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World's 'oldest' marathon runner dies at 114 in hit-and-run

Pardeep Sharma/BBC Singh seen at his home in Beas Pind, next to a photo of him wearing a medalPardeep Sharma/BBC
BBC Punjabi met Singh in June at his ancestral home in Beas Pind village in Punjab state

Fauja Singh, a British-Indian man believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner, has died after being hit by a car in India at the age of 114.

Police say Singh was crossing a road in the village where he was born in Punjab when an unidentified vehicle hit him. Locals took him to hospital, where he died.

Singh, a global icon, set records by running marathons across multiple age categories, including when he was over 100. He began running at 89 and ran nine full marathons between 2000 and 2013, when he retired.

His running club and charity, Sikhs In The City, said its upcoming events in Ilford, east London, where he had lived since 1992, would be a celebration of his life and achievements.

The hit and run happened on Monday as the centenarian was walking in his birth village, Beas Pind, near Jalandhar.

"A search is under way, and the accused will be caught soon," said Harvinder Singh, a top district police officer.

As news of the death broke, tributes poured in.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him an "exceptional athlete with incredible determination".

Harmander Singh, Fauja Singh's coach at Sikhs In The City, confirmed his death in a statement posted to the running club.

The statement said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm our icon of humanity and powerhouse of positivity Fauja Singh has passed away in India.

"His running club and charity Sikhs In The City will be devoting all of its events until the Fauja Singh Birthday Challenge on Sunday 29 March 2026 to celebrate his life of success and achievements.

"We will be doubling the efforts to raise funds to building the Fauja Singh Clubhouse on the route in Ilford where he used to train."

When the BBC met Singh in June in Beas Pind, he was agile and active, walking several miles every day.

"I still go for walks around the village to keep my legs strong. A person has to take care of his own body," he said.

A torchbearer for the 2012 London Olympics, Singh clocked several milestones during his running career, including reportedly becoming the first centenarian to complete a full marathon in 2011 in Toronto.

However, his claim of being the world's oldest marathon runner was not recognised by Guinness World Records as he could not show a birth certificate from 1911. The BBC reported at the time that Singh's British passport showed his date of birth as being 1 April 1911, and that he had a letter from the Queen congratulating him on his 100th birthday.

His trainer, Harmander Singh, said that birth certificates were not made in India at the time Singh was born.

Guinness World Records officials said they would have loved "to give him the record", but that they could only "accept official birth documents created in the year of the birth".

As a young boy growing up in Punjab, Singh was teased by people in his village as his legs were weak and he could not walk properly until the age of five.

"But the same boy, once mocked for his weakness, went on to make history," he told BBC Punjabi in June.

Before he turned 40, Singh, a farmer, had lived through the turbulence of both the World Wars and experienced the trauma of Partition.

"In my youth, I didn't even know the word 'marathon' existed," Singh told BBC Punjabi. "I never went to school, nor was I involved in any kind of sports. I was a farmer and spent most of my life in the fields."

He first took to running to cope with grief.

After the death of his wife Gian Kaur in the early 1990s, he moved to London to live with his eldest son Sukhjinder. But during a visit to India, he witnessed his younger son Kuldeep's death in an accident which left him devastated.

Overtaken by grief, Singh would spend hours sitting near the spot where his son had been cremated. Concerned villagers advised his family to take him back to the UK.

Back in Ilford in London, during one of his visits to the gurdwara, Singh met a group of elderly men who would go on runs together. He also met Harmander Singh, who would go on to become his coach.

"Had I not met Harmander Singh, I wouldn't have got into marathon running," he said in June.

Saurabh Duggal/BBC Pictured Singh's blue and white running shoes covered, worn out from use Saurabh Duggal/BBC
Singh's blue-and-white running shoes which have his name on them

Singh made his debut at the London Marathon in 2000, a month shy of turning 89. He participated through a Golden Bond entry - a system where charities pre-purchase a fixed number of spots for a fee. He chose to run for BLISS, a charity that supports premature infants. His tagline: "Oldest running for the youngest! May they live as long as him."

Singh says that before the run, he was told by event officials that he could only wear a patka (headgear worn by many Sikh boys and men) and not a turban.

"I refused to run without my turban. Eventually, the organisers allowed me to run with it, and for me, that's my biggest achievement," he said.

He finished the race in six hours and 54 minutes, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey.

By his third successive appearance at the London marathon, he had shaved off nine minutes from his previous best.

In 2003, at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he bettered his timing by an astonishing one hour and five minutes, completing the race in five hours and 40 minutes.

"I don't remember my timings; it is my coach, Harmander Singh, who keeps the record of all my timings. But whatever I have achieved is all because of his training, and I sincerely followed his schedule," Singh said in June.

"In London, he used to make me run uphill, and because of that, I kept on improving," he added. "Almost after every training session in London, I used to go to the gurdwara, where my diet was taken care of. Everyone there motivated me to run long distances."

Singh shot to international fame in 2003 when Adidas signed him for their Nothing Is Impossible advertising campaign which also featured legends such as Muhammad Ali.

In 2005, he was invited by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan to participate in the inaugural Lahore Marathon. A year later, in 2006, he received a special invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to visit Buckingham Palace.

Among the many mementos and certificates displayed at Singh's home in Punjab is a framed photograph of him with the Queen.

Pardeep Sharma/BBC A wall with Singh's certificates and photos. Pardeep Sharma/BBC
Mementoes and certificates on the wall at Singh's house in Punjab

He continued to compete in marathons well into his 100s and earned the nickname "Turbaned Tornado". Most of his earnings from endorsements went directly to charitable foundations.

"I was the same Fauja Singh before I entered the world of running - but running gave my life a mission and brought me global recognition," he recalled.

In 2013, he participated in his last long-distance competitive race in Hong Kong, completing a 10km run in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He credited his health and longevity to a simple lifestyle and disciplined diet.

"Eating less, running more, and staying happy - that is the secret behind my longevity. This is my message to everyone," he said in June.

In his final years, Singh divided his time between India, where his younger son lives, and the UK.

When the BBC met him in June, he was hoping to visit London again soon to meet his family and coach.

British MP Preet Kaur Gill shared a photo of herself with him on X, writing: "A truly inspiring man. His discipline, simple living, and deep humility left a lasting mark on me."

Jas Athwal MP said Singh "inspired millions across the world". He wrote on X: "His spirit and legacy of resilience will run on forever."

Additional reporting by Pardeep Sharma

The undersea tunnel network that could transform Shetland's fortunes

BBC A grey car enters a tunnel, driving past red "no pedestrian" and "no cyclist" roadsigns. The tunnel disappears into a grassy hillside. A blue and white radio station information sign reads "FM 100.0".BBC
The 18 islands which make up the Faroes are connected by 23 tunnels, four of which run below the sea

The Faroese prime minister says Shetland could boost growth and revitalise island life by following his country in replacing ageing ferries with undersea tunnels.

Shetland Islands Council says it is pushing ahead with plans to build tunnels to four outlying isles in the archipelago including Unst, the most northerly place in the UK.

"I think we have learned in the Faroe Islands that investment in infrastructure is a good investment," Aksel Johannesen told BBC News.

Shetland Islands Council says its multi-million pound project is likely to be funded by borrowing money and paying it back through tolls, potentially providing a new transport model for other Scottish islands.

Faroese prime minister Aksel Johannesen pictured in an office with two blurred out gold-framed paintings hanging on a white wall behind him. He has brown hair combed to the side and is clean-shaven. He is looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. He is wearing a black shirt and a checked blazer.
The Faroese prime minister Aksel Johannesen told BBC News tunnels had helped to grow the population and the economy of the archipelago

Critics say politicians in Scotland have wasted years talking about tunnels while the Faroes, nearly 200 miles further out into the Atlantic, have actually built them.

"It is frustrating," says Anne Anderson of salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms, which employs nearly 700 people in Scotland, including just under 300 in Shetland.

The island chain produces a quarter of all Scottish salmon - the UK's most valuable food export with international sales of £844m in 2024.

"Ten years ago Scottish salmon used to have 10 per cent of the global market. Nowadays we're slipping ever closer to five per cent," adds Ms Anderson, who blames that slide, in part, on a lack of investment in public infrastructure .

She agrees that the UK should look to the Faroes for inspiration.

"Identify what works well for them and then just copy and paste and let's get moving," urges Ms Anderson.

A windswept Anne Anderson photographed from the chest up  in a marina setting. She has grey hair - tied back -  blue-rimmed glasses and is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue jacket with a "Scottish Sea Farms" logo on the left hand side.
Anne Anderson of Scottish Sea Farms says politicians should get moving

They have been building tunnels in the Faroes since the 1960s.

The 18 islands which make up the self-governing nation under the sovereignty of Denmark are connected by 23 tunnels, four of which run below the sea.

More are under construction.

Most dramatic is a 7.1 mile (11.4km) tunnel which connects the island of Streymoy to two sides of a fjord on the island of Eysturoy.

It includes the world's only undersea roundabout.

At its deepest point it is 187m (614ft) below the waves and has halved the driving time between the capital Tórshavn and the second biggest town, Klaksvik.

Photograph of vehicles streaking past a roundabout in a tunnel. The tunnel has a green/ blue backdrop and black silhouettes of figures on it.
A tunnel which connects the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy includes the world's only undersea roundabout, nicknamed the jellyfish

Speaking in his grass-roofed office looking out over a busy harbour in Tórshavn, Johannesen says tunnels helped to grow the population and the economy of the archipelago, which is home to some 54,000 people, in contrast to Shetland's 23,000.

"It's about ambition," says tunnel builder Andy Sloan, whose company worked on part of the Faroese tunnel project.

He adds the islands have led the world "in connecting an archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic through blood, sweat and tears – and focus.

"They have delivered a remarkable piece of infrastructure," says Mr Sloan, who is executive vice-president of engineering firm COWI.

It is now advising Shetland Islands Council on the technicalities and financing of tunnels.

The Faroese tunnels were constructed using a technique known as drill and blast – where holes are drilled in rock, explosives are dropped in, and the rubble is then cleared away – which Mr Sloan says could also be used in Scotland.

"Without doubt, Shetland can copy what has been achieved in these islands," he adds.

Head and shoulder shot of a smiling Andy Sloan, who is bald, smiling at the camera. He is wearing a navy suit jacket, navy half-zip jumper and a white shirt with the top button open. Green shrubbery is visible in the background.
Tunnel builder Andy Sloan worked on the Faroese tunnels

Prof Erika Anne Hayfield, dean of the Faculty of History and Social Sciences at the University of the Faroe Islands, says the tunnels have delivered significant benefits.

"People can live and thrive in smaller settlements," while still participating fully in island life and commuting to "the central labour market" in Tórshavn, she explains.

"In the long term, in terms of demography, social sustainability, a lot of people on islands believe that it is necessary," adds Prof Hayfield.

But she said the costs of some tunnels had been controversial, with some Faroese arguing that they are being built at the expense of investing in schools and hospitals.

Drone footage of Tórshavn marina, with government buildings, some of which have grass roofs, visible in the foreground. A number of boats can also be seen in the picture
The capital, Tórshavn, is a shorter commute for islanders since the construction of the tunnel network

Shetland's main town, Lerwick, may be closer to Tórshavn than it is to Edinburgh – and closer to Copenhagen than London – but advocates of tunnels insist the islands are not a remote backwater but an advanced economy constrained by poor infrastructure.

The archipelago of 100 islands at the confluence of the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean boasts the UK's only spaceport and a thriving fishing industry.

"We land more fish in Shetland than we do in the whole of England, Northern Ireland and Wales," says council leader Emma Macdonald.

"Tunnels could be incredibly transformational," she continues.

Macdonald adds: "We're really excited about the opportunity."

The 20th Century oil and gas boom brought Shetland riches but the islands have since embraced the shift to renewable energy and are home to the UK's most productive onshore wind farm.

"Shetland's really integral to Scotland and to the wider UK," says Macdonald.

The council has authorised a £990,000 feasibility study into building tunnels to four islands – Unst, Yell, Bressay and Whalsay.

It has not yet published an estimated cost for construction.

Head and shoulders shot of Elizabeth Johnson, who has short grey hair, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a grey t-shirt and a darker grey jacket with a navy "Saxavord UK Space Port" patch. She is standing on a shoreline and the sea is visible under grey skies in the background
Elizabeth Johnson says tunnels would "enhance the economic viability of the island"

"Tunnels would really open up this island for businesses," says Elizabeth Johnson, external affairs manager of Saxavord Spaceport on Unst.

She adds that they would "enhance the economic viability of the island".

But with neither the Scottish nor UK governments volunteering to pay for Shetland's tunnels, the Faroese funding model of borrowing paid back by tolls looks likely to be adopted.

"I think people recognise that there is probably a need for tolling and I think people understand that," says Macdonald.

She adds: "They already have to pay to go on the ferries."

At present the council runs ferry services to nine islands, carrying around 750,000 passengers each year on 12 vessels at a cost of £23m per year.

The average age of the fleet is 31.5 years, costs have risen sharply in the past decade, and some routes are struggling to meet demand for vehicle places.

Hebridean and Clyde ferries, off the west of Scotland, run by Scottish government-owned Caledonian MacBrayne, are also ageing and have been beset by problems.

Drone shot of a white car preparing to enter a tunnel in the Faroes. The tunnel has been constructed under green fields and some sheep are also visible in the image.
The 18 islands which make up the self-governing nation under the sovereignty of Denmark are connected by 23 tunnels

Mr Sloan says tunnels could provide more robust transport links for the west coast as well as the Northern Isles.

"Quite frankly, it can be repeated in Shetland, and not just Shetland, possibly elsewhere in Scotland."

Mr Sloan agrees that tolls are the most feasible funding option.

Tolls were abolished on the Skye Bridge in 2004 after a long-running campaign of non payment, and were scrapped on the Forth and Tay road bridges in 2008.

But Ms Johnson, of the Saxavord Spaceport, reckons Shetlanders would be happy to pay their way.

"I don't think anybody that I've spoken to would be against tolls," she says.

Vehicles streak past the two lanes in a tunnel either side of a yellow sign which reads: "Klaksvik"
Four tunnels in the Faroes run below the sea

Although there is no organised opposition to tunnels in Shetland some locals do express concern about whether they would change what it means to be an island.

Pat Burns runs the northernmost shop in the British Isles, The Final Checkout on Unst.

She was not convinced about tunnels at first, fearing that they would alter the nature of island life.

"I like the challenges of trying to get from A to B," she explains.

However after years of worrying about bad weather interrupting supplies for her shop and seeing tourists turned away because ferries are full, she has changed her mind.

"I was a wee bit iffy-iffy about it before," she says, "but now I realise that if Unst doesn't get a tunnel, the challenge is going to be too big."

I'm 'disappointed but not done' with Putin, Trump tells BBC

Reuters US president Trump is speaking in the Oval Office. He wears a navy suit and red tie. Reuters

Donald Trump has said that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin, in an exclusive phone call with the BBC.

The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: "I trust almost no-one."

Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days.

In a wide-ranging interview from the Oval Office, the president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle.

The president made the phone call, which lasted 20 minutes, to the BBC after conversations about a potential interview to mark one year on since the attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Asked about whether surviving the assassination attempt had changed him, Trump said he liked to think about it as little as possible.

"I don't like to think about if it did change me," Trump said. Dwelling on it, he added, "could be life-changing".

Having just met with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the White House, however, the president spent a significant portion of the interview expanding on his disappointment with the Russian leader.

Trump said that he had thought a deal was on the cards with Russia four different times.

When asked by the BBC if he was done with Putin, the president replied: "I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him."

Pressed on how Trump would get Putin to "stop the bloodshed" the US president said: "We're working it, Gary."

"We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv."

The conversation moved onto Nato, which Trump has previously criticised as "obsolete".

Asked if he still thought this was the case, he said: "No. I think Nato is now becoming the opposite of that" because the alliance was "paying their own bills".

He said he still believed in collective defence, because it meant smaller countries could defend themselves against larger ones.

President Trump was also asked about the UK's future in the world and said he thought it was a "great place - you know I own property there".

He spoke about how he was looking forward to an unprecedented second state visit to the UK in September this year.

On what he wanted to achieve during the visit, Trump said: "Have a good time and respect King Charles, because he's a great gentleman."

Rosenberg: Russia more relieved than rattled by US tariff threat

Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles duting a meetng, while visiting a military base of nuclear submarines, March 26, 2025, in Murmansk, RussiaGetty Images
Trump has threatened further sanctions unless Russia strikes a deal to end the Ukraine war within 50 days

In the Oval Office on Monday, Donald Trump was talking tough, announcing new US arms shipments to Ukraine paid for by European governments, and threatening new tariffs which, if imposed, would hit Russia's war chest.

But, back in Moscow, how did the stock exchange react? It rose 2.7%.

That's because Russia had been bracing for even tougher sanctions from President Trump.

"Russia and America are moving towards a new round of confrontation over Ukraine," Monday's edition of the tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets had warned.

"Trump's Monday surprise will not be pleasant for our country."

It wasn't "pleasant". But Russia will be relieved, for example, that the secondary tariffs against Russia's trading partners will only kick in 50 days from now.

That gives Moscow plenty of time to come up with counter proposals and delay the implementation of sanctions even further.

Nonetheless, Donald Trump's announcement does represent a tougher approach to Russia.

It also reflects his frustration with Vladimir Putin's reluctance to sign a peace deal.

On his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump had made ending Russia's war in Ukraine one of his foreign policy priorities.

For months, Moscow's response was: "Yes, but…"

Yes, Russia said in March, when it welcomed President Trump's proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire. But first, it said Western military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv should end, along with Ukrainian military mobilisation.

Yes, Moscow has been insisting, it wants peace. But the "root causes" of the war must be resolved first. The Kremlin views these very differently to how Ukraine and the West see them. It argues that the war is the result of external threats to Russia's security: from Kyiv, Nato, 'the collective West.'

Yet, in February 2022, it wasn't Ukraine, Nato or the West that invaded Russia. It was Moscow that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the largest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Reuters A Russian contract soldier looks out of a T-72 tank during military drills held at a firing range amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the southern Krasnodar region, Russia, December 2, 2024.Reuters
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago

For quite some time, the "Yes, but…" approach enabled Moscow to avoid additional US sanctions, while continuing to prosecute the war. Keen to improve bilateral relations with Russia and negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine, the Trump administration prioritised carrots to sticks in its conversations with Russian officials.

Critics of the Kremlin warned that with "Yes, but"… Russia was playing for time. But President Trump hoped he could find a way of persuading Vladimir Putin to do a deal.

The Russian president has appeared in no rush to do so. The Kremlin believes it holds the initiative on the battlefield. It insists it wants peace, but on its terms.

Those terms include an end to Western arms shipments to Ukraine. From Donald Trump's announcement it is clear that is not going to happen.

President Trump claims that he is "not happy" with Vladimir Putin.

But disillusionment is a two-way street. Russia, too, has been falling out of love with America's president. On Monday, Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote:

"[Trump] clearly has delusions of grandeur. And a very big mouth."

Ethiopian troops 'executed' aid workers in Tigray war, charity says

MSF From left to right: Yohannes Halefom Reda, María Hernández Matas and Tedros GebremariamMSF
The three were said to be professional and passionate about their jobs

Ethiopian government forces "executed" three employees of medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) while they were on a humanitarian mission in Ethiopia's war-hit northern Tigray region four years ago, a senior MSF official has told the BBC.

Raquel Ayora's comments came as MSF released its findings on what it called the "intentional and targeted" killing of the three - a Spanish national and two Ethiopians - at the height of the now-ended conflict in Tigray.

"They were executed," said Ms Ayora, MSF Spain's general director. "They were facing their attackers [and] were shot at very close range… several times."

The BBC has asked the Ethiopian government for a response to the allegation.

MSF said it was releasing its findings as the government had failed to provide a "credible account" of the deaths despite 20 face-to-face meetings over the last four years.

Thirty-five-year-old Spaniard María Hernández Matas, along with 32-year-old Yohannes Halefom Reda and 31-year-old Tedros Gebremariam, were killed on 24 June 2021 while travelling in central Tigray to assess medical needs.

"They were very professional and passionate," Ms Ayora told the BBC.

She added that the three were fully identifiable in MSF vests and their vehicle had the charity's flag and logos on either side when they were shot.

"So, they [Ethiopian troops] knew that they were killing humanitarian aid workers," she said, adding that the team's travel route had also been shared in advance with fighting groups.

The Tigray conflict broke out in 2020 following a massive fall-out between the regional and federal governments, with neighbouring Eritrea entering the war on the side of the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF).

The conflict ended two years later following a peace deal brokered by the African Union (AU). Its envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, put the number of people who died in the conflict at around 600,000.

Researchers said the deaths were caused by fighting, starvation and a lack of health care.

The killings took place at a time when the conflict was intensifying, and Ethiopian and Eritrean troops were becoming increasingly hostile towards aid workers in the region, MSF said in its report.

Ms Matas had been working in Tigray since before the war and "was very much loved" by people in the region, Ms Ayora said.

Her death has been particularly devastating for her mother as she was her only child, the MSF official added.

Mr Tedros was killed soon after his wife had given birth to a baby girl. His widow named the baby Maria, after her father's killed Spanish colleague, Mr Ayora said.

MSF Burnt-out vehicle of MSF, with a flag of the charityMSF
The aid workers were targeted despite the fact that their vehicle had an MSF flag

The bodies of Ms Matas and Mr Yohannes were found between 100m (300ft) and 400m from the wreckage of their vehicle.

The body of Mr Tedros, the driver, was found by the vehicle."In line with MSF travel policy, the driver stays close to the vehicle", Ms Ayora said.

The vehicle was shot at multiple times and burned on the main road from the town of Abi Adi to Yech'illa, Ms Ayora said.

Ms Matas and Mr Yohannes were walking when they were shot, she said, adding: "We don't know if they were called for interrogation or they decided to engage with the soldiers."

MSF said it had relied on satellite images, witnesses and publicly available information on the Ethiopian military's movements at the time of the killings to draw its conclusions.

Its investigation placed Ethiopian troops at the "precise location" where the killings occurred, the charity added.

MSF's report quoted witnesses as saying they overhead an officer informing the local commander of an approaching white car and the commander giving an order to shoot.

Moments later, the commander was allegedly informed that the soldiers had tried to shoot but that the car had turned towards Abi Adi and stopped, at which point the commander gave the order to "go and catch them" and "remove them", the report alleged.

Ms Ayora told the BBC that officials from Ethiopia's Ministry of Justice had verbally informed MSF in mid-2022 that their preliminary investigation showed that government troops were not at the scene of the killing.

However, the officials refused to give this in writing, and the charity kept engaging with the government in order to end "impunity" at a time when an increasing number of aid workers were being killed in conflicts around the world, Ms Ayora said.

More BBC stories on Tigray conflict:

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Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

As theories swirl about Air India crash, key details remain unknown

Government of India / Ministry of Civil Aviation Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau Vertical Stabilizer adjacent to the building referenced as building A in the report. The Aircraft was destroyed due to impact with the buildings on the ground and subsequent fire. A total of five buildings, shown in the image on the right, were impacted and suffered major structural and fire damages.Government of India / Ministry of Civil Aviation Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau

While the preliminary report into what caused the loss of Air India Flight 171 last month has provided some answers, it has also prompted a wave of speculation about its cause.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a building less than a minute after take-off from the city of Ahmedabad in western India en route to London, killing 241 people on board, along with 19 on the ground. One passenger survived.

Information contained in India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau report, the first official account of what happened, has raised questions about the role of the pilots.

However, experts within the aviation industry claim investigators have been highly selective in what they have chosen to say.

What the report says

Under international protocols, the state leading an air accident investigation is meant to issue a preliminary report within 30 days. The 15-page document published by India's Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday fulfils this requirement.

Although the AAIB has been leading the investigation, US interests are also represented, because Boeing, the maker of the aircraft, and GE Aerospace, the engine manufacturer are American.

The report does not set out any conclusions as to the cause of the accident. Nevertheless, it has sparked considerable controversy.

In its account of the accident flight, the AAIB states that two fuel cut-off switches were moved from the 'run' to the 'cut-off' position seconds after take-off.

This deprived the engines of fuel and caused them to lose thrust. Although data from the flight recorder shows the engines were subsequently restarted, it was too late to prevent the crash.

These switches are normally only used to turn the engines on before a flight and off afterwards. They have a locking mechanism, which means they need to be pulled out before being flipped, a system designed to prevent accidental deployment.

The report also states that one pilot asks the other "why did he cutoff", while his colleague "responded that he did not do so".

However, it does not provide any direct transcript of the conversation, which would have been picked up by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). Nor does it identify which pilot asked the question.

It is worth remembering that preliminary reports are not intended to offer a full picture of what happened or draw firm conclusions. They are meant to be a factual summary of the information obtained in the early stages of what could be a lengthy investigation.

The investigating authority is also under no obligation to make their preliminary reports public.

Reuters Wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground, outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where it took off and crashed nearby shortly afterwards, in Ahmedabad, India July 12, 2025. Reuters

Missing information

The information released so far has prompted a number of commentators to claim, in the media and online, that the accident was the result of deliberate and intentional action by one of the pilots.

It is a view that has attracted an angry response from the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association, which warned that "invoking such a serious allegation based on incomplete or preliminary information is not only irresponsible – it is deeply insensitive to the individuals and families involved".

It added that "to casually suggest pilot suicide in the absence of verified evidence is a gross violation of ethical reporting".

In a memo to staff, the chief executive of Air India struck a similar note. Campbell Wilson warned against drawing "premature conclusions".

Since the report was issued, the BBC has spoken to a range of people within the industry, including pilots, accident investigators and engineers. While theories as to what actually happened vary widely, the dominant view is that important information is currently missing.

"They've told us stuff they want us to know at the moment, and withheld what they don't want us to know," explained one pilot, who asked not to be identified. "It's not a complete report."

One of the main criticisms is the lack of a transcript from the cockpit voice recorder, which would enable the reported conversation between the pilots about the fuel cut-off switches to be put in context.

Bjorn Fehrm, an aeronautical analyst at consultants Leeham News said this was "totally unacceptable".

"They have all this technical detail. Then you have this reference to dialogue, but it doesn't even tell you who's speaking," he said.

Mr Fehrm was also concerned that there was no reference to what happened in the cockpit between the switches being flipped from run to cut-off, and the first switch being pushed back into position to relight the first engine 10 seconds later.

"It's someone trying to hide something," he said.

Close-up view of Dreamliner 787 aircraft cockpit control panel with labelled components. The thrust levers are prominent in the centre. Engine fuel control switches, which cut fuel supply and shut down engines, are on the left. Switches with a stop lock mechanism that must be lifted before turning are on the right. Guard brackets prevent accidental movement of the switches

An engineering source, meanwhile, said the report was "very selective", and did not have any detailed information about what the engines were doing immediately before the switches were flipped. The document does say that the engine speed began to decrease from take-off values "as the fuel supply to the engines was cut off."

This, they said was important - because flipping the switches to cut-off and back was something a pilot would be trained do to in order to restart an engine that was already losing power.

Tim Atkinson, an aviation consultant and former air accident investigator in the UK said, "it is very disappointing to read a report which does provide a few salient facts, leaves many more questions".

Another element of the report that has caused controversy is a reference to a safety bulletin – known as a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin – published by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018.

This was used to alert the aviation community that operators of some Boeing 737 models had reported cases in which the fuel cut-off switches had been fitted with the locking feature disengaged - potentially enabling the switch to be flipped by accident.

At the time, the FAA described this as an "airworthiness concern", but said it was "not an unsafe condition" that would require mandatory action via what is known as an Airworthiness Directive.

Operators of a number of different Boeing models fitted with similar switches, including 787s, were advised to carry out simple inspections.

The investigation report says Air India did not carry out those inspections - prompting speculation that the accident could have been caused by faulty switches being flipped by accident.

However, in an internal note seen by the BBC, the FAA has since reiterated its belief that the issue did not compromise safety.

Engineering sources have also pointed out that the report says the throttle control module on the crashed aircraft was replaced on two occasions, most recently two years before the accident. This would have involved replacing the cut-off switches as well.

According to Bjorn Fehrm of Leeham News, the reference to the FAA's advice contained in the report was "totally irrelevant" in the context of the accident.

Nevertheless, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked the operators of all aircraft covered by the FAA's original bulletin to carry out inspections by 21 July.

For former accident investigator Tim Atkinson, the vagueness of the report may have been deliberate - in order to suggest an explanation for the crash, while avoiding being too explicit.

"The very worst reports are those written to be read 'between the lines', and if that is what we have here, then it does no credit to the investigators," he said.

Meanwhile those seeking firm answers to what happened on Flight 171 may well have to wait.

International protocols stipulate that a final report should be published within a year of the accident. However, in practice, it can take a lot longer than that.

I'm disappointed but not done with Putin, Trump tells BBC

Reuters US president Trump is speaking in the Oval Office. He wears a navy suit and red tie. Reuters

Donald Trump has said that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin, in an exclusive phone call with the BBC.

The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: "I trust almost no-one."

Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days.

In a wide-ranging interview from the Oval Office, the president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle.

The president made the phone call, which lasted 20 minutes, to the BBC after conversations about a potential interview to mark one year on since the attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Asked about whether surviving the assassination attempt had changed him, Trump said he liked to think about it as little as possible.

"I don't like to think about if it did change me," Trump said. Dwelling on it, he added, "could be life-changing".

Having just met with Nato chief Mark Rutte at the White House, however, the president spent a significant portion of the interview expanding on his disappointment with the Russian leader.

Trump said that he had thought a deal was on the cards with Russia four different times.

When asked by the BBC if he was done with Putin, the president replied: "I'm disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him."

Pressed on how Trump would get Putin to "stop the bloodshed" the US president said: "We're working it, Gary."

"We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv."

The conversation moved onto Nato, which Trump has previously criticised as "obsolete".

Asked if he still thought this was the case, he said: "No. I think Nato is now becoming the opposite of that" because the alliance was "paying their own bills".

He said he still believed in collective defence, because it meant smaller countries could defend themselves against larger ones.

President Trump was also asked about the UK's future in the world and said he thought it was a "great place - you know I own property there".

He spoke about how he was looking forward to an unprecedented second state visit to the UK in September this year.

On what he wanted to achieve during the visit, Trump said: "Have a good time and respect King Charles, because he's a great gentleman."

China growth beats expectations as Trump tariffs loom

Getty Images An woman, wearing a blue shirt with orange details, works on the intelligent spinning production line at a workshop of Xin Feng Ming Group on 8 July, 2025 in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Getty Images

China's economy has slowed as trade turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariffs and a prolonged crisis in the property market weigh on growth.

Official figures show the world's second largest economy grew by 5.2% in the three months to the end of June, compared to the same time last year. That's down from 5.4% in the previous quarter.

But the country has so far avoided a sharp downturn, partly due to measures announced by Beijing to help support the economy and a fragile tariffs truce with Washington.

Trump has given China until 12 August to reach a long-term trade deal with the US to end a tit-for-tat trade war that saw their tariffs on each other soar to more than 100%.

Some economists expect China to miss its "around 5%" annual growth target this year.

"The real question is by how much. We believe it will defend a floor of 4%, which remains the minimum politically acceptable level," Dan Wang, director for China at consultancy Eurasia Group told the BBC.

A tariffs war between China's President Xi Jinping and Trump led to the US imposing a 145% levy on Chinese imports. In return, Beijing introduced a 125% duty on some US goods.

Washington has also hit countries with close economic ties to China with heavy levies.

Meta to spend hundreds of billions to build AI data centres

Reuters A phone showing the text "Meta AI" rests on a keyboard. The picture has pink and purple tones. Reuters

Meta's founder Mark Zuckerberg has said the social media giant will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on building huge AI data centres in the US.

The first multi-gigawatt data centre, called Prometheus, is expected to come online in 2026, Zuckerberg said.

He said one of the sites would cover an area nearly the size of Manhattan (59.1 sq km/22.8 sq miles).

Meta has invested heavily in efforts to develop what it called "superintelligence" - technology that it said could out-think the smartest humans.

The company, which has made most of its money from online advertising, generated more than $160bn in revenue in 2024.

In a post on his social media platform, Threads, Zuckerberg said Meta was building several multi-gigawatt clusters, and that one cluster, called Hyperion, could scale up to five gigawatts over several years.

"We're building multiple more titan clusters as well. Just one of these covers a significant part of the footprint of Manhattan," he added.

Prometheus will be built in New Albany, Ohio, while Hyperion will be built in Louisiana and is expected to be fully online by 2030, Zuckerberg said.

He said Meta would "invest hundreds of billions of dollars... to build superintelligence" and that the centres had been given "names befitting their scale and impact".

Karl Freund, principal analyst at Cambrian AI Research, told the BBC, "clearly, Zuckerberg intends to spend his way to the top of the AI heap".

"The talent he is hiring will have access to some of the best AI Hardware in the world," Freund added.

Meta shares were trading 1% higher following the announcement, Reuters news agency reported. The stock has risen more than 20% so far this year.

There are at least 10,000 data centres around the world hosting the cloud - remote servers that store digital information - with most of them located in the US, followed by the UK and Germany.

AI-driven data centres are extremely energy and water intensive. One study estimates that these centres could consume 1.7 trillion gallons of water globally by 2027. A single AI query - for example, a request to ChatGPT - can use about as much water as a small bottle you'd buy from the corner shop.

China growth slows as trade turmoil weighs on economy

Getty Images An woman, wearing a blue shirt with orange details, works on the intelligent spinning production line at a workshop of Xin Feng Ming Group on 8 July, 2025 in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. Getty Images

China's economy has slowed as trade turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariffs and a prolonged crisis in the property market weigh on growth.

Official figures show the world's second largest economy grew by 5.2% in the three months to the end of June, compared to the same time last year. That's down from 5.4% in the previous quarter.

But the country has so far avoided a sharp downturn, partly due to measures announced by Beijing to help support the economy and a fragile tariffs truce with Washington.

Trump has given China until 12 August to reach a long-term trade deal with the US to end a tit-for-tat trade war that saw their tariffs on each other soar to more than 100%.

Some economists expect China to miss its "around 5%" annual growth target this year.

"The real question is by how much. We believe it will defend a floor of 4%, which remains the minimum politically acceptable level," Dan Wang, director for China at consultancy Eurasia Group told the BBC.

A tariffs war between China's President Xi Jinping and Trump led to the US imposing a 145% levy on Chinese imports. In return, Beijing introduced a 125% duty on some US goods.

Washington has also hit countries with close economic ties to China with heavy levies.

Animals react to secret sounds from plants, say scientists

Listen to the sounds three different plants might make if they were stressed

Animals react to sounds being made by plants, new research suggests, opening up the possibility that an invisible ecosystem might exist between them.

In the first ever such evidence, a team at Tel Aviv University found that female moths avoided laying their eggs on tomato plants if they made noises they associated with distress, indicating that they may be unhealthy.

The team was the first to show two years ago that plants scream when they are distressed or unhealthy.

The sounds are outside the range of human hearing, but can be perceived by many insects, bats and some mammals.

"This is the first demonstration ever of an animal responding to sounds produced by a plant," said Prof Yossi Yovel of Tel Aviv University.

"This is speculation at this stage, but it could be that all sorts of animals will make decisions based on the sounds they hear from plants, such as whether to pollinate or hide inside them or eat the plant."

The researchers did a series of carefully controlled experiments to ensure that the moths were responding to the sound and not the appearance of the plants.

They will now investigate the sounds different plants make and whether other species make decisions based on them, such as whether to pollinate or hide inside them or eat the plant.

"You can think that there could be many complicated interactions, and this is the first step," says Prof Yovel.

Another area of investigation is whether plants can pass information to each other through sound and act in response, such as conserving their water in drought conditions, according to Prof Lilach Hadany, also of Tel Aviv University.

"This is an exciting question," she told BBC News.

"If a plant is stressed the organism most concerned about it is other plants and they can respond in many ways."

TAU A brown moth laying white eggs on a green tomato plantTAU
Moths layed eggs on plants based on the sounds they made, which indicated their health

The researchers stress that plants are not sentient. They sounds are produced through physical effects caused by a change in their local conditions. What today's discovery shows is that these sounds can be useful to other animals, and possibly plants, able to perceive these sounds.

If that is the case, then plants and animals have coevolved the ability to produce and listen to the sounds for their mutual benefit, according to Prof Hadany.

"Plants could evolve to make more sounds or louder ones if they were of benefit to it and the hearing of animals may evolve accordingly so they can take in this huge amount of information.

"This is a vast, unexplored field - an entire world waiting to be discovered."

In the experiment the researchers focused on female moths, which typically lay their eggs on tomato plants so that the larvae can feed on them once hatched.

The assumption was that the moths seek the best possible site to lay their eggs - a healthy plant that can properly nourish the larvae. So, when the plant signals that it is dehydrated and under stress, the question was whether the moths would heed the warning and avoid laying eggs on it?

The answer was that they didn't lay eggs, because of the sound the plants were producing.

The research has been published in the journal eLife.

'Heart-breaking': Locals and visitors devastated by loss of Grand Canyon Lodge

Getty Images The view from Grand Canyon Lodge Getty Images
People came from all over the world to enjoy the views from Grand Canyon Lodge at the North Rim

Davy Crockett watched from miles away as the first small plumes of smoke began to rise in the Grand Canyon's North Rim.

It was not long before the small plumes transformed into huge flames. Mr Crockett, vice-president of the non-profit Grand Canyon Historical Society, went to bed but worries kept him up. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge, with its panoramic views of one of the natural wonders of the world, was in the path of those flames.

On Sunday, park officials confirmed the beloved lodge was destroyed in raging wildfires.

"It broke my heart," said Mr Crockett. "I was devastated."

Hundreds of people are sharing his sadness and posting tributes on social media to the stone lodge perched at 8,000 feet (2,438m), the only accommodation available within the national park's North Rim.

It was "stunning, a balm for my weary soul", one person wrote. "Heartbroken to hear the historic lodge, visitor center and more were destroyed."

Watch: Wildfire burns parts of the Grand Canyon National Park

Many of the dozens of cabins at the lodge were also lost in the Dragon Bravo Fire, which has burned over 5,000 acres.

Honeymooners, hikers and runners all treasured the lodge and its views, historians and locals said.

Karne Snickers has led tours in the North Rim for 24 years. She said the area sees fewer tourists than the South Rim because the view in parts is slightly obscured by "majestic" ponderosa trees.

But it was clear on the deck of the Grand Canyon Lodge, she said.

"It's very spiritual there," she said. "Sitting on the deck of that lodge, there isn't one dry eye from any trip that I've ever done when you turn away and have to go back to the van."

The destruction of the lodge has been like "losing an old friend".

"I shed many tears yesterday," Ms Snickers said.

The 61-year-old tour guide was there just before the fires began, when a lightning strike ignited a blaze on 4 July that officials initially thought would be containable.

But after the winds picked up, the fire exploded, Mr Crockett said.

Firefighters were there to protect the lodge, but when a water treatment plant burned down and released toxic chlorine gas into the air, they had to evacuate.

Along with the lodge, much of the surrounding nature has been lost too, including 400 year-old trees.

Ms Snickers believes one large tree she would have hikers on her tours hug is no longer there.

"Much of the beauty is gone," Mr Crockett said. "It'll take decades for things to grow back."

National Park Service A black-and-white photo of old-fashioned buses in front of a stone building, with a line of women in cleaning uniforms and two men playing stringed instrumentsNational Park Service
Workers sing to departing guests on tour buses in 1930

This was the second time the lodge burned down.

A version that opened in 1928, designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, was lost four years later to a fire that started in its kitchen.

Building a new structure during the Great Depression took years and perseverance, repurposing much of the original building's stonework and lumber.

A smaller, temporary lodge that housed construction workers also burned down for unknown reasons, according to Mr Crockett.

Then, a massive snowstorm dropped 12 feet of snow in the area one winter, cutting the workers and their families off from food and the outside world for weeks, he said.

Finally, some of the workers hiked down to the trailhead in snow shoes to call for help, bringing in snow plows to rescue the rest of the group, Mr Crockett said.

After the lodge opened once again, in 1938, it became a "summer getaway that people have just cherished over the years", he said.

Lodge guests might encounter an occasional buffalo while walking beside tall pine trees. Inside, they could take in views from the massive windows in the lodge's sun room, or from their table in the dining room, with its high ceiling that was crossed with ponderosa beams.

Park officials have yet to say whether they plan to rebuild the iconic lodge, but many visitors and locals are holding out hope.

"We have to rebuild this place," Ms Snickers said. "It's going to take time, but it needs to come back. It was a part of history."

National Park Service Dining room with high ceilings and windows overlooking Grand Canyon, where people sit to eat or stand, during the dayNational Park Service
Diners also had views of the canyon - often considered one of the natural wonders of the world - from their tables

UK to start processing Syrian asylum claims again

AFP via Getty Images Two female protesters hold Syrian flags and placards reading: "Syrian refugees deserve dignity" and "no human is illegal".AFP via Getty Images

The UK is to start processing Syrian asylum claims again, more than seven months after decisions were paused following the fall of the Assad regime.

Asylum minister Dame Angela Eagle said the Home Office had "worked to lift the pause as soon as there was sufficient information to make accurate and well-evidenced determinations".

The government has published updated guidance for officials to make decisions on Syrian claims.

Dame Angela said claims could now be processed, and returns to Syria conducted in line with this.

The UK paused decisions on Syrian claims for asylum and permanent settlement in December, after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by a rebel offensive led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), following years of civil war.

In a written statement, Dame Angela said the pause "was a necessary step while there was no stable, objective information available to make robust assessments of risk on return to Syria".

However, the move left more than 7,000 Syrians waiting for a decision on an asylum claim in limbo.

The majority of these are living in government-funded accommodation, such as hotels.

The pause also applied to Syrians who had already been granted refugee status and were initially given the right to stay in the UK for five years before being able to apply for permanent settlement.

Campaigners say being left with this temporary status makes it harder for people to secure a job or housing.

Welcoming the move, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity, said: "We know the pause in decision making had left Syrian people trapped in further limbo, unable to work, move on with their lives and fearing for their future.

"However, the situation in Syria continues to be unstable, and we urge the government to ensure that every asylum application is assessed on a case-by-case basis, ensuring the safety and protection of Syrians who would face extreme risk if they are returned."

Figures affiliated with HTS - which is designated a terrorist group by the UK - now run the country, with HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa named as Syria's interim president earlier this year.

Under the United Nations Refugee Convention, an individual must have a "well-founded fear of persecution" to be granted asylum and refugee status.

The Home Office's updated guidance on Syria states that a "breakdown in law and order or uncertain security situations do not in themselves give rise to a well-founded fear of persecution".

"There are not substantial grounds for believing there is a real risk of serious harm in Syria because of a serious and individual threat to a civilian's life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in a situation of international or internal armed conflict," it adds.

"All cases must be considered on their individual facts, with the onus on the person to demonstrate they face persecution or serious harm."

Ministers have previously suggested that the majority of Syrians who arrived in the UK before the fall of Assad were fleeing the regime, and some may now wish to return.

On the issue of returns, the guidance notes that following the change in government, opponents of the former Assad regime are "unlikely to be at risk upon return to Syria solely on that basis".

On the situation for religious minorities, it states that Kurds, Christians, Druze and Shia Muslims are "are unlikely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm from the state" and "the onus is on the person to demonstrate otherwise".

However, it adds that Kurds in areas under de facto control of the Syrian National Army - a coalition of Turkish-backed rebel groups - "are likely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm" based on their ethnicity or perceived political opinion.

It also says that although the new government has sought to assure members of the Alawite minority they will not be subject to violent reprisals, Alawites "are likely to face a real risk of persecution or serious harm from the state due to their religion and/or an imputed political opinion".

Many of the former Assad regime's political and military elite belonged to the Alawite sect.

The guidance notes that in March members of the Alawite minority were subject to a series of attacks which killed an estimated 800 people, with HTS-affiliated groups reported to have been involved.

Earlier this month, Foreign Secretary David Lammy met interim president al-Sharaa, as he became the first UK minister to visit Syria since the uprising that led to the country's civil war began 14 years ago.

The UK has also been gradually lifting sanctions on Syria.

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Beyoncé's unreleased music stolen from car during Cowboy Carter tour

Reuters Beyonce is seen singing on stage during her Cowboy Carter tour in a silver and white outfit. She is wearing white fringed chaps. Reuters

Unreleased music by Beyoncé was among several items stolen from a vehicle in Atlanta, just days before the singer's four-night Cowboy Carter tour stop in the city, authorities have confirmed.

Hard drives containing the unreleased songs, show plans, and past and future set-lists for her tour were among the items stolen from a rental car used by the singer's choreographer and one of her dancers, according to a police report.

The theft occurred on 8 July, two days before Beyoncé's first Atlanta performance.

Atlanta police say an arrest warrant has been issued, but the suspect's name has not been made public.

Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue told police they had parked the rented Black Jeep Wagoneer and gone inside a nearby food hall. When they returned, the vehicle's rear window had been smashed and two suitcases were missing, a police incident report states.

They told police they were "carrying some personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé" in the vehicle that was also stolen.

That included "five jump drives containing watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for shows past and future, and set list", the report states.

Other items reported stolen included a laptop, designer clothes and Apple AirPods. Authorities used tracking information on the laptop and headphones to track where the items may have gone, a police report notes.

Authorities also dusted the vehicle for any fingerprints and discovered "two very light prints".

It's unclear whether the stolen items have been recovered.

The BBC has contacted a representative for Beyoncé for comment.

Beyoncé is currently on tour in Atlanta as part of her Cowboy Carter stadium tour. She has been performing in the city since 10 July and her last show was set for Monday night.

Her husband, the rapper Jay Z, made a surprise appearance on the third night of her show.

Starbucks staff must work in the office four days a week

Getty Images A Starbucks takeaway cup held by a person with a leopard print shirt in Sacramento, California, US, on Monday, April 28, 2025.Getty Images

Starbucks has told its corporate staff they must work in the office for four days a week or take a payment and quit.

Workers will be expected to be in the office between Monday and Thursday starting in October, up from a previous requirement that staff come in for three days.

The directive is the latest in a series from companies who are pushing to restrict remote working which expanded during the Covid pandemic.

Starbucks workers who choose not to comply with the new policy, which applies to the US and Canada, will be offered a one-time payout if they decide to leave.

Brian Niccol, chief executive at Starbucks who joined the business less than a year ago, said the change would help the firm do its "best work" as it faces falling sales and other challenges.

"We understand not everyone will agree with this approach," he wrote in a company blog.

"We've listened and thought carefully. But as a company built on human connection, and given the scale of the turnaround ahead, we believe this is the right path for Starbucks," he said.

As part of the move, the company will require certain managers to relocate to Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered, or Toronto.

Mr Niccol's contract did not require him to relocate to Seattle while specifying that the firm would establish a small remote office near his hometown in California.

He has since bought a home in Seattle.

The new policy is part of a series of changes Mr Niccol has made to turn around Starbucks.

These include revamping its menus and coffee shops as well as reversing rules for its cafes in North America that allowed people to use their facilities even if they had not bought anything.

Previously, people were allowed to linger in Starbucks outlets and use their toilets without making a purchase.

Earlier this year, the firm cut 1,100 jobs.

Other companies have also been tightening their remote work policies, including the likes of Amazon and JP Morgan.

Surveys by researchers at Stanford, the Instituto Tecnogolico Autonomo de Mexico and the University of Chicago suggest that overall working practices in recent years have been fairly stable.

Their research has found that in the US, about about a third of staff who can perform their roles remotely have been recalled to the office full-time, while roughly a fifth are fully remote. About 45% enjoy a hybrid policy.

Musk's Grok signs $200m deal with Pentagon days after antisemitism row

Getty Images In this photo illustration, the xAI Grok logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen with xAI logo in the backgroundGetty Images
Elon Musk's xAI says Grok will soon be available for purchase and use by all federal government agencies.

The Pentagon has signed a multi-million dollar deal to begin using Elon Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, as part of a wider rollout of AI tools for government use, the Department of Defence confirmed.

Announced on Monday by Musk's company xAI, the $200m (£149m) contract is part of its "Grok for Government" programme, and aligns with the Trump administration's push for more aggressive adoption of artificial intelligence.

It comes just days after Grok sparked backlash for spouting antisemitic posts, including praise for Adolf Hitler on X, the social media platform owned by Musk.

Musk said the bot was "too compliant" and "too eager to please". He said the issue was being addressed.

Musk's xAI says the new deal will give US government departments access to Grok 4, the latest version of the chatbot, and offer custom tools for national security use.

The company also plans to provide technical support for classified environments.

The Pentagon also announced awarding similar contracts to Anthropic, Google and OpenAI - each with a $200m ceiling.

"The adoption of AI is transforming the Department's ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries," said the administration's Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty.

Musk's expanding government partnerships come amid a deteriorating relationship with President Donald Trump.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss had spent a quarter of a billion dollars on Trump's re-election effort in 2024, and actively campaigned for him.

He was later appointed to run the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) - a federal cost-cutting initiative tasked with reducing the size of the US government.

But in recent months, Musk began openly criticising what Trump had dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill", a sprawling spending and tax cuts legislation that the Tesla boss said was too costly for Americans.

Musk resigned from his post at Doge in May, though the department has not been officially disbanded.

Since then, Trump had suggested Doge could be deployed to harm Musk's companies.

Trump also suggested he might deport Musk, who is an American citizen and was born in South Africa. He also holds Canadian citizenship.

While at the helm of Doge, the White House was criticised for allowing Musk to have unfettered access to troves of government data on American citizens.

Despite the fall-out, Musk's xAI has continued to expand its government work. Its newly-announced contract may also create an avenue for that data collection to continue.

Grok was introduced in late 2023 as a more unfiltered alternative to other AI chatbots like ChatGPT. It is already integrated into Musk's social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Faroes-style tunnels could 'transform' fortunes for Shetland isles

BBC A grey car enters a tunnel, driving past red "no pedestrian" and "no cyclist" roadsigns. The tunnel disappears into a grassy hillside. A blue and white radio station information sign reads "FM 100.0".BBC
The 18 islands which make up the Faroes are connected by 23 tunnels, four of which run below the sea

The Faroese prime minister says Shetland could boost growth and revitalise island life by following his country in replacing ageing ferries with undersea tunnels.

Shetland Islands Council says it is pushing ahead with plans to build tunnels to four outlying isles in the archipelago including Unst, the most northerly place in the UK.

"I think we have learned in the Faroe Islands that investment in infrastructure is a good investment," Aksel Johannesen told BBC News.

Shetland Islands Council says its multi-million pound project is likely to be funded by borrowing money and paying it back through tolls, potentially providing a new transport model for other Scottish islands.

Faroese prime minister Aksel Johannesen pictured in an office with two blurred out gold-framed paintings hanging on a white wall behind him. He has brown hair combed to the side and is clean-shaven. He is looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. He is wearing a black shirt and a checked blazer.
The Faroese prime minister Aksel Johannesen told BBC News tunnels had helped to grow the population and the economy of the archipelago

Critics say politicians in Scotland have wasted years talking about tunnels while the Faroes, nearly 200 miles further out into the Atlantic, have actually built them.

"It is frustrating," says Anne Anderson of salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms, which employs nearly 700 people in Scotland, including just under 300 in Shetland.

The island chain produces a quarter of all Scottish salmon - the UK's most valuable food export with international sales of £844m in 2024.

"Ten years ago Scottish salmon used to have 10 per cent of the global market. Nowadays we're slipping ever closer to five per cent," adds Ms Anderson, who blames that slide, in part, on a lack of investment in public infrastructure .

She agrees that the UK should look to the Faroes for inspiration.

"Identify what works well for them and then just copy and paste and let's get moving," urges Ms Anderson.

A windswept Anne Anderson photographed from the chest up  in a marina setting. She has grey hair - tied back -  blue-rimmed glasses and is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a blue jacket with a "Scottish Sea Farms" logo on the left hand side.
Anne Anderson of Scottish Sea Farms says politicians should get moving

They have been building tunnels in the Faroes since the 1960s.

The 18 islands which make up the self-governing nation under the sovereignty of Denmark are connected by 23 tunnels, four of which run below the sea.

More are under construction.

Most dramatic is a 7.1 mile (11.4km) tunnel which connects the island of Streymoy to two sides of a fjord on the island of Eysturoy.

It includes the world's only undersea roundabout.

At its deepest point it is 187m (614ft) below the waves and has halved the driving time between the capital Tórshavn and the second biggest town, Klaksvik.

Photograph of vehicles streaking past a roundabout in a tunnel. The tunnel has a green/ blue backdrop and black silhouettes of figures on it.
A tunnel which connects the islands of Streymoy and Eysturoy includes the world's only undersea roundabout, nicknamed the jellyfish

Speaking in his grass-roofed office looking out over a busy harbour in Tórshavn, Johannesen says tunnels helped to grow the population and the economy of the archipelago, which is home to some 54,000 people, in contrast to Shetland's 23,000.

"It's about ambition," says tunnel builder Andy Sloan, whose company worked on part of the Faroese tunnel project.

He adds the islands have led the world "in connecting an archipelago in the middle of the North Atlantic through blood, sweat and tears – and focus.

"They have delivered a remarkable piece of infrastructure," says Mr Sloan, who is executive vice-president of engineering firm COWI.

It is now advising Shetland Islands Council on the technicalities and financing of tunnels.

The Faroese tunnels were constructed using a technique known as drill and blast – where holes are drilled in rock, explosives are dropped in, and the rubble is then cleared away – which Mr Sloan says could also be used in Scotland.

"Without doubt, Shetland can copy what has been achieved in these islands," he adds.

Head and shoulder shot of a smiling Andy Sloan, who is bald, smiling at the camera. He is wearing a navy suit jacket, navy half-zip jumper and a white shirt with the top button open. Green shrubbery is visible in the background.
Tunnel builder Andy Sloan worked on the Faroese tunnels

Prof Erika Anne Hayfield, dean of the Faculty of History and Social Sciences at the University of the Faroe Islands, says the tunnels have delivered significant benefits.

"People can live and thrive in smaller settlements," while still participating fully in island life and commuting to "the central labour market" in Tórshavn, she explains.

"In the long term, in terms of demography, social sustainability, a lot of people on islands believe that it is necessary," adds Prof Hayfield.

But she said the costs of some tunnels had been controversial, with some Faroese arguing that they are being built at the expense of investing in schools and hospitals.

Drone footage of Tórshavn marina, with government buildings, some of which have grass roofs, visible in the foreground. A number of boats can also be seen in the picture
The capital, Tórshavn, is a shorter commute for islanders since the construction of the tunnel network

Shetland's main town, Lerwick, may be closer to Tórshavn than it is to Edinburgh – and closer to Copenhagen than London – but advocates of tunnels insist the islands are not a remote backwater but an advanced economy constrained by poor infrastructure.

The archipelago of 100 islands at the confluence of the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean boasts the UK's only spaceport and a thriving fishing industry.

"We land more fish in Shetland than we do in the whole of England, Northern Ireland and Wales," says council leader Emma Macdonald.

"Tunnels could be incredibly transformational," she continues.

Macdonald adds: "We're really excited about the opportunity."

The 20th Century oil and gas boom brought Shetland riches but the islands have since embraced the shift to renewable energy and are home to the UK's most productive onshore wind farm.

"Shetland's really integral to Scotland and to the wider UK," says Macdonald.

The council has authorised a £990,000 feasibility study into building tunnels to four islands – Unst, Yell, Bressay and Whalsay.

It has not yet published an estimated cost for construction.

Head and shoulders shot of Elizabeth Johnson, who has short grey hair, smiling at the camera. She is wearing a grey t-shirt and a darker grey jacket with a navy "Saxavord UK Space Port" patch. She is standing on a shoreline and the sea is visible under grey skies in the background
Elizabeth Johnson says tunnels would "enhance the economic viability of the island"

"Tunnels would really open up this island for businesses," says Elizabeth Johnson, external affairs manager of Saxavord Spaceport on Unst.

She adds that they would "enhance the economic viability of the island".

But with neither the Scottish nor UK governments volunteering to pay for Shetland's tunnels, the Faroese funding model of borrowing paid back by tolls looks likely to be adopted.

"I think people recognise that there is probably a need for tolling and I think people understand that," says Macdonald.

She adds: "They already have to pay to go on the ferries."

At present the council runs ferry services to nine islands, carrying around 750,000 passengers each year on 12 vessels at a cost of £23m per year.

The average age of the fleet is 31.5 years, costs have risen sharply in the past decade, and some routes are struggling to meet demand for vehicle places.

Hebridean and Clyde ferries, off the west of Scotland, run by Scottish government-owned Caledonian MacBrayne, are also ageing and have been beset by problems.

Drone shot of a white car preparing to enter a tunnel in the Faroes. The tunnel has been constructed under green fields and some sheep are also visible in the image.
The 18 islands which make up the self-governing nation under the sovereignty of Denmark are connected by 23 tunnels

Mr Sloan says tunnels could provide more robust transport links for the west coast as well as the Northern Isles.

"Quite frankly, it can be repeated in Shetland, and not just Shetland, possibly elsewhere in Scotland."

Mr Sloan agrees that tolls are the most feasible funding option.

Tolls were abolished on the Skye Bridge in 2004 after a long-running campaign of non payment, and were scrapped on the Forth and Tay road bridges in 2008.

But Ms Johnson, of the Saxavord Spaceport, reckons Shetlanders would be happy to pay their way.

"I don't think anybody that I've spoken to would be against tolls," she says.

Vehicles streak past the two lanes in a tunnel either side of a yellow sign which reads: "Klaksvik"
Four tunnels in the Faroes run below the sea

Although there is no organised opposition to tunnels in Shetland some locals do express concern about whether they would change what it means to be an island.

Pat Burns runs the northernmost shop in the British Isles, The Final Checkout on Unst.

She was not convinced about tunnels at first, fearing that they would alter the nature of island life.

"I like the challenges of trying to get from A to B," she explains.

However after years of worrying about bad weather interrupting supplies for her shop and seeing tourists turned away because ferries are full, she has changed her mind.

"I was a wee bit iffy-iffy about it before," she says, "but now I realise that if Unst doesn't get a tunnel, the challenge is going to be too big."

Trump threatens Russia with tariffs while unveiling Ukraine weapons plan

Getty Images A headshot of TrumpGetty Images
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was "very unhappy" with Russia

US President Donald Trump has announced the US will send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine via Nato countries, while also threatening Russia with severe tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days.

"We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do," Trump said following a meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte in Washington.

Rutte confirmed the US had decided to "massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through Nato" and that the Europeans would foot the bill.

European countries will send Kyiv their own Patriot air defence systems - which Ukraine relies on to repel Russia's deadly air strikes - and replacements will then be issued by the US, Trump said.

Neither Rutte nor Trump elaborated on the weaponry that will be sent to Kyiv but Rutte said the deal included "missiles and ammunition".

However, the president did say "top-of-the-line-weapons" worth billions of dollars would be "quickly distributed to the battlefield" in order to support Ukraine.

"If I was Vladimir Putin today... I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously," Rutte said, as Trump nodded.

On the tariffs front, Trump said that the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 days.

This would see any country that trades with Russia face the tax if they want to sell their products to the US.

For example, if India keeps buying oil from Russia, US companies that purchase Indian goods would have to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products reach American shores.

This would make the goods so expensive that US businesses would likely choose to buy them cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue for India.

The intention is also to hobble Russia's economy. Theoretically, if Moscow was unable to generate money by selling oil to other nations it would also have less money to finance its war in Ukraine.

Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow's state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could make something of a dent Russia's finances.

Still, the Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely as investors were expecting Trump - who last week teased a "major statement" on Russia - to pledge even harsher measures.

Although detail about both the tariffs and the Nato weapons deal was scant, Monday was the first time Trump pledged to make new military equipment to Ukraine since returning to the White House.

Reuters US President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where President Trump announces a deal to send U.S. weapons to Ukraine through NATO, in the Oval Office at the White House in WashingtonReuters
Nato chief Mark Rutte met with Trump on Monday

The briefing was also notable for the tone struck by US president, whose rhetoric on Vladimir Putin has become increasingly harsh.

Not for the first time, Trump implied Kyiv bore some responsibility for Russia's decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But he mostly appeared frustrated at the lack of progress in ending a conflict which he once seemed to believe could be easily solvable.

Asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said that the two speak "a lot about getting this thing done" but voiced his displeasure at the fact that "very nice phone calls" with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine - which have been growing in intensity and frequency.

"After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn't mean anything," Trump said.

"I don't want to call him an assassin but he's a tough guy. It's been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden," he added. "He didn't fool me. At a certain point talk doesn't talk, it's got to be action."

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - something Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

Ukraine's President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a "productive meeting" - saying he was "grateful" to Trump for his support.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement - but commentary trickling in from Moscow appeared to indicate a measure of relief.

Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement "a bluff" that indicated Trump had "given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine".

Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that "if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it's been much ado about nothing".

In 50 days a lot could change "both on the battlefield and in the moods of the powers that be in the US and Nato," Kosachev wrote.

Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan

Trump weapons pledge marks major step forward for Ukraine

Reuters File picture of a Patriot air missile system being fired during an exercise between US and Philippine troopsReuters
Additional Patriot missile batteries will give Kyiv a chance to expand protection against Russian attacks (file pic)

For the first time since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has pledged to make new weapons available to Ukraine.

Under a new deal, the US will sell weapons to Nato members who will then supply them to Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

The president didn't give too many specifics about what he said was "billions of dollars' worth of military equipment". But when asked if the deal included Patriot air defence batteries and interceptor missiles, he replied "it's everything".

One European country has 17 Patriot systems and "a big portion" would soon be on the way to Ukraine, Trump said.

For Ukraine, a huge country that currently operates handful of batteries - perhaps as few as eight - this is a major step forward, giving Kyiv a chance to expand protection against Russian ballistic and cruise missiles.

Sitting beside the president, the Nato Secretary General, Mark Rutte, hinted at a bigger package.

"It's broader than Patriots," he said.

"It will mean that Ukraine can get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition..."

This is a significant moment.

Less than two weeks ago, there was horror in Kyiv at news that the Pentagon had suspended military shipments to Ukraine, including Patriots.

The decision-making surrounding that announcement remains unclear, but on Monday, Trump once again tried to make light if it, saying it had been made in the knowledge that this deal would be struck.

"We were pretty sure this was going to happen, so we did a little bit of a pause," the president said.

Now, thanks to some tortuous negotiations, many of them involving Rutte, the weapons can continue to flow without Washington picking up the tab.

"We're in for a lot of money," the president said, "and we just don't want to do it any more."

The deal is a personal triumph for Rutte, the "Trump whisperer", who has flattered and encouraged the president, in part by helping to secure a member-wide Nato commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defence.

As they sat side by side in the Oval Office, Rutte continued to flatter Trump, calling the latest deal "really big" and saying it was "totally logical" that European members of Nato pay for it.

Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, on the day President Trump announces a deal to get U.S. weapons to NATO, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 14, 2025.Reuters

A number of countries, he said, were lining up to participate, including the UK, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

"And this is only the first wave," he said. "There will be more."

In a separate and rather characteristic development, Trump threatened Moscow with a new deadline: if Vladimir Putin doesn't agree to a ceasefire deal in the next 50 days, Russia and its trading partners will be hit with 100% secondary tariffs.

It's a novel approach, which Kyiv and members of the US congress have been urging for some time: pressure Russia by targeting countries that continue to buy Russian oil and gas, like China and India.

Trump's move comes as the US Senate continues to work on a bill that would impose much stiffer sanctions.

The president said the Senate bill, which envisages 500% secondary tariffs, could be "very good" but added that it was "sort of meaningless after a while because at a certain point it doesn't matter".

As always, the precise details of the president's threat remain somewhat vague.

But whatever happens in the coming weeks and months, Monday felt like something of a turning point. A US president finally moving away from his perplexing faith in Vladimir Putin, while still giving the Russian leader time to come to the negotiating table.

It's definitely not a return to Joe Biden's pledges to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes," but nor is it quite the neutral stance that has infuriated Ukraine and its western allies.

Trump appears to have guaranteed that the all-important US weapons pipeline to Ukraine will remain open for now – provided others pay for it.

But 50 days will feel like a very long time to Ukrainians, who are on the receiving end of near-nightly drone and missile bombardment.

Nothing Trump has done seems likely to put an immediate stop to this.

Gaza father's outrage after Israeli strike kills son 'searching for sip' at water point

Reuters A Palestinian boy inspects the site of an Israeli strike that killed 10 Palestinians, including six children, who were queueing at a water distribution point, in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza (13 July 2025)Reuters
Ten people were killed as they gathered near a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp

Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Ahmed says his son, Abdullah, was "searching for a sip of water" when he took the family's jerrycans on Sunday morning and headed as usual to one of the water distribution points in the urban Nuseirat camp, in central Gaza.

"That area was inhabited by displaced people, others who were exhausted by the war, and those who have seen the worst due to the imposed siege and limitations, and the ongoing aggression," Mahmoud said in an interview with a local journalist working for the BBC.

"The children, Abdullah among them, stood in a queue with empty stomachs, empty jerrycans, and thirsty lips," he added.

"Minutes after the children and thirsty people of the camp gathered, the warplanes bombed those children and the water distribution point, without prior notice."

Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Ahmed speaks to the BBC in Nuseirat refugee camp after his son Abdullah was killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a water distribution point on 13 July 2025
Mahmoud called on the world to put pressure on Israel to end the 21-month war

Graphic video filmed by another local journalist and verified by the BBC showed the immediate aftermath of the Israeli strike on a street in the New Camp area of Nuseirat.

He passes two men carrying young children before coming across a destroyed structure, beneath which dozens of yellow plastic jerrycans are clustered.

Women scream as bystanders pull a man from the rubble, while others try to help another man covered in blood. Other adults and children are seen lying motionless nearby.

Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat said 10 people, including six children, were killed in the strike, and that 16 others were injured.

Along with Abdullah, they named the children who died as Badr al-Din Qaraman, Siraj Khaled Ibrahim, Ibrahim Ashraf Abu Urayban, Karam Ashraf al-Ghussein and Lana Ashraf al-Ghussein.

When asked about the strike, the Israeli military said it had targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad "terrorist" but that "as a result of a technical error with the munition, the munition fell dozens of meters from the target".

The military said it was "aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area as a result" and "regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians", adding: "The incident is under review."

However, Mahmoud claimed that Israel "intended to convey a message: it won't allow people to drink even the drinking water that they crave."

He also lamented that dreams of Abdullah and the other children would never be realised.

"They were looking at reality with the hope of it changing, and of becoming like the other children of the world - practicing their normal role of playing, moving, traveling, eating, drinking, and living in safety," he said.

Reuters Abandoned jerrycans at the site of an Israeli strike that killed 10 Palestinians, including six children, who were queueing at a water distribution point, in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza (13 July 2025)Reuters
The Israeli military said a "technical error" caused a munition to land dozens of meters from its target

The UN says water shortages in Gaza are worsening due to the lack of fuel and spare parts for desalination, pumping and sanitation facilities, as well as insecurity and inaccessibility due to Israeli military operations against Hamas and evacuation orders.

As a result, many people are receiving less than the emergency standard of 15 litres per day, amounting to what the UN calls "a human-made drought crisis".

"You see children queuing up, by the side of the road, with yellow jerrycans every single morning, waiting for the daily water truck to come and get their five litres [or] 10 litres, of water used for washing, cleaning, cooking, drinking, etc," Sam Rose, the acting Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), told the BBC.

"Every death is a tragedy. This one is particularly emblematic, given the circumstances in which it took place. But it's one of many," he added.

Last Thursday, 10 children and three women were killed as they waited for nutritional supplements outside a clinic in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas "terrorist" nearby and, as with Sunday's incident, that it regretted harming any civilians.

"We focus on these incidents, but of course these weren't the only children killed in Gaza [on Sunday]," Rose said. "Every single day, since the start of the war, on average of classroom full of children have been killed."

The executive director of the UN children's agency (Unicef), Catherine Russell, meanwhile called both incidents "horrific" and demanded that Israeli authorities "urgently review the rules of engagement and ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law".

Men and boys pray beside the body of a child killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a water distribution point on 13 July 2025
Sam Rose of Unrwa said a "classroom full of children" had been killed on average every day in Gaza since the war began

Later this week, the UN Security Council will convene to discuss the situation of children in Gaza, following a request by the UK.

However, Israel's permanent representative Danny Danon said council members would be "better served to apply pressure on Hamas for prolonging this conflict".

"The children in Gaza are victims of Hamas, not Israel. Hamas is using them as human shields and the UN is silent," he claimed.

Mahmoud said it was Israel which should be pressured to end the war.

"We have no power and no strength. We are victims. We are civilians just like other people in the world, and we don't own any nuclear weapons or arms or anything," he added.

"This war needs to stop, and so does the ongoing massacre happening in the Gaza Strip."

US tariff threat leaves Russia less rattled than relieved

Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin smiles duting a meetng, while visiting a military base of nuclear submarines, March 26, 2025, in Murmansk, RussiaGetty Images
Trump has threatened further sanctions unless Russia strikes a deal to end the Ukraine war within 50 days

In the Oval Office on Monday, Donald Trump was talking tough, announcing new US arms shipments to Ukraine paid for by European governments, and threatening new tariffs which, if imposed, would hit Russia's war chest.

But, back in Moscow, how did the stock exchange react? It rose 2.7%.

That's because Russia had been bracing for even tougher sanctions from President Trump.

"Russia and America are moving towards a new round of confrontation over Ukraine," Monday's edition of the tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets had warned.

"Trump's Monday surprise will not be pleasant for our country."

It wasn't "pleasant". But Russia will be relieved, for example, that the secondary tariffs against Russia's trading partners will only kick in 50 days from now.

That gives Moscow plenty of time to come up with counter proposals and delay the implementation of sanctions even further.

Nonetheless, Donald Trump's announcement does represent a tougher approach to Russia.

It also reflects his frustration with Vladimir Putin's reluctance to sign a peace deal.

On his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump had made ending Russia's war in Ukraine one of his foreign policy priorities.

For months, Moscow's response was: "Yes, but…"

Yes, Russia said in March, when it welcomed President Trump's proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire. But first, it said Western military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv should end, along with Ukrainian military mobilisation.

Yes, Moscow has been insisting, it wants peace. But the "root causes" of the war must be resolved first. The Kremlin views these very differently to how Ukraine and the West see them. It argues that the war is the result of external threats to Russia's security: from Kyiv, Nato, 'the collective West.'

Yet, in February 2022, it wasn't Ukraine, Nato or the West that invaded Russia. It was Moscow that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the largest land war in Europe since World War Two.

Reuters A Russian contract soldier looks out of a T-72 tank during military drills held at a firing range amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the southern Krasnodar region, Russia, December 2, 2024.Reuters
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago

For quite some time, the "Yes, but…" approach enabled Moscow to avoid additional US sanctions, while continuing to prosecute the war. Keen to improve bilateral relations with Russia and negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine, the Trump administration prioritised carrots to sticks in its conversations with Russian officials.

Critics of the Kremlin warned that with "Yes, but"… Russia was playing for time. But President Trump hoped he could find a way of persuading Vladimir Putin to do a deal.

The Russian president has appeared in no rush to do so. The Kremlin believes it holds the initiative on the battlefield. It insists it wants peace, but on its terms.

Those terms include an end to Western arms shipments to Ukraine. From Donald Trump's announcement it is clear that is not going to happen.

President Trump claims that he is "not happy" with Vladimir Putin.

But disillusionment is a two-way street. Russia, too, has been falling out of love with America's president. On Monday, Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote:

"[Trump] clearly has delusions of grandeur. And a very big mouth."

Trump threatens Russia with tariffs while unveiling new Ukraine weapons plan

Getty Images A headshot of TrumpGetty Images
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was "very unhappy" with Russia

US President Donald Trump has announced the US will send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine via Nato countries, while also threatening Russia with severe tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days.

"We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do," Trump said following a meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte in Washington.

Rutte confirmed the US had decided to "massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through Nato" and that the Europeans would foot the bill.

European countries will send Kyiv their own Patriot air defence systems - which Ukraine relies on to repel Russia's deadly air strikes - and replacements will then be issued by the US, Trump said.

Neither Rutte nor Trump elaborated on the weaponry that will be sent to Kyiv but Rutte said the deal included "missiles and ammunition".

However, the president did say "top-of-the-line-weapons" worth billions of dollars would be "quickly distributed to the battlefield" in order to support Ukraine.

"If I was Vladimir Putin today... I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously," Rutte said, as Trump nodded.

On the tariffs front, Trump said that the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 days.

This would see any country that trades with Russia face the tax if they want to sell their products to the US.

For example, if India keeps buying oil from Russia, US companies that purchase Indian goods would have to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products reach American shores.

This would make the goods so expensive that US businesses would likely choose to buy them cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue for India.

The intention is also to hobble Russia's economy. Theoretically, if Moscow was unable to generate money by selling oil to other nations it would also have less money to finance its war in Ukraine.

Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow's state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could make something of a dent Russia's finances.

Still, the Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely as investors were expecting Trump - who last week teased a "major statement" on Russia - to pledge even harsher measures.

Although detail about both the tariffs and the Nato weapons deal was scant, Monday was the first time Trump pledged to make new military equipment to Ukraine since returning to the White House.

Reuters US President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where President Trump announces a deal to send U.S. weapons to Ukraine through NATO, in the Oval Office at the White House in WashingtonReuters
Nato chief Mark Rutte met with Trump on Monday

The briefing was also notable for the tone struck by US president, whose rhetoric on Vladimir Putin has become increasingly harsh.

Not for the first time, Trump implied Kyiv bore some responsibility for Russia's decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But he mostly appeared frustrated at the lack of progress in ending a conflict which he once seemed to believe could be easily solvable.

Asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said that the two speak "a lot about getting this thing done" but voiced his displeasure at the fact that "very nice phone calls" with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine - which have been growing in intensity and frequency.

"After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn't mean anything," Trump said.

"I don't want to call him an assassin but he's a tough guy. It's been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden," he added. "He didn't fool me. At a certain point talk doesn't talk, it's got to be action."

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - something Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

Ukraine's President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a "productive meeting" - saying he was "grateful" to Trump for his support.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement - but commentary trickling in from Moscow appeared to indicate a measure of relief.

Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement "a bluff" that indicated Trump had "given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine".

Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that "if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it's been much ado about nothing".

In 50 days a lot could change "both on the battlefield and in the moods of the powers that be in the US and Nato," Kosachev wrote.

Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan

India orders airlines to check fuel switches on Boeing jets

Reuters Part of the wreckage of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane sits on the open ground. There is debris around as well as wiring.Reuters

India's aviation regulator has ordered the country's airlines to inspect fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes, after their reported involvement in a fatal Air India crash that killed 260 people in June.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the order follows Indian and international airlines already starting to carry out their own checks.

It comes after the US Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday that the fuel control switches in Boeing aeroplanes are safe.

The safety of the switches has become a key point of concern after a preliminary report on the disaster found fuel to the engines of the plane involved cut off moments after take-off.

The disaster involving London-bound Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was one of the worst aviation incidents globally in almost a decade.

Since the publication of the preliminary report on Saturday a number of different stakeholders, both in India and internationally have taken action and issued statements in response to it.

In its order, India's aviation regulator has asked for checks to be carried out by 21 July, noting that "strict adherence to the timeline is essential to ensure continued airworthiness and safety of operations".

The checks being requested are in line with a 2018 advisory by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the US's aviation authority, which was referenced in the preliminary report.

The 2018 advisory urged - but did not mandate - operators of Boeing models to inspect the locking feature of the fuel cut-off switches to ensure they could not be moved by accident.

Air India had not carried out those inspections because they were not mandatory, the AAIB said in its preliminary investigation.

The DGCA has now ordered airlines to carry out the checks and report back.

In its response to the report, the FAA said the 2018 advisory was "was based on reports that the fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged" - but added that it does not believe this makes the planes unsafe.

Separately on Monday, a group representing Indian airline pilots defended the flight's crew.

The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association said staff on board had "acted in line with their training and responsibilities under challenging conditions and the pilots shouldn't be vilified based on conjecture".

The preliminary report, published by the India Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) on Saturday, said the switches on Flight 171 controlling fuel flow to the jet's engines had been moved from "run" to the "cut-off" position, hampering the thrust of the plane.

In recovered cockpit voice recordings, the report said one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".

The preliminary report states its role is "not to apportion blame or liability".

Also on Monday, the Reuters news agency reported that South Korea was waiting to order all airlines in the country which operate Boeing jets to examine fuel switches.

Close-up view of Dreamliner 787 aircraft cockpit control panel with labelled components. The thrust levers are prominent in the centre. Engine fuel control switches, which cut fuel supply and shut down engines, are on the left. Switches with a stop lock mechanism that must be lifted before turning are on the right. Guard brackets prevent accidental movement of the switches

Dozens killed in clashes between Druze and Bedouin in southern Syria

AFP Syrian security forces deploy in Suweida, in southern Syria, on 14 July 2025AFP
Syria's interior ministry said security forces were deployed to try to restore calm

At least 30 people have been killed in armed clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria, the country's interior ministry says.

The violence erupted in the predominantly Druze city in the province of Suweida on Sunday, two days after a Druze merchant was reportedly abducted on the highway to Damascus.

The interior ministry called the situation "a dangerous escalation" and said security forces were being deployed to try to restore calm.

It is the latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence in the country since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syria's many minority communities - including the Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs - have expressed concerns over the new authorities' pledges to protect them.

Sunday's clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and Druze militias began in the al-Maqwas neighbourhood of Suweida city.

The area, which is inhabited by Bedouin, was reportedly encircled and later seized by armed Druze fighters.

The fighting soon spread into other parts of Suweida province, with tribesmen reportedly launching attacks on Druze towns and villages on the city's western and northern outskirts.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said the towns of Sumay and Mazraah were shelled, and that residents of the village of Tayrah fled after armed men entered the outskirts and set fire to several homes.

It reported that 37 people were killed - 27 Druze, including two children, and 10 Bedouin.

The interior ministry said: "This dangerous escalation comes in light of the absence of relevant official institutions, leading to worsening chaos, a collapse of the security situation, and the local community's inability to contain the crisis despite repeated calls for calm."

It added that interior ministry forces, in co-ordination with the defence ministry, would "begin direct intervention in the area to end the conflict and impose order".

The governor of Suweida, Mustapha al-Bakur, called on his constituents to "exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform".

Several Syrian Druze spiritual leaders also appealed for calm.

On Sunday night, local activist-run news outlet Suwayda 24 said that mediation between Bedouin and Druze leaders aimed at de-escalating tensions had resulted in the release of people kidnapped by both sides during the clashes.

However, on Monday morning it reported that fighting had erupted in the western countryside of Suweida after drones attacked villages at the same time as government forces deployed in nearby areas of eastern Deraa province.

At the start of May, more than 130 people were reportedly killed in clashes between Druze gunmen, security forces and allied Sunni Islamist fighters in two suburbs of the capital Damascus and Suweida province.

In the wake of that fighting, the government reached an agreement with Druze militias to hire local security forces in Suweida province from their ranks.

First Harry Potter image released as production begins

Aidan Monaghan/HBO Dominic McLaughlin as Harry PotterAidan Monaghan/HBO
Dominic McLaughlin was pictured in costume as Harry Potter for the first time as production began

Production has begun on the new TV adaptation of Harry Potter, as the first picture of the lead actor in costume was released.

JK Rowling's series of novels has already been made into a film, but HBO is now producing a TV series which is expected to take 10 years to complete.

Producers released the first picture of Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry Potter on Monday and confirmed several new cast members.

Rory Wilmot hast been cast as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.

They join stars such as John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.

The three child actors who will play Harry, Ron and Hermione were announced in May.

The programme will be filmed at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, which is where the eight Harry Potter movies were also shot.

HBO has previously said the series would be "a faithful adaptation of the iconic books".

The TV series will have more breathing space to explore the plot lines from the books without the time constraints of the film.

Producers also announced new production staff, several of whom have previously worked on The Crown such as director of photography Adriano Goldman and hair and makeup designer Cate Hall.

The first series will launch in 2027.

MP charged for accusing Lesotho king of signing over country to South Africa

AFP via Getty Images Lesotho's King Letsie III, wearing a navy blue suit with a striped tie, next to Queen Masenate Bereng Seeiso, clad in a green dress, at an eventAFP via Getty Images
Dr Tshepo Lipholo is accused of harming the reputation of Lesotho's royal family, pictured above

A Lesotho MP is facing criminal charges after he accused the country's monarch and government of signing over control of Lesotho to its much larger neighbour, South Africa.

Dr Tshepo Lipholo also faces charges of "violating the dignity and reputation" of the royal family by declaring himself the chief ruler of the landlocked country.

He reportedly appeared in court on Monday to apply for bail but this was postponed to a later date this month.

The opposition MP has previously called for parts of South Africa to be declared "Lesotho's territory" and wants them returned to Lesotho's control,

Among them is the Free State, one of the three South African provinces that share a border with the small southern African nation. Dr Lipholo is also laying claim to parts of the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

The people of Lesotho, called Basotho, lived in these areas until the 19th Century, when they were seized by Afrikaners - white South Africans. Many still live there, especially the Free State.

In the charge sheet, which the BBC has seen, the state accuses the lawmaker of "uttering seditious words" and "inciting public violence" by saying King Letsie III and the government had "signed [over] Lesotho to become the 10th South African province".

These remarks were allegedly made between April and June 2025 on various social media platforms and radio interviews, according to the state.

He is also accused of declaring himself the paramount chief of Basutoland, the country's colonial name, despite the king's presence.

A retired army official, Major General Samuel Makoro, was also arrested on Friday for allegedly supporting Mr Lipholo and providing him with sensitive information.

Dr Lipholo is the leader of the Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM), which has a single seat in parliament.

His motion, which was previously debated in Lesotho's parliament, is based on a 1962 United Nations resolution that recognised the right to self-determination and independence for the people of Basutoland.

The view from South African officials is that the motion to reclaim territories some Basotho view as their own does not stand a chance of happening, because it does not enjoy the support of the majority in Lesotho.

One of the key stumbling blocks is the 1964 Cairo Declaration of the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, whereby African leaders agreed to recognise the existing borders of their newly independent countries, even if they were drawn up by colonial powers with little regard to where different ethnic groups lived, to avoid stirring up conflict across the continent.

South Africa's foreign affairs ministry reaffirmed this view in response to a question in parliament earlier this year.

Dr Lipholo has previously told Lesotho media that he also hopes to have the motion discussed in the British Parliament "since it was the UK that gave Lesotho its independence in 1966, without correcting the borders seized by the Afrikaners".

According to a source, his legal team was given until 25 July 2025 to argue for bail. He remains in policy custody.

Additional reporting by Pumza Fihlani

More BBC stories on Lesotho:

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Nigeria declares public holiday to honour former leader who died aged 82

Horacio Villalobos/ Getty images Former Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari with wearing eye glasses and a traditional hatHoracio Villalobos/ Getty images
Muhammadu Buhari died in a London clinic

The body of Nigeria's former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died aged 82 in a London clinic on Sunday is being flown home to be buried in his hometown in Katsina state.

Katsina state governor Dikko Radda, who is in the British capital with Buhari's family, said he would be buried later on Monday in Daura town, 50 miles (80km) from Katsina city.

Nigeria's Vice-President Kashim Shettima is also in London and will accompany Buhari's remains back to Nigeria.

"I just left his family at the hospital where he died and the decision is that his remains will be taken to Daura for burial, the plan is to leave in the morning," Radda told DW Hausa.

The vice-president also confirmed Daura to be Buhari’s final resting place in a post on social media after arriving in London.

He said that Buhari had died after a brief illness without revealing any further details, however he had suffered from ill-health for many years.

Even though he's a former president, there will not be a state funeral. In line with Islamic teachings Buhari will be buried as quickly as possible in a simple ceremony, Islamic cleric Abdullahi Garangamawa told the BBC.

"The only thing that should stop Buhari's corpse from being buried today [Monday] is if his body arrives [in] Daura in the night because Islam frowns at night burials. In that case, Tuesday morning will be fine," the cleric added.

Tributes have continued to pour in for the late army general who was one of only two people to have led Nigeria twice (both as military and civilian president) in its post-independence history.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, defeated by Buhari in the 2015 election, described the late leader as someone who "was selfless in his commitment to his duty and served the country with character and a deep sense of patriotism".

Former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, overthrown by Buhari in a 1985 coup, also showered praises on the octogenarian.

"He is a man who, even in retirement, remained a moral compass to many, and an example of modesty in public life,” Babangida noted.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is expected to attend the funeral prayer in Daura, has declared a seven-day national mourning period in honour of his predecessor.

In an official condolence statement released on Sunday evening, Tinubu said the nation would pay its final respects to the former leader with dignity and honour, starting with the lowering of all national flags to half-mast across the country from Sunday.

More BBC stories on Nigeria:

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How Trump public broadcasting cuts could hit rural America

BBC Desire Hagan, wearing a green sweatshirt, glasses and earphones, speaks into a microphone in a radio studio.BBC
Desiree Hagan broadcasts across a coverage area the size of Indiana

A gale-force storm hit north-eastern Alaska last winter. Residents of Kotzebue, a town of about 3,000, are used to polar conditions, so Desiree Hagan still had to get to work.

"The snow was so intense you could not see in front of you," Ms Hagan remembers. "I was walking backwards to work."

Ms Hagan is a reporter at a public radio station, KOTZ, which airs across Kotzebue and its 12 surrounding villages.

She also happens to be the only US journalist stationed inside the Arctic Circle, so as the storm intensified, she had to get on the air.

"It's go time, I have to report on this," recalls Ms Hagan. "We have to make sure we know where people can go. Oh, the electric is out. Okay, now the airport is flooded."

Flooding in Kotzebue as seen from above
Two homes were destroyed by the flooding and 80 residents were evacuated

"Winter is not a joke here, it is life and death," she tells the BBC. "As a reporter I try not to make emotional statements like, if I wasn't here, people could die, but that is a reality."

On the other side of the country in Washington DC, however, a historic vote could bring federal support for KOTZ to an end.

The Senate must decide by the end of the week whether to claw back $1.1bn (£800m) from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the body that distributes federal funding to public radio and television stations.

While the public media cuts are part of a broad spending package, which includes requests to rescind $8.3bn from the United States Agency for International Development and other foreign aid programmes, they are especially dear to President Donald Trump, who frequently accuses media of bias.

The president has now threatened to pull his support from any Republican senator who does not support the cuts.

EPA President Donald TrumpEPA
President Trump said he would be "honoured" to end funding for NPR and PBS

"It is very important that all Republicans adhere to my Recissions Bill and, in particular, DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together," Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday night.

Executives at National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) reject accusations of bias and say they abide by all journalistic standards.

Republican voters, however, are about three times less likely than Democrats to consume or trust news coverage from either outlet, according to the Pew Research Center.

While the cuts will affect national broadcasters like NPR and PBS, more than 70% of federal funding goes to local media stations and about 45% of the stations that received funding in 2023 are in rural areas.

For half of those rural stations, federal grants made up a quarter or more of their revenue. At KOTZ in Kotzebue, public funding constitutes 41% of its income.

EPA A demonstrator displays a sign that reads, 'Stop Cuts Save PBS & NPR'.EPA

The impacts of the cuts on rural constituents have made some senators balk.

"By no means is it assured of being passed in the Senate, where many of the Republican senators represent rural states that really do benefit from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," Democratic congressman Dan Goldman, co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, told the BBC World Service's Weekend programme.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has said she opposes the cuts to public media stations, warning that "what may seem like a frivolous expense to some has proven to be an invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska".

"Almost to a number, they're saying that they will go under if public broadcasting funds are no longer available to them," Murkowski told a Senate hearing last month.

Other Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have expressed concern about cuts to foreign aid programmes.

Reuters Congressman Dan GoldmanReuters
Goldman told the BBC the president is deliberately targeting independent media

Cutting federal funding for public broadcasting has been an ambition of Republican administrations for decades and was regularly raised by President Trump during his first term.

"It is unfair to ask conservative Americans to pay for a service that mocks them, that has nothing but a derisive attitude towards them," says Mike Gonzalez, senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Last year, a senior NPR editor resigned after accusing the outlet of favouring left-wing voices.

Gonzalez wrote a chapter in the Project 2025 policy blueprint calling for an end to all federal funding for public media.

"If there is a demand for local news, the market will meet it," Mr Gonzalez says. "The idea that the taxpayer is the only surviving business model, I don't think that is the case."

According to Northwestern University, the number of counties in the US without a local news source has risen to 206, with 1,561 counties having just one source.

Almost 55 million Americans now live in these news deserts, three-quarters of which are predominantly rural.

Rural America strongly backed Donald Trump in November's election, leading some to claim that the president's own voters could be hardest hit by cuts to public media.

Travis Bubenik speaking into a microphone in a radio studio.
Bubenik says there is no commercially viable alternative to public media

Travis Bubenik is the news director at Marfa Public Radio in rural west Texas. Nearly every county where the station airs overwhelmingly voted Republican in the last election.

Where there is anger about public media, Mr Bubenik says it is directed at the national outlets.

"All I know is that in my experience here at this local station doing local news, people talk to me, they like what we're doing, they understand that we are local, that we live here and that we care about the region," he says.

Marfa Public Radio studio with a car parked at the front.
Marfa Public Radio broadcasts over a coverage area the size of South Carolina

More than a third of the funding for Marfa Public Radio comes from the federal grants that are now under threat.

"It's scary," admits Mr Bubenik. "In the not too distant future this station might be either off the air or just not able to do the same quantity and quality of local news."

The bill has to pass the Senate before 18 July and any changes must be approved by the House before it can make its way onto Trump's desk. If four Republicans decide not to vote for the bill, it won't move forward.

EPA House Speaker Mike Johnson standing at a podiumEPA
House Speaker Mike Johnson described the public media funding as 'wasteful spending'

Watching an iceberg float by her office window in Kotzebue, Desiree Hagan is hoping enough senators will cross the aisle. She tries not to think about the alternative.

"Even when there's a few moments of dead air here, people think, 'What's wrong?" laughs Ms Hagan.

Around 90% of her audience is Inupiat, an Alaska Native community. Much of the programming is delivered by Elders in the Inupiat language.

"The station is so interwoven into the community," Ms Hagan says. "These cuts would have ripple effects across every aspect of society."

"It would be devastating," she adds.

Clashes between Druze and Bedouin in southern Syria kill at least 30

AFP Syrian security forces deploy in Suweida, in southern Syria, on 14 July 2025AFP
Syria's interior ministry said security forces were deployed to try to restore calm

At least 30 people have been killed in armed clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribal fighters and Druze militias in southern Syria, the country's interior ministry says.

The violence erupted in the predominantly Druze city in the province of Suweida on Sunday, two days after a Druze merchant was reportedly abducted on the highway to Damascus.

The interior ministry called the situation "a dangerous escalation" and said security forces were being deployed to try to restore calm.

It is the latest outbreak of deadly sectarian violence in the country since Islamist-led rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syria's many minority communities - including the Druze, whose religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs - have expressed concerns over the new authorities' pledges to protect them.

Sunday's clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and Druze militias began in the al-Maqwas neighbourhood of Suweida city.

The area, which is inhabited by Bedouin, was reportedly encircled and later seized by armed Druze fighters.

The fighting soon spread into other parts of Suweida province, with tribesmen reportedly launching attacks on Druze towns and villages on the city's western and northern outskirts.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based monitoring group, said the towns of Sumay and Mazraah were shelled, and that residents of the village of Tayrah fled after armed men entered the outskirts and set fire to several homes.

It reported that 37 people were killed - 27 Druze, including two children, and 10 Bedouin.

The interior ministry said: "This dangerous escalation comes in light of the absence of relevant official institutions, leading to worsening chaos, a collapse of the security situation, and the local community's inability to contain the crisis despite repeated calls for calm."

It added that interior ministry forces, in co-ordination with the defence ministry, would "begin direct intervention in the area to end the conflict and impose order".

The governor of Suweida, Mustapha al-Bakur, called on his constituents to "exercise self-restraint and respond to national calls for reform".

Several Syrian Druze spiritual leaders also appealed for calm.

On Sunday night, local activist-run news outlet Suwayda 24 said that mediation between Bedouin and Druze leaders aimed at de-escalating tensions had resulted in the release of people kidnapped by both sides during the clashes.

However, on Monday morning it reported that fighting had erupted in the western countryside of Suweida after drones attacked villages at the same time as government forces deployed in nearby areas of eastern Deraa province.

At the start of May, more than 130 people were reportedly killed in clashes between Druze gunmen, security forces and allied Sunni Islamist fighters in two suburbs of the capital Damascus and Suweida province.

In the wake of that fighting, the government reached an agreement with Druze militias to hire local security forces in Suweida province from their ranks.

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