properties on an unpaved lane.
She bought a plot of land here with a generous inheritance from her mother and built the house assuming she would live here forever.
It has been sitting empty for about 18 months, a sign on the gate telling trespassers to keep out. A neighbour's sheep intermittently drop by to mow the grass.
Getty Images
This week, the livestock was gone, and a black tarpaulin had been erected around the carport and the entrance to her house.
There's a sense of intrigue among some of the neighbours, but there's also a lot of weariness. Every day there are gawkers driving down the lane to see the place where the tragic meal happened. One neighbour even reckons she saw a tour bus trundle past the house.
"When you live in a local town you know names - it's been interesting to follow," says Emma Buckland, who stops to talk to us in the main street.
"It's bizarre," says her mother Gabrielle Stefani. "Nothing like that has [ever] happened so it's almost hard to believe."
The conversation turns to mushroom foraging.
"We grew up on the farm. Even on the front lawn there's always mushrooms and you know which ones you can and can't eat," says Ms Buckland. "That's something you've grown up knowing."
The town that's felt the impact of the case the most in recent months, though, is Morwell; the administrative capital of the City of Latrobe and where the trial has been heard.
Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial
"We've seen Morwell, which is usually a pretty sleepy town, come to life," says local journalist Liam Durkin, sitting on a wall in front of Latrobe Valley courthouse.
He edits the weekly Latrobe Valley Express newspaper, whose offices are just around the corner.
"I never thought I'd be listening to fungi experts and the like for weeks on end but here we are," he says.
"I don't think there's ever been anything like this, and they may well never be in Morwell ever again."
While not remote by Australian standards, Morwell is still a two-hour drive from the country's second largest city, Melbourne. It feels far removed from the Victorian capital – and often forgotten.
Just a few months before that fateful lunch served up by Erin Patterson in July 2023, Morwell's paper mill - Australia's last manufacturer of white paper and the provider of many local jobs - shut down. Before that, many more people lost their jobs when a nearby power station closed down.
Older people here have struggled to find work; others have left to find more lucrative options in states like Queensland.
So locals say being thrust in the spotlight now is a bit bizarre.
Laura Heller says her town is used to crime - just not like this
In Jay Dees coffee shop, opposite the police station and the court, Laura Heller explains that she normally makes about 150 coffees a day. Recently it's almost double that.
"There's been a lot of mixed feelings about [the trial]," she says.
There's been a massive uptick for many businesses, but this case has also revived long-held division in the community when it comes to the police and justice systems, she explains.
"This town is affected by crime a lot, but it's a very different type of crime," Ms Heller says, mentioning drugs and youth offending as examples.
"Half the community don't really have much faith in the police force and our magistrates."
Back in Korumburra, what has been shaken is their faith in humanity. It feels like many people around the globe have lost sight of the fact that this headline-making, meme-generating crime left three people dead.
"Lives in our local community have changed forever," Mr Hersey says.
"But I would say for a lot of people, it's just become almost like pop culture."
Though the past two years has at times brought out the worst in the community, it's also shone a light on the best, he says.
"We want to be known as a community that has been strong and has supported one another... rather than a place that is known for what we now know was murder."