A flight carrying British aid arrived in Jamaica early on Saturday to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa, as the UK plans its first chartered flight to bring British nationals home later on Saturday.

The aid flight brought more than 3,000 emergency shelter kits as part of a £7.5 million regional emergency package.

Part of the funding will be used to match donations to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent - with King Charles and Queen Camilla among those who have donated.

Despite aid arriving in Jamaica in recent days, fallen trees and landslides have complicated distribution efforts after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the island, killing at least 19 people.

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Melissa swept across the region over a number of days and left behind a trail of destruction and dozens of people dead. In Haiti, at least 30 people were killed, while Cuba also saw flooding and landslides.

Jamaica's Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Friday "there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened".

The UK initially set aside a £2.5 million immediate financial support package, with an additional £5 million announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday.

Cooper said the announcement came as "more information is now coming through on the scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, with homes damaged, roads blocks and lives lost".

The British Red Cross said, as of Saturday morning, that 72% people across Jamaica still do not have electricity and around 6,000 are in emergency shelters.

The organisation said the King and Queen's donation would help the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) "continue its lifesaving work" - which includes search and rescue efforts in Jamaica as well as ensuring access to healthcare, safe shelter and clean water.

Although aid is entering the country, landslides, downed power lines and fallen trees have made some roads impassable. The situation has made it difficult to get aid to the worst-hit areas.

Some communities are being affected by water shortages, while the BBC has seen queues for petrol pumps, with people waiting for hours to then be told there is no fuel left when they reach the front of the queue.

Some people are seeking fuel for generators, others for a car to reach an area in which they can contact people, as the power is still down across most of the island.

Around 8,000 British nationals were thought to have been on the island when the hurricane hit.

The UK's first chartered flight to bring British citizens home is set to leave Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport late on Saturday.

The UK foreign office has asked travellers to register their presence on the island.

The department also advises travellers to contact their airline to check whether commercial options are available.

As Zohran Mamdani walked the streets of the Upper East Side for a campaign event to greet early voters, he could barely walk a few steps without being stopped by his supporters.

Two smiling young women looked starstruck and told him they followed him on Instagram. The millennial Democratic nominee for mayor thanked them before posing with another young man who had readied his phone for a selfie.

Throngs of press surrounded Mamdani and captured his every moment, like running into the street to shake hands with a taxi driver shouting "we support you, man".

With a comfortable lead in the polls, the 34-year-old is on the brink of making history when New Yorkers vote on Tuesday, as the youngest mayor in over a century and the first Muslim and South Asian leader of the city.

A relatively unknown figure just months ago, few could have predicted his rise, from hip-hop artist and housing counsellor to New York State Assembleyman and frontrunner to lead the biggest city in the US, a job which comes with a $116bn budget and global scrutiny.

Leading a three-way race

Through viral videos and outreach to content creators and podcasters, Mamdani has reached disaffected voters at a time when faith in the Democratic party among its own members is at an all-time low.

But there are questions over whether he can deliver on his ambitious promises and how a politician with no executive experience will handle the onslaught sure to come from a hostile Trump administration.

There is also the complicated relationship he has with his party establishment, as he becomes a national figurehead for left-wing Democrats.

He describes himself as a democratic socialist, which essentially means giving a voice to workers, not corporations. It's the politics of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with whom Mamdani has often shared a stage.

Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funds if New Yorkers elect a "communist". Mamdani's retort is that he's more like a Scandinavian politician, only browner.

Victory would be seen as a rejection of politics as usual by New Yorkers as they struggle with the cost of living - Mamdani's number one issue.

His main rival in Tuesday's vote is former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the primary.

Cuomo accuses Mamdani of an anti-business agenda that would kill New York. He says he has shown he can stand up to Trump but Mamdani calls Cuomo the president's puppet.

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, mocks both of them. In the last debate, he said: "Zorhan, your resume could fit on a cocktail napkin. And Andrew, your failures could fill a public school library in New York City."

Rent freezes and free buses

Mamdani's message has been laser-focused on affordability and quality of life issues. He has promised universal childcare, freezing rent in subsidised units, free public buses and city-run grocery stores.

It's a message that has landed with New Yorkers fed up with sky-high prices.

"I support him because I'm a housing attorney and I see how the cost of living just keeps going up and up and up," Miles Ashton told the BBC outside the candidates' debate earlier this month. "We all want an affordable city."

The costs of the Mamdani agenda would be covered by new taxes on corporations and millionaires which he insists would raise $9bn although some experts like the libertarian Cato Institute say his sums don't add up. He would also need the support of the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to implement new taxes.

• From Uganda to Queens - Zohran Mamdani
• 'I don't think we should have billionaires' says Mamdani

She has endorsed him but says she is against increased income taxes. She does, however, want to work with him to achieve universal healthcare which is by far the biggest ticket item on his agenda at $5bn.

As he rode the M57 bus across Manhattan to highlight his free buses plan, he told the BBC why his focus on affordability was the right approach in the Trump era.

"It's time for us to understand that to defend democracy, it's not just to stand up against an authoritarian administration. It is also to ensure that that democracy can deliver on the material needs of working class people right here. That's something we've failed to do in New York City."

Among New Yorkers who told the BBC they were not voting for Mamdani, doubts about him being able to pay for his agenda and his inexperience were two of the biggest factors.

What New York business world thinks

After Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June, Wall Street leaders were hardly celebrating. Some threatened to leave the city.

But there's been a noticeable shift since then - the mood is less panic, more collaboration. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon even said he would offer his help if Mamdani is elected.

Real estate developer Jeffrey Gural, who has met Mamdani, says he is too inexperienced to lead the nation's largest city. He thinks his rent freeze plan would hurt tenants and his taxes on wealthy people will drive high earners away.

He does, however, support Mamdani's universal childcare plan, a provision he gives his own staff at his casino upstate.

Part of the change in tone since the primary has been down to a concerted effort on Mamdani's part to meet his critics.

On 14 October, Alexis Bittar, a self-taught jewellery designer who grew his business into a global company, hosted Mamdani and 40 business leaders at his 1850s Brooklyn townhouse.

They were a mix of CEOs or business owners from financial, fashion and art sectors. More than half were Jewish and they were all either on the fence or opposed to Mamdani's candidacy.

There were questions about business, his management experience, and how he would finance his agenda.

"I think he came across great," Mr Bittar told the BBC. "The thing that's remarkable about him is he's incredibly equipped to answer them and diligently answer them."

• Sparks fly in second NYC mayoral debate
• How Mamdani stunned field to win primary

An apology to police

Part of Mamdani's engagement with his critics has been a willingness to change his position.

In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Mamdani called for the city to defund police and called the NYPD "racist". But he has since apologised and says he no longer holds those views.

Crime is the number one issue for Howard Wolfson, who worked for former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and is now a Democratic strategist. He was present during a meeting last month between the mayoral hopeful and Bloomberg, who spent $8m during the primary race trying to beat him.

Wolfson told the BBC he will judge Mamdani on how the city is policed.

"I think it's great that he reaches out and is engaged, but I'm much more interested in how he's going to govern," he said. "Public safety is really the prerequisite for success or failure."

Many see Mamdani's pledge to ask the police commissioner Jessica Tisch to stay on as a way to allay concerns he would be soft on crime.

He says he would maintain the current level of NYPD staffing and create a new department of community safety that would deploy mental health care teams instead of armed officers to non-threatening, psychiatric calls.

A city divided over Gaza

One position Mamdani has stood firm on is his criticism of Israel and lifelong support for Palestinian rights.

It represents a break from the Democratic Party establishment and could be a deciding factor for many voters in a city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

He sparked outrage during the primary process when he refused to condemn the term "globalise the intifada". But after Jewish New Yorkers expressed their unease to him, telling him they felt unsafe on hearing it, he said he discouraged others from using it.

A letter signed by more than 1,100 rabbis cited Mamdani as it condemned the "political normalization" of anti-Zionism

Jewish voters are largely split between Mamdani and Cuomo in polling.

Brad Lander, the city's comptroller who teamed up in the Democratic primary with Mamdani to endorse each other's candidacy against Cuomo, says many Jewish New Yorkers like him are very enthusiastic about Mamdani.

He is a mayoral candidate deeply committed to keeping everyone safe, regardless of religious beliefs, Lander told the BBC.

Sumaiya Chowdhury and Farhana Islam of the group Muslims for Progress have canvassed for the mayoral hopeful.

Ms Islam said while they are all excited that he could be New York's first Muslim mayor, he doesn't need to lean on his identity for support.

"His policies speak for themselves and they alone are enough to make him popular."

Since his primary win, the Islamophobia Mamdani faces has increased. He now has police security and last month a Texas man was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats against him. In one message, the man said "Muslims don't belong here".

Mamdani decided to deliver an address on Islamophobia after Andrew Cuomo laughed along to a radio talkshow host saying that Mamdani would cheer another 9/11-style attack.

In an emotional speech he said he had hoped that by ignoring racist attacks and sticking to a central message, it would allow him to be more than just his faith. "I was wrong. No amount of redirection is ever enough."

Future of the party

What may propel Mamdani to victory in liberal New York may not be a recipe for success nationally. And Democrats in Congress seem worried about the implications of his ascendancy as party tensions between moderates and progressives persist.

Senator Chuck Schumer has not endorsed Mamdani while his fellow New Yorker House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries only endorsed him a few hours before early voting began.

Democratic strategists have said the problem posed by Mamdani for the party's establishment is that Trump and Republicans already cast Democrats, no matter how moderate, as socialists. And it's a tactic that is thought to have landed with some effect among Cuban and Venezuelan voters in the 2024 election.

Josh Gottheimer, the moderate Democratic representative of New Jersey, told the Washington Post he thinks Mamdani has "extremist views" at odds with the Democratic Party and he fears Republicans will use him as a kind of "bogeyman".

At a campaign event on the Upper East Side, Mamdani told the BBC how he plans to handle the intense scrutiny if he wins, pointing to the energy behind his candidacy.

There is no doubt that there will be opposition, he said, but the mass movement behind him will overcome it.

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US President Donald Trump has unveiled renovations to the bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom, as his remodelling of the White House continues.

Trump shared photos of the new bathroom on social media, saying it had been "renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era".

He claimed the new black and white marble is "very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!".

It is the latest change Trump has made to the White House this year. In October, its East Wing was demolished to make way for his new multi-million dollar ballroom.

The bathroom is a part of Abraham Lincoln's office and cabinet room, which former President Harry Truman fixed up as a part of his massive renovation of the White House in the late 1940s.

The wallpaper of Lincoln's office and bedroom was once coloured in green and gold, according to the White House Historical Association.

After Trump's remodelling, it now features gold fixtures and accents for the sink, bathtub faucet and shower door, as well as a chandelier.

The US president's attempts to put his own stamp on the White House has prompted criticism from conservation groups and his political opponents.

Trump previously said his ballroom addition to the East Wing would not "interfere with the current building". But in October, he said the "existing structure" had to be torn down.

Conservationists argued Trump should have sought public review before making the changes, which they say would overwhelm the classical style of the White House.

Other changes include his decision in August to pave over grass in the iconic Rose Garden with stone, transforming a lawn into a patio.

Trump also added touches of gilded gold all over the Oval Office, including additional portraits framed in gold, gold-framed mirrors and a gold leaf for the presidential seal on the ceiling of the office.

In response to his latest bathroom renovation, the Democrats accused Trump of being more focused on remaking the White House than solving the government shutdown, which is now entering its second month.

"Donald Trump actually cares more about his toilet than he does about fixing your healthcare," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a post on social media.

Democrats are pushing to renew expiring health insurance subsidies, which they say will hit American families. Republicans say they will discuss the subsidies when the government reopens.

France's consumer watchdog has reported the Asian fast fashion giant Shein to authorities for selling "sex dolls with a childlike appearance" on its website.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said the online description and categorisation of the dolls "makes it difficult to doubt the child pornography nature of the content".

Shein later told the BBC: "The products in question were immediately delisted as soon as we became aware of these serious issues."

It said its team was "investigating how these listings circumvented our screening measures". Shein is also "conducting a comprehensive review to identify and remove any similar items that may be listed on our marketplace by other third-party vendors".

The DGCCRF has reported Shein to French prosecutors as well as Arcom, the country's online and broadcasting regulator, according to French media.

The news has emerged just days before Shein is set to open its first permanent physical shop anywhere in the world - in a Parisian department store.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the defence of Pokrovsk is a "priority", as elite special force were deployed to the embattled town on the eastern front line.

Ukrainian army sources told the BBC that special forces from military intelligence and assault groups were being used as regular infantry to protect supply lines to troops holding the town in the Donbas region.

There have been growing reports of Russian advances around the strategic town to the west of Donetsk. Ukraine has denied claims their forces were surrounded.

Moscow wants Kyiv to cede the entire Donbas region as part of a peace deal, including the parts it currently does not control.

Russia currently controls around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula it annexed in 2014.

The deployment of special forces suggests officials in Kyiv are determined to try to hold onto the town, which Russia has been trying to seize for more than a year.

Local media reports that the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, was in the region to personally oversee the operation.

Pokrovsk is a key transport and supply hub whose capture could unlock Russian efforts to seize the rest of the region.

But Kyiv also believes its capture would help Russia in its efforts to persuade the US that its military campaign was succeeding - and, therefore, that the West should acquiesce to its demands.

Washington has grown increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's failure to move forward with peace negotiations - culminating in US President Donald Trump placing sanctions on its two largest oil producers and axing plans for a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky has indicated he was open to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire that would freeze the war along the current front lines. Russia has publicly insisted Ukrainian troops leave the remainder of the Donbas.

In his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said: "Pokrovsk is our priority. We continue to destroy the occupier, and that is what matters most... They must be halted where they have reached - and destroyed there."

Images shared with news agencies appear show a Ukrainian Black Hawk helicopter deploying about 10 troops near Pokrovsk, although the location and date could not be verified.

Russia's defence ministry has claimed it thwarted the deployment of Ukrainian military intelligence special forces north-west of the town, saying all 11 troops who landed by helicopter had been killed.

DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source monitoring group, estimates about half of Pokrovsk is a so-called "grey zone" where neither side is in full control.

A military source in Donetsk told the BBC that Ukrainian forces were not surrounded but their supply lines were under fire from Russian troops.

"The situation in the city has changed so much that [Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General] Syrsky is now sending elite units into the city to stabilise it," he said.

These included special forces and assault units in Ukraine's Defence Intelligence agency (GUR), he said.

"Fighting is now taking place for the railway station and the industrial zone in the west. The battles for the industrial zone have almost reduced logistics from roughly vehicle-based to foot-based.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not in a physical encirclement, but in an operational one - this means that all logistics are under fire control."

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces had "marginally advanced" during recent counter-attacks north of Pokrovsk, but said the town was "mainly a contested 'grey zone'".

A sea of people flowed along the roads leading up to Novi Sad railway station.

They came in their tens of thousands to remember the 16 people who died there this time last year, on another unseasonably warm and sunny autumn day.

The victims were standing or sitting underneath a concrete canopy at the recently-renovated facility, when it collapsed. The two youngest were just six years old, the oldest, 77.

Regular protests have rocked Serbia in the 12 months that have followed. But on Saturday morning, the huge crowd participated in an event that put the emphasis on quiet commemoration.

At 11:52 (10:52 GMT), the time of the disaster, they observed a silence for 16 minutes - one for each of the victims. Family members cried. One woman needed to be physically supported by men wearing the red berets of armed forces veterans.

After the silence, relatives laid flowers at the front of the station.

The rubble of the collapsed canopy has been cleared away, but otherwise the building appears to have remained untouched since the disaster.

Twisted metal protruding from the walls and broken glass still offer evidence of the catastrophe.

• Fourteen dead in Serbia railway station canopy collapse
• Fury over Serbia station tragedy prompts first arrests

Novi Sad station was supposed to be a symbol of Serbia's progress, under President Aleksandar Vučić's Progressive Party. The country's second city would be a key stop on the high-speed railway line whipping passengers from Belgrade to Budapest in less than three hours.

Vučić and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban jointly opened the renovated facility in 2022. Its angular, Yugoslav-era form had been upgraded as part of the high-speed project.

But now, after another renovation and the disaster that followed, the station stands as the prime example of everything that is wrong in Serbia.

For the government's flagship infrastructure project to prove deadly to its citizens was more than many people could bear. They took to the streets, carrying placards reading "corruption kills".

University students quickly took leadership.

Anti-government demonstrations are not exactly a novelty in Serbia, but in contrast to previous movements which fizzled out, the student-led anti-corruption protests have persisted.

"Every other protest movement was organised by political opposition parties and people in Serbia don't trust them," says Aleksa, a 23-year-old management student at Novi Sad University.

"We are the most trusted group in the country - that's why, even though we have made mistakes, people believe in us."

The students have shunned the opposition parties. After initially demanding accountability from the authorities, they are now calling for fresh elections.

They plan to submit a list of independent, expert candidates who could run a technocratic government. This would, they say, be the best way to rid Serbian institutions of the cronyism and corruption which they hold responsible for the railway station disaster.

In September, 13 people, including former construction, infrastructure and Transport Minister Goran Vesić, were charged in a criminal case over the collapse.

A resolution in the European Parliament last month called for full and transparent legal proceedings and an assessment "of potential corruption or negligence" - underlining the "need to examine more broadly the extent to which corruption led to the lowering of safety standards and contributed to this tragedy".

The government has denied accusations of corruption.

The student protesters' approach has gained the respect of some opposition leaders.

"They showed integrity and perseverance," says Biljana Djordjević, an MP and co-leader of the Green-Left Front.

"The new generation have found their way of participating, that is the difference this time. They have cut across generations in the families, we always wanted them to be more vocal, and now they are."

Political scientist Srdjan Cvijić, from the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, believes the students have cut through in a way that Serbia's opposition parties simply could no longer do.

"Until last year, the regime had been effectively managing to render traditional politics disgusting to the overall population," he says.

"They haven't managed to do so with the student movement and the result is that the student movement has managed to pierce into the traditional electorate of the ruling party in a way that nobody previously managed to do."

Perhaps this explains a sudden change in tone from President Vučić. He has generally taken a combative line with the protesters, accusing them of attempting a "colour revolution" - the kind of popular movements that were behind pro-European protests which toppled governments in European countries in earlier years.

These changes in former Soviet republics in the early years of the 21st Century pushed the likes of Georgia and Ukraine in a pro-EU direction.

But on the eve of the commemoration, Vučić apologised for his fiery rhetoric towards protesters, claiming that he had "said some things that I am now sorry for saying".

The students responded dismissively. They told the president, "You have blood on your hands."

This day may have been about respect and remembrance. But the anger remains.

The Kenyan government has confirmed that 21 people have died following a landslide in the western part of the country after heavy rainfall.

Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said the bodies had been transferred to a nearby airstrip after the landslide in Marakwet East late on Friday night.

He said on X that more than 30 people were still unaccounted for after being reported missing by their families while 25 people with serious injuries had been airlifted to receive further medical attention.

The Kenyan Red Cross, which is helping to coordinate rescue efforts, said that the most affected areas are still not accessible by road due to mudslides and flash flooding.

The Kenyan government paused the search and rescue operation on Saturday evening but said it would resume on Sunday.

"Preparation to supply more food and non-food relief items to the victims is underway," said Murkomen, adding: "Military and police choppers are on standby to transport the items."

Kenya is in its second rainy season when it usually experiences a few weeks of wet weather compared to a heavier, more prolonged period earlier in the year.

The government has urged people living near seasonal rivers as well as areas that experienced landslides on Friday to move to safer ground.

Meanwhile, flash flooding and landslides in Uganda, near the border with Kenya, have killed a number of people since last Wednesday.

On Saturday, the Uganda Red Cross said another mudslide had occurred in Kapsomo village in the east of the country, destroying a house and killing four people inside.

The Red Cross said floods had severely affected most villages near riverbanks in the Bulambuli District.

It said continuous heavy rainfall had caused the River Astiri and the River Sipi "to overflow, resulting in widespread destruction of homes, crop fields, and community infrastructure".

A flight carrying British aid arrived in Jamaica early on Saturday to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa, as the UK plans its first chartered flight to bring British nationals home later on Saturday.

The aid flight brought more than 3,000 emergency shelter kits as part of a £7.5 million regional emergency package.

Part of the funding will be used to match donations to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent - with King Charles and Queen Camilla among those who have donated.

Despite aid arriving in Jamaica in recent days, fallen trees and landslides have complicated distribution efforts after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the island, killing at least 19 people.

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Melissa swept across the region over a number of days and left behind a trail of destruction and dozens of people dead. In Haiti, at least 30 people were killed, while Cuba also saw flooding and landslides.

Jamaica's Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Friday "there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened".

The UK initially set aside a £2.5 million immediate financial support package, with an additional £5 million announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday.

Cooper said the announcement came as "more information is now coming through on the scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, with homes damaged, roads blocks and lives lost".

The British Red Cross said, as of Saturday morning, that 72% people across Jamaica still do not have electricity and around 6,000 are in emergency shelters.

The organisation said the King and Queen's donation would help the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) "continue its lifesaving work" - which includes search and rescue efforts in Jamaica as well as ensuring access to healthcare, safe shelter and clean water.

Although aid is entering the country, landslides, downed power lines and fallen trees have made some roads impassable. The situation has made it difficult to get aid to the worst-hit areas.

Some communities are being affected by water shortages, while the BBC has seen queues for petrol pumps, with people waiting for hours to then be told there is no fuel left when they reach the front of the queue.

Some people are seeking fuel for generators, others for a car to reach an area in which they can contact people, as the power is still down across most of the island.

Around 8,000 British nationals were thought to have been on the island when the hurricane hit.

The UK's first chartered flight to bring British citizens home is set to leave Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport late on Saturday.

The UK foreign office has asked travellers to register their presence on the island.

The department also advises travellers to contact their airline to check whether commercial options are available.

A flight carrying British aid arrived in Jamaica early on Saturday to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Melissa, as the UK plans its first chartered flight to bring British nationals home later on Saturday.

The aid flight brought more than 3,000 emergency shelter kits as part of a £7.5 million regional emergency package.

Part of the funding will be used to match donations to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent - with King Charles and Queen Camilla among those who have donated.

Despite aid arriving in Jamaica in recent days, fallen trees and landslides have complicated distribution efforts after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the island, killing at least 19 people.

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Melissa swept across the region over a number of days and left behind a trail of destruction and dozens of people dead. In Haiti, at least 30 people were killed, while Cuba also saw flooding and landslides.

Jamaica's Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Friday "there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened".

The UK initially set aside a £2.5 million immediate financial support package, with an additional £5 million announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday.

Cooper said the announcement came as "more information is now coming through on the scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, with homes damaged, roads blocks and lives lost".

The British Red Cross said, as of Saturday morning, that 72% people across Jamaica still do not have electricity and around 6,000 are in emergency shelters.

The organisation said the King and Queen's donation would help the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) "continue its lifesaving work" - which includes search and rescue efforts in Jamaica as well as ensuring access to healthcare, safe shelter and clean water.

Although aid is entering the country, landslides, downed power lines and fallen trees have made some roads impassable. The situation has made it difficult to get aid to the worst-hit areas.

Some communities are being affected by water shortages, while the BBC has seen queues for petrol pumps, with people waiting for hours to then be told there is no fuel left when they reach the front of the queue.

Some people are seeking fuel for generators, others for a car to reach an area in which they can contact people, as the power is still down across most of the island.

Around 8,000 British nationals were thought to have been on the island when the hurricane hit.

The UK's first chartered flight to bring British citizens home is set to leave Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport late on Saturday.

The UK foreign office has asked travellers to register their presence on the island.

The department also advises travellers to contact their airline to check whether commercial options are available.

A woman has been charged over a theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris last month, French media report.

The 38-year-old, who has not been named, was charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime. She appeared before a magistrate, who will decide whether to detain her.

The woman was arrested earlier this week with four others. Two men who had previously been arrested were already charged with theft and criminal conspiracy after officials said they had "partially recognised" their involvement in the heist.

Jewels worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world's most-visited museum on 19 October.

Four men carried out the daylight theft.

Two of the alleged thieves - who had been arrested earlier - later admitted their involvement in the theft, while the fourth person has not yet been caught.

Appearing before the magistrate on Saturday, the woman was in tears as she confirmed that she lived in Paris' northern suburb of La Courneuve suburb, a journalist working for the AFP news agency reported.

The hearing then continued behind closed doors at the prosecution's request.

She was one of the five people arrested earlier this week in and around the French capital, including the suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis. One of those held has been released without charge.

However, one of the five is thought to have taken part in the heist.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the defence of Pokrovsk is a "priority", as elite special force were deployed to the embattled town on the eastern front line.

Ukrainian army sources told the BBC that special forces from military intelligence and assault groups were being used as regular infantry to protect supply lines to troops holding the town in the Donbas region.

There have been growing reports of Russian advances around the strategic town to the west of Donetsk. Ukraine has denied claims their forces were surrounded.

Moscow wants Kyiv to cede the entire Donbas region as part of a peace deal, including the parts it currently does not control.

Russia currently controls around a fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula it annexed in 2014.

The deployment of special forces suggests officials in Kyiv are determined to try to hold onto the town, which Russia has been trying to seize for more than a year.

Local media reports that the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, was in the region to personally oversee the operation.

Pokrovsk is a key transport and supply hub whose capture could unlock Russian efforts to seize the rest of the region.

But Kyiv also believes its capture would help Russia in its efforts to persuade the US that its military campaign was succeeding - and, therefore, that the West should acquiesce to its demands.

Washington has grown increasingly frustrated with the Kremlin's failure to move forward with peace negotiations - culminating in US President Donald Trump placing sanctions on its two largest oil producers and axing plans for a summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky has indicated he was open to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire that would freeze the war along the current front lines. Russia has publicly insisted Ukrainian troops leave the remainder of the Donbas.

In his nightly address, the Ukrainian president said: "Pokrovsk is our priority. We continue to destroy the occupier, and that is what matters most... They must be halted where they have reached - and destroyed there."

Images shared with news agencies appear show a Ukrainian Black Hawk helicopter deploying about 10 troops near Pokrovsk, although the location and date could not be verified.

Russia's defence ministry has claimed it thwarted the deployment of Ukrainian military intelligence special forces north-west of the town, saying all 11 troops who landed by helicopter had been killed.

DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source monitoring group, estimates about half of Pokrovsk is a so-called "grey zone" where neither side is in full control.

A military source in Donetsk told the BBC that Ukrainian forces were not surrounded but their supply lines were under fire from Russian troops.

"The situation in the city has changed so much that [Ukraine's commander-in-chief, General] Syrsky is now sending elite units into the city to stabilise it," he said.

These included special forces and assault units in Ukraine's Defence Intelligence agency (GUR), he said.

"Fighting is now taking place for the railway station and the industrial zone in the west. The battles for the industrial zone have almost reduced logistics from roughly vehicle-based to foot-based.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not in a physical encirclement, but in an operational one - this means that all logistics are under fire control."

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces had "marginally advanced" during recent counter-attacks north of Pokrovsk, but said the town was "mainly a contested 'grey zone'".

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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 federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from halting food aid used by more than 40 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

A Rhode Island judge said on Friday that the plan to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, is likely unlawful, and issued a retraining order at the behest of the plaintiffs.

The US Department of Agriculture said this week that the food assistance money will not be distributed in November and moving forward due to the shutdown, arguing the "the well has run dry".

The Snap programme works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential grocery items.

A family of four on average receives $715 (£540) per month, which breaks down to a little less than $6 (£4.50) per day, per person.

The states administer the programmes, with much of the funding coming from the federal government, which has been unfunded and shut down since the beginning of October.

Several states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, however the federal government has warned that they will not be reimbursed.

Republicans and Democrats have traded blame for the federal shutdown, which will soon enter its second month, and there has not been any meaningful progress toward a deal.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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

Shares worth €1.3bn (£1.1bn; $1.5bn) have been seized from the company that controls the manufacturer of Campari over alleged tax evasion, Italian police have said.

Officials ordered the confiscation of the Campari Group shares from Luxembourg-based Lagfin as part of a year-long investigation into how it absorbed its Italian arm.

It is accused of failing to pay a similar figure to that of the shares seized in taxes during that merger. The company previously said it had always fulfilled its tax obligations.

Campari - which also produces alcohol brands including Aperol, Grand Marnier and Courvoisier - said neither it nor its subsidiaries were involved in the case.

However, chair Luca Garavoglia is among those under investigation, local media reports.

The BBC approached Lagfin - which owns more than 50% of Campari shares and has 80% of voting rights - for comment.

It previously said in a statement issued on the investigation last year that it had "always fulfilled its tax obligations with the utmost scruples in all the jurisdictions where it operates" and considers any claims to the contrary "devoid of any basis".

Prosecutors in Milan launched a probe into the company last year. Financial police on Friday said they allegedly found €5.3bn of undeclared capital gains between 2018 and 2020 on which it had not paid a so-called "exit tax", levied on firms that transfer their headquarters abroad.

It is also accused of transferring its Italian assets into foreign ownership solely for tax purposes, according to Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

Mr Garavoglia, the billionaire who inherited ownership of Campari from his late mother, is implicated alongside Giovanni Berto, the head of Campari's Italian branch, local media reports.

One of the largest global producers of spirits, Campari is valued at around €7bn on the Milan Stock Exchange.

The company has its roots in 1860, when Gaspare Campari's homemade bitter liqueur became a popular tipple among patrons of his Milan bar.

It became so successful that, in 1904, his family began manufacturing it commercially, and from the 1990s onwards the firm began acquiring other alcohol brands.

People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.

As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.

Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category 5 storms ever recorded in the region.

The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

Capsized boats lie curb side. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.

Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150 km (93 miles) west of Kingston.

Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched.

"We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket," Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.

He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and the took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need.

"We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people," he said.

Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

"I saw items covered in mud being hauled out," Aldwayne Tomlinson told the BBC. "At first, I thought the place was still open, but then I really got a second glance.

"I heard a lady say, 'Mi need go get some alcohol.' That's when I knew they were looting the pharmacy as well," he said.

Just down the road, a woman standing atop a pile of debris describes the situation there as "chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water".

"We don't have access to money. We need help. No help has come," Chegun Braham continues.

One couple told the BBC that they owned multiple stores in the area, several of which they said had been looted. They are now standing guard outside one of their stores in the hope of preventing future thefts.

• 'No inch here was spared': Hurricane Melissa destroys Jamaica town
• Hurricane death toll rises as Jamaica aid effort struggles

'We need food'

A short walk from the market, Jimmy Esson leaned against a massive metal beam that had been knocked to the ground.

"I lost everything, all my things," he said. "We need food. We have no food."

Survival is the primary concern on most people's minds here. The other is the rising death toll. Officials in Jamaica said on Thursday that at least 19 people had died in the country, a big jump from the five that had been counted the day before. Another 30 have died in neighbouring Haiti due to the storm.

"My community, we have dead bodies there," Mr Walker said.

He said he, like many others in the area, still has not heard from family and doesn't know if they made it out of the storm alive. Mr Walker is stuck in Black River, sleeping in whoever's house is still standing that will accept him, he says, while his eight-year-old son is in Westmoreland, the next parish over.

Westmoreland shares Jamaica's western coast, along with Black River in the St Elizabeth parish, and was also severely damaged by Melissa.

"There's no way of getting to my family to find out if they're OK," he said as his eyes began to swell. Along with the unusable roads making travel difficult, there is little to no cell phone service and no electricity or running water in many hard-hit spots.

"The entire town of Black River is devastated," the town's mayor Richard Solomon has said.

He noted to local media about the desperation of residents who are looting and - while not condoning it - said he understands why it is happening.

"It is a delicate balance," Mayor Solomon said of the response to it. "Persons are seizing the opportunity to pick up what they can off the ground (from damaged stores). However, you have others being a little bit more forceful, where they are trying to get into people's properties to get all sorts of supplies."

Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town's vital infrastructure has been destroyed too, including the local hospital, police station and fire station.

"There are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.

Aid supplies are starting to arrive more rapidly to the main airport in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, but smaller regional airports, some of which are located near where humanitarian assistance is most needed, remain only partly operational.

Aid agencies and the military are bringing in the urgently needed supplies from Kingston by land but many roads remain unpassable in places, including in places like Black River.

The town is about a two-hour drive from Kingston but the main road in is - at various points - flooded, damaged and clogged with cars.

Michael Tharkurdeen, a local medic, was in the town's fire station when the storm hit.

"We were upstairs, the entire bottom floor was flooded. The water was around maybe four feet going five feet. When the water came in, the seas came in, flooded everywhere," Mr Tharkurdeen said.

"Nobody could be on the bottom floor. Trust me, there were waves there about this high," he says, pointing to his shoulder.

People that did make it to him from the flooded-out buildings nearby arrived in bad condition. They had "lacerations on their hands, their feet," he says. "Kids, elders, everybody."

Mr Tharkurdee also found a man "lifeless" and with "no pulse" once the flood waters receded.

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic, so I couldn't pronounce him dead," he said. "All we could have done was document that and cover his body."

By mid-afternoon on Friday, a fleet of military helicopters flew into Black River - with many hoping they came with desperately needed supplies.

Armed officials carrying machine guns descended onto the streets and soon the crowds rummaging the looted pharmacy and grocery store had cleared. A line of cars that had jammed the sole road in the area had been cleared.

A relative quiet replaced the noise and chaos of hundreds of people fighting for their survival.

"St Elizabeth, we want it to come back again," Shawn Morris said of the area's future and his hopes to get aid here.

"It's not about the money," he said. "We need food and water."

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been declared the winner of Tanzania's presidential election, securing another term in office amid days of unrest across the country.

According to the electoral commission, Samia won 98% of the votes, nearly sweeping the 32 million ballots cast in Wednesday's election.

International observers have expressed concern over the lack of transparency and widespread turmoil that has reportedly left hundreds people dead and hundreds injured.

The nationwide internet shutdown is making it difficult to verify the death toll. The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence - and authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest.

"I hereby announce Samia Suluhu Hassan as the winner of the presidential election under the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party," Jacobs Mwambegele, the electoral chief, said while announcing the results on Saturday morning.

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

• Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

Protests continued on Friday, as demonstrators in the port city of Dar es Salaam and other cities took to the streets, tearing down Samia's posters and attacking police and polling stations despite warnings from the army chief to end the unrest.

The demonstrations are mostly led by young protesters, who have denounced the election as unfair.

They accuse the government of undermining democracy by suppressing the main opposition leaders - one is in jail and another was excluded on technical grounds.

A spokesperson from the opposition Chadema party on Friday told AFP news agency that "around 700" people had been killed in clashes with security forces, while a diplomatic source in Tanzania told the BBC there was credible evidence that at least 500 people had died.

Foreign Minister Mahmoud Kombo Thabit has described the violence as a "few isolated pockets of incidents here and there" and said "security forces acted very swiftly and decisively to address the situation".

There were two main opposition contenders - Tundu Lissu, who is being held on treason charges, which he denies, and Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party - but he was excluded on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were allowed to run.

Samia's ruling party, CCM, has dominated the country's politics and has never lost an election since independence.

Ahead of the election, rights groups condemned government repression, with Amnesty International citing a "wave of terror" involving enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures.

The government rejected the claims, and officials said the election would be free and fair.

Samia came into office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

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

Beijing has said it will loosen a chip export ban it imposed after Dutch authorities took over Nexperia - a Chinese-owned chipmaker based in the Netherlands.

In September, the Netherlands used a Cold War era law to take over the company after citing "serious governance shortcomings" and to prevent the chips from becoming unavailable in an emergency.

In response, China said it would not re-export completed Nexperia chips to Europe which raised concern among carmakers. One association had described the move as "alarming".

Around 70% of chips made in the Netherlands are sent to China to be completed and re-exported to other countries.

In a statement on Saturday, China said that it would "comprehensively consider the actual situation of enterprises and grant exemptions to exports that meet the criteria". However, it has not specified what that could entail.

It also went on to criticise the Hague for what it called "improper interference in the internal affairs of enterprises" and blamed it for "the current disruption of global production and supply chains".

The Dutch-controlled firm told customers it would stop sending chips back to China to be processed, according to a letter this week seen by the Reuters news agency.

Last month, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) had warned Nexperia chip supplies would only last a few weeks unless the Chinese ban was lifted.

"Without these chips, European automotive suppliers cannot build the parts and components needed to supply vehicle manufacturers and this therefore threatens production stoppages," the group said.

The latest plans by Beijing to relax its export controls have emerged after Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in South Korea earlier this week.

Trump later said the leaders discussed chips, while Beijing's post-meeting readout did not explicitly mention any area of trade.

The White House is expected to release a fact sheet later today detailing its new trade agreement with China. Reuters reports that it will also announce the resumption of Nexperia exports.

In December 2024, the US government placed Wingtech on its so-called "entity list", identifying the company as a national security concern.

In the UK, Nexperia was forced to sell its silicon chip plant in Newport, after MPs and ministers expressed national security concerns. It currently owns a UK facility in Stockport.

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

People walk along muddied roads scavenging the wreckage for food. Others jump into damaged stores in the hope of finding bottled water or other supplies.

As the death toll rises, residents of Black River are still searching for loved ones while they also battle to survive, days after Hurricane Melissa made this Jamaican port city ground zero of the devastation seen across the Caribbean.

Residents here say they have been living in a state of chaos the last three days since Melissa slammed into them as one of the most powerful category 5 storms ever recorded in the region.

The fierce winds and storm surge that barrelled through here have decimated nearly everything, leaving roads unusable and a trail of destruction that has them increasingly desperate and isolated with no electricity or running water.

Capsized boats lie curb side. Brick buildings are split in half. Giant sheets of metal are twisted between tree branches. Vehicles sit in crumbled pieces.

Residents who spoke to the BBC said they have seen no aid trucks in the area so far and described having to eat what food they can find in debris by the roads in the coastal town, nearly 150 km (93 miles) west of Kingston.

Others made their way inside battered supermarkets, taking what they could for themselves. Some, who climbed on top of one partially destroyed market, tossed food and bottles of water down below, where people gathered with arms outstretched.

"We have to use whatever we see here, on the street and also in the supermarket," Demar Walker explained, sitting in a shaded area down the street from the store to escape the heat and 80% humidity.

He said he and others had to climb into the market due to its roof caving in and the took what they could. They tossed water and items to others also in need.

"We didn't be selfish, we had to throw food to other people," he said.

Nearby, others told the BBC of a local pharmacy being looted in Black River, describing anarchy as people ran in and out carrying armfuls of drugs and alcohol.

"I saw items covered in mud being hauled out," Aldwayne Tomlinson told the BBC. "At first, I thought the place was still open, but then I really got a second glance.

"I heard a lady say, 'Mi need go get some alcohol.' That's when I knew they were looting the pharmacy as well," he said.

Just down the road, a woman standing atop a pile of debris describes the situation there as "chaos, chaos. Total. No food. No water".

"We don't have access to money. We need help. No help has come," Chegun Braham continues.

One couple told the BBC that they owned multiple stores in the area, several of which they said had been looted. They are now standing guard outside one of their stores in the hope of preventing future thefts.

• 'No inch here was spared': Hurricane Melissa destroys Jamaica town
• Hurricane death toll rises as Jamaica aid effort struggles

'We need food'

A short walk from the market, Jimmy Esson leaned against a massive metal beam that had been knocked to the ground.

"I lost everything, all my things," he said. "We need food. We have no food."

Survival is the primary concern on most people's minds here. The other is the rising death toll. Officials in Jamaica said on Thursday that at least 19 people had died in the country, a big jump from the five that had been counted the day before. Another 30 have died in neighbouring Haiti due to the storm.

"My community, we have dead bodies there," Mr Walker said.

He said he, like many others in the area, still has not heard from family and doesn't know if they made it out of the storm alive. Mr Walker is stuck in Black River, sleeping in whoever's house is still standing that will accept him, he says, while his eight-year-old son is in Westmoreland, the next parish over.

Westmoreland shares Jamaica's western coast, along with Black River in the St Elizabeth parish, and was also severely damaged by Melissa.

"There's no way of getting to my family to find out if they're OK," he said as his eyes began to swell. Along with the unusable roads making travel difficult, there is little to no cell phone service and no electricity or running water in many hard-hit spots.

"The entire town of Black River is devastated," the town's mayor Richard Solomon has said.

He noted to local media about the desperation of residents who are looting and - while not condoning it - said he understands why it is happening.

"It is a delicate balance," Mayor Solomon said of the response to it. "Persons are seizing the opportunity to pick up what they can off the ground (from damaged stores). However, you have others being a little bit more forceful, where they are trying to get into people's properties to get all sorts of supplies."

Local officials estimate that 90% of the houses here were destroyed. Much of the town's vital infrastructure has been destroyed too, including the local hospital, police station and fire station.

"There are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened," Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said.

Aid supplies are starting to arrive more rapidly to the main airport in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, but smaller regional airports, some of which are located near where humanitarian assistance is most needed, remain only partly operational.

Aid agencies and the military are bringing in the urgently needed supplies from Kingston by land but many roads remain unpassable in places, including in places like Black River.

The town is about a two-hour drive from Kingston but the main road in is - at various points - flooded, damaged and clogged with cars.

Michael Tharkurdeen, a local medic, was in the town's fire station when the storm hit.

"We were upstairs, the entire bottom floor was flooded. The water was around maybe four feet going five feet. When the water came in, the seas came in, flooded everywhere," Mr Tharkurdeen said.

"Nobody could be on the bottom floor. Trust me, there were waves there about this high," he says, pointing to his shoulder.

People that did make it to him from the flooded-out buildings nearby arrived in bad condition. They had "lacerations on their hands, their feet," he says. "Kids, elders, everybody."

Mr Tharkurdee also found a man "lifeless" and with "no pulse" once the flood waters receded.

"I'm not a doctor, I'm a medic, so I couldn't pronounce him dead," he said. "All we could have done was document that and cover his body."

By mid-afternoon on Friday, a fleet of military helicopters flew into Black River - with many hoping they came with desperately needed supplies.

Armed officials carrying machine guns descended onto the streets and soon the crowds rummaging the looted pharmacy and grocery store had cleared. A line of cars that had jammed the sole road in the area had been cleared.

A relative quiet replaced the noise and chaos of hundreds of people fighting for their survival.

"St Elizabeth, we want it to come back again," Shawn Morris said of the area's future and his hopes to get aid here.

"It's not about the money," he said. "We need food and water."

Protesters have taken to the streets in Tanzania for a third day, defying warnings from the country's army chief to end the unrest.

Demonstrations have been taking place in major cities with young protesters denouncing Wednesday's election as unfair as key opposition figures were excluded from contesting against President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

An internet shutdown remains in place, making it difficult to confirm reports of deaths, and the authorities have extended a curfew in a bid to quell the protests.

The UN has called on the East African nation's security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force.

"We are alarmed by the deaths and injuries that have occurred in the ongoing election-related protests in Tanzania. Reports we have received indicate that at least 10 people were killed," Reuters quoted the UN human rights spokesperson Seif Magango as saying, citing "credible sources".

Amnesty International in Kenya told the BBC that with communications down in neighbouring Tanzania the rights group was not able to confirm reports of deaths.

Hospitals in the country are refusing to give information to journalists or human rights groups when asked about causalities.

The government has sought to play down the scale of the violence.

The electoral commission has announced results from more than half of the country's total 100 constituencies, the state broadcaster, TBC, shows.

• A coronation not a contest - Tanzania's first female president faces little opposition
• Why elections are a time of fear for albino Tanzanians
• How Samia's hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger

President Samia is expected to win the vote under the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party, which has governed the country since independence in 1961.

Official results are expected on Saturday.

Tanzania's chief Muslim cleric - Sheikh Abubakar Zubeir bin Ally - has urged Muslims to perform Friday prayers at home amid fears of escalating violence.

On Thursday, army chief Gen Jacob John Mkunda ordered the protesters off the streets, saying the military would work with other security agencies to contain the situation.

"Some people went to the streets on 29 October and committed criminal acts. These are criminals and the criminal acts should be stopped immediately," Gen Mkunda said on state TV, adding that the army had "controlled the situation".

But the protesters have again taken to the streets of the commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.

On Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - the CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, has won with nearly 80% of the vote.

The opposition in Zanzibar said there had been "massive fraud", the AP news agency reported.

Tourists on the archipelago are also reported to be stranded at the airport, with flight delays because of the protests, which have been on the mainland.

The protesters accuse the government of undermining democracy, as the main opposition leader is in jail and another opposition figure was disqualified from the election, bolstering Samia's chances of winning.

Tundu Lissu, the main opposition leader, is in jail on treason charges, which he denies, and his party boycotted the vote.

The only other serious contender, Luhaga Mpina of the ACT-Wazalendo party, was disqualified on legal technicalities.

Sixteen fringe parties, none of whom have historically had significant public support, were cleared to contest the elections.

Samia took office in 2021 as Tanzania's first female president following the death of President John Magufuli.

She was initially praised for easing political repression, but the political space has since narrowed, with her government accused of targeting critics through arrests and a wave of abductions.

More about Tanzania from the BBC:

• 'A bullet went through my skull': Tanzania abduction survivor
• Top opposition politician arrested days before Tanzania election
• 'I want my son back, dead or alive' - mother of missing Tanzanian ex-diplomat

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

The owner of a Turkish hotel and 10 others have been sentenced to life in prison following the deadliest fire in the country's history.

The blaze at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu broke out during school holidays in January, killed 78 people including 34 children.

Owner Halit Ergül, his wife and two daughters were handed the maximum penalty after being found guilty of severe negligence, along with Bolu's deputy mayor and the local fire chief.

In total, there were 32 people facing charges over the fire which tore through the building in the early hours of the morning, resulting in some residents jumping from the 12-storey building to escape the flames.

• What lead to the hotel fire disaster?
• Dozens killed as fire engulfs Turkish ski hotel

In addition, 137 people were injured in the blaze at the northern mountain resort of Kartalkaya.

Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter, told AFP news agency: "I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such a pain."

An inquiry found that some safety equipment had not worked at the time of the fire, which started in the hotel's restaurant. Also, some of the building's gas equipment did not meet safety standards.

Ergul denied responsibility. He said the hotel had regular inspections and blamed the gas supplier. He also said the tourism ministry was responsible for oversight.

"If I had foreseen the risk, I would have closed the hotel myself," he told the hearing which took place inside a specially constructed court room at a local school.

A further 18 defendants received sentences ranging from 12 to 22 years. Most were hotel employees. Others were acquitted, including two cooks.

The Bolu mountains are popular with skiers from Istanbul and Turkey's capital Ankara, which is about 170km (105 miles) away. At the time of the disaster, the hotel was operating at high occupancy as it was the start of school holidays.

Six suspects have been arrested near the French city of Lyon in connection with the country's latest brazen heist.

Thieves used explosives to break into a precious metals refinery on Thursday before making off with the loot, which was mostly gold and worth €12m (£10.5m, $13.8m).

Following a chase, police caught the suspects and recovered the haul, officials said.

The heist came after five more people were arrested over a theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris earlier this month.

In the Lyon incident, footage posted on social media by people living near the facility showed two men near a white van. One could be seen placing a ladder over the company's fence before scaling it.

Another video showed a robber carrying a weapon and opening the rear door of the van, while another loaded briefcases into the vehicle.

An unnamed neighbour told AFP news agency she heard a big explosion. "It was really impressive," she said.

Five employees of the firm Pourquery Laboratories suffered minor injuries in the explosion, officials told AFP.

A woman was among those detained after the chase. Assault rifles and explosives were also seized, police said.

Meanwhile, the latest arrests over the Louvre heist in Paris bring the number of those detained to seven.

On 19 October, four suspects used a mechanical lift to gain access to the museum's Gallery of Apollo in broad daylight.

They cracked open display cases housing crown jewels with a disc cutter and made off with items worth €88m (£76m; $102m).

Police say those arrested include three of the thieves. Officers are still hunting the fourth.

French actor Tchéky Karyo, who had a starring role in the film Nikita and the TV series The Missing, has died aged 72.

Karyo, who was born in Turkey but grew up in Paris, died of a cancer on Friday, his agent told AFP news agency. Known largely for supporting roles, Karyo acted in films for nearly four decades, finding a second career in TV series in his final years.

First making his mark in crime thriller La Balance (1982), he played the handler Bob in Luc Besson's assassin film Nikita (1990).

BBC audiences may chiefly remember him for his role as the TV detective Julien Baptiste in The Missing (2009).

Karyo's wife, actress Valérie Keruzoré, and their children announced his death, AFP adds.

He was born on 4 October 1953 in Istanbul, the son of a Turkish lorry driver of Spanish-Jewish origin and a Greek mother, Le Monde newspaper writes.

After several years as a theatrical actor, Karyo saw his role in La Balance earn him a nomination for the César Award for Best Male Revelation.

With his strong jaw and penetrating stare, he went on to play in dozens of films of all kinds, often in hard man roles.

Other French films included Besson's Joan of Arc (1993) and the anti-war epic A Very Long Engagement (2004), while he was cast in Ridley Scott's 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) and in the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995).

One of his starring roles was as the medieval prophet Nostradamus in the 1994 film of the same name, while his tiniest role was undoubtedly in Amélie (2001) where he only appeared as a face in an ID photo in an album.

The detective he portrayed in The Missing, known and loved by viewers for his methodical crime-solving skills, landed him a second series, followed by two series of a spin-off, Baptiste.

Just two years ago he was back in a different role in BBC comedy thriller Boat Story.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from halting food aid used by more than 40 million low-income Americans amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

A Rhode Island judge said on Friday that the plan to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, is likely unlawful, and issued a retraining order at the behest of the plaintiffs.

The US Department of Agriculture said this week that the food assistance money will not be distributed in November and moving forward due to the shutdown, arguing the "the well has run dry".

The Snap programme works by giving people reloadable debit cards that they can use to buy essential grocery items.

A family of four on average receives $715 (£540) per month, which breaks down to a little less than $6 (£4.50) per day, per person.

The states administer the programmes, with much of the funding coming from the federal government, which has been unfunded and shut down since the beginning of October.

Several states have pledged to use their own funds to cover any shortfall, however the federal government has warned that they will not be reimbursed.

Republicans and Democrats have traded blame for the federal shutdown, which will soon enter its second month, and there has not been any meaningful progress toward a deal.

More than 60,000 people have fled the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was captured by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the weekend, according the UN refugee agency.

There have been reports of mass executions and crimes against humanity as the RSF fighters stormed the city after an 18-month siege marked by starvation and heavy bombardment.

The flow of those fleeing the violence towards the town of Tawila, about 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the past few days, the UNHCR's Eujin Byun told the BBC.

They were narrating horrendous stories of atrocities, including rape, and the agency was struggling to find enough shelter and food for them, she said.

Every child was suffering from malnutrition, she added.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 people are still trapped in el-Fasher, which had been the army's last stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has denied widespread allegations that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and follow a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries targeting non-Arab populations.

• 'We saw people murdered in front of us' - siege survivors speak to the BBC
• New videos show executions after RSF militia takes key Sudan city
• A simple guide to what is happening in Sudan

But the RSF has detained one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.

The group shared footage showing the fighter's arrest after BBC Verify identified him as being responsible for the execution of multiple unarmed men near el-Fasher.

TikTok has confirmed to the BBC that it has banned the account associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had controlled the account in his name.

Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the RSF.

It has led to a famine and claims of a genocide in the western Darfur region.

More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have fled their homes in what the UN has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher reinforces the geographic split in the country, with the RSF now in control of western Sudan and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the army holding the capital, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been allies - coming to power together in a coup in 2021 - but fell out over an internationally backed plan to move towards civilian rule.

Additional reporting by Merlyn Thomas

More BBC stories on the Sudan crisis:

• Reports of mass killings in Sudan have echoes of its dark past
• My son's whole body is full of shrapnel
• Rare footage shows plight of civilians in besieged Sudan city
• Last surgeons standing in city's only hospital
• BBC smuggles in phones to reveal hunger and fear

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

The South African government has criticised the US's decision to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide have been widely discredited and lack reliable evidence.

It highlighted an open letter published by prominent members of the Afrikaner community earlier this week rejecting the narrative, with some signatories calling the relocation scheme racist.

The limited number of white South African Afrikaners signing up to relocate to the US was indication that they were not being persecuted, it added.

On Thursday, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced its lowest refugee annual cap on record to just 7,500.

The exact figures of the number of white South Africans who have been admitted through the US scheme are not available.

South Africa's latest crime statistics do not indicate that more white people have fallen victim to violent crime than other racial groups.

Earlier this year President Trump offered refugee status to Afrikaners - who are mostly descendants of Dutch and French settlers - after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a law allowing the government to seize land without compensation in rare instances.

• Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims?
• Unpacking the South African land law that so inflames Trump
• On the road incorrectly identified as a 'burial site' by Trump

Most private farmland is owned by white South Africans who make up just over 7% of the population.

Several months ago, South Africa's ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after accusing Trump of "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle".

In the Oval Office in May, Trump confronted South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and claimed white farmers in his nation were being killed and "persecuted".

President Trump held up a photo purporting to show body bags containing the remains of white people in South Africa, but the Reuters news agency later identified the photo as one of their own - taken thousands of miles away in the war-struck Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington did not comment on the claim that they had misidentified the image.

The White House also played a video which they said showed burial sites for murdered white farmers. It later emerged that the videos were scenes from a 2020 protest in which the crosses represented farmers killed over multiple years.

Additional reporting by Natasha Booty

More BBC stories from South Africa:

• Apartheid police assault killed Nobel laureate Luthuli, South Africa court rules
• 'I eat 6000 calories a day' – The South African 'Rhino' who became World's Strongest Man
• Anti-migrant movement blocks foreigners from South African healthcare
• South Africa debates changing 'colonial' name of world-famous Kruger park
• Steve Biko's new inquest should lead to justice, family tells BBC

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

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney accepted an invitation to visit China extended by President Xi Jinping, signalling a "turning point" in the countries' relationship.

The invite came after the two leaders met for 40 minutes on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Friday. It was the first meeting between a Canadian prime minister and the Chinese president since 2017.

The countries have had a strained relationship since a diplomatic row in 2018 and been locked in a trade dispute since 2024.

But as trade tensions between Canada and the US continue to rise, Carney has said the country will turn to strengthening its ties with other major economies.

He has signalled his desire to double Canada's non-US exports in the next decade, in response to President Donald Trump placing punishing tariffs on Canadian goods and some of its critical sectors.

That includes closer trade ties with "the economic giants of Asia", Carney said last week.

Speaking briefly to reporters after his meeting with Xi on Friday, Carney said he believes Canada and China have hit a "turning point" in relations that will yield positive developments for the Canadian economy.

"Distance is not the way to solve problems, not the way to serve our people," the prime minister said.

In his own remarks, Xi said "China is willing to work with Canada to push China-Canada relations back onto a healthy, stable, and sustainable correct track" that benefits both countries.

The two leaders directed their officials "to move quickly to resolve outstanding trade issues and irritants," according to a readout released by Carney's office after the meeting.

A 'two-front trade war' with China and the US

A trade dispute has been escalating since Canada placed a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) in October 2024, mirroring similar action by the US. Later that same month, Canada placed a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminium.

China retaliated in March by imposing tariffs on several Canadian agricultural products, including a 76% levy on Canadian canola seed imports and a 100% levy on canola oil, meal and peas.

These measures have hurt farmers in the western part of the Canada, as China is by far the largest importer of the country's canola seeds.

Some western provincial premiers, including Wab Kinew of Manitoba and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, have since called on the federal government to drop tariffs on Chinese EVs. Kinew said earlier this month that Canada has now found itself in a "two-front trade war" with its two largest trading partners — the US and China.

Separately, the US has imposed a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by an existing free trade agreement, as well as a 50% levy on steel and aluminium and a 25% levy on automobiles.

• Ontario premier demands apology from US ambassador over tariff 'tirade'
• What tariffs has Trump announced and why?

Last week, US-Canada relations hit a new low after Trump suspended all trade talks over an anti-tariff advertisement run by Ontario Premier Doug Ford that featured an address on free trade by former US president Ronald Reagan.

On Friday, Trump said the two countries will not restart trade talks.

Trump has also threatened to raise tariffs on Canada another 10%, though it is unclear if and when that would come into effect.

Prior to the tariffs, Canada-China relations were already reeling from a diplomatic row that resulted in Beijing detaining two Canadian citizens, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovring.

The two were accused by China of espionage and were taken into custody in 2018. Their arrest came days after Canada detained Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese technology executive and chief financial officer of Huawei, at the request of the US.

All three were subsequently released in 2021 after the US Department of Justice dropped an extradition request for Ms Wanzhou on charges of fraud.

China was also one of the countries called out for possibly meddling in Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections, prompting a Canadian public inquiry into foreign interference. That inquiry concluded that attempts by foreign states to meddle in recent elections were "troubling" but had "minimal impact".

China has denied any allegations of meddling.

Carney's APEC meeting with Xi in South Korea comes one day after the Chinese president met with Donald Trump - the first between the two in six years.

In that Thursday meeting, Xi and Trump agreed to dial back their countries' trade war. No formal agreement has been signed, but the two signalled they are closer to a deal that would lower tariffs.