European Union leaders begin two days of talks in Brussels with a momentous decision to be taken on whether to loan tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to fund its military and economic needs.

Most of Russia's €210bn (£185bn; $245bn) worth of assets in the EU are held by Belgium-based organisation Euroclear, and so far Belgium and some other members of the bloc have said they are opposed to using the cash.

Without a boost in funding, Ukraine's finances are set to run dry in a matter of months.

One European government official described being "cautiously optimistic, not overly optimistic" that a deal would be agreed. Russia has warned the EU against using its money.

It has filed a lawsuit against Euroclear in a Moscow court in a bid to get its money back.

The Brussels summit comes at a pivotal moment.

US President Donald Trump has said a deal to end the war - which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - is "closer now than we have been ever".

Although Russia has not responded to the latest peace proposals, the Kremlin has stressed that plans for a European-led multinational force for Ukraine supported by the US would not be acceptable.

President Vladimir Putin made his feelings towards Europe clear on Wednesday, when he said the continent was in a state of "total degradation" and "European piglets" - a derogatory description of Ukraine's European allies - were hoping to profit from Russia's collapse.

The European Commission - the EU's executive arm - has proposed loaning Kyiv about €90bn (£79bn) over the next two years - out of the €210bn of Russian assets sitting in Europe.

That is about two-thirds of the €137bn that Kyiv is thought to need to get through 2026 and 2027.

Until now the EU has handed Ukraine the interest generated by the cash but not the cash itself.

"This is a crunch time for Ukraine to keep fighting for the next year," a Finnish government official told the BBC. "There are of course peace negotiations but this gives Ukraine leverage to say 'we're not desperate and we have the funds to continue fighting'."

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says it will also ramp up the cost of war for Russia.

Russia's frozen assets are not the only option on the table for EU leaders. Another idea, backed by Belgium, is based on the EU borrowing the money on the international markets.

However, that would require a unanimous vote and Hungary's Viktor Orban has made it clear he will not allow any more EU money to help Ukraine.

For Ukraine, the hours ahead are significant and President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the EU summit.

Ahead of the Brussels meeting, EU leaders were keen to stress the momentous nature of the decision.

"We know the urgency. It is acute. We all feel it. We all see it," von der Leyen told the European Parliament.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has played a leading role in pushing for the Russian assets to be used, telling the Bundestag on the eve of the summit it was about sending a "clear signal" to Moscow that continuing the war was pointless.

EU officials are confident they have a sound legal basis to use the frozen Russian assets, but so far Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever remains unconvinced.

His Defence Minister Theo Francken warned ahead of the talks that it would be a big mistake to loan the Euroclear cash.

Hungary is seen as the biggest opponent of the move and, ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Orban and his entourage even suggested that the frozen assets plan had been removed from the summit agenda. A European Commission official stressed that was not the case and it would be a matter for the 27 member states at the summit.

Slovakia's Robert Fico has also opposed using the Russian assets, if it means the money being used to procure weapons rather than for reconstruction needs.

When the pivotal vote does finally take place, it will require a majority of about two-thirds of member states to go through. Whatever happens, European Council President António Costa has promised not to go over the heads of the Belgians.

"We're not going to vote against Belgium," he told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. "We'll continue to work very intensively with the Belgian government because we don't want to approve something that might not be acceptable for Belgium."

Belgium will also be aware that ratings agency Fitch has placed Euroclear on a negative watch, partly because of "low" legal risks to its balance sheet from the European Commission's plans to use the Russian assets. Euroclear's chief executive has also warned against the plan.

"There are many hiccups and obstacles of course still on the way. We have to find a way to respond to Belgium's worries," the Finnish official added. "We are on the same side as Belgium. We will find a solution together to make sure all the risks are checked as much as they can be checked."

However, Belgium is not the only country to have doubts, and a majority is not guaranteed.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has told Italian MPs she will endorse the deal "if the legal basis is solid".

"If the legal basis for this initiative were not solid, we would be handing Russia its first real victory since the beginning of this conflict."

Malta, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are also said to be unconvinced by the controversial proposals.

If the deal is passed and the Russian assets are given to Ukraine, the worst-case scenario for Belgium would be one in which a court would order it to hand the money back to Russia.

Some countries have said they would be prepared to provide billions of euros in financial guarantees, but Belgium will want to see the numbers add up.

At any rate, Commission officials are confident that the only way for Russia to get it back would be by paying reparations to Ukraine - at which point Ukraine would hand its "reparations loan" back to the EU.

US President Donald Trump has announced a "warrior dividend" payment to US service members, in a speech in which he also defended his track record on the economy after 11 months back in office.

In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday, Trump said cheques for $1,776 (£1,329) for 1.45 million US service members were already on the way" and should arrive before Christmas. He said they would be paid for, in part, by his tariffs.

In the combative address, Trump also touted his achievements on immigration while railing against opposition Democrats.

Speaking loudly and quickly, he seemed determined to convince Americans that the US was doing well - and things would only get better.

He claimed prices were falling, at a time when polls show that many Americans are unhappy about the cost of housing, childcare and healthcare.

Democrats were critical of the speech. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the president's words "showed he lives in a bubble completely disconnected from the reality everyday Americans are seeing and feeling".

Schumer added: "People are feeling squeezed harder and harder every day and tonight Donald Trump took a victory lap."

In the brief, 18-minute address, Trump said the "warrior dividend", which totals $2.57bn (£1.9bn), would be distributed "in honour of our nation's founding in 1776".

Trump added that the funds were drawn from his sweeping tariffs, as well as the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" that he signed into law on 4 July.

"Nobody deserves it more than our military," he said.

The president offered little new information in the speech, and some of his assertions were either exaggerated or unfounded.

Much of Trump's address focused on his economic record and the administration's efforts to bring down prices - which he blamed on former US President Joe Biden and the Democrats. Trump mentioned the former president seven times.

"Now, under our leadership, they [prices] are all coming down and coming down fast," he said. "Democrat politicians also sent the cost of groceries soaring, but we are solving that too."

While fuel and egg prices have indeed fallen, many other food items are more expensive.

Economic data from September shows the US inflation rate hit 3% for the first time since January, while consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since April due to concerns over the cost of living, jobs and the wider economy.

Trump has previously acknowledged that concerns over rising prices have contributed to a lacklustre performance for candidates from his Republican Party during elections held in November - with the Democrats having success in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, as well as more recently in Miami and Georgia.

He has also acknowledged that incumbent presidents and their parties often fare poorly in mid-term elections, which will take place next year.

The White House has since been wrestling with how to address voter concerns about the economy, while at the same time pushing back on repeated Democratic criticism over rising prices.

The political dilemma faced by the Trump administration has been highlighted by recent polling.

One poll, from Politico, showed that about half of overall voters - and 4 in 10 people who voted for Trump in 2024 - felt the cost of living was the worst it has been in their lives.

Another poll, released in November by CBS News/YouGov, suggested that Trump's approval on economic issues had dropped 15 points since March - with 36% of Americans approving his handling of the issue.

More broadly, other polls show that Trump is at or near the lowest approval ratings of his second term, with concerns about the economy playing a significant role.

While the president offered little in the way of empathy over prices, he did point to Republican efforts - such as tax reform legislation passed earlier this year - that he said would benefit many Americans in the coming year.

When he ran for re-election last year, Trump promised immediate results. And after 11 months in office, many Americans say they still haven't seen substantive change, and the president's speech might be unlikely to change their minds.

Trump, in part, focused his remarks on the promise of improvements during 250th birthday celebrations for American's founding next year.

"When the world looks at us next year, let them see a nation that is loyal to its citizens, faithful to its workers, confident to its identity, certain to its destiny, and the envy of the entire globe," he said.

"We are respected again, like we have never been respected before," he added.

Thailand says it has bombed a "logistics centre" near the Cambodian town of Poipet, known for being a major casino hub and the biggest land crossing between the two countries.

The bombings comes as renewed border clashes show no sign of abating.

Cambodia's defence ministry said Thai forces dropped two bombs, while the Thai side said that they targeted a facility storing rocket systems.

The renewed fighting this month has killed at least 21 people in Thailand and 17 in Cambodia, while displacing around 800,000, officials say.

In a statement, the Cambodian defence ministry said Thai forces dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet municipality at around 11:00 am (0400 GMT) Thursday.

Shortly after, Thai Air Force spokesman Air Marshal Jackkrit Thammavichai said that the Thai military had attacked the centre outside Poipet that had been used to store BM-21 rockets and that no civilians were harmed.

BM-21 rockets are weapons that are typically fired in volleys from the back of an armoured vehicle.

The bombings appear to be the first on Poipet, which is known for casinos popular with Thai gamblers and its international border checkpoint.

On Tuesday, Thailand said Tuesday that between 5,000 and 6,000 Thai nationals remained stranded in Poipet after Cambodia closed its land border crossings between the two countries.

Cambodia's interior ministry said the border closures were a "necessary measure" to reduce risks to civilians, adding that air travel remained an option for those seeking to leave.

The century-old border dispute between the South East Asian neighbours dramatically escalated on 24 July with a Cambodian rocket barrage into Thailand, followed by Thai air strikes. That set off five days of intense fighting, which left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead.

The two countries later agreed to an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US President Donald Trump - who at the time threatened to stop tariff negotiations until the hostilities stopped.

But that ceasefire fell apart again last week, with both sides blaming each other for re-igniting the fighting, which has seen air strikes and exchanges of artillery fire.

Trump claimed last week that he could stop the fighting between Thai and Cambodian forces that broke out by just picking up the phone, but it has continued.

Earlier this week, Cambodia accused Thai forces of bombing Siem Reap province, home to the ancient Angkor temples - the country's top tourist draw - for the first time in the latest round of clashes.

Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has formally apologised to Burkina Faso for the unauthorised entry of a Nigerian military jet into Burkinabè airspace, an incident that led to the detention of 11 Nigerian servicemen.

Tuggar's spokesperson told the BBC that the detained personnel had been released and were due to return to Nigeria, without saying when.

The plane was flying to Portugal when it developed a technical problem and had to land in Burkina Faso, according to the Nigerian Air Force.

The unauthorised landing sparked a diplomatic row with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) made up of Burkina Faso and its neighbours, Mali, and Niger.

In a statement, AES characterised it as an "unfriendly act" and said member states‘ respective air forces had been put on maximum alert and authorised to "neutralise any aircraft" found to violate the confederation's airspace.

The three AES states, all run by the military, have withdrawn from the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, and moved closer to Russia, while most Ecowas members remain allied to the West.

Tuggar led a delegation to the Burkinabè capital, Ouagadougou, on Wednesday, to discuss the incident with military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

"There were irregularities concerning the overflight authorisations, which was regrettable, and we apologise for this unfortunate incident," Tuggar said on national TV.

It remains unclear when the military personnel, said to be in "high spirits", and the aircraft will return to Nigeria.

According to Nigeria's foreign ministry, both sides agreed to "sustain regular consultations and pursue practical measures to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration".

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 rebel group which last week seized the Democratic Republic of Congo city of Uvira say they have begun withdrawing, promising to complete the pullout on Thursday, following pressure from the US.

The M23 group captured the strategic city near the border with Burundi, days after a "historic" US-brokered peace deal between Congolese and Rwandan governments aimed at ending the long-running conflict in eastern DR Congo.

However, DR Congo's government says the reported withdrawal is a "diversion" and needs verification.

On Thursday morning some Uvira residents told the BBC it was not clear if the M23 were leaving, with some of their trucks still moving around the city.

The capture of Uvira sparked US condemnation and warning of sanctions against Rwanda. The US accuses Rwanda of backing the rebels, which it denies.

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa said on Wednesday that the withdrawal was "under way," with spokesman Willy Ngoma adding that this was "for the sake of peace".

In a post on X, Bisimwa urged mediators and international partners to ensure the city was protected from "reprisals, violence and remilitarisation".

A local civil society member, who did not want to be named for his own safety, told the BBC that some M23 troops had started withdrawing. However, he said police officers from the same group were still moving in.

Another resident expressed doubts about the withdrawal.

"It seems they are still here. In fact, yesterday I saw them bringing in the police trucks," the resident told the BBC on Thursday morning.

DR Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya told the BBC Newsday programme that the M23's announcement was meant "to distract the American mediation team, which is preparing to take measures against Rwanda".

Muyaya described the M23's decision to leave Uvira as a "positive sign" but said the government needed to confirm the situation on the ground.

Earlier he had called for "vigilance" in response to the "alleged withdrawal".

"Who can verify it? Where are they going? How many were there? What are they leaving behind in the city? Mass graves? Soldiers disguised as civilians?" he said in a post on X.

The Uvira offensive left dozens dead, at least 100 wounded and more than 200,000 displaced, according to the UN. At least 30,000 civilians fled into Burundi.

It came despite the 4 December peace deal signed in Washington between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his DR Congo counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, at a ceremony in Washington hosted by President Donald Trump.

The rebels were not signatories to that peace deal but they have been part of a parallel peace process led by Qatar, a US ally that has strong ties with Rwanda.

You may also be interested in:

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

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  Published
  16 August

  

European Union leaders begin two days of talks in Brussels with a momentous decision to be taken on whether to loan tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to fund its military and economic needs.

Most of Russia's €210bn (£185bn; $245bn) worth of assets in the EU are held by Belgium-based organisation Euroclear, and so far Belgium and some other members of the bloc have said they are opposed to using the cash.

Without a boost in funding, Ukraine's finances are set to run dry in a matter of months.

One European government official described being "cautiously optimistic, not overly optimistic" that a deal would be agreed. Russia has warned the EU against using its money.

It has filed a lawsuit against Euroclear in a Moscow court in a bid to get its money back.

The Brussels summit comes at a pivotal moment.

US President Donald Trump has said a deal to end the war - which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - is "closer now than we have been ever".

Although Russia has not responded to the latest peace proposals, the Kremlin has stressed that plans for a European-led multinational force for Ukraine supported by the US would not be acceptable.

President Vladimir Putin made his feelings towards Europe clear on Wednesday, when he said the continent was in a state of "total degradation" and "European piglets" - a derogatory description of Ukraine's European allies - were hoping to profit from Russia's collapse.

The European Commission - the EU's executive arm - has proposed loaning Kyiv about €90bn (£79bn) over the next two years - out of the €210bn of Russian assets sitting in Europe.

That is about two-thirds of the €137bn that Kyiv is thought to need to get through 2026 and 2027.

Until now the EU has handed Ukraine the interest generated by the cash but not the cash itself.

"This is a crunch time for Ukraine to keep fighting for the next year," a Finnish government official told the BBC. "There are of course peace negotiations but this gives Ukraine leverage to say 'we're not desperate and we have the funds to continue fighting'."

Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says it will also ramp up the cost of war for Russia.

Russia's frozen assets are not the only option on the table for EU leaders. Another idea, backed by Belgium, is based on the EU borrowing the money on the international markets.

However, that would require a unanimous vote and Hungary's Viktor Orban has made it clear he will not allow any more EU money to help Ukraine.

For Ukraine, the hours ahead are significant and President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the EU summit.

Ahead of the Brussels meeting, EU leaders were keen to stress the momentous nature of the decision.

"We know the urgency. It is acute. We all feel it. We all see it," von der Leyen told the European Parliament.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has played a leading role in pushing for the Russian assets to be used, telling the Bundestag on the eve of the summit it was about sending a "clear signal" to Moscow that continuing the war was pointless.

EU officials are confident they have a sound legal basis to use the frozen Russian assets, but so far Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever remains unconvinced.

His Defence Minister Theo Francken warned ahead of the talks that it would be a big mistake to loan the Euroclear cash.

Hungary is seen as the biggest opponent of the move and, ahead of the summit, Prime Minister Orban and his entourage even suggested that the frozen assets plan had been removed from the summit agenda. A European Commission official stressed that was not the case and it would be a matter for the 27 member states at the summit.

Slovakia's Robert Fico has also opposed using the Russian assets, if it means the money being used to procure weapons rather than for reconstruction needs.

When the pivotal vote does finally take place, it will require a majority of about two-thirds of member states to go through. Whatever happens, European Council President António Costa has promised not to go over the heads of the Belgians.

"We're not going to vote against Belgium," he told Belgian public broadcaster RTBF. "We'll continue to work very intensively with the Belgian government because we don't want to approve something that might not be acceptable for Belgium."

Belgium will also be aware that ratings agency Fitch has placed Euroclear on a negative watch, partly because of "low" legal risks to its balance sheet from the European Commission's plans to use the Russian assets. Euroclear's chief executive has also warned against the plan.

"There are many hiccups and obstacles of course still on the way. We have to find a way to respond to Belgium's worries," the Finnish official added. "We are on the same side as Belgium. We will find a solution together to make sure all the risks are checked as much as they can be checked."

However, Belgium is not the only country to have doubts, and a majority is not guaranteed.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has told Italian MPs she will endorse the deal "if the legal basis is solid".

"If the legal basis for this initiative were not solid, we would be handing Russia its first real victory since the beginning of this conflict."

Malta, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are also said to be unconvinced by the controversial proposals.

If the deal is passed and the Russian assets are given to Ukraine, the worst-case scenario for Belgium would be one in which a court would order it to hand the money back to Russia.

Some countries have said they would be prepared to provide billions of euros in financial guarantees, but Belgium will want to see the numbers add up.

At any rate, Commission officials are confident that the only way for Russia to get it back would be by paying reparations to Ukraine - at which point Ukraine would hand its "reparations loan" back to the EU.

A court hearing for the Duke of Marlborough on charges of intentional strangulation has been adjourned.

Charles James Spencer-Churchill, 70, formerly known as Jamie Blandford, is accused of attacking the same person in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, three times over an 18-month period.

He was due to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday morning charged with three counts of non-fatal intentional strangulation.

Thames Valley Police said a new court date had yet to be confirmed.

The attacks are alleged to have taken place between November 2022 and May 2024, police said.

The twice-married aristocrat, formerly known as the Marquess of Blandford, was arrested on 13 May 2024.

He inherited his dukedom in 2014, following the death of his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough.

He is a first cousin, three times removed, of Sir Winston Churchill and a distant relative of the late Princess Diana through the Spencer family.

His ancestral family home is Blenheim Palace in Woodstock – Sir Winston's birthplace - which is owned and managed by Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation.

The foundation said it was "unable to comment on the charges, which relate to the duke's personal conduct and private life, and which are subject to live, criminal proceedings".

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.

Hospitals across the UK are seeing high levels of flu cases this winter.

The NHS in England has said it is on "on high alert" after seeing the highest ever number of flu cases in hospital for this time of year, in the week ending 14 December.

You can use our tool below to find out how many flu patients there are in hospitals near you.

About the data

Figures relating to flu cases in hospitals are collected in different ways in each UK nation.

In England it is the weekly number of beds occupied by patients with a laboratory confirmed flu case.

This data is provided at NHS Trust level. Trusts are organisations which include hospitals, community services and providers of other forms of patient care. You can find which trust your local hospital belongs to on the NHS England website.

In Scotland the figures relate to the number of patients admitted to hospital with a laboratory confirmed flu case taken between 14 days before the admission date and 48 hours after the admission date.

In Wales it is the weekly number of patients in hospital with a laboratory confirmed flu case taken from 28 days before the admission date if tested outside of hospital, or within two days after admission.

Figures for Scotland and Wales are provided at NHS Health Board level. Health boards are responsible for all frontline healthcare services. You can find which Health Board your local services belong to on the NHS Scotland or NHS Wales websites.

In Northern Ireland the figures show the number of new flu cases admitted to hospital that were acquired outside of hospital.

This data is provided at Health and Social Care Trust level. Trusts are responsible for providing local and regional health services. You can find which trust your local hospital belongs to on the NI direct website.