As protesters marched through central Barcelona on Sunday, they shouted at the tourists who were filming them to "Go Home!".

Bemused couples sitting in street cafés got squirted with water pistols and a luxury clothes store was pasted with stickers declaring the tourists who'd shut themselves inside unwelcome.

Tourism is hugely important to Spain and Barcelona is a top destination for visitors. But the crowds are growing so fast that many locals complain they're being squeezed out of their own cities.

Here and in popular spots across southern Europe, residents are pushing back.

The protesters

"We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather," Marina explained, holding her own banner as the crowd gathered.

It declared "Your AirBnB used to be my home".

Other signs called for a ban on the giant cruise ships that dock here, with one announcing that over-tourism is "killing" the city.

"Our goal is not to stop tourism, because it's also good, but to have it at a normal rate," Marina said.

The protesters' route wound towards one of Barcelona's biggest attractions, the towering Sagrada Familia church designed by Catalan architect, Gaudi.

A combination of stunning architecture, sea and sun drew more than 15 million visitors to the city last year, almost ten times the local population. No wonder it's feeling the strain.

"We're not against individual tourists, it's about how we're managing this," Elena, a young marine biologist, said.

"Young people can't afford living here or even normal things like coffee that are all really expensive for our salaries."

The residents

It's not only the young who are struggling.

At 80 years old, Pepi Viu has just been evicted from her home of almost a decade, in a popular neighbourhood. She thinks the owner wanted to earn more rent than the pensioner could pay.

Pepi is now in a hostel, and searching for somewhere more suitable, but prices have soared almost 70% since she last rented.

"I can't find anything – and there's no support. I feel like I have no protection and it's upsetting," she says, frail and leaning on a stick. "There's only tourist flats now, but we residents need somewhere to live!"

In some areas of town, almost all locals like Pepi have already been pushed out.

But in a narrow, paved street of the Gothic quarter, right in the tourist heart of Barcelona, Joan Alvarez is fighting to hold on to the flat his family have rented for 25 years, and at a price he can afford.

His landlord has terminated the contract, but Joan refuses to leave.

Most of the apartments in his building have already been divided into single rooms to bring in more rent.

Joan's little oasis, with tiled floors and a terrace that looks towards the cathedral, is one of the few still intact.

"It's not just about the money, it's the principle," he explains, cats winding through potted plants as he talks. "This is central Barcelona and there's hardly any of us residents left. It shouldn't be like that."

"Housing shouldn't be big business. Yes, this is his property, but it's my house."

The landlords

Under pressure from the protests, the authorities in Barcelona have already taken the radical step of announcing a complete ban on short-term rentals to tourists from 2028.

10,000 landlords will lose their tourist housing licenses.

But Jesus Pereda, who owns two popular tourist flats not far from the Sagrada Familia, thinks that's the wrong response.

"They stopped giving out new licenses 10 years ago, but rents have still gone up. So how are we to blame? We're just an easy enemy," he insists.

Managing the flats is his job, providing an income for himself and his wife. "Now we have anxiety."

Jesus believes it's the 'nomad' workers moving from elsewhere in Europe who are pushing rents up, rather than tourists. "They earn and pay more. You can't stop that."

He argues that tourist flats like his help spread the crowds, and the cash, to other areas of the city. Without tourism he believes Barcelona would have an "existential crisis" - it represents up to 15% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) as a whole.

If he loses his tourist license, Jesus won't take on local tenants in any case: a price-cap means long-term rental is barely profitable so he plans to sell both the flats.

Chants and firecrackers

The protest in Barcelona culminated in chants of "You're all guiris!" – local slang for foreigners – and a burst of firecrackers. Red smoke billowed up in front of rows of police officers blocking all routes to the Sagrada Familia.

A little earlier, the crowd had targeted a busy hotel, kicking a flare into the lobby. Tourists inside, including children, were clearly shaken.

There were similar protests elsewhere in Spain and more crowds in Portugal and Italy: not huge, but loud and insistent.

The concerns are the same and there's no consensus on how best to tackle it. But Spain is expecting more tourists this summer than ever.

Additional reporting by Esperanza Escribano and Bruno Boelpaep

Fears of crime and gang violence in the notorious townships on the outskirts of the South African city of Cape Town are forcing some parents to make difficult decisions to send their children on long daily commutes to former white-only schools.

"Thugs would go into the school carrying guns threatening teachers, forcefully taking their laptops in front of the learners," Sibahle Mbasana told the BBC about the school her sons used to attend in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's largest township.

"Imagine your child experiencing this regularly. There's hardly any security at the school and even if there is, they are powerless to do anything."

It is more than three decades since the end of white-minority rule in South Africa, but there are still black students who have to endure the vast inequalities that were the bedrock of the racist system of apartheid.

Mrs Mbasana feels her three children are the inheritors of this legacy - particularly affecting her oldest son Lifalethu who was at a township school between the ages of six and 10.

One of the apartheid era's main laws was the Bantu Education Act of 1953, which aimed to prevent black children from reaching their full potential. This created segregated schools with less funding and fewer resources for those in poor areas, which to this day are overcrowded and often suffer from the fallout of high crime, drug use and violence.

Mrs Mbasana, who grew up in Eastern Cape province and moved to Khayelitsha when she was 18, decided she had no choice but to transfer Lifalethu, who is now 12, and her other son Anele, 11, to a state school some 40km (25 miles) away in Simon's Town, situated on a picturesque bay on the Cape Peninsula which is famously home to South Africa's navy.

The boys have been joined by their seven-year-old sister Buhle at the school, which has better facilities and smaller class sizes.

"I told myself [that] Buhle was not going to that [local] school because I already endured so many things with the two boys when they were at that school," said the 34-year-old clothes designer.

She and her husband would love to move their family away from Khayelitsha completely.

"We don't want to live in the township, but we have to live here because we can't afford to move out," she said.

"Speak to anyone in the township and they'll tell you they would move out at the first opportunity if they could."

There is no doubt that there are township schools, led by visionary principals and hard-working teachers, that have done wonders despite the obstacles of poor infrastructure and large class sizes.

However, safety and security have proved insurmountable for some when, for example, gangs demand protection fees from teachers.

The GroundUp news website has reported that teachers at Zanemfundo Primary School in Philippi East, close to Khayelitsha, were allegedly told to pay 10% of their salaries to the extortionists who seemed to operate with impunity.

"It is not safe at all. We are in extreme danger," one teacher told GroundUp.

"These gangs come to the school gun-wielding. Our lives are at risk. Teachers at the school are asking for transfers because they don't feel safe."

According to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), a private security company is now to be stationed at the school and the police are patrolling nearby.

But similar incidents have reportedly taken place at five other schools in the surrounding areas of Nyanga, Philippi and Samora Machel.

"My husband Sipho works in the navy in Simon's Town and he travels there so I thought it would be safer and more comfortable for my children to go to that school," said Mrs Mbasana.

But longer commutes, often by bus or minibus taxi, to safer schools come with their own dangers and stresses.

"My children get up at around 4.30am and leave at 5.50am when Sipho is transporting them. When they go by bus, because Sipho may be working elsewhere, they leave by 5.30 and they get home by 4.30 in the afternoon," said Mrs Mbasana.

"They are always tired and want to sleep. They are strong because they do their homework, but they sleep much earlier than other kids would."

Lifalethu made national headlines last year when there was a frantic search for him after he was forced to walk home from Simon's Town to Khayelitsha as the bus he regularly takes refused him entry as he could not find his ticket.

The driver involved was subsequently suspended for contravening company policy, which requires employees to assist schoolchildren in uniform who have lost their tickets.

With darkness falling, it was Mrs Mbasana's worst nightmare when Anele called to say his elder brother had not been allowed aboard.

But a massive social media frenzy followed and by several strokes of good fortune he was found - at one stage the boy had been given a lift by a good Samaritan who dropped him off at a petrol station around 5km from his home.

From there he was accompanied on foot by a security guard who lived in his area before being picked up and taken home to his relieved family by police officers who had joined the search for him.

His case highlighted the plight of thousands of pupils from townships, some of whom do a round trip of up to 80km per day either on public transport or pre-arranged trips with minibus taxis to attend school in the city's suburban areas - which used to accept only white students in the apartheid era.

Wealthier residents of these suburbs often opt for a private education for their offspring, meaning that the state schools there tend to have spaces for those coming from further afield.

Donovan Williams, vice-principal of the state primary school in Cape Town's trendy Observatory district, says about 85% of his school's intake of around 830 students come from the townships - many of whom are exhausted by their long days.

"Some parents work in the area while most spend lots of money on transport for their children to access schools with better infrastructure," he told the BBC.

"Sometimes they fall asleep in class."

According to Amnesty International, South Africa has one of the most unequal school systems in the world - with a child's outcome very much dependent on their place of birth, wealth and colour of their skin.

"Children in the top 200 schools achieve more distinctions in mathematics than children in the next 6,600 schools combined. The playing field must be levelled," its 2020 report said.

State schools are subsidised, but parents still have to pay school fees, which in the Western Cape can range from between $60 (£45) and $4,500 (£3,350) a year.

Of the nearly 1,700 schools across the province, more than 100 are no-fee institutions as designated by the government for learners living in economically depressed areas.

The province's education department explains that it often has to cover a shortfall in funding from the government - and schools in more middle-class areas turn to parents to cover the costs.

Recently 2,407 teaching posts were lost in the province as the government allocated only 64% of the cost of the nationally negotiated wage agreement with teachers, the WCED said.

The reduction in posts has meant that some contract teachers were not reappointed when their contracts ended in December, while some permanent teachers have been asked to move schools.

"We are in an impossible position, and it is not of our making, and the Western Cape is not the only province affected," the WCED added.

The National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) says the decision has been particularly devastating for schools in impoverished and crime-ridden areas.

"The schools that are feeling the real impact of this is your typical township school. They can't afford to replace those teachers with governing-body appointments, which is the case with the better-resourced schools where parents can afford to pay extra fees," Naptosa executive director Basil Manuel told the BBC.

"They feel the cut, they will have the bigger class sizes, they will have the teachers that are more stressed out.

"The children, especially those who are not too academically inclined, will slip through the cracks."

Experts blame the continuing educational disparities on the debt the African National Congress (ANC) government of Nelson Mandela inherited in 1994 from the apartheid regime.

"The ANC had to confront the fact that it couldn't deliver in the way it said it would," Aslam Fataar, research professor in higher education transformation at Stellenbosch University, told the BBC.

Faced with fiscal austerity "poorer schools were never given a chance to develop a sustainable platform for teaching and learning", he said.

"The political interest in what happens in the township schools has been lost 20 years ago. When it comes to teacher expenditure and pupil-teacher ratios you can see how that sector has been neglected. The numbers of teachers in those schools continues to bear the brunt of cuts."

Prof Fataar is equally bleak about the future: "I can't see, bar a miracle, how we can increase the finances for poor schools."

Parents like the Mbasanas, stuck in the townships and often at the mercy of gangs, have run out of patience.

You may also be interested in:

• Pictures of how Muslim worship helps quell South African ganglands
• 'We are students thanks to South Africa's #FeesMustFall protests'
• South Africa's deadly love affair with guns
• Cape Town anger over slave quarter gentrification
• The white student braving racial politics in South Africa

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

A 57-year-old man has been arrested in the US state of Minnesota on suspicion of killing a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband.

The arrest on Sunday night was the culmination of a huge two-day manhunt following the deaths of Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota Democrat, and her husband Mark. State Governor Tim Walz called it a "politically motivated assassination".

Police said Vance Luther Boelter was armed at the time of his arrest in a rural area west of Minneapolis, but gave himself up peacefully when challenged.

The suspect is also alleged to have shot and wounded Democratic State Senator John Hoffman, and his wife Yvette, who are both now awake in hospital.

Mrs Hoffman said on Sunday that both felt "incredibly lucky to be alive".

Boelter was detained after investigators found a car he allegedly used in Sibley County, about 50 miles (80km) from the murder scene in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

Air and SWAT teams were deployed to arrest the suspect in what was described as the largest manhunt in Minnesota's history.

No police officers were injured during his apprehension, and officials said they were not looking for any other suspects.

• What we know about the Minnesota shootings
• Minnesota assassination survivor and husband shot 17 times

Speaking at a press conference with other local officials on Sunday night, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the attack was an "unspeakable act" that had "altered the state of Minnesota".

"This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences," Walz said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey praised the "skill and bravery" of law enforcement agencies following Boelter's arrest.

"Political violence is abhorrent, it cuts against the most basic moral fabric of our democracy. It's critical that those who commit these acts be held accountable under the law," he added.

Boelter is accused of impersonating a police officer to carry out the attacks on Saturday, before exchanging fire with police officers and fleeing from the area of suburban Minneapolis.

Melissa Hortman had served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 20 years, and was speaker of the chamber from 2019 to 2025.

Boelter, a former political appointee, was once a member of the same state workforce development board as Hoffman.

He is a security contractor and religious missionary who has worked in Africa and the Middle East, according to his online CV.

Boelter once preached as a pastor at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Facebook photos.

Investigators reportedly found a list of "targets" in the vehicle that the suspect is thought to have driven for the alleged shootings.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told reporters that he would not describe the notebook found in the car as a "manifesto" as it was not "a treatise on all kinds of ideology and writings".

Local media have reported that the names included Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and state Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

At the press conference following Boelter's arrest, Evans did not specify who was featured on the list, but said that state officials had contacted authorities in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa so that they could "notify individuals that were on that list".

Investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the crashed Air India flight, a key step in uncovering what caused last week's deadly accident.

The London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed soon after taking off on Thursday from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. At least 270 people have been killed, most of them passengers.

The CVR captures audio from the cockpit, including pilot conversations, alarms and ambient sounds.

The flight data recorder (FDR), which logs crucial flight parameters like altitude, speed and engine performance, had been recovered from the debris on Friday.

Both the CVR and FDR collectively form what is commonly known as the "black box" of a plane. It is a vital tool in air crash investigations, helping experts reconstruct the flight's final moments and determine the cause of the incident.

The black box, unlike the name suggests, is actually two bright orange devices - one for the CVR and the other for the FDR - painted with reflective strips for easier recovery after a crash. Both these devices are designed to survive a crash.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the inquiry into the cause of the crash, helped by teams from the US and the UK.

On Sunday, officials from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) surveyed the site of the plane crash.

"The AAIB has launched a detailed investigation, and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting a parallel probe under international protocols, since the aircraft is American-made," a statement released on Sunday said.

Indian media outlets have reported, citing sources, that officials from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) - the US aviation safety agency - also visited the site.

Separately, a high-level committee set up by the Indian government to examine the reasons behind the crash is expected to hold its first meeting on Monday.

The committee will submit a preliminary report within three months, the All India Radio said, and will propose new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to help prevent similar incidents in future.

As the investigation continues, families on the ground are still grappling with disbelief and trauma.

• Wait for bodies deepens pain of families after Air India crash

• The terrifying moment when Air India plane crashed into a canteen

Less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, the AI171 flight crashed into a doctors' accommodation building at the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital.

All but one of the 242 passengers and crew members were killed. Officials have also been trying to establish how many people were killed on the ground and continuing the slow process of matching DNA samples to confirm the victims' identities.

Over the weekend, doctors said 270 bodies had been recovered from the site of the crash.

More than 90 victims have been identified through DNA matching, Dr Rajnish Patel of Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital said on Monday. He added that 47 of the identified bodies have been sent to their families.

Among the identified victims is Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat, whose funeral will be held on Monday. Rupani, whose political career spanned more than 50 years, will be laid to rest with full state honours in Rajkot city.

For many other families, the agonising wait continues.

Officials told the BBC that the identification process has been slow and painstaking, as many of the bodies were badly burned in the crash and are being processed in small batches.

Mistry Jignesh, waiting outside the hospital for updates on his niece, told the BBC on Saturday that officials told him that it might take longer for them to hand over his niece's remains as the search for bodies is still ongoing. He had earlier been told that the body would be handed over by Sunday, after the 72 hours it normally takes to complete DNA matching.

"When people are still missing, how can they complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece's remains haven't even been found? The wait is killing us," he said.

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

A 57-year-old Australian police officer has been shot dead on a rural property in Tasmania while serving a warrant to repossess a home, say police.

The officer had arrived at a house in North Motton, near the town of Ulverstone, on Monday morning when he was fired at by "a member of the public", Tasmania Police said in a statement.

A second police officer returned fire, injuring the suspect's hand. The suspect surrendered and later received treatment in hospital, police said.

Deadly shootings remain rare in Australia, which has strict gun laws.

Following Monday's shooting a crime scene was established in North Motton and the coroner was notified, a police spokesperson said, adding that "there is no ongoing threat to the public".

"The safety of our officers is our number one priority, and to see an officer tragically killed in those circumstances is truly shocking," Police Commissioner Donna Adams told reporters later on Monday.

"We know that policing can be risky, but we expect every officer to finish their shift and come home back to their families."

The police are not naming the officer out of respect for his family, as some family members have yet to be informed of his death, Ms Adams said.

She described him as a "genuine, dependable police officer" who served the community for 25 years.

He had been accompanied by a "senior and experienced sergeant" on Monday morning to "serve a court-approved warrant to repossess a home", Ms Adams said.

She added that the officer had been shot while making his way from his car to the front of the house. She also praised his colleague, who managed to call for assistance while "in a situation of danger and peril".

Investigations of the incident are underway, Ms Adams said.

Police also said that well-being support was being provided to those involved and affected.

In a statement, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff called the incident a "heartbreaking tragedy".

To everyone who had the honour of knowing this officer, especially his family and his colleagues... the love of an entire state is with you today."

Shootings are relatively rare in Australia, which introduced some of the world's strictest firearm regulations after 35 people were killed in a massacre by a lone gunman at Port Arthur, Tasmania, in 1996.

Additional reporting by Koh Ewe.

Leonard Lauder, the businessman who built Estee Lauder into one of the world's biggest cosmetic makers, has died aged 92.

Lauder took over his parents company in 1958 and served as chief executive for 17 years. He was an accomplished dealmaker and bought brands including Clinique, Bobbi Brown and MAC.

"He was an icon and pioneer, earning respect worldwide. His energy and vision helped shape our company and will continue to do so for generations to come", said Stephane de La Faverie, chief executive of the Estee Lauder.

The New York-born billionare had an estimated wealth of $10.1bn (£7.5bn), according to the 2025 Forbes rich list.

Lauder passed away on Saturday surrounded by his family, said Estee Lauder in a statement.

Born in 1933, he was the eldest son of Estee and Joseph Lauder. He served as a lieutenant in the US Navy before joining the family business aged 25.

At the time, the firm's annual sales were less than $1m - about $11m in today's money. It is now a global cosmetics giant, operating in 150 countries with sales of $15.6bn last year.

Lauder led the firm's expansion into Europe and Asia and created its first ever research and development laboratory.

He took the company public in 1995, with its share price rising 33% on the first day of trading in New York.

Lauder stepped down as chief executive in 1999. He remained involved with the business and was chairman emeritus until his death.

Celebrities and business people have been paying tribute to Lauder.

Elizabeth Hurley, who got her first modelling job with his company, said on Instagram: "I called him my American Daddy and I can't imagine a world without him."

Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief at Forbes Media, said Lauder "lived life well, & his passing is the world's loss'."

"His legacy will be felt for generations to come," said multi-billionaire and former New York mayor, Mike Bloomberg.

Away from business, Lauder was passionate about art. In 2013, he pledged his billion-dollar collection of Cubist artworks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

He was also an advocate for cancer research and served as the honorary chairman of the board of directors at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

After days of uncertainty and negotiations, the funeral arrangements for Zambia's former president have been finalised.

Edgar Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died 11 days ago in South Africa where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

According to his family, he had left instructions that his political rival and current President Hakainde Hichilema "should not come anywhere near his body".

But a spokesperson for the Lungu family confirmed that an agreement had been reached with the government that allowed for Hichilema to preside over a state funeral next Sunday.

• Funeral row causes chaos for mourners of Zambia's ex-president

The row caused consternation among some in Zambia with people left wondering how they should mourn their former leader.

After days of talks, the Lungu family and the government have agreed that:

• The former president's body will be flown to the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on Wednesday on a private charter plane
• On arrival at the airport, the body will be received by the family and then there will be full military honours
• It will then be transported to Lungu's residence in Lusaka where it will lie in state
• For three days, starting on Thursday, it will be taken to a conference centre in the capital where the public can pay their respects
• A state funeral will be held on Sunday 22 June with official mourning ending the following day.

The former president will be buried next Monday but it is not yet clear whether he will be interred at the official presidential burial grounds or at his residence.

At a joint press briefing in South Africa, Lungu family spokesperson Makebi Zulu, sitting alongside Secretary to Zambia's Cabinet Patrick Kangwa, said the family apologised "for the inconvenience and pain that the protracted negotiations may have caused but we were doing our best to honour the former president's personal wishes".

Mr Zulu also said that the family was proceeding on the basis that the government would "not deviate from our agreement".

Speaking for the government, Mr Kangwa appealed for unity and thanked Zambians for their patience "during this difficult time".

After six years as head state, Lungu lost the 2021 election to Hichilema by a large margin.

After that defeat he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray.

He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again but at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.

Despite his disqualification from the presidential election, he remained hugely influential in Zambian politics and did not hold back in his criticism of his successor.

Last year, Lungu complained of police harassment and accused the authorities of effectively putting him under house arrest. He also said he had been prevented from leaving the country. The government denied both accusations.

More BBC stories from Zambia:

• 'My son is a drug addict, please help' - the actor breaking a Zambian taboo
• An ancient writing system confounding myths about Africa
• Zambia president orders ministers to stop sleeping in cabinet

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

US President Donald Trump has ordered an expansion of the detention and deportation of migrants across the country as protests against his policies continue.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on federal agencies to "do all in their power" to deliver "the single largest mass deportation programme in history", naming Los Angeles, Chicago and New York as specific targets.

These cities are among the many where large-scale protests have broken out against raids on undocumented migrants since 6 June.

Trump has faced legal challenges and criticism for his response to the protests - particularly his deployment of the military to quell the demonstrations.

Trump said he had directed the "entire administration to put every resource possible behind this effort".

He also promised to prevent "anyone who undermines the domestic tranquility of the United States" from entering the country.

Addressing various federal offices including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), he wrote "you have my unwavering support. Now go, get the job done!"

The post came a day after a new wave of protests against Trump's policies across the country.

On 14 June, the "No Kings" movement demonstrated in cities stretching from Los Angeles to New York. Those demonstrations also coincided with a military parade in Washington DC to mark 250 years of the US army, which was held on the president's 79th birthday.

One person died in a shooting at a No Kings march in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Trump also ordered immigration authorities to focus their efforts on sanctuary cities - those that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities - which during the protests have become a source of tension between federal and state lawmakers.

Officials in these places have defended their legal rights to protect undocumented migrants.

The command to expand deportations signals a follow-through on Trump's campaign promise to provide the "largest deportation programme of criminals in the history of America".

Opinion polls suggested this policy had widespread support in the build-up to the 2024 US election. Since the deportation programme has grown, however, protests have only increased.

This new order came just a day after the Trump administration directed immigration officials to largely pause raids on farms, hotels, restaurants and meatpacking plants, according to the Reuters news agency.

On Saturday, two state lawmakers from Minnesota were gunned down in their homes in what Governor Tim Walz called a "politically motivated assassination" attempt. The attacks left one politician dead and the other seriously injured.

The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, has been taken into custody after he was found hiding in the woods near the village of Green Isle in Sibley County, police said on Sunday night.

Police called the two-day search for Boelter the "largest manhunt in the state's history", with multiple law enforcement agencies working together to find him.

The attacks drew condemnation from across the political spectrum. President Donald Trump said in a statement that "such horrific violence will not be tolerated".

US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, called it "an attack on everything we stand for as a democracy".

Who were the victims?

State representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home, the governor said.

She had served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for 20 years, and was speaker of the chamber from 2019-25.

State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times and injured, but survived. They had surgery.

Both lawmakers are Democrats.

What happened?

Law enforcement has confirmed the attacks occurred in the early hours of Saturday in the cities of Brooklyn Park and Champlin, Minnesota.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said police received a call at 02:00 local time about an incident at Hoffman's house in Champlin.

Another call to police came in at 03:35, when officers were checking on Hortman's home, nearby in Brooklyn Park.

Police discovered what looked like an emergency vehicle parked at the home with emergency lights flashing.

Coming out of the home was someone resembling a police officer, who immediately opened fire on officers, darted back into the house, then escaped on foot.

Mark Bruley, chief of Brooklyn Park police, said the suspect was "wearing a vest with a Taser, other equipment, a badge" posing as law enforcement in order "to manipulate their way into the home".

Who is Vance Luther Boelter?

Police identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter. They did not give details on a possible motive.

A former political appointee, Boelter was once a member of the same state workforce development board as Hoffman.

"We don't know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other," said Evans.

Investigators reportedly found a list of 70 "targets", including the names of state Democratic politicians, in a vehicle the suspect drove for the assassination.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Minnesota's two US senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and state Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison were on the hit list, according to local media.

Locations for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions and contraception, were also on the list, a person familiar with the investigation told the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Evans told reporters he would not describe the notebook found in the car as a "manifesto" as it was not "a treatise on all kinds of ideology and writings".

Boelter is a security contractor and religious missionary who has worked in Africa and the Middle East, according to an online CV.

Boelter once preached as a pastor at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Facebook photos. He had travelled often to the nation, indicate posts from his LinkedIn account.

An online video from two years ago seemed to show him addressing a congregation, adding that he has a wife and five children.

He had also worked back in Minnesota for a major food distributor, a convenience store chain and for two funeral services businesses, according to his online profile.

According to local TV affiliate KTTC, Boelter's only criminal history in Minnesota was for traffic tickets, including speeding and parking violations.

He texted a troubling message to friends at a Minneapolis residence, where he had rented a room and would stay one or two nights a week, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Boelter said: "I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way."

How did police find Boelter?

On Sunday night, police said they found Boelter after receiving information that he was seen in the area of Green Isle, a village not far from his home.

He was arrested in a rural area with mostly farmland, fields and small woods, and taken into custody "without any use of force" or injury to police.

Police said Boelter was armed when he was arrested, but did not provide further information on the type of weapons present.

Evans said Boelter's arrest brought "a sense of relief" to communities and lawmakers who were on the suspect's list of targets.

He also said law enforcement believed the suspect acted alone and was not part of a broader network.

Authorities also condemned Boelter's impersonation of a police officer while carrying out the attacks, saying "he exploited the trust our uniforms are meant to represent".

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also followed with a plea for civility, urging people to "shake hands" and "find common ground".

"One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," he said.

"This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences."

Prior to Boelter's arrest, his wife was detained in a traffic stop along with three relatives in a car in the city of Onamia, more than 100 miles from the family home, on Saturday morning, but released after questioning.

A survivor of Saturday's deadly attacks on two Minnesota lawmakers says she and her husband are both "incredibly lucky to be alive" after they were hit by 17 bullets.

State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were gunned down at their home early on Saturday morning, but lived. Melissa Hortman - the top Democratic legislator in the state House - and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed.

Yvette Hoffman said in a statement that she and her husband John were "devastated" by the Hortmans' deaths.

Police are hunting for the suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, who wore a latex mask and posed as an officer to shoot the victims at their homes in suburban Minneapolis, before escaping on foot.

Mrs Hoffman's statement was shared on Instagram by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

"John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods," Mrs Hoffman wrote.

"He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive.

"We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate."

Police have not disclosed the killer's motive.

A Facebook post from someone identifying as Mrs Hoffman's nephew said she had thrown herself on her daughter during the assassination attempt, "using her body as a shield to save her life".

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the daughter, Hope, is in her 20s and was born with spina bifida, which her father previously cited as motivating him to get into state politics.

On Sunday, police said they had found an unoccupied car linked to the suspect in Sibley County, about 50 miles (80km) from the murder scene.

The discovery of the black sedan was alerted to local residents' mobile phones in a message that said: "Suspect not located. Keep your doors locked and vehicles secured."

A cowboy hat, similar to what Boelter, 57, was believed to have been wearing, was found nearby.

Police also said on Sunday that Boelter's wife had been detained in a traffic stop along with three relatives in a car in the city of Onamia, more than 100 miles from the family home in the rural community of Green Isle, on Saturday morning.

Jenny Boelter was released without being taken into custody because she was co-operative, Drew Evans, of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told a news conference on Sunday evening.

Police have extended the search over state lines to South Dakota and the FBI has added Boelter to its most-wanted list, issuing a $50,000 reward.

Both of the targeted lawmakers belonged to Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

Authorities said they recovered a target list that included the names of state Democratic politicians from another vehicle used by the suspect.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Klobuchar and Minnesota's other US senator, Tina Smith, were on the list – along with state Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, people familiar with the investigation told local media.

"Clearly, this is politically motivated," Klobuchar told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, told ABC News on Sunday the attack was "a terrible thing".

Investigators say Boelter was disguised as a police officer when he carried out the attacks and had a vehicle that looked like a police car, equipped with flashing emergency lights.

The gunman first targeted the Hoffmans at their home in Champlin at around 02:00 local time on Saturday, authorities said.

Soon afterwards, Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, eight miles away.

Officers arrived at the Hortmans' home and exchanged gunfire with the suspect at around 03:35. The suspect managed to flee, leaving behind his car, authorities said.

According to Boelter's CV, he has a background in security and military training.

The city of Brooklyn Park was silent on Sunday morning as the neighbourhood came to terms with a suspected political assassination on their doorstep.

A police car was parked outside the Hortmans' house and bright yellow caution tape surrounded the property.

Taha Abuisnaineh, who lives across the street, said he and his wife had known the family for more than 20 years.

"They were very nice neighbours in a very quiet neighbourhood," he told the BBC. "You don't see police activity in this neighbourhood. We are very shocked."

Two other nearby residents who did not want to be named said the suburban community was reeling.

"My next-door neighbour heard the shots," said one. "We've all been texting back and forth."

She and her husband described how they received an annual Christmas card from the Hortmans.

"What a big loss for Minnesota," she said.

In Sibley County, where the suspect's car was found, local resident Brian Liebhard also told the BBC of his shock.

"This guy needs to get caught," he said. "I don't agree with everything they [the two politicians] vote for, but this is sad - the guy went wacko."

A survivor of Saturday's deadly attacks on two Minnesota lawmakers says she and her husband are both "incredibly lucky to be alive" after they were hit by 17 bullets.

State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were gunned down at their home early on Saturday morning, but lived. Melissa Hortman - the top Democratic legislator in the state House - and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed.

Yvette Hoffman said in a statement that she and her husband John were "devastated" by the Hortmans' deaths.

Police are hunting for the suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, who wore a latex mask and posed as an officer to shoot the victims at their homes in suburban Minneapolis, before escaping on foot.

Mrs Hoffman's statement was shared on Instagram by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

"John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods," Mrs Hoffman wrote.

"He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive.

"We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate."

Police have not disclosed the killer's motive.

A Facebook post from someone identifying as Mrs Hoffman's nephew said she had thrown herself on her daughter during the assassination attempt, "using her body as a shield to save her life".

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the daughter, Hope, is in her 20s and was born with spina bifida, which her father previously cited as motivating him to get into state politics.

On Sunday, police said they had found an unoccupied car linked to the suspect in Sibley County, about 50 miles (80km) from the murder scene.

The discovery of the black sedan was alerted to local residents' mobile phones in a message that said: "Suspect not located. Keep your doors locked and vehicles secured."

A cowboy hat, similar to what Boelter, 57, was believed to have been wearing, was found nearby.

Police also said on Sunday that Boelter's wife had been detained in a traffic stop along with three relatives in a car in the city of Onamia, more than 100 miles from the family home in the rural community of Green Isle, on Saturday morning.

Jenny Boelter was released without being taken into custody because she was co-operative, Drew Evans, of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told a news conference on Sunday evening.

Police have extended the search over state lines to South Dakota and the FBI has added Boelter to its most-wanted list, issuing a $50,000 reward.

Both of the targeted lawmakers belonged to Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

Authorities said they recovered a target list that included the names of state Democratic politicians from another vehicle used by the suspect.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Klobuchar and Minnesota's other US senator, Tina Smith, were on the list – along with state Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, people familiar with the investigation told local media.

"Clearly, this is politically motivated," Klobuchar told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, told ABC News on Sunday the attack was "a terrible thing".

Investigators say Boelter was disguised as a police officer when he carried out the attacks and had a vehicle that looked like a police car, equipped with flashing emergency lights.

The gunman first targeted the Hoffmans at their home in Champlin at around 02:00 local time on Saturday, authorities said.

Soon afterwards, Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their home in Brooklyn Park, eight miles away.

Officers arrived at the Hortmans' home and exchanged gunfire with the suspect at around 03:35. The suspect managed to flee, leaving behind his car, authorities said.

According to Boelter's CV, he has a background in security and military training.

The city of Brooklyn Park was silent on Sunday morning as the neighbourhood came to terms with a suspected political assassination on their doorstep.

A police car was parked outside the Hortmans' house and bright yellow caution tape surrounded the property.

Taha Abuisnaineh, who lives across the street, said he and his wife had known the family for more than 20 years.

"They were very nice neighbours in a very quiet neighbourhood," he told the BBC. "You don't see police activity in this neighbourhood. We are very shocked."

Two other nearby residents who did not want to be named said the suburban community was reeling.

"My next-door neighbour heard the shots," said one. "We've all been texting back and forth."

She and her husband described how they received an annual Christmas card from the Hortmans.

"What a big loss for Minnesota," she said.

In Sibley County, where the suspect's car was found, local resident Brian Liebhard also told the BBC of his shock.

"This guy needs to get caught," he said. "I don't agree with everything they [the two politicians] vote for, but this is sad - the guy went wacko."

US President Donald Trump may have called tariffs his favourite word in the dictionary. But when it comes to obsessions, business investment has got to be close.

As of last month, he said more than $12 trillion (£8.8tn) had been "practically committed" on his watch. "Nobody's ever seen numbers like we have," he said, crediting his agenda of tariffs, tax cuts and deregulation with making the difference.

If true, the figure would indeed be astonishing, potentially tripling the roughly $4tn in gross private investment the US reported all of last year.

So is a sudden gush of business spending setting the stage for a new golden economic era as Trump claims, or is it all theatre?

First things first: it is too early in Trump's tenure to have clear data to evaluate his claims. The US government publishes statistics on business investment only every three months.

January to March, which reflect two months of Trump's tenure, show a strong jump in business investment, albeit one that analysts said was partly due to data skewed by an earlier Boeing strike.

Other anecdotal and survey evidence indicates that Trump's impact on investment is far more incremental than he has claimed.

"We have hardly any data at this point and almost all the information we have is probably for investment projects that were planned and ordered last year," says economist Nick Bloom, a professor at Stanford University whose work looks at the impact of uncertainty on business investment.

"My guess is business investment is down a little bit, not massively... primarily because uncertainty is quite high and that will pause it."

Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche, which announced plans to invest $50bn in the US over five years in April, is a good example.

Some of the projects included in the sum were already in the works.

Executives have also warned that some of Trump's ideas - in particular a proposal to overhaul drug pricing - could imperil its plans.

"The pharma industry would need to review their expenses including investments," the company said.

Trump typically makes his case pointing to investment promises made by high-profile firms such as Apple and Hyundai.

The White House keeps a running tally of those announcements, but at the start of June, it put total new investments at roughly $5.3tn - less than half the sum cited by Trump.

Even that figure is inflated.

Roughly a third of the 62 investments on the list include plans that were at least partially in the works before Trump took office. For example:

• US manufacturer Corning is listed for a $1.5bn investment in a new manufacturing plant, but the core $900m of the project was announced in early 2024.

• Stellantis, on the list for a $5bn plan to reopen a factory in Belvidere, Illinois, initially made that promise in 2023.

• Other commitments include items that are not traditionally considered investments at all - like Apple's $500bn spending pledge, which includes taxes and salaries paid to workers already at the company.

• An investment promise, by ADQ and Energy Capital, is not limited to the US.

Falling 'well short' of headlines

In reality, as of mid-May, new investment stemming from the announcements likely totalled something closer to $134bn, according to analysis by Goldman Sachs.

That sum shrank to as little as $30bn, not including investments backed by foreign governments, once researchers factored in the risk that some projects might fail to materialise, or would have happened anyway.

"Though not negligible economically, such increases would fall well short of the recent headlines," they wrote.

When pressed on the numbers, White House spokesman Kush Desai brushed off concerns that the administration's claims did not match reality.

"The Trump administration is using a multifaceted approach to drive investment into the United States... and no amount of pointless nitpicking and hairsplitting can refute that it's paying off," he said in a statement, which noted that many firms had explicitly credited Trump and his policies for shaping their plans.

The BBC approached more than two dozen firms with investments on the White House list.

Many did not respond or referred to previous statements.

Others acknowledged that work on some of their projects pre-dated the current administration.

Incentive to exaggerate

Exaggeration by politicians and companies is hardly unexpected.

But the Trump administration's willingness to radically intervene in the economy, with tariffs and other changes, has given companies reason to pump up their plans in ways that flatter the president, says Martin Chorzempa, senior fellow at the Petersen Institute of International Economics.

"A firm making an announcement is a way to get some current benefits, without necessarily being held to those [spending pledges] if the situation changes," he says. "There's a strong incentive for companies to provide as large a number as possible."

That's not to say that Trump policies aren't making a difference.

The tariff threats have "definitely been a catalyst" for pharmaceutical firms to plan more manufacturing in the US, a key source of sector profits, says Stephen Farrelly, global lead for pharma and healthcare at ING.

But, he adds, there are limits to what the threats can accomplish.

The pharma investments are set to unfold over time - a decade in some cases - in a sector that was poised for growth anyway.

And they have come from firms selling branded drugs - not the cheaper, generic medicines that many Americans rely on and that are made in China and India.

Mr Farrelly also warned that the sector's investments may be at risk over the long term, given uncertainty about the government's approach to tariffs, drug pricing and scientific research.

Overall, many analysts expect investment growth to slow in the US this year due to policy uncertainty.

Economist German Gutierrez of the University of Washington says Trump is right to want to boost investment in the US, but believes his emphasis on global competition misdiagnoses the problem.

His own work has found the decline in investment is due in part to industry consolidation. Now a few large firms dominate sectors, there is less incentive to invest to compete.

In addition, the kinds of investments firms are making are typically cheaper items such as software rather than machines and factories.

Tariffs, Prof Gutierrez says, are unlikely to address those issues.

"The way it's being done and the type of instruments they are using are not the best ways to achieve this goal. It just takes a lot more to really get this going," he says.

The manhunt for a suspect in deadly attacks on Minnesota lawmakers continued into its second day on Sunday, as police extended the search over state lines to nearby South Dakota.

Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home early Saturday morning .

Another lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times and injured.

Police are searching for Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old who they say impersonated a police officer while carrying out the attacks. Federal authorities announced a $50,000 reward for information.

Both lawmakers belonged to Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

Senator Hoffman and his wife underwent surgery on Saturday, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was "cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt."

• What we know about the attack on two Minnesota lawmakers

"Clearly, this is politically motivated," US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

Authorities said they recovered a target list from a vehicle used by the suspect that reportedly contained the names of several Democratic politicians who supported abortion rights, as well as abortion providers. The office of Tina Smith, Minnesota's other US Senator, confirmed to BBC News she was on the list.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added Boelter to their most wanted list, and issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

"It is really not about any of us, it is this incredible woman that we lost, Melissa Hortman," Klobuchar said. "We think about her family today."

"I just wish everyone in the world political world knew this woman like we know her in Minnesota. Loved by Democrats and Republicans," Klobuchar said.

President Donald Trump is aware of the situation, but it was not clear if he would reach out to the state's leadership about the attack.

Governor Walz, a Democrat, was presidential candidate Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election.

Despite the frantic search under way across the region, the city of Brooklyn Park, where Rep. Hortman lived, was still and silent on Sunday morning as the neighbourhood came to terms with the deadly attack.

A police car stood guard outside the Hortman's house, and bright yellow caution tape surrounded the home, now an active crime scene.

Taha Abuisnaineh, who lives across the street, said he and his wife had known the Hortmans for more than 20 years.

"They were very nice neighbours in a very quiet neighbourhood," he told the BBC. "You don't see police activity in this neighbourhood. We are very shocked."

Two other nearby residents who did not want to be named said this suburban community was reeling as news spread of the attack.

"My next-door neighbour heard the shots," said one. "We've all been texting back and forth."

She and her husband described how they received an annual Christmas card from the Hortmans - and recounted how Representative Hortman got along with local Republican politicians.

"What a big loss for Minnesota," she said.

"Stuck". That is the word most people who have spoken to the BBC use to describe life in Iran right now.

After three days of Israeli attacks, "everyone is trying to escape" Tehran "one way or another," one resident told BBC News Persian.

On Sunday, long queues formed at petrol stations across the city. Many people tried to leave for remote areas, away from any possible Israeli target, but could not even get out of the province because of heavy traffic.

"Tehran isn't safe, clearly," one resident said. "We get no alarms or warnings from officials about Israeli attacks. We just hear the blasts and hope our place isn't hit. But where can we go? Nowhere feels safe."

One person who managed to move from Tehran to another province said: "I don't think I've fully processed that I'm living in an active war zone, and I'm not sure when I'll reach acceptance."

"This is not my war. I'm not rooting for either side, I just want to survive along with my family."

Since Friday, Israel hit Iran with its biggest wave of air strikes in years.

Israel's strikes have led to retaliation from Iran, which has launched missile attacks on Israel.

At least 10 people have been killed in Israel, authorities said. Iranian media, citing the health ministry, reported that 128 people had been killed in Israeli attacks as of midday on Saturday.

One Iranian told the BBC she has not been able to sleep for two nights: "I've gone through really tough situations."

She said the current situation reminds her of bombings and going to shelters during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when she was a child.

"The difference is that back then, at least when an attack happened, we heard the air raid siren or at least warnings before it happened. But now, during this bombing or any air raid, there's no sirens or warnings."

Younger people, born after the war, do not know what it was like, BBC News Persian's Ghoncheh Habibiazad said.

One woman in Tehran said she has considered leaving the city to escape the attacks.

"We've all wanted to go to smaller cities or villages, anywhere we can go, but each of us has loved ones who can't leave, and we're thinking of them," she said. "What we're experiencing is not fair to any of us, the people of Iran."

"We're all trying to get through these days in fear, exhaustion, and a lot of stress, this is extremely hard and painful."

One resident in the capital said: "I can't just leave Tehran. I can't leave my elderly parents who can't travel far and long and leave the city myself. Besides, I need to show up to work. What can I do now?"

The internet has been unstable, so it is very hard to keep in touch with people inside the country.

Many of those living outside the country are sending messages to loved ones, hoping for a reply.

Some people have also received warnings from the Israel military asking all Iranians to leave areas near military sites. People in Tehran seem most worried about this.

"How are we supposed to know where a military site is and where isn't?" one said.

Separately, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a message to Iranians on the second day of the attacks said "the time has come" for Iranians to unite "by standing up for your freedom".

However, people in the country have so far chosen to stay safe and there is little evidence that Netanyahu's call has resonated on the ground, BBC News Persian's Daryoush Karimi said.

Inside Iran, what perhaps shocked people the most was the destruction of residential buildings, even more than the attacks on nuclear facilities and airbases, said BBC News Persian's Pouyan Kalani.

Many Iranians had not witnessed scenes like that since the end of the Iran-Iraq war - especially not on the streets of the capital.

Many of those in Tehran and elsewhere, recall the confusion of Friday: what exactly was happening; how widespread was it; and how could they protect themselves and their families?

Edited by Alexandra Fouché

The manhunt for a suspect in deadly attacks on Minnesota lawmakers continued into its second day on Sunday, as police extended the search over state lines to nearby South Dakota.

Minnesota state Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home early Saturday morning .

Another lawmaker, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times and injured.

Police are searching for Vance Luther Boelter, a 57-year-old who they say impersonated a police officer while carrying out the attacks. Federal authorities announced a $50,000 reward for information.

Both lawmakers belonged to Minnesota's Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, which is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

Senator Hoffman and his wife underwent surgery on Saturday, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he was "cautiously optimistic they will survive this assassination attempt."

• What we know about the attack on two Minnesota lawmakers

"Clearly, this is politically motivated," US Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who represents Minnesota, told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

Authorities said they recovered a target list from a vehicle used by the suspect that reportedly contained the names of several Democratic politicians who supported abortion rights, as well as abortion providers. The office of Tina Smith, Minnesota's other US Senator, confirmed to BBC News she was on the list.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added Boelter to their most wanted list, and issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

"It is really not about any of us, it is this incredible woman that we lost, Melissa Hortman," Klobuchar said. "We think about her family today."

"I just wish everyone in the world political world knew this woman like we know her in Minnesota. Loved by Democrats and Republicans," Klobuchar said.

President Donald Trump is aware of the situation, but it was not clear if he would reach out to the state's leadership about the attack.

Governor Walz, a Democrat, was presidential candidate Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 election.

Despite the frantic search under way across the region, the city of Brooklyn Park, where Rep. Hortman lived, was still and silent on Sunday morning as the neighbourhood came to terms with the deadly attack.

A police car stood guard outside the Hortman's house, and bright yellow caution tape surrounded the home, now an active crime scene.

Taha Abuisnaineh, who lives across the street, said he and his wife had known the Hortmans for more than 20 years.

"They were very nice neighbours in a very quiet neighbourhood," he told the BBC. "You don't see police activity in this neighbourhood. We are very shocked."

Two other nearby residents who did not want to be named said this suburban community was reeling as news spread of the attack.

"My next-door neighbour heard the shots," said one. "We've all been texting back and forth."

She and her husband described how they received an annual Christmas card from the Hortmans - and recounted how Representative Hortman got along with local Republican politicians.

"What a big loss for Minnesota," she said.

For Mistry Jignesh, 72 hours feel like an eternity.

Since Thursday evening, Mr Jignesh and his family have been doing the rounds of the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, trying to find details of his 22-year-old niece - one of the 242 passengers that died in an Air India plane crash earlier that day.

Authorities had been telling him they would return his niece's body in the 72 hours normally required to complete DNA matching - which end on Sunday.

But on Saturday, he was told that it might take longer as officials are still searching for bodies from the site of the crash, he claimed.

"When people are still missing, how can they possibly complete the DNA process by tomorrow? What if my niece's remains have not even been found? The wait is killing us," he said.

Officials have refused to comment on Mr Jignesh's claim, but a fire department officer and a police official told the BBC on the condition of anonymity that a search for remains of the passengers is still under way.

Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent of the Civil Hospital, said on Saturday that 11 victims had been identified so far based on their DNA samples, adding that their families had been informed.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which was on its way to London's Gatwick Airport, erupted in a fireball merely seconds after it took off from Ahmedabad's main airport, in what has been India's worst aviation disaster.

Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived. At least eight others were killed as the plane struck the hostel of a medical college when it came down on a densely populated residential area near the airport.

Things have moved swiftly since.

The Indian government has ordered a high-level investigation into the incident and has ordered all Boeing 787s operated by local carriers to be inspected.

While the reason of the crash remains unknown, the country's aviation authority has said it is looking into all possible causes for the accident, also bringing in foreign aviation experts to assist with the inquiry.

• BBC Verify on what could have caused the crash
• Everything we know so far about flight AI171
• Analysis: What does this mean for Boeing?

Back at the hospital, doctors are racing to complete the DNA sampling of the victims so that they can start returning bodies to their families.

But for families like Mr Jignesh's, time passes in dragging lulls.

Officials have talked about how the process of identifying bodies has been extremely challenging - and is being carried out in small batches - as most of the remains have been charred beyond recognition.

"There is no scope for mistakes here - we have to ensure that every family receives the right body," said HP Sanghvi, the director of Directorate of Forensic Sciences in Gandhinagar city. "But DNA identification is a time-consuming process. Besides, given the scale of the disaster, there is also a possibility that the DNA of several passengers was damaged due to the extremely high temperature of the blast."

Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist at the hospital, told reporters that his team has been trying to collect dental records from charred bodies, as that might be the only source of DNA left.

The wait has been beyond agonising for the families, many of whom refused to speak to the media, saying they just want to go back home with "whatever is left of their loved ones".

"We are in no condition to say anything. Words fail us right now," a woman, who was waiting with three members of her family outside the autopsy room, told the BBC impatiently, as she quickly slipped into her car.

• As details continue to emerge, who are the victims?
• British man is only passenger to survive India plane crash

Meanwhile, officials at the BJ Medical College have started to vacate several wards of the hostel, near which the plane struck. So far, four wards - including the hostel canteen, the site of the crash - have been completely emptied out.

But students living in other nearby wings of the hostel have also begun to leave.

"In one of the wards, there are just three people left - everyone else has gone back to their homes for now. They will leave soon too, but until then, they are sitting there, all alone, haunted by the memory of what has happened," their friend, who is also a student at the college and wanted to stay anonymous, said.

But between the college and hospital - in the vast expanse of this city of more than seven million people - there are many others who also are reeling from the tragedy.

The last Kartik Kalawadia heard of his brother Mahesh was on Thursday, some 30 minutes before the crash.

It was a phone call Mahesh made to his wife: "I am coming home," he said to her.

She never heard from him again.

A music producer in the Gujarati film industry, Mahesh had been on his way back home from work that day and was crossing the area when the plane hurtled down and crashed into the buildings.

Mr Kalawadia told the BBC that his brother's last location before his phone became unreachable was just a few hundred metres away from BJ Medical college.

The family has since filed a police complaint and has made countless visits to the Civil Hospital. They have found nothing so far.

"The hospital told us they have no record of my brother. We also tried tracing his scooter, but nothing came of that either," Mr Kalawadia said.

"It's like he vanished into thin air."

At a press conference on Saturday, Civil Aviation Secretary SK Sinha admitted that the last two days had been "very hard", but assured the investigation was proceeding smoothly and in the right direction.

But Mr Kalawadia wondered if any of these inquires - into the plane crash, the victims and beyond - would help him find his brother, dead or alive.

"We don't know the answer, but we can hope it's a positive one, I guess," he said.

Back at the Civil Hospital, the wait continues to haunt families.

When the BBC last met Imtiyaz Ali Sayed over Thursday night, he was still in denial that his family - his brother Javed along with his wife and two children - could have died in the crash.

But on Saturday, he seemed closer to "accepting the truth".

"With just a few hours left, we are now trying to decide what will it be: will we bury him here, or in the UK, where his wife's family lives," he said.

"To me, it makes no difference you know?" he continued, "because he's gone, from ashes to dust and back to God."

Protests against President Donald Trump have taken place in towns and cities across the US, organised by a group called "No Kings".

The demonstrations were held to counter a rare military parade hosted by Trump in Washington DC, and came after days of protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere over his immigration policies.

Lawmakers, union leaders and activists gave speeches in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Houston to crowds waving American flags and placards critical of Trump.

The military parade on Saturday evening, also Trump's birthday, was timed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army. He warned that any protests at the parade would be met with "heavy force".

Organisers said there were hundreds of protests with millions of participants.

In Philadelphia, people gathered in Love Park. "I just feel like we need to defend our democracy," Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse, told the Associated Press.

She said Trump's staffing cuts to public health agencies were one of the reasons why she turned out.

One of the larger crowds was in Los Angeles where leaders and law enforcement have been on high alert during days of protests, sometimes violent, against a series of deportation raids.

Trump sent in the state's National Guard a week ago against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom and to the anger of local officials.

On Saturday, Jose Azetcla, a member of the civil rights group the Brown Berets, told the BBC in Los Angeles that it was immigration that brought him out on to the streets.

"It's not harsh, it's evil. You don't separate families," he said.

There were confrontations between protesters and National Guard soldiers near the Federal Building and tear gas was fired to disperse the crowds.

But a block or two away, hundreds of protesters continued marching peacefully.

Despite the largest outpouring of protests since Trump was re-elected, opinion polls indicate his immigration policies remain broadly popular with the public.

A CBS/YouGov survey last week found 54% of Americans approved of his policy to deport immigrants who are in the US illegally - 46% disapproved.

A plurality of Americans (42%) said Trump's programme was making them safer and 53% said he was prioritising the deportation of dangerous criminals.

The "No Kings" name of the protests refers to criticism that Trump has overstepped the limits of presidential power in his second term.

The president stood to salute as some of the thousands of uniformed soldiers taking part in the parade marched past, alongside dozens of tanks and military vehicles, plus marching bands.

He spoke briefly to thank those present for their service.

"Our soldiers never give up. Never surrender and never, ever quit. They fight, fight, fight. And they win, win, win."

Some politicians and former military leaders have criticised the event as a costly vanity project. The price tag is between $25m and $45m (£18.4m to £33.2m), according to the Army.

But many of those attending told the BBC that for them it was about celebrating the military, to which some of them held a deep connection.

When Melvin Graves returned from fighting in Vietnam, he got no parade, he said, so this was as close as he would come to one.

Mr Graves acknowledged politics played a part in the event but added: "This is about honouring these men and women who served, to thank them for their service."

The last US military parade was held by President George HW Bush in June 1991, celebrating the US-led victory in the Gulf War.

A crowd of 200,000 people attended the parade to cheer on veterans, peaking at 800,000 who watched the fireworks display, the LA Times reported at the time.

The numbers at Saturday's event was well below that, partly due to wet conditions and the forecast of heavy rain.

For younger veterans, the parade was something they never saw during their time in service.

Brian Angel, a former infantryman from Virginia who served in the Army between 2014 and 2017, including a stint at the border between South and North Korea, told the BBC he wanted to see more of this.

"Every branch should get some sort of parade or recognition."

Some experts saw an uneasy juxtaposition between US soldiers marching through the capital while troops had been deployed by the president to deal with protests in LA.

Security expert Barbara Starr told the BBC: "Because of that polarisation right now over this immigration debate and the use of troops in uniforms carrying weapons, I think it does overhang this parade in a way that was perhaps not originally envisioned by the army."

• Hiding in fields - farm workers in California fear deportation

Some of the "No Kings" demonstrations in the state of Minnesota were cancelled by organisers after flyers for the event were found in the car of the man accused of fatally shooting a state politician and her husband.

Governor Tim Walz urged people not to attend protests until the suspect had been arrested but that did not stop thousands turning out.

Satellite imagery shared with BBC Verify has provided a clearer picture of damage inflicted on two of Iran's key nuclear sites as well as other military targets.

Imagery from two different providers shows damage to the Natanz nuclear facility as well as a missile site south of the city of Tabriz - hit in the first round of strikes against Iran on Friday.

Other images show damage to other known missile bases.

Israel is continuing to target numerous sites across Iran, which has prompted retaliatory strikes.

Nuclear sites

Newly released optical satellite imagery from Maxar shows the clearest picture yet of what happened at key Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz and Isfahan.

At Natanz, we can see damage to the pilot fuel enrichment plant and an electrical substation, according to analysis by the Institute for Space and International Security (ISIS).

This follows on from earlier analysis of radar imagery that first showed the damage.

On Friday the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, told the UN Security Council that "the above-ground part of the pilot fuel enrichment plant, where Iran was producing uranium enriched up to 60% U-235, has been destroyed".

Uranium-235 is essential both for nuclear power stations and also for nuclear weapons.

Verified footage taken shortly after the strikes show several plumes of smoke rising from the site.

Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told BBC Verify that, while inconclusive, the pattern of explosions "would fit with penetrating bombs being used. Probably GBU-31(V)3s or even possibly more specialised penetrating GBU-28s".

These munitions, known as "bunker busters", have been used by Israel in the past to target underground facilities in both Gaza and Lebanon.

However, Mr Grossi said there is "no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the pilot fuel enrichment plant and the main fuel enrichment plant".

On Saturday, the IAEA confirmed that four "critical buildings" were damaged at Isfahan, including the Uranium conversion facility and the fuel plate fabrication plant.

BBC Verify analysis of the latest images from Maxar found visible damage to at least two structures at Isfahan and an apparent scorch mark near the periphery of the site.

The IAEA has said that "no increase in off-site radiation" has been recorded at either Natanz or Isfahan.

Maxar also provided imagery from two other key Iranian nuclear sites which showed no visible evidence of damage, specficially the the Arak heavy water reactor or the Fordow enrichment facility.

Iranian media had reported the latter site was targeted, but the IDF have since denied this.

Missile/Radar sites

Imagery and analysis captured on Friday by Umbra Space reveals damage to several parts of a missile complex near the city of Tabriz in north-western Iran.

The damaged sites include weapon storage areas, missile shelters and silos, according to the annotated graphic provided by Umbra with analysis by geospatial intelligence consultant Chris Biggers.

In Kermanshah, low resolution imagery from Planet Labs shows what appears to be extensive burn marks to an area near a known missile base, and possible damage to two buildings.

Footage we verified from the same site on Friday showed at least three large plumes of smoke rising from the base.

Maxar also provided imagery showing significant damage to one structure at Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ghadir ballistic missile base near Tehran, and considerable damage to the IRGC radar site in Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan Province.

Protests against President Donald Trump have taken place in towns and cities across the US, organised by a group called "No Kings".

The demonstrations were held to counter a rare military parade hosted by Trump in Washington DC, and came after days of protests in Los Angeles and elsewhere over his immigration policies.

Lawmakers, union leaders and activists gave speeches in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Houston to crowds waving American flags and placards critical of Trump.

The military parade on Saturday evening, also Trump's birthday, was timed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army. He warned that any protests at the parade would be met with "heavy force".

Organisers said there were hundreds of protests with millions of participants.

In Philadelphia, people gathered in Love Park. "I just feel like we need to defend our democracy," Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse, told the Associated Press.

She said Trump's staffing cuts to public health agencies were one of the reasons why she turned out.

One of the larger crowds was in Los Angeles where leaders and law enforcement have been on high alert during days of protests, sometimes violent, against a series of deportation raids.

Trump sent in the state's National Guard a week ago against the wishes of Governor Gavin Newsom and to the anger of local officials.

On Saturday, Jose Azetcla, a member of the civil rights group the Brown Berets, told the BBC in Los Angeles that it was immigration that brought him out on to the streets.

"It's not harsh, it's evil. You don't separate families," he said.

There were confrontations between protesters and National Guard soldiers near the Federal Building and tear gas was fired to disperse the crowds.

But a block or two away, hundreds of protesters continued marching peacefully.

Despite the largest outpouring of protests since Trump was re-elected, opinion polls indicate his immigration policies remain broadly popular with the public.

A CBS/YouGov survey last week found 54% of Americans approved of his policy to deport immigrants who are in the US illegally - 46% disapproved.

A plurality of Americans (42%) said Trump's programme was making them safer and 53% said he was prioritising the deportation of dangerous criminals.

The "No Kings" name of the protests refers to criticism that Trump has overstepped the limits of presidential power in his second term.

The president stood to salute as some of the thousands of uniformed soldiers taking part in the parade marched past, alongside dozens of tanks and military vehicles, plus marching bands.

He spoke briefly to thank those present for their service.

"Our soldiers never give up. Never surrender and never, ever quit. They fight, fight, fight. And they win, win, win."

Some politicians and former military leaders have criticised the event as a costly vanity project. The price tag is between $25m and $45m (£18.4m to £33.2m), according to the Army.

But many of those attending told the BBC that for them it was about celebrating the military, to which some of them held a deep connection.

When Melvin Graves returned from fighting in Vietnam, he got no parade, he said, so this was as close as he would come to one.

Mr Graves acknowledged politics played a part in the event but added: "This is about honouring these men and women who served, to thank them for their service."

The last US military parade was held by President George HW Bush in June 1991, celebrating the US-led victory in the Gulf War.

A crowd of 200,000 people attended the parade to cheer on veterans, peaking at 800,000 who watched the fireworks display, the LA Times reported at the time.

The numbers at Saturday's event was well below that, partly due to wet conditions and the forecast of heavy rain.

For younger veterans, the parade was something they never saw during their time in service.

Brian Angel, a former infantryman from Virginia who served in the Army between 2014 and 2017, including a stint at the border between South and North Korea, told the BBC he wanted to see more of this.

"Every branch should get some sort of parade or recognition."

Some experts saw an uneasy juxtaposition between US soldiers marching through the capital while troops had been deployed by the president to deal with protests in LA.

Security expert Barbara Starr told the BBC: "Because of that polarisation right now over this immigration debate and the use of troops in uniforms carrying weapons, I think it does overhang this parade in a way that was perhaps not originally envisioned by the army."

• Hiding in fields - farm workers in California fear deportation

Some of the "No Kings" demonstrations in the state of Minnesota were cancelled by organisers after flyers for the event were found in the car of the man accused of fatally shooting a state politician and her husband.

Governor Tim Walz urged people not to attend protests until the suspect had been arrested but that did not stop thousands turning out.

Doctors in India say 270 bodies have been recovered from the site of Thursday's plane crash in Ahmedabad.

The London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off killing all but one of the 242 passengers, a 40-year-old British man.

Officials have been trying to establish how many people were killed on the ground and have been continuing the slow process of matching DNA samples to confirm the victims' identities.

Vigils honouring the dead have taken place across India and the UK.

The man accused of being responsible for holding the missing American journalist Austin Tice has claimed that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered his execution, security sources have told the BBC.

Major General Bassam Al Hassan is a former commander in the Republican Guards who was part of President Assad's inner circle.

He was also the Chief of Staff of the National Defence Forces (NDF), the paramilitary group that a BBC investigation uncovered was responsible for holding Mr Tice after his abduction in 2012.

The discovery was made as part of an upcoming BBC Radio 4 podcast about the disappearance of Austin Tice.

The American journalist vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday.

He had been working as a freelance journalist and was leaving Syria when he was abducted.

The fallen regime consistently denied knowing of his whereabouts - the BBC investigation showed that was false and that Mr Tice was being held in Damascus.

Al Hassan, who is subject to UK, EU, Canadian and US sanctions, oversaw the facility where Mr Tice was held.

Earlier this year, he is said to have met with US law enforcement at least three times in Lebanon.

Sources claim that at least one of those meetings was in the US embassy complex.

During these conversations, he is said to have told investigators from the FBI and CIA that the now-ousted President Assad ordered the execution of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

Sources familiar with the conversations told the BBC that Al Hassan claims to have initially tried to dissuade President Assad from killing Mr Tice, but that he eventually passed on this order and that it was carried out.

Al Hassan is also understood to have provided possible locations for the journalist's body. Sources familiar with the FBI investigation have said that efforts to confirm the validity of Al Hassan's claims are ongoing, and that a search is intended to happen of the sites where Mr Tice's body could be.

Western intelligence sources familiar with the details of Al Hassan's claim that President Assad gave the order to kill Mr Tice are sceptical that he would directly give such an instruction, as he is known for having mechanisms for distancing himself from such actions.

The BBC accompanied Mr Tice's mother, Debra, to Beirut as the 13th anniversary of her son's disappearance approaches. Upon finding out that Bassam al Hassan had spoken to US officials, Debra Tice attempted to meet with Al Hassan herself and contacted the US embassy requesting assistance.

She told the BBC: "I just want to be able to speak to him as a mother and ask him about my son." Her attempt to meet with Al Hassan was unsuccessful.

When asked about the claims by Al Hassan, she said her feeling was that he "fed the FBI a story that they wanted to hear" to help them close the case.

Debra Tice has led a tireless and determined campaign to bring her son home and remains committed to finding him. She told the BBC: "I am his mother, I still believe that my son is alive and that he will walk free."

Separately, a former member of the NDF with intimate knowledge of Austin Tice's detention told the BBC "that Austin's value was understood" and that he was a "card" that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the US.

Bassam Al Hassan was considered one of President Assad's most trusted advisors. After the Syrian regime's collapse in December, Mr Al Hassan had fled to Iran.

Sources close to him have told the BBC that while in Iran, Al Hassan received a phone call and was asked to come to Lebanon to meet with US officials. It is believed that he was given assurances that he would not be detained.

For years, consecutive US presidents have said that Mr Tice, a former US Marine captain, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was a law student at the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington, was alive.

In December 2024, then President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House that "we believe he's alive," and that "we think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet".

Stark images, captured from a drone by environmental campaigners and shared with the BBC, appear to show how nickel mining has stripped forests and polluted waters in one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on Earth.

The Raja Ampat archipelago - a group of small islands in Indonesia's Southwest Papua Province - has been dubbed the "Amazon of the Seas".

But mining for nickel - an ingredient in electric vehicle batteries and in stainless steel - has ramped up there in recent years, according to the organisation Global Witness.

In a move that was welcomed by campaigners, the Indonesian government this week revoked permits for four out of five mining companies operating in the region.

In a statement published online, Indonesia's Ministry for the Environment said: "Raja Ampat's biodiversity is a world heritage that must be protected.

"We pay great attention to mining activities that occur in the area."

But photographs - taken by Global Witness as part of an investigation - appear to show environmental damage already done.

Aerial images show forest loss and sediment run-off into waters that are home to biodiverse coral reefs.

Global Witness told the BBC that land use for mining, across multiple small islands in the archipelago, increased by 500 hectares - equivalent to about 700 football pitches - between 2020 and 2024.

Some conservationists, including the organisation Greenpeace, are concerned that the government's decision could be reversed by legal action by the mining companies.

And one company that operates on Gag island, which has particularly rich deposits of nickel, has been allowed to continue its operations. The government said it would order the "restoration of the ecological impacts that occur" there.

Coral reef conservationist and ecologist Dr Mark Erdmann told BBC News that he was "blown away, and so happy" about the government's decision to revoke the mining permits.

"This is the global epicenter of marine biodiversity," he told BBC News.

Dr Erdmann has worked in Raja Ampat for more than two decades and is one of the founders of a shark rewilding project there called Reshark. He added: "It was a voice of outrage form Indonesian people that made the government pay attention."

But this ecological controversy is an example of how the demand for the metals needed to power battery technology - for electric cars and other low carbon energy sources - can damage the environment.

Indonesia now accounts for more than half of the world's nickel mine production, according to a report last year by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

And while the beauty and biodiversity of the Raja Ampat has drawn attention to mining activity there, mining has been linked to ecological damage elsewhere too.

A 2024 study by Forest Watch Indonesia found a link between the loss of forests associated with mining activity and increased local flooding and landslides.

Increasing demand for so-called critical minerals is shaping economic decisions around the world. It was the driving force for President Trump's recent executive order to jumpstart the mining of metallic nodules from the deep sea in international waters. It is a move that China has called illegal.

Dr Erdmann pointed out that balancing economic growth with environmental protection was a particular dilemma for Indonesia. "It has a lot of nickel - one way or the other, some of it's going to come out of the ground," he said.

Dr Michaela Guo Ying Lo from the University of Kent led a study in 2024 of the impact of mining on local communities in Sulawesi, the large Indonesian island that has most of the country's nickel deposits.

That concluded that mining activity reduced poverty slightly, but that there was significant "worsening of environmental well-being" including increased local water and air pollution.

"Indonesia is positioning itself globally in the nickel market," Dr Lo told BBC News. "But it's important not to forget what's happening locally."

Imam Shofwan, an environmental campaigner from an organisation called Jatam, based in Jakarta, told BBC News: "They say nickel is a solution to the climate crisis. But it's causing deforestation and destroying farmland."

He also pointed out to the BBC that low-lying coastal areas, where some nickel deposits are found, are some of the places most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels.

Dr Erdmann commented: "The nickel dilemma is a horrible one.

"Mining is always going to be environmentally impactful and we all tend to think that electrification is a good idea. But what is the acceptable damage that we're willing to see?"

The BBC contacted the Indonesian government for comment, but did not receive a reply.

Construction is booming in Somalia's capital city and as Mogadishu literally rises from the ashes of its violent past it is also giving unexpected opportunities to women like Fathi Mohamed Abdi and Saadia Ahmed Omar.

The two young female engineers have been overseeing the construction of a 10-floor apartment complex in Taleh in the city's Hodan District.

Wearing hard hats they navigate their way through construction material, issuing instructions to a team of workers - all of whom are men.

"When I started, people doubted me," 24-year-old Ms Abdi, the chief operating officer of Arkan Engineering Services, a Somali-owned construction company, tells the BBC.

"They would ask, 'How can we trust a house built by a woman? How can I trust my money and property with a young female engineer?'"

She and her colleague Ms Omar have been practising engineers for the last five years.

"Mogadishu needs us," says Ms Omar, who is also 24. "When I was young, this city was in chaos. Now, we are part of its reconstruction."

Somalia, a former Italian colony, has experienced a prolonged period of civil war after the government of President Siad Barre collapsed in January 1991.

Even now, scars of decades of war are still visible - like in the central district of Shangani where there are bombed-out buildings. But the ruins are becoming hidden or replaced by tall office complexes and apartments, and a skyline dotted with cranes and scaffolding.

Both young women were born during the civil war and grew up witnessing their country fragmenting. While many Somalis chose to leave, they stayed, driven by a passion to rebuild, despite the fact that an insurgency was being waged by al-Shabab, a group linked to al-Qaeda.

"I think part of the reason women are getting more chances in this field is because there's so much work to do, and not enough professionals to do it. That creates space for us," Ms Omar says.

Ibrahim Abdi Heyle, chairman of the Somali Engineers Association, agrees the high demand for skilled professionals is leading to change - even if slowly in Somalia's traditionally male-dominated society.

"With numerous ongoing infrastructure, energy, and technology projects, the workload has significantly increased. As a result, the association actively encourages greater participation from women, emphasising that they are not only welcomed but also vital in filling critical gaps in the workforce," the 34-year-old says.

"The association believes that empowering women in engineering not only helps meet the growing demand but also brings diverse perspectives and innovative solutions to the industry."

According to the office of the mayor of Mogadishu, over the last five years, more than 6,000 buildings have been constructed, marking a significant change in the city's landscape.

"Security in Mogadishu has improved, leading to an increase in high-rise and commercial buildings," says Salah Hassan Omar, the mayor's spokesperson.

Nonetheless it has not been an easy path for Ms Abdi and Ms Omar as only 5% of engineers are women - and they often find opportunities for mentorship are scarce.

"When I applied for internships, most companies rejected me," Ms Omar recalls. "They didn't think a woman could handle the physical demands of engineering. I searched for three months before someone finally gave me a chance."

Today, the two are among the most recognised female engineers in Mogadishu, having overseen more than 30 multimillion-dollar projects.

"The city is now home to taller buildings and modern infrastructure, a stark contrast to the Mogadishu of the past," Ms Abdi says proudly.

But not everyone is pleased with the transformation. Veteran architect Siidow Cabdulle Boolaay laments the loss of the city's historical character.

"The buildings that once graced Somalia before the war were not only beautiful but also attracted attention due to their Italian-style architecture, which was rare in Africa at that time," he tells the BBC. "The urban planning of Mogadishu was highly structured."

Mr Boolaay also has safety concerns: "The sand used in Mogadishu's buildings is salty, which undermines its effectiveness."

Sand from Somalia's long coastline is often used to make cement - a practice that is generally discouraged and, in many circumstances, restricted by international building standards because the high salt content can cause the corrosion of steel.

"These tall buildings are not designed to withstand fire or heavy rain, and safety for the tenants is not considered during development. Many of these buildings lack fire extinguishers and proper electrical installations," he adds - visibly disappointed.

He is wary of the pace at which buildings are being constructed, which he says is compromising quality control.

For years, there were no regulations, leading to concerns about their structural integrity.

Mr Omar, from the mayor's office, admits this was the case until three years ago - and says nothing can be done about those buildings.

But he insists there is now "quality control and nobody will build a building without it".

"We are [also] preparing new laws that will clearly define where high-rise buildings can be constructed and where only residential houses should be built."

Yet there are worries that while regulations are in place - there are often no follow-up checks because of the speed of the building boom.

Ms Abdi and Ms Omar, who graduated from Plasma University Mogadishu's faculty of civil engineering, say under their firm all their projects have been approved by the local authorities.

The rapid growth of construction projects has been attributed to diaspora investments as well as improved security - although Islamist militants who control large swathes of southern Somalia still target the city.

According to the World Bank, remittances made up 16.7% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 - something that has given opportunities to architects and engineers.

But the rapid urbanisation has also exposed Mogadishu to infrastructure challenges - it lacks a proper sewage system and unregulated borehole drilling risks depleting groundwater reserves.

Christophe Hodder, a UN climate security and environmental adviser, warns that the unchecked construction boom could lead to long-term environmental consequences.

"We need a co-ordinated approach to water management, or we risk a crisis in the future. Each new building is digging its own borehole... in a small space, there could be 10 or 20 boreholes," he told the BBC.

The government, in partnership with international organisations, is working on a new sewage system, but its implementation may require demolishing existing buildings - a controversial move that could displace residents and businesses.

Mr Hodder adds that there is a high population density in Mogadishu - people driven into the city by drought and conflict.

An increase in the urban population, especially in slum areas, might further increase poverty and social disparities, he says.

Despite these challenges, Mogadishu's future looks promising. The city is striving to implement urban development regulations, improve infrastructure and ensure sustainable growth.

Even the bombings by the Islamist armed group al-Shabab - whose fighters tend to target plush hotels often occupied by politicians - does not dent the enthusiasm of the Somali Engineers Association.

Mr Heyle admits it can be upsetting for architects and engineers whose buildings are destroyed but notes that Somalis have become resilient - especially those studying engineering.

"A lot of explosions happened; our dreams did not stop on that. Today we are reviving the engineering profession, which collapsed 30 years ago. That means there is hope."

And the ambition is that in five years, Mogadishu will not only be a modern city but also a model post-conflict reconstruction.

"I believe Mogadishu is a different city compared to the 1990s; the city has changed to a new style, and Mogadishu's development is in line with the new world," says Ms Omar.

"When I walk through the streets and see buildings I helped construct, I feel proud. We are not just building structures; we are building hope."

Ms Abdi agrees, adding: "We are proving that women can not only design buildings but also lead projects and shape the city."

You may also be interested in:

• Somalia's lost tapes revive musical memories
• Actor in film warning of revenge killings shot dead in family feud
• 'Why I spent my university fees on Somali TikTok battles'
• Somalia's opioid overdose: Young, female and addicted

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

On the frozen frontline in the east of Zaporizhzhia, a Ukrainian soldier surveyed the fallout from a Russian assault. It was the middle of January 2024 and the ground was covered in ice. Two weeks earlier, an 18-strong Russian assault team had broken through the line and seized three positions, killing five Ukrainians and losing 10 Russians before ceding the thin stretch of land back to the Ukrainians just hours later. The three positions that had changed hands were each just a few foxholes in the ground –⁠ dots on a devastated landscape of craters and shredded trees.

The Ukrainian soldier filmed as he looked over the remains of his fallen comrades. "This is Vitas, the small one," he said, using the dead man's callsign. He examined another body. "A silver ring, this is Grinch," he said. With difficulty, he turned over another frozen body. It was in bad condition, but the face was recognisable. The soldier sighed. "What can I find to cover you, so that you won't get cold," he said to the dead man. He picked up a nearby helmet and placed it over the damaged face. "We have found the Penguin," he said.

A year later, in January 2025, a Russian soldier was frog-marched down the corridor of a rundown local courthouse in Zaporizhzhia flanked by five Ukrainian soldiers and a large rottweiler trained on the Russian's scent and straining at its leash to attack him. Dmitriy Kurashov, callsign 'Stalker', was about to go on trial for the alleged battlefield execution of Vitalii Hodniuk, a veteran 41-year-old Ukrainian soldier known by the callsign 'Penguin'.

The trial was to be the first of its kind. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian troops have executed at least 124 prisoners of war on the battlefield since the full-scale invasion began, but Kurashov is the first person to be brought to trial in Ukraine for the crime. His case is one of a tiny number among the tens of thousands of open war crimes cases where a suspect has been captured and can be made to stand in the dock. Adding to the unprecedented nature of the event, three members of Kurashov's own unit had agreed to testify against him.

In the bright, boxy courtroom, Kurashov was locked in a glass-enclosed dock. Short in stature, his head often bowed, he cut a subdued figure. When he did look around, he was forced to swivel his head because he had lost one eye to a grenade at the front. It was not Kurashov's first time in the dock; he had been jailed twice before in Russia, and was among the thousands of prisoners freed by the state to take part in the war.

The prosecutor read the charges. Kurashov was accused of shooting Hodniuk execution style as the Ukrainian soldier attempted to surrender – a violation of the laws of war. Kurashov had intially pleaded not guilty, during the pre-trial phase, but now in court he switched his plea to guilty. Informally, he maintained his innocence, and was making the switch purely to speed up the process, he said.

According to the UN, battlefield executions by Russians have increased at an alarming rate over the past year. In a February report, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said it had found evidence of 79 executions by Russian forces since August 2024, as well as evidence of three illegal killings by Ukraine using first-person drones. The UN also said it had found at least three calls by Russian public officials ordering or approving executions, and according to Ukraine there is evidence of Russian battlefield commanders ordering executions up and down the frontline.

The assault on the front by Kurashov's unit was to be his first proper operation, just a few weeks after joining the war. The unit was part of "Storm-V", a detachment of the 127th motorised rifle division made up almost entirely of freed prisoners. The Storm-V units have been used by Russia as cannon fodder, sent to stage assaults on the worst parts of the frontline. They are a grim echo of similar units formed by Stalin, characterised principally by their extremely high rate of attrition.

The operation began early on the morning of 6 January 2024 under a dense fog. The 18-strong Storm-V team approached the frontline in two armoured vehicles and a tank and the assault began. Kurashov was directed towards the small cluster of foxholes where Hodniuk and others were hiding, following a Russian artillery barrage.

This is where Kurashov's account diverges from that of the prosecution and the Russian soldiers testifying against him. They say Kurashov called into a foxhole for those inside to surrender and Hodniuk emerged unarmed and kneeled on the ground, only for Kurashov to shoot him with a burst from his AK-47. Kurashov says that it was not him who fired the shots but another Russian, a medic with callsign "Sedoy", who was later killed.

The Russians could not hold the position for long. Overpowered by Ukrainian forces just hours later, Kurashov and the other survivors crawled out of the foxholes and surrendered. They were marched away from the front to a Ukrainian armoured vehicle and taken as prisoners of war. Ukrainian soldiers who saw Hodniuk's body told the country's state security service, the SBU, that it lay face down with no weapon nearby.

The SBU could not access the scene, because it was too close to the contact line, but the agency began what would become an extensive remote investigation. At an SBU location in Zaporizhzhia last month, the officer in charge – who spoke on condition of anonymity because of his work in the security service – drew a map of the scene and explained how they put Kurashov in the dock.

"The first step was interrogating the eight prisoners of war," he said. "They were questioned as witnesses and later their identities were fully confirmed via social networks, mobile phones, and partial radio intercepts that preceded the event. The entire unit in that sector was tracked."

Initially, there were two suspected executions. Another Ukrainian, callsign 'Grinch', had been beaten to death with a shovel, one witness said. But the SBU couldn't prove it. "The polygraph didn't confirm the information and when the bodies were eventually recovered from the battlefield, none of them had such injuries," the investigator said. "My opinion, after examining all the facts, is that this was made up."

It was, he said, an example of Ukraine's ability to investigate and prosecute war crimes impartially, despite being the victim and under an ongoing state of war from the aggressor. "Look, we have one suspect on trial for an execution," the SBU investigator said, referring to Kurashov. "I signed it and sent it to court because we've gathered enough evidence that points to guilt. If our goal was simply to suspect anyone and send them to court we would have ten prisoners passing through every day."

The seriousness with which Ukraine is treating this criminal prosecution is apparent. The SBU investigation produced more than 2,000 pages of evidence. Each of the witnesses was put through filmed reconstructions of the event on a Ukrainian army shooting range. In court, all efforts have been made by the prosecutor and the judges to ensure that Kurashov understands his rights, that he can understand his translator, and is given the opportunity to cross examine witnesses against him – an opportunity he has so far declined. (Kurashov's state-appointed lawyer declined to speak to the BBC. She has spoken only briefly in court, on administrative matters and to clarify some descriptions of the event by witnesses.)

The three Russian witnesses all testified on the first day of Kurashov's trial – three former prisoners who like Kurashov had gambled on surviving the war to gain their freedom. One had been serving 25 years to life for killing two drug dealers, another nine years for grievous bodily harm for killing a man with a brick in a fight, a third eight years, also for grievous bodily harm.

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They gave evidence via video link from an adjacent courtroom, so they could be locked in their own dock. Dmitry Zuev, 44, was to be the key witness. He told the court that he saw Kurashov call for the Ukrainians to come out of the foxhole and surrender, after which Hodniuk emerged and knelt with his hands up. Then there were more gunshots and explosions, Zuev said, and he saw Hodniuk fall face down into the mud. Zuev also told the court that he personally knew the medic, Sedoy, who Kurashov has accused of the killing, and Sedoy was not there.

Oleg Zamyatin, 54, testified that Hodniuk was not holding a gun when he emerged from the foxhole. Zamyatin did not see Kurashov fire the alleged shots, he said, because there were explosions at the same moment.

"But I can say that it was him," Zamyatin told the court. "Because there was no one else at that spot except him."

Konstantin Zelenin, 41, the commander of Kurashov's small assault group, told the court he was hiding in a crater when he saw Hodniuk exit the foxhole on the right side with his hands up.

"Then, just a split second later, as the shelling began again, I heard a burst from an automatic rifle," Zelenin said.

"On the right side was Stalker, and he was there alone."

In the dock, Kurashov sat largely mute as his former unit mates testified against him, speaking only occasionally to his lawyer through a slim gap in the enclosure's door. It is not clear yet if he will testify on his own behalf. The day after one of his hearings, he agreed to talk to the BBC about how he had ended up on trial in Ukraine.

The interview was co-ordinated by the SBU and conducted at a derelict building in Zaporizhzhia being used as a kind of safe house by the service, which confirmed the basic facts of Kurashov's life. Kurashov appeared in good condition and said he had agreed freely to take part. The lead judge in his case permitted the interview, for which an SBU press officer was present some of the time. Kurashov's remarks to the BBC will not be admissible in court.

His journey to that miserable stretch of front where Hodniuk died – to becoming Stalker – began in an orphanage in Gremyachinsk, a decayed old coal town about a thousand miles from Moscow on the way to Siberia. Orphaned at birth, Kurashov was raised in a group home. As a teenager, he got into a fight with a police officer and was imprisoned for assault. He served four years, but on his release he had no family, friends or place to live, so he became a vagrant. He began robbing summer houses and shops for food and money, he said, resulting in another imprisonment, this time in a remote penal colony alongside men serving life sentences for the some of the most brutal crimes.

Six months into that sentence, representatives from the Russian military came to the penal colony and told the convicts they had an opportunity to turn a new page in their lives. Kurashov still had five years to serve. "They told us you can have a clean slate, become a clean person," he said. "Just sign this contract and go."

"Go" meant to the "special military operation" in Ukraine. Kurashov knew little about it, he said, but he thought anything was better than five more years in the penal colony or being turned out into the streets at the end of his sentence. So he signed, and was taken immediately to a training camp in occupied territory in Ukraine.

Kurashov described his unit as made up entirely of "people who had been pushed down by life and rejected by society, who were outside of society". They were given 21 days training, he said, during which they were drunk almost all the time. "They did not want to study or train," he recalled. "They all said they were just there to die."

There was no training on the Geneva Convention, to which Russia and Ukraine are both signatories, and which prohibits the killing of people who have surrendered or no longer pose a threat. In fact, the trainers told them the opposite, Kurashov said. "The ones who taught us how to take positions told us not to take any prisoners," he said. His description matches accounts from his unit mates, who told Ukrainian investigators they were instructed to execute prisoners and throw grenades into dugouts even if the enemy had surrendered.

It also matches accounts from other Russian prisoners of war. "I don't recall training on international humanitarian law," a Russian POW told the UN recently. "During our military training and later, commanders told us not to take [Ukrainian soldiers] as prisoners of war. It is logistically cumbersome."

According to Kurashov, the unit were told they would be carrying out logistical operations like digging trenches, but instead found themselves headed immediately for battle. During the brief assault on the Ukrainian position, Kurashov's impression was not one of an able military unit at war. "What I saw was people who just laid down and died," he said. Within hours, 10 of the 18-strong assault team were dead and the remaining eight were in captivity.

Within a fortnight, the incident had become one of Ukraine's many thousands of war crimes cases. Ukraine has no specialist war crimes courts, so the cases generally fall to whichever court is local to the offence. In this case, the Zavodskyi District in Zaporizhzhia.

Prior to the full scale invasion, 32-year-old Zavodskyi District prosecutor Mykyta Manevskyi had taken on a range of civil crimes like robbery, vandalism and fraud, plus two murder cases, but never a war crime. "When you're working with an ordinary murder case, it has difficulties but it's pretty simple," Manevskyi said. "You know where the murder took place, you can collect DNA and fingerprints, you can find the murder weapon. You have almost immediate access to the body. You can conduct forensic tests."

In this case, Manevskyi's murder scene was on the contact line. "We could not even extract the body for two months," he said. "It made it difficult to perform any kind of forensic examination. The body was too long under the sun, the rain and snow, and it was harmed by artillery strikes."

That made it difficult to ascertain anything concrete about the nature of the shots that killed Hodniuk. "This is not the level of detail, unfortunately, that we need when investigating a murder," Manevskyi said. "So we had to focus more on working with the witnesses we had."

In fact, the prosecution is relying almost totally on the testimony of the Russian soldiers. There are no other eyewitnesses, no drone footage of the actual event and the physical evidence is circumstantial, much of it badly degraded by the battlefield conditions which persisted for weeks before the bodies could be recovered.

But the testimony is not without its complications. The witnesses are all POWs, being held by the nation prosecuting the case. They were each interrogated up to 10 times by the Ukrainian state security service, during which time some of their stories evolved. One bore a grudge against Kurashov from their time together in training, he told investigators. Another said he resented the defendant for, in his view, getting them caught.

"It is a tricky area," said Sergey Vasiliev, a professor of international law at the Open University of the Netherlands. "POWs are a particularly vulnerable category of witnesses, any evidence they give should be taken with a grain of salt." There was nothing inherently wrong with POWs testifying, Vasiliev said, but various factors could have affected their decision to appear for the prosecution. "Maybe they are expecting better treatment in Ukrainian custody, maybe they expect to be prioritised in a prisoner swap," he said. "They could have various incentives to lie."

Kurashov maintains his story about the medic, Sedoy. He told the BBC he had pleaded guilty because he believed the sooner the trial was over the sooner he could be exchanged back to Russia.

But if Kurashov is found guilty, he is no longer a prisoner of war. He is simply a prisoner in Ukraine's civil legal system. Yuriy Belousov, the head of the war crimes department of Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General, told the BBC that Russian soldiers convicted of war crimes would go to prison in Ukraine and stay there. "We prosecute on behalf of the victims and their relatives and they should feel justice has been done," Belousov said.

In the end, it may not be that simple. Russia has captured many thousands of civilians during its full scale invasion of Ukraine and is effectively holding them hostage in Russian prisons. If the Kremlin decides it wants Kurashov back, it may have leverage to get him.

"That is less of a legal and more of an ethical issue," Belousov said. "If, let's say, 100 people would be offered to exchange for this one, then yes maybe. It is our obligation to prosecute on behalf of victims, but it is also our obligation to save our people who have been kept in Russia."

Belousov and his colleagues are aiming at bigger fish than Kurashov. Their goal for this year and next is to bring cases against middle and higher level Russian command, he said. According to the testimony from the captured Russians in Kurashov's unit, their senior commander issued an order directly before the assault that no prisoners should be taken.

According to Belousov, similar evidence has been found up and down the frontline. Grim video evidence, sometimes shared on Russian social media, appears to bear that out. Russia has in turn accused Ukrainian troops of extra-judicial killings, and Ukraine has launched several investigations into its own forces (the exact number is unclear). But the number of allegations against Russia far outweighs that against Ukraine. Russia has previously denied committing war crimes in the conflict.

The UN has also documented several cases of Russian public figures calling for executions. Last July, after Ukraine's Azov Brigade posted a social media video showing one of its members shooting a Russian soldier in a dugout, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, called for "total executions" of Ukrainian servicemen.

"No words about mercy. No humanity. No pardon. They have no right to life. Execute, execute and execute," Medvedev wrote on the Telegram social media platform.

Medvedev's words will not cost him anything. Instead they run downhill until they reach the level of Vitalii Hodniuk, Dmitry Kurashov, and all the other Russian and Ukrainian men killing each other in service of the war's obscure goals. In this case, one of those men stands accused of breaking the laws of the killing he had been sent to do – laws he may well have been ordered to disregard.

If found guilty, Kurashov faces up to life in prison. At the end of his conversation with the BBC, he said that he had no real vision for the future, other than a desire to return to Russia. "At least I will have a disability," he said, referring to the loss of his eye, and the anticipated benefits it would draw. "I won't have to be a vagrant anymore."

Vitalii Hodniuk cannot return home, of course. It was two months before his body could even be recovered. His family did not want to speak publicly about his passing, but they did assist in the SBU in its investigation. Hodniuk's record shows that he was an experienced soldier who defended Ukraine against Russian-backed forces from 2015 to 2020 and joined up to fight again in 2022.

Last May, six months after he died, the Penguin was brought back to his village to be buried. On a bright morning, just a stone's throw from where he grew up and went to school, people lined the street on their knees to watch his coffin pass by.

Kurashov's trial continues.

Daria Mitiuk contributed to this report. Photographs by Joel Gunter.

In a sign of Greenland's growing importance, French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the Arctic island today, in what experts say is a show of European unity and a signal to Donald Trump.

Stepping foot in the capital Nuuk this morning, Macron will be met with chilly and blustery weather, but despite the cold conditions, he'll be greeted warmly.

"This is big, I must say, because we never had visits from a president at all, and it's very welcomed," says veteran Greenlandic official, Kaj Kleist.

Nuuk is a small city of less than 20,000 people, and the arrival of a world leader and his entourage, is a major event.

"I think that people will be curious, just hearing about it," says consultant and podcast host Arnakkuluk Jo Kleist. "I think they'll be interested in, what his message is going to be."

"He's the president of France, but he's also an important representative of Europe. It's a message from the European countries that they're showing support, that Greenland is not for sale, and for the Kingdom of Denmark," says Arnakkuluk Jo Kleist.

"These last months have created some questions about what allies we need, and also about what allies do we need to strengthen cooperation with," she says.

France's president is the first high-profile leader to be invited by Greenland's new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Talks will focus on North Atlantic and Arctic security as well as climate change, economic development and critical minerals, before Macron continues to the G7 summit in Canada.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is also attending, and called the French president's visit "another concrete testimony of European unity" amid a "difficult foreign policy situation in recent months".

For several months Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous Danish territory with 56,000 people, has come under intense pressure as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to acquire the vast mineral-rich island, citing American security as the primary reason and not ruling out using force.

"Macron is not coming to Greenland just for Greenland's sake, it's also part of a bigger game, among these big powers in the world," says Kleist.

France was among the first nations to speak up against Mr Trump, even floating an offer of deploying troops, which Denmark declined. Only a few days ago at the UN's Oceans conference in Nice, Macron stressed that "the ocean is not for sale, Greenland is not for sale, the Arctic and no other seas are for sale" - words which were swiftly welcomed by Nielsen.

"France has supported us since the first statements about taking our country came out," he wrote in a Facebook post. "It is both necessary and gratifying."

That Macron is coming is a strong message itself, reckons Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

"The vice presidential couple weren't really able to pull it off," he says, referring to JD Vance and his wife Usha's scaled-back trip in March and lack of public engagements. "That, of course, sends a message to the American public, and to Trump."

It also highlights a shift, as Greenland's leaders consolidate relations with Denmark and the EU, "because we have to have allies in these problems," says Kaj Kleist, alluding to US pressure.

"I think it's a good time for Macron to come through here," Kleist adds. "They can talk about defence of the Arctic before the big NATO meetings… And hear what we are looking for, in terms of cooperation and investment."

However, opposition leader Pele Broberg thinks Greenland should have hosted bilateral talks with France alone. ""We welcome any world leader, anytime," he says "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like a visit for Greenland this time. It looks like a visit for Denmark."

Relations between the US and Denmark have grown increasingly fractious. US Vice President JD Vance scolded the Nordic country for underinvesting in the territory's security during his recent trip to an American military base in the far north of Greenland. Last month Denmark's foreign minister summoned the US ambassador in Copenhagen, following a report in the Wall Street Journal alleging that US spy agencies were told to focus efforts on Greenland.

Then, at a congressional hearing on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to suggest under tense questioning that the Pentagon had prepared "contingency" plans for taking Greenland by force "if necessary".

Denmark, however, has treaded cautiously. Last week its parliament green-lighted a controversial bill allowing US troops to be stationed on Danish soil, and is spending another $1.5bn (£1.1bn) to boost Greenland's defence. That heightened military presence was on show this weekend as a Danish naval frigate sailed around Nuuk Fjord and helicopters circled over the town.

"Denmark has been reluctant to make this shift from having a very transatlantic security strategy to a more European strategy," assesses Gad, but that's changed in recent months.

With rising tensions and increased competition between global powers in the Arctic, the EU is also stepping up its role. Earlier this month the trade bloc signed a deal investing in a Greenland graphite mine - a metal used in batteries - as it races to secure supplies of critical minerals, as well as energy resources, amid China's dominance and Russia's war in Ukraine.

For France, the visit to Greenland ties into its policy to boost European independence from the US, suggests Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College.

"This is about, of course, the changed security situation in North Atlantic and the Arctic," he explains. "It's a strong signal. It will show that France takes European security seriously."

The paternity leave offer for new dads in the UK is "one of the worst in the developed world", according to a new report published this week.

The government says the system needs to be "improved" and has promised to review parental leave. But how does the situation in the UK compare to elsewhere?

BBC News spoke to dads across Europe about how much time they can take off work after the birth of their children - and how that has changed fatherhood for them.

When Jamie's daughter Kiara was born three years ago, he says it was "incredibly difficult".

"I had to watch my partner struggle looking after our child," Jamie says. "The biggest thing I remember was the crying. My daughter clearly needed support and my wife was noticeably struggling and exhausted."

A few weeks after Kiara was born, Jamie's mother-in-law flew from Zimbabwe to support the family, because Jamie was only entitled to statutory paternity leave.

Rules in the UK allow new fathers and second parents in full-time employment to take up to two weeks off work. That applies to all partners, regardless of gender, after the birth, surrogacy or adoption of a baby, but not those who are self-employed or dads earning less than £123 a week.

Those eligible receive £187.18 a week, or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower. This works out as less than half of the National Living Wage.

Jamie, from Ashford in Kent, says the statutory pay "was frankly pennies".

He and his partner are now expecting their second child, in August - something they began saving for before Jamie's wife Zanele even fell pregnant.

Jamie says his "frustration" about paternity pay led him to attend the world's first "dad strike" earlier this week, when fathers from across the country protested outside the government's Department for Business and Trade in Westminster.

"Seeing things change relatively recently in other countries... why are we not keeping up?" Jamie says.

For Octavio, spending four months at home with his daughter Alicia has made "a tremendous difference".

He split his paternity leave into two parts - six weeks - which was mandatory -immediately after Alicia was born, and the remaining 10 weeks when his wife went back to work.

"The extended quality time with Alicia allowed us to develop a strong bond that I believe wouldn't have formed as deeply otherwise," says Octavio, a computer engineer from Seville.

Over the past few years, Spain has increased the amount of time given to new fathers. In 2019, dads were entitled to five weeks off work. But from 2021, that was extended to 16 weeks at full pay, including for those who are self-employed. There is no cap on the salary paid. It means parental leave is now equal between mums and dads in Spain.

"These changes have truly made a significant difference," says Octavio.

France has also made progressive steps on paternity leave in recent years.

Antoine is an architect who lives on the outskirts of Paris, and has benefitted from the changes. When his son Thibault was born five years ago, Antoine, who works full-time, was entitled to two weeks paternity leave.

But in September 2020 paternity leave in France doubled, meaning Antoine got four weeks off work when his second child was born in 2023.

"It allowed me to support my wife and children," he says. "Fathers should be allowed to be more present during these family life periods that enrich all relationships and allow them to fully take their place as full-time parents."

France's paternity leave rules mean dads - including those who are self-employed - must take a week off work immediately after their child is born. Pay is covered by the employer for the first three days, but after that is state-funded.

The remaining 21 days, which can be split into two chunks, are optional and can be taken anytime within the next six months. Pay is capped at €3,428 (£2,921) a month.

André, who was born in Portugal and spent nine years living in England, says the prominent role played by dads in Denmark was one of the first things he noticed when he moved there.

"You see dads strolling around with their kids and young babies," André says. "I was like: 'Wow, I'm not used to this.'"

Dads in Denmark, including those who are self-employed, can take up to 24 weeks off work at full pay by the state.

After eleven weeks, the remaining 13 can be transferred to the birth partner if wanted, so they can use them as extra maternity leave. One of the parents can postpone up to 13 weeks of parental until their child is aged nine.

André decided to split his parental leave - taking two weeks immediately after his baby Miro was born and saving the remaining 11 weeks - so he can look after his nine-month-old son when his partner returns to work.

"In Denmark, it's expected that the partner is more present," André says. "You're not only connecting with your child, but you want to develop the family as a whole together."

Dads with full-time jobs in Poland are entitled to two weeks of paternity leave. But unlike in the UK, the salary is paid at 100%, which Kamil says was "great".

Shortly after his daughter Marianna's first birthday, Kamil took another nine weeks of non-transferable parental leave, which must be taken in the first year. This is available to both parents, as long as they are employed, and is paid at 70% of a full-time salary.

"For many families, the 70% nine weeks is very low," Kamil says, "but... when I took the leave my wife started going back to work. I earned 30% less, but she started earning more, so it was beneficial for our family."

Kamil says those extra nine weeks alleviated a lot of "stress" as his wife transitioned back into work after a year off on maternity leave.

"I was confident," Kamil says. "I felt as though I was doing a good job - and my daughter felt good with me."

Mattias, from Stockholm, says comforting his three-month-old son is "the best feeling I've ever experienced".

Mattias is able to take advantage of one of the most generous paternity leave policies in the world. Parents in Sweden, including those who are self-employed, can share up to 480 days of parent leave, with 90 days reserved specifically for each parent.

Ringfencing time off for dads was first introduced in Sweden in 1995, with the introduction of a "daddy month" - 30 days just for fathers. This use-it-or-lose-it model increased to 60 days in 2002, and 90 days in 2016.

The first 390 days for each parent are paid at 80% by the government, up to a monthly salary cap of SEK47,750 (£3,590). After that, there's a daily statutory compensation of SEK180 (£14).

Mattias took six weeks off when Otto was born and will use another nine months of parental leave from November.

"We could share the load in the beginning when everything was new," Mattias says. "Those six weeks allowed us to be parents together - that made a huge difference. "

Paternity leave - the view from the UK

Some companies, both in the UK and abroad, pay out of their own pocket for enhanced paternity leave policies beyond the statutory minimum. But research from 2023 showed just 12% of fathers from low-income households had access to their full entitlement of employer-enhanced parental leave and pay.

Alex Lloyd-Hunter, co-founder of The Dad Shift, says "money is the single biggest barrier" to dads taking time off work and wants the government to fund better paternity leave for all dads.

A report, published this week by the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) said statutory pay in the UK was "completely out of kilter with the cost of living". It suggested the government should consider increasing paternity pay to 90% or more and paternity leave to six weeks in a phased approach.

The report also looked at shared parental leave, introduced in 2014, which allows parents to share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay after the birth or adoption of a child. The review found many families considered it "unnecessarily complex". It is used in fewer than 2% of all births and a report from 2023 suggests almost half (45%) of dads were not even aware shared parental leave was an option.

"We know the parental leave system needs to be improved," a spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said, adding the government would review maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave.

They also pointed to changes which mean dads will soon no longer have to be employed by a company for 26 weeks to be entitled to statutory paternity leave.

The homes of two Minnesota state lawmakers have been targeted in shootings early on Saturday morning, CBS News, the BBC's US news partner, reported.

They were the homes of State Senator John Hoffman and Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, both from the Democratic-Farmer-Labour (DFL) Party, in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, neighbouring cities near Minneapolis.

It is unclear who was shot in the homes or their condition, CBS reported.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz earlier said "targeted shootings" had taken place.

Brooklyn Park Police Department has issued a shelter-in-place order for a three-mile (4.8 km) radius of Edinburgh Golf Course.

Zach Lindstrom, the mayor of nearby Mounds View, said elected officials had received a "safety alert".

Authorities are warning people in the area not to answer their door for a police officer unless there are two officers together, local outlet Fox 9 reported.

Mayor Lindstrom said on X that he had heard the suspect was someone impersonating an "officer and they haven't been caught".

Walz said on X that authorities are "monitoring the situation closely" and he has activated a State Emergency Operations Center - used for managing disasters or emergencies.

As sirens rang out across Israel in the early hours of Saturday morning, Ifat Benhaim and her family ran into their basement.

"We closed the door, and suddenly there was such a big boom," she says. "I thought all the house fell on us."

When they emerged minutes later, they found their windows shattered and layers of dust and debris strewn across the front room.

On their quiet suburban street in Rishon LeZion, just south of Tel Aviv, the roofs of several homes had caved in. Glass littered the road. At least 30 cars were badly damaged, with smashed windows and huge dents.

The Iranian missile struck shortly after 05:00 local time (03:00 BST).

It came amid six waves of Iranian attacks overnight - launched in response to large-scale Israeli air strikes on Iran - that sent millions of people running for shelter.

Two were killed in Rishon LeZion, with one named by Israeli media as 73-year-old Israel Aloni. Around 19 others were injured.

Ambulances and rescue crews arrived shortly after the missile struck. Sniffer dogs were used to search among the smashed concrete and warped metal for any unexploded ordnance.

Now, Ifat, her husband Zion, and six younger relatives are packing up what they can from the home they've lived in for 29 years - and trying to decide where they'll stay over the coming days.

One of their neighbours, who did not want to be named, said she had chosen to stay with her daughter that night - just in case. It may have saved her life.

Another local, 48-year-old Sally Ilan, clutched some crockery she managed to salvage from the ruins of her parents' home.

"It was the first house to be built in the neighbourhood," she says, gesturing behind her. "My father was so eager to build it."

"Forty years of memories are gone... It's heavy on the heart."

A total of three people were killed across the country in the overnight strikes - two here in Rishon LeZion, one in the nearby city of Ramat Gan. About 76 were injured.

But the destruction - even in these worst-hit areas - is limited compared to what has been seen in Iran.

Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" began early Friday with the assassination of senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists. It has since broadened out, striking Iran's nuclear facilities, missile sites, air defences, military bases, an airport and other infrastructure.

Iran's UN envoy said on Friday night that 78 people had been killed at that point. On Saturday, an Iranian health ministry official said around 800 people had been injured.

Iranian state television reported that 60 people - including 29 children - had been killed in an Israeli strike on a block of flats in the capital, Tehran.

In Rishon LeZion, not far from the worst-hit homes, someone had written a question into a layer of dust on a car windscreen: "Until when?"

This conflict may be less than 48 hours old - but it's a question much of the world is now asking.

An Italian museum has called on patrons to "respect art" after a couple was filmed breaking a chair covered in hundreds of glittering crystals.

Footage released by the Palazzo Maffei, in Verona, shows a man and woman taking pictures of each other while pretending to sit on the so-called "Van Gogh" chair.

The man then appears to slip and fall onto the chair, crushing it underneath him.

Officials say the couple fled the museum before staff noticed what happened.

They have since notified police about the pair, who have not been identified.

"Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don't think about the consequences," says museum director Vanessa Carlon.

"Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us - that isn't an accident," she adds. "This is a nightmare for any museum".

The BBC understands this incident happened in April. Palazzo Maffei released the footage on 12 June.

The chair was built by Italian artist Nicola Bolla and is bejewelled with Swarovski crystals made from polished, machine-cut glass. It is named after Vincent van Gogh as a tribute to the Dutch artist's painting of a simple chair.

Bolla's piece is somewhat priceless, in that the museum declined to provide an estimate of its value when asked by the BBC.

Carlotta Menegazzo, an art historian based at the Palazzo Maffei, says that - while it looks sturdy - its frame is mostly hollow and kept together with foil.

"On the chair was a note warning people not to touch, and of course it is placed on a pedestal, so it's quite clear it's not a real chair," says Ms Menegazzo.

Two legs and the main seat were broken, but Ms Menegazzo says "a great job" has been done to restore the piece and it is now back in place.

The Palazzo Maffei opened in 2020 and has 650 pieces on display, including paintings by Picasso and ancient Egyptian art.

Ms Carlon says the majority of visitors are considerate, and she hopes this release of CCTV footage won't become a "negative episode".

Instead, she wants to highlight that "anyone should enter art places, or museums or churches, wherever art is displayed, in a more respectful way".

"Art must be respected and loved because it is very fragile," she adds.