The potential Western troop deployment to Ukraine being discussed in London should be described as a “reassurance force” rather than a “peacekeeping force”, defence and diplomatic sources say.

Currently dubbed the Multinational Force Ukraine or MFU, it would be sent to the country to cement any ceasefire and encourage long-term confidence in the country.

The focus would be on providing Ukraine with air cover to keep its skies safe and a naval presence in the Black Sea to encourage trade.

The deployment of so-called “boots on the ground” – probably about 20,000 strong – would in terms of size not be big enough to enforce any peace.

Instead, the troops – provided by a so-called “coalition of the willing” – would most likely be deployed to protect cities, ports and major energy infrastructure.

One option being considered is that the MFU might not operate in the east of Ukraine near the front line to try to reassure Russia it poses no offensive threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have said repeatedly they would not agree any ceasefire if European and other forces were deployed to Ukraine.

The sources say any multinational operation in Ukraine would not be a “peacekeeping force” and should not be described as such.

Peacekeeping forces – under the aegis of either the United Nations or Nato – traditionally are impartial, operate with the consent of both parties and use force only to defend themselves. The multinational force being discussed would very much be on Ukraine’s side, there to help deter future Russian aggression.

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At the moment, it is not expected that the multinational force on the ground would monitor any ceasefire. That would be done by Ukrainian troops on the frontline and Western surveillance assets in the air and space.

The sources also say the coalition troops would not be deployed to provide a so-called “tripwire force” – meaning a force smaller than that of the opponent, designed to deter an attack without triggering escalation – if Russia resumed its invasion of Ukraine.

They say the military impact of any allied deployment of about 20,000 troops would be limited compared to the number of troops on either side of the front line.

Ukraine has almost a million military personnel, Russia’s army is even larger.

Much of the focus of Thursday’s discussions is on how best any international force can provide Ukraine with assets it does not have, especially capability in the air.

So, there will be discussions about which countries can provide warplanes to keep Ukraine’s skies safe during a ceasefire.

There will also be discussions about how to make the Black Sea safe for shipping. That may involve two components: how best to keep shipping lanes clear of mines and what kind of naval task force could provide a security presence in the sea.

The key uncertainty is whether the United States would provide any air, satellite or intelligence cover for any European force on the ground.

The US has thus far said it would not be willing to provide any military “backstop”.

The European strategy for now is to stop asking the US and instead organise the best force and capability it can to ensure the security of Ukraine in the future. Once the details are agreed, then the UK, France and others would see if the European offer was substantial enough for the US to have a change of heart and agree to play some kind of role.

What all this planning depends on, of course, is some kind of ceasefire being agreed in Ukraine.

While the US remains optimistic, many in Ukraine remain sceptical that Russia even wants to end the fighting.

Finland has been ranked as the world’s happiest country for the eighth successive year, with experts citing access to nature and a strong welfare system as factors.

It came ahead of three other Nordic countries in this year’s UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, while Latin America’s Costa Rica and Mexico entered the top 10 for the first time.

Both the UK and the US slipped down the list to 23rd and 24th respectively – the lowest-ever position for the latter.

The study also found strangers are about twice as kind as people think. It measured trust in strangers by deliberately losing wallets, seeing how many were returned and comparing that with how many people thought would be handed in.

The rate of wallets returned was almost twice as high as people predicted and the study, which gathered evidence from around the world, found belief in the kindness of others was more closely tied to happiness than previously thought.

John F. Helliwell, an economist at the University of British Columbia and a founding editor of the report, said the wallet experiment data showed “people are much happier living where they think people care about each other”.

The 13th annual World Happiness Report, released to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness, ranks the world’s happiest countries by asking people to evaluate their lives.

Finland again took top spot with an average score of 7.736 out of 10, with Denmark in second.

Experts said family bonds were a factor in Costa Rica’s and Mexico’s rise in the rankings.

The study, published by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, asked people to rate their own lives on a scale of 0-10 – zero being the worst possible life and 10 being the best possible life.

Country rankings are based on a three-year average of those scores. The top 10 are:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Sweden

5. Netherlands

6. Costa Rica

7. Norway

8. Israel

9. Luxembourg

10. Mexico

The 2025 World Happiness Report also found:

• declining happiness and social trust in the US and parts of Europe combined to explain the rise and direction of political polarisation;
• sharing meals with others was strongly linked with wellbeing across the globe;
• household size was closely linked to happiness, with four to five people living together enjoying the highest levels of happiness in Mexico and Europe

Jeffrey D. Sachs, president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, said the findings reconfirmed “happiness is rooted in trust, kindness and social connection”.

“It is up to us as virtuous individuals and citizens to translate this vital truth into positive action, thereby fostering peace, civility, and wellbeing in communities worldwide,” he said.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre, added: “In this era of social isolation and political polarisation we need to find ways to bring people around the table again – doing so is critical for our individual and collective wellbeing.”

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Indonesia’s parliament has passed controversial changes to legislation that will allow its military a bigger role in government.

Critics warn that the move could return Indonesia to the dark days of Suharto’s military dictatorship, which lasted 32 years until he was forced out of office in 1998.

The revisions backed by President Prabowo Subianto – a former special forces commander and Suharto’s son-in-law – allow military officers to take up positions in government without first retiring or resigning from the armed forces.

Hundreds of pro-democracy activists have camped outside parliament since Wednesday evening to protest at the changes.

“The essence of democracy is that the military should not engage in politics. The military should only manage barracks and national defence,” said Wilson, an activist with the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (KontraS), a group advocating for activists who disappeared during a crackdown in 1997 and 1998.

“Since 1998, there has been a creeping murder of democracy. And today marks its peak. Democracy has been killed by the House of Representatives,” Wilson told the BBC.

The revisions allow active military personnel to hold positions in 14 civilian institutions, up from 10. They also raise retirement age by several years for most ranks. Highest-ranking four-star generals can now serve until 63, up from 60.

By Thursday evening, the crowd of protesters outside parliament had grown to nearly a thousand. “Return the military to the barracks!” “Against militarism and oligarchy,” read the banners they held.

Police officers and military personnel stood guard around the protesters.

While there have been efforts over the past 25 years to limit the military’s involvement in politics and governance, local human rights watchdog Imparsial found that nearly 2,600 active-duty officers were serving in civilian roles even before the law’s revision.

The changes signal a “broader consolidation of power” under Prabowo, said Dedi Dinarto, lead Indonesia analyst at public policy advisory firm Global Counsel.

That the main opposition party endorsed the changes – despite initial opposition – further underscores this shift, he noted.

“By embedding military perspectives into civilian domains, the legislation could reshape Indonesia’s policy direction, potentially prioritising stability and state control over democratic governance and civil liberties,” Mr Dinarto said.

The armed forces’ “dual function”, where they are given control of security and administrative affairs, was central to Suharto’s regime.

For some Indonesians, Prabowo epitomises that authoritarian era. It was he who led the special forces unit accused of abducting activists in 1997 and 1998.

Many had feared that his return to political power and becoming president would erode Indonesia’s hard-won but fragile democracy.

Since taking office last October, Prabowo has already been expanding the military’s involvement in public areas. His flagship $4bn free-meal programme for children and pregnant women, for instance, receives logistical support from the armed forces.

Defending the amendments on Thursday, defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told parliament “geopolitical changes and global military technology” require the military to transform to tackle “conventional and non conventional conflicts”.

“We will never disappoint the Indonesians in keeping our sovereignty,” he said.

However some rights groups argue that increasing military control in public affairs beyond defence will undermine impartiality.

“How can active-duty officers in the Attorney General’s Office remain impartial when they are still bound by military command?” asked Virdika Rizky Utama, a researcher at Jakarta-based think-tank PARA Syndicate, Benar News reports.

“If the military gains influence over the justice system, who will hold them accountable?”

“President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military’s role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity,” said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The government’s rush to adopt these amendments undercuts its expressed commitment to human rights and accountability.”

KontraS also noted that the government’s “rush to amend the [law] stands in stark contrast to its prolonged inaction on other critical human rights commitments”.

“This long struggle cannot stop just because the law has been passed. There is only one word: Resist,” said Sukma Ayu, an undergraduate at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Hamka in Jakarta.

“We will continue protesting until we claim victory… We have no choice but to occupy the ‘house of the people’,” she said.

Four Canadians were executed in China on drug-related charges earlier this year, Canadian authorities have confirmed.

All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to “stop making irresponsible remarks”, as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain.

China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted “in accordance with the law”, while the embassy said there was “solid and sufficient” evidence for their crimes.

Beijing had “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned”, the embassy said, urging Canada to respect “China’s judicial sovereignty”.

China does not recognise dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes. However, it’s rare for the death penalty to be carried out on foreigners.

Joly said she had been following the cases “very closely” for months and had tried with other officials, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to stop the executions.

In a statement to Canadian media, Global Affairs Canada spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod said Canada had “repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere”.

China imposes the death penalty on serious crimes including those related to drugs, corruption and espionage. While the number of executions are kept secret, human rights groups believe China has one of the highest execution rates in the world.

“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, from Amnesty International Canada. “We are devastated for the families of the victims, and we hold them in our hearts as they try to process the unimaginable.

“Our thoughts also go to the loved ones of Canadian citizens whom China is holding on death row or whose whereabouts in the Chinese prison system are unknown.”

In 2019, Canadian national Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling, in a high-profile case condemned by the Canadian government. He was not among the Canadians who were executed.

“We’ll continue to not only strongly condemn but also ask for leniency for other Canadians that are facing similar situations,” Joly said on Wednesday.

Relations between Canada and China have been icy since 2018, after Canada detained a Chinese telecom executive, Meng Wanzhou, on a US extradition request. China arrested two Canadians shortly afterwards, both of whom have now been released.

In 2023, Canadian media released reports, many based on leaked intelligence, about detailed claims of Chinese meddling in the country’s federal elections. China denied the reports, calling them “baseless and defamatory”.

More recently, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm and food imports after Ottawa placed levies on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminium.

At least 85 Palestinians have been killed in overnight Israeli air strikes in Gaza, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry has said.

Hours later, Israel’s military said it had intercepted three rockets, which Hamas’s armed wing said it fired at Tel Aviv in response.

It comes after Israel resumed its bombing campaign and ground operations in Gaza this week, with air strikes having already killed more than 430 people over the past two days, according to the health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it had started a ground operation in northern Gaza. There had been a reprieve from large-scale military action since January, when a ceasefire had begun.

Gaza’s health ministry also reported that 133 people were injured in the latest attacks on Thursday.

Israel resumed attacks on Tuesday as talks to extend the ceasefire deal failed to progress, warning they would intensify until Hamas released the remaining hostages.

Israel says Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.

IDF spokesperson Col Avichay Adraee said Hamas had fired three rockets from southern Gaza. One was intercepted, while the other two fell in an “open area”, he wrote in a post on X.

The Israeli military said earlier on Thursday that it had begun “targeted ground activities” to create what it called a “partial buffer between the north and south” of Gaza. It called the action a “limited ground operation”.

Col Adraee said forces were deployed up to the centre of a strip, known as the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern and southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, five staff members of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa were among those killed over the “past few days”, the agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

“They were teachers, doctors and nurses,” he added, warning that “the worst is yet to come” amid the ongoing ground invasion.

On Wednesday, the UN said that one of its workers had been killed after its compound in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza was damaged. While it said the circumstances remain unclear, UN Office for Project Services head Jorge Moreira said it was “not an accident” and “at least an incident”.

Gaza’s health ministry blamed an Israeli strike, which it said injured five others. Israel’s military said it did not attack the compound but was investigating the incident.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed on Thursday that a UK national had been wounded in the compound attack. It comes after a charity said one of its workers, a 51-year-old British bomb disposal expert, had been injured.

“Our priority is supporting them and their family at this time,” he told MPs.

At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Qasim Abu Sharqiya said his two-year-old son, Omar, had been born through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after five years of trying.

“They bombed a tent next to us and he died,” he told AFP. “Omar is my only son, oh world, and I have no one else.”

A doctor there, Tanya Haj Hassan, told the BBC’s Newshour that she had heard of at least 76 people who “didn’t even make it into the ER” but were taken “straight to the mortuary”.

She recalled “a level of horror and evil that is really hard to articulate – it felt like Armageddon”.

Elsewhere, Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Thursday, aiming for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the Iran-backed group’s military spokesperson said.

No injuries were reported and the IDF said the missile was stopped before entering Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that it had “resumed combat in full force” and any ceasefire negotiations would now take place “under fire”.

A group representing hostages’ families has accused the Israeli government of choosing “to give up the hostages” by launching new strikes.

Israel and Hamas have failed to agree how to take the ceasefire beyond the first phase, which expired on 1 March.

Hamas did not agree to a renegotiation of the ceasefire on Israel’s terms, although it offered to release a living American hostage and four hostages’ bodies as mediators tried to prolong the ceasefire.

Israel blocked all food, fuel and medical supplies entering Gaza at the beginning of March in order to put pressure on Hamas. It accused Hamas of commandeering the provisions as part of its strategy against Israel, though did not provide evidence for this claim.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and 251 other taken hostage. Twenty-five Israeli and five Thai hostages were released alive during the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel responded to the 7 October attack with a massive military offensive, which had killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, before Israel resumed its campaign, the Hamas-run health ministry says. Israel’s offensive has also caused huge amounts of destruction to homes and infrastructure.

India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis.

Now, with US President Donald Trump’s tit-for-tat tariff wars and the global trade upheaval that has followed, many believe that India finds itself at another crossroad.

Could this be a major opportunity for the world’s fifth largest economy to shed its protectionism and further open up its economy? Will India seize the moment, just as it did more than three decades ago, or will it retreat further?

Trump has repeatedly branded India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” of trade ties. The problem is that India’s trade-weighted import duties – the average duty rate per imported product – are among the highest in the world. The US average tariff is 2.2%, China’s is 3% and Japan’s is 1.7%. India’s stands at a whopping 12%, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

High tariffs increase costs for companies dependent on global value chains, hindering their ability to compete in international markets. They also mean that Indians pay more on imported goods than foreign consumers. Despite growing exports – primarily driven by services – India runs a significant trade deficit. However, with India’s share of global exports at a mere 1.5%, the challenge becomes even more urgent.

The jury is out on whether Trump’s tariff war will help India break free or double down on protectionism. Narendra Modi’s government, often criticised for its protectionist stance, already seems to have shifted gears.

Last month, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Trump in Washington, India unilaterally lowered tariffs on Bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and some other US products.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has made two trips to the US to discuss a potential trade deal, following Trump’s threatened retaliatory tariffs, looming on 2 April. (Citi Research analysts estimate India could lose up to $7bn annually from reciprocal tariffs, primarily affecting sectors like metals, chemicals and jewellery, with pharmaceuticals, automobiles and food products also at risk.)

Last week, Goyal urged Indian exporters to “come out of their protectionist mindset and encouraged them to be bold and ready to deal with the world from a position of strength and self-confidence”, according to a statement from his ministry.

India is also actively pursuing free trade deals with several countries, including the UK and New Zealand, and the European Union.

In an interesting turn of events, homegrown telecoms giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have teamed up with Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellite internet services via Starlink in India. The move surprised analysts, especially after Musk’s recent clashes with both companies, and came as US and Indian officials negotiate the trade deal.

India’s rapid growth from the late 1990s to the 2000s – 8.1% between 2004-2009 and 7.46% from 2009-2014 – was in large part driven by its gradual integration into global markets, particularly in pharmaceuticals, software, autos, textiles and garments, alongside a steady reduction in tariffs. Since then, India has turned inwards.

Many economists believe that protectionist policies over the past decade have undermined Modi’s Make in India initiative, which prioritised capital- and technology-intensive sectors over labour-intensive ones like textiles. As a result, it has struggled to boost manufacturing and exports.

High tariffs have also fostered protectionism in several Indian industries, discouraging investments in efficiency, according to Viral Acharya, a professor of economics at New York University Stern School of Business.

This has allowed “cosy incumbents” to gain market power by consolidating their positions without facing much competition. As Mr Acharya, a former central banker, noted in a paper by Brookings Institution, restoring industrial balance in India requires “reducing tariffs to increase the country’s share of global goods trade and reduce protectionism”.

With India’s tariffs already higher than those of most countries, further increases could be especially damaging.

“We need to boost exports and a tit-for-tat tariff war won’t help us. China can afford this strategy due to its massive export base, but we can’t, as we hold only a small share of the global market,” Rajeswari Sengupta, an associate professor of economics at Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, said. “A trade conflict could hurt us more than others.”

In light of this, India finds itself at a crossroad. As the world undergoes a major shift, India has a “unique opportunity to shape a new vision” for global trade, says Aseema Sinha, a trade expert at Claremont McKenna College.

By lowering protectionist barriers in South Asia and strengthening ties with Southeast Asia and the Middle East, India has the chance to lead in shaping a new trade vision, positioning itself as a key player in a “re-globalised” world, Ms Sinha, author of Globalising India, says.

“By reducing tariffs, India could become the regional and cross-regional magnet for trade and economic activity, drawing in varied powers in its orbit,” she adds.

That could help India create the jobs it desperately needs at home. Agriculture, which makes up 15% of its GDP, accounts for a whopping 40% of employment, reflecting extremely low productivity. Construction remains the second-largest employer, absorbing casual daily workers.

India’s challenge isn’t in expanding its thriving service sector, which already makes up nearly half of total exports, but in dealing with the large pool of unskilled workers who lack the basic skills needed for service jobs.

“While high-end services are thriving, the majority of the workforce remains uneducated and underemployed, often relegated to construction or informal jobs. To provide meaningful employment to millions entering the workforce each year, India must ramp up its manufacturing exports, as relying solely on services won’t address the needs of the unskilled labour force,” says Ms Sengupta.

One concern is that reducing tariffs could lead to dumping, where foreign companies flood the market with cheap goods, potentially harming domestic industries.

According to Ms Sengupta, India’s ideal approach to trade would involve a “universal reduction” in import tariffs, as it currently has some of the highest tariffs among its trading partners.

However, there is a caveat: China’s trade struggles, particularly with the US due to the ongoing trade war, could lead to Chinese dumping in India in the “short run”.

“To protect against this, India can use non-tariff barriers against China but only against this one country and only in cases of proven dumping. Barring that, it is in India’s interest to do a wholesale slashing of tariffs,” she says.

There’s also a growing concern that India may be overcompensating in its efforts to flatter the US.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), believes that India’s tendency to soften trade policies “based on rhetoric rather than economic pressure” shows a lack of assertiveness in global trade talks.

If this trend continues, he says, India may end up making even more compromises in its trade deal with the US, further “eroding its bargaining power”.

“In comparison to other major economies, India’s pre-emptive surrender on multiple trade fronts – without the US imposing a single country-specific tariff – makes it appear exceptionally vulnerable to pressure tactics.”

The broader consensus seems to be that India should capitalise on what could be the unintended consequences of Trump’s tariff wars. Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC, believes that “potential US tariffs may have become a catalyst for reforms.“.

“If supply chains are rejigged again during the second Trump presidency due to higher tariffs on large exporters, and the world looks for new producers, India may get a second chance,” she writes.

Creating jobs that manufacture goods for the world won’t be easy. India has largely missed the bus on low-end, unskilled factory work – jobs China dominated for decades. Automation is taking over. Without deeper reforms, India risks being left behind.

More than 80 Afghan women studying in Oman on US-funded scholarships – terminated last month due to Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid – have received a temporary reprieve.

A US State Department spokesperson has told the BBC that funding will continue until 30 June, 2025.

“This is great news, and we are very grateful,” one student told the BBC, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals. “But I hope there will be a permanent solution.”

The women fled Taliban ruled Afghanistan to continue their studies abroad, but the abrupt freeze on US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds put them at risk of being sent back.

Since regaining power in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, the Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on women, including banning them from universities.

The students in Oman were pursuing graduate and post-graduate degrees under the Women’s Scholarship Endowment (WSE), a USAID program launched in 2018 to fund studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

On 28 February, they were informed their scholarships were ending and that they would be sent back to Afghanistan within two weeks, prompting “shock and tears”.

“We are relieved now, but we are still deeply concerned about our future,” a student said. “If the scholarship is not renewed, we will be left with no option but to return to Afghanistan, where we cannot study, and our safety could be under threat as well.”

The US government has not responded to the BBC’s inquiries on when a final decision will be made.

The BBC has also contacted the government of Oman to find out whether it is seeking alternative funding.

• The Afghan women who escaped to get an education abroad
• Afghan women ‘banned from midwife courses’ in latest blow to rights

Afghanistan’s Taliban government says it has been trying to resolve the issue of women’s education, but has also defended its supreme leader’s diktats, saying they are “in accordance with Islamic Sharia law”.

It has cracked down on women protesting for education and work, with many activists beaten, detained and threatened.

Women in Afghanistan describe themselves as “dead bodies moving around” under the regime’s policies.

Before the funding extension, a WSE staff member had told the BBC they were urgently “searching for alternative funding sources”. Calling the situation “dangerous and devastating”, the staff member warned that the students could face persecution and forced marriages upon return to Afghanistan.

The women, mostly in their 20s, qualified for scholarships in 2021 before the Taliban seized Afghanistan. Many continued their studies in Afghan universities until December 2022, when the Taliban banned higher education for women.

After 18 months in limbo, they said they fled to Pakistan last September.

USAID then facilitated their visas to Oman, where they arrived between October and November 2024.

The decision to slash American aid funding has come under the Trump administration, and been implemented by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Former Labour minister Tulip Siddiq has accused the Bangladeshi authorities of mounting a “targeted and baseless” campaign against her.

In a letter to Bangladesh’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), the MP’s lawyers say allegations of corruption are “false and vexatious” and have never been formally put to her by investigators, despite being briefed to the media.

Siddiq resigned as economic secretary to the Treasury, with responsibility for tackling corruption in the UK’s financial markets, in January.

The Hampstead and Highgate MP insisted at the time she had done nothing wrong but that she did not want to be a “distraction” to the government.

ACC chairman Mohammad Abdul Momen told the BBC the allegations “are by no means ‘targeted and baseless'” and its investigation was “based on documentary evidence of corruption”.

“Ms Tulip Siddiq must not shy away from the court proceedings in Bangladesh.

“I would welcome Ms. Siddiq come and defend her case and with the best possible legal support accompanying her,” he added.

He also rejected her lawyer’s claims that the ACC was interfering in UK politics, adding: “ACC briefing to the media is a regular phenomenon, it is delivered professionally and with all accuracy.”

Siddiq had referred herself to the PM’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus when the corruption allegations first surfaced in January.

Sir Laurie said in his report that he had “not identified evidence of improprieties”.

But he added it was “regrettable” that Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of the ties to her aunt Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh and leader of Awami League party.

In a letter accepting her resignation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, a close friend of Siddiq who represents a neighbouring constituency in North London, said the “door remains open” to her return.

The ACC is examining claims Sheikh Hasina and her family embezzled up to £3.9bn from infrastructure spending in Bangladesh.

The investigation is based on a series of allegations made by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Hasina.

Court documents seen by the BBC show Hajjaj has accused Siddiq of helping to broker a deal with Russia in 2013 that overinflated the price of a new nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

In its letter to the ACC, Siddiq’s lawyers, Stephenson Harwood, repeat her claim that she was not involved in the nuclear plant deal in any way, despite being pictured at a signing ceremony in the Kremlin in 2013, with Sheikh Hasina and Russian president Vladimir Putin.

“It is not uncommon for family members to be invited to accompany Heads of State on state visits,” the letter says, adding that she had no knowledge of any alleged financial irregularities.

It says claims that a £700,000 flat in London King’s Cross gifted to Siddiq in 2004 was “in some way the fruits of embezzlement” were “absurd” and “cannot be true” because it was 10 years before the nuclear deal.

In his investigation into the allegations, Sir Laurie Magnus said that “over an extended period, she was unaware of the origins of her ownership of her flat in Kings Cross, despite having signed a Land Registry transfer form relating to the gift at the time”.

She “remained under the impression that her parents had bought the property for her”, Sir Laurie added, but had to correct the record when she became a government minister.

He describes this as an “unfortunate misunderstanding” which meant the public had been “inadvertently misled about the identity of the donor of this gift”.

In their letter to the ACC, Siddiq’s lawyers confirm that the King’s Cross flat was given to her by Abdul Motalif, who is described as “an Iman and a very close family friend, akin to Ms Siddiq’s godfather”.

The letter also contains a detailed rebuttal of allegations made by the ACC to the media that Siddiq was involved in the appropriation of land in Dhaka.

It describes ACC briefings to the media as an “unacceptable attempt to interfere with UK politics”.

“At no point have any allegations been put to her fairly, properly and transparently, or indeed at all, by the ACC or anyone else with proper authority on behalf of the Bangladeshi government, ” the letter says.

“We require that you immediately stop manufacturing false and vexatious allegations against Ms Siddiq and further media briefings and public comments designed to harm her reputation.”

The letter says the ACC must put questions to Siddiq “promptly” and “in any event by no later than 25 March 2025″ or ” we shall presume that there are no legitimate questions to answer”.

The ACC say they have written a response to Siddiq’s lawyers.

In the letter, which has been seen by the BBC, a spokesman for the ACC claims Siddiq had “spent most of her adult life residing in homes owned by cronies of the notoriously venal Awami League” and that this was evidence she had benefitted from the party’s corruption.

The MP’s “claims to have been unaware of the nature of the Hasina regime” strained credulity, the spokesman added, and the ACC would be in touch with her lawyers “in due course”.

The Malaysian cabinet has approved a fresh search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, more than a decade after the aircraft vanished.

The search will cover a 15,000 sq km area in the southern Indian Ocean, under a “no find, no fee” agreement with the exploration firm Ocean Infinity.

The company will receive $70m (£56m) if the wreckage is found, transport minister Loke Siew Fook announced.

Flight MH370 disappeared in 2014 with 239 people on board while travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Its disappearance is one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries, which continues to haunt the families of the passengers.

Despite extensive searches in the years since it vanished, no wreckage has been found. Previous efforts, including a multinational search that cost $150m (£120m), ended in 2017.

The governments of the three nations involved – Malaysia, Australia and China – said the search would only be resumed “should credible new evidence emerge” of the aircraft’s location.

A 2018 search for the wreckage by Ocean Infinity under similar terms ended unsuccessfully after three months.

In December, Malaysia’s government agreed in principle to resume the search. However, the final negotiations were not completed until March.

Malaysia’s final approval on Wednesday will now allow the search to begin.

Loke said in a statement: “The government is committed to continuing the search operation and providing closure for the families of the MH370 passengers.”

Flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of 8 March 2014. Less than an hour after takeoff, it lost communication with air traffic control, and radar showed that it had deviated from its planned flight path.

Investigators generally agree that the plane crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, though the reason for the crash remains unclear.

Pieces of debris, believed to be from the plane, have washed up on the shores of the Indian Ocean in the years following its disappearance.

The aircraft’s disappearance has given rise to a host of conspiracy theories, including speculation that the pilot had deliberately brought the plane down and claims that it had been shot down by a foreign military.

An investigation in 2018 into the aircraft’s disappearance found that the plane’s controls were likely deliberately manipulated to take it off course, but drew no conclusions behind it.

Investigators said at the time that “the answer can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found”.

The passengers included people from more than a dozen countries: just under two-thirds were Chinese nationals, followed by 38 Malaysians, with others from Australia, Indonesia, India, France, Ukraine, the US and several other nations.

Family members of missing Chinese MH370 passengers met with officials in Beijing earlier in March to discuss the renewed search for the wreckage and express their hopes for an independent search. Some relatives voiced their frustration over a lack of direct communication from the Malaysian authorities.

“It was promised that we would be informed immediately [but] we can only find out about this kind of news online,” said Li Eryou, a 68-year-old father who lost his 29-year-old son.

“Many families don’t even know how to access this information, so they are completely unaware,” he told AFP.

Grieving families gathered outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing on the eleventh anniversary of the flight’s disappearance earlier this month, chanting: “Give us back our loved ones!”

Cheng Liping, whose husband had been in Malaysia for a film shoot and had been returning to China on MH370, said she hoped Beijing would communicate more with Malaysia to uncover the truth.

“Everyone has been left trapped in pain,” she told reporters. “What exactly happened is still unknown.”

The fresh search prompted mixed reactions from the families of passengers when it was announced in December – with some calling it a step towards closure, while others describing the news as bittersweet.

British film critics have mostly panned Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, while US reviewers have been somewhat more positive.

Chief film critic for The Times, Kevin Maher, said: “Believe the anti-hype, it’s that bad”, although Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called the film “mostly captivating”.

Its release has faced several issues throughout its production, from alleged disagreements between cast members, to debates over representation of the seven dwarfs, and the casting of Rachel Zegler in the lead role.

Reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film, which will be released globally on Friday, an initial critics’ score of just 47%.

US reviewer Rooney describes director Marc Webb’s work a “vibrant retelling” with a “smart script” from Erin Cressida Wilson.

But he isn’t a fan of the way the film handles the seven dwarfs.

The debate around the dwarves began in 2022, when Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage, who has has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia, described the decision to retell the story of “seven dwarfs living in a cave” as “backward”.

Disney used computer-generated characters in the remake to “avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film”, but some other actors with dwarfism were concerned this decision would prevent them from getting work in the future.

Rooney said: “Although the talented voice cast gives the characters humour and distinctive personalities, their CGI renderings are a bit creepy, and less photorealistic than many of the cute woodland creatures that flock around Snow White.”

Pete Hammond wrote in Deadline that the film is “just fine”, adding: “It manages to make a thoroughly decent reboot from a genuine, never-out-of-circulation classic and make it fresh and relevant again for contemporary audiences.”

He added the musical film has “dazzling dance numbers” while the title character of Snow White “is played to perfection by Rachel Zegler”.

Variety’s Owen Gleiberman called the film “one of the better live-action adaptations of a Disney animated feature”.

He felt that the CGI dwarfs “bring the movie to life”, adding they have “catchy personalities and comically expressive mottled-clay faces”.

Gleiberman concluded the film is “lighter, more frolicsome, less lead-footed than such clomping live-action Disney remakes as Alice in Wonderland and Beauty and the Beast”.

Robbie Collins from The Telegraph gave the film a respectable three stars.

“Once Zegler scuttles off to the forest, where she teams up with two chirpy septets – the digitised dwarfs and a zany gaggle of bandits, who may have been dwarf replacements in an early draft – it really picks up,” he said.

He also described the performances of the songs Heigh-Ho and Whistle While You Work as “stylishly choreographed and rousingly performed”.

Most British publications haven’t been so complimentary about the film, with the Daily Mail’s Brian Viner giving the film two stars.

“Snow White the movie has its charms, and dozens of cute CGI forest animals, but on the whole it is a painfully muddle-headed affair,” he says.

He says Zegler “has oodles of talent” but “Webb’s film only intermittently allows her to sparkle”.

Disney’s decision to cast Zegler, a Latina actress, as a character deemed to have skin “as white as snow” prompted some controversy – it was part of a drive by Disney to cast a more diverse range of actors to play updated versions of some classic characters.

Zegler also made headlines after she made critical comments about the original animated film.

“The original cartoon came out in 1937, and very evidently so,” Zegler said in 2022.

“There’s a big focus [in the original] on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! So we didn’t do that this time.”

Zegler also said the original film was “extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power”, adding: “People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is – because it needed that.”

Her relationship with co-star Gal Gadot has also been under scrutiny, with rumours that promotional work for the film was scaled back because of their opposing views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Zegler has used social media to post pro-Palestine material, whereas Israeli citizen Gadot served in her country’s army for two years.

However, others have said rumours of a rift are misguided, noting Gadot and Zegler have appeared publicly together on several occasions, including when they presented an award together at the Academy Awards.

Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian gave the film one star, calling it an “exhaustingly awful reboot”.

He describes the costume design for Snow White as a “supermarket-retail tweenie outfit with puffy-sleeved shoulders”, adding: “Those otherwise estimable performers Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot (The Evil Queen) are forced to go through the motions, and they give the dullest performances of their lives”.

The Times’s Maher referenced the pared-down European premiere for the film, which took place at a castle in northern Spain last week, while the Los Angeles launch was held on Saturday without most of the usual ranks of press on the red carpet.

He added: “The new tunes, much like Zegler’s performance, are watery and ineffectual, while the dramatic jeopardy is non-existent.

“It’s hard not to see this as anything other than a crisis point for Disney, a studio that used to make flawless cinematic stories but now infantilises global audiences with sanctimonious life lessons culled from the corpses of their own murdered movies”.

Tickets for the film, which reportedly cost more than $270m (£217m) to make, have only been put on presale in the last two weeks, relatively late for a big Disney film.

Clarisse Loughrey from The Independent gave it one star, declaring that “Rachel Zegler deserves better than the lazy, visually repellent Snow White”.

“What’s most disheartening about it all is how predictable Disney’s choices have become. With Snow White, they’ve finessed their formula – do the bare minimum to make a film, then simply slap a bunch of cutesy CGI animals all over it and hope no one notices,” she concluded.

Enthusiasts are poring over thousands of newly released documents related to the investigation into President John F Kennedy’s assassination.

As many experts expected, this latest release by the Trump administration does not answer all lingering questions about one of the US’s historic turning points – the 1963 killing of Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

But the latest batch does include documents that are now mostly or fully unredacted. They reveal further how much the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) observed JFK’s killer before the shooting.

A US government investigation in the 1960s concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a drifter and former US Marine who at one point defected to the then-Soviet Union, acted alone when he shot at Kennedy’s motorcade from a nearby building.

However, the case still prompts questions, along with wild conspiracy theories, more than 60 years later – and the latest release is unlikely to change that. Here are some key takeaways.

• JFK experts scour newly unsealed assassination files

The documents further shed light on the CIA’s strong surveillance of Oswald, said Jefferson Morley, a former Washington Post reporter and editor of the JFK Facts blog.

“He’s a subject of deep interest to the CIA” long before the assassination, and the extent of this has only become clear in the last few years, Mr Morley said.

Many of the new documents have been released before – but now more complete versions are available. Although specialists are still combing through, no earth-shattering stories have surfaced.

Still, Mr Morley calls it “the most exciting news around JFK records since the 1990s”.

“Several very important documents have come into public view,” he said.

Experts have therefore praised the release as a step forward for transparency. In the past, hundreds of thousands of documents were made available but were partially redacted. Others were held back, with officials citing national security concerns.

Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination, told the Associated Press that previously released documents described a trip Oswald took to Mexico City in September 1963, months before the assassination.

The CIA was monitoring him at that time, he said, according to the AP. “There’s reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.”

In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswald’s trip to Mexico City, the AP reported. The CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, it said, but Oswald only identified himself in one.

A number of the documents shed light on Kennedy’s relationship with the CIA before his death and on intelligence-gathering techniques – giving a window into Cold War operations.

A newly unredacted memo reveals a more complete version of a note written by Kennedy aide Arthur Schlesinger.

Critical of the CIA and its role in shaping foreign policy, the note shows the agency’s huge presence in US embassies, even in allied countries such as France.

In it, Schlesinger warns Kennedy about the agency’s influence on American foreign policy. Though not directly related to the assassination, the memo details the rocky relationship between the president and intelligence agencies.

The CIA is traditionally opposed to releasing operational or budget information, said David Barrett, a Villanova University professor and expert on the CIA and presidential power.

“It’s a very good thing for the government to release these documents even if there still may be some redactions,” he said.

One document details the use of fluoroscopic scanning – using X-rays to show images of the inside of an object.

The technique was developed to detect hidden microphones possibly used to bug CIA offices.

In another document, the CIA describes a system to secretly tag and identify public phone boxes that are tapped, using a paint only visible under ultraviolet light.

The memo is also notable for one of the names in it – James McCord, who would later gain infamy as one of the men who burgled the Watergate complex. The break-in kicked off the unravelling of the scandal that toppled President Richard Nixon.

Some well-known online accounts claimed that the recent documents reveal new details about long-alleged plots against Kennedy – even though some of the supposed revelations have been public for years.

They includes several viral posts about Gary Underhill – a World War Two military intelligence agent.

Mr Underhill reportedly claimed that a cabal of CIA agents was behind the assassination, a theory openly published in Ramparts, a left-wing magazine, in 1967. Mr Underhill’s death in 1964 was ruled a suicide, but the magazine cast doubt on that as well.

Photos of a seven-page memo regarding Mr Underhill went viral on Tuesday – but the bulk of it is not new. His story has long been discussed online and the CIA memo mentioning it was first released in 2017.

Just a few sentences on one page of the memo were newly unredacted in the latest release.

And crucially the theory is based on a second-hand account published after Mr Underhill’s death and includes no hard evidence.

However, the story was just one of a number of unsubstantiated theories circulating following the release of the files.

A 1992 law required all of the documents related to the assassination to be released within 25 years – but that law also included national security exceptions.

The push for greater transparency has led to more releases over time – both President Trump in his first term and President Biden, as recently as 2023, released batches of documents.

Ahead of the new release, President Trump said that he asked his staff “not to redact anything” from them.

That doesn’t appear to be entirely the case – the new documents still have some redactions. However, experts were largely in agreement that the latest release was a step forward for transparency.

JFK Files journalist Morley said there are further documents in the National Archives yet to be released, and others held by the CIA and FBI that have not yet been accounted for.

Even though there could be more releases to come – as well as promised drops about the killings of Robert F Kennedy Sr and Martin Luther King Jr – the questions around the JFK assassination will almost certainly continue.

“Whenever there is an assassination there will be debates and to some degree there will be conspiracy theories,” said Barrett, the Villanova historian. “That’s not going to change because of these or any other documents.”

More than a week after a cargo ship struck an oil tanker in the North Sea, Lincolnshire is beginning to see the impact. Clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as “nurdles”, are being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness.

From the top of the Giant Wheel on the resort’s Pleasure Beach, which is due to reopen to the public on Saturday after the winter break, the scale of the issue is apparent: black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, now pepper the golden sands.

At beach level, people are inspecting them. Two coastguard officials stop to chat while teams from East Lindsey District Council begin to clear up.

Some visitors to the beach are aware that the blackened material is believed to be from the cargo ship Solong, which crashed into the tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 March.

Others seem unaware as they pick up the clumps of pellets, which were fused together by flames that engulfed both vessels following the incident off the East Yorkshire coast.

Some are allowing their dogs to sniff the material.

Steven Davison, a local, tells me the arrival of the debris is “a bit concerning”. He adds: “I’m surprised it’s washed up this far south.”

Stuart Green, 68, another local, says the pellets “look just like fish eggs”.

“That could be a problem for the wildlife around here. It could also be dangerous for dogs.

“It’s very upsetting. We have all the seals up at Gibraltar Point. Pup season has only recently ended.”

Nurdles are balls of plastic resin used in plastics production.

Mr Green is holding a plastic bag containing several small clumps he has picked up on his morning walk, though officials have strongly advised people to leave the material alone.

“I’m a volunteer in the RNLI shop and so felt some responsibility to help clear it up,” he tells me.

“The coastguard told me to put it next to the bins, not in it, because it stinks of fuel and they obviously don’t want it to go up in flames if someone drops a cigarette end in there.”

The owners of the Solong have admitted the pellets, which were held in containers on board, were released because of the crash.

On Monday HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash – a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk.

Kevin Turgoose, 72, who is walking his dog, says it was “inevitable” Lincolnshire would be next.

“We’ve been having some strong winds from the north-east over the past week,” he tells me. “It was always going to wash up here.”

Christine Peters, 76, and her daughter Tracy Lear, 59, have parked their mobility scooters on a boardwalk next to a lifeguard lookout tower.

“It’s disgusting, absolutely disgusting,” says Ms Peters, shaking her head. “The weather is just starting to get better. It’ll soon be Easter and this beach will be full of children.”

According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. But Ms Lear adds: “It can’t be healthy though, can it?”

On sunny days like this, the mother and daughter come here to marvel at the seabirds that inhabit this coastline.

“I’m really worried about them eating this stuff and getting ill,” says Ms Peters.

Conservationists share their concerns, warning wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill.

Nikkita Holland, 31, who is from Doncaster but holidaying at Butlin’s, tells her young daughter to keep away from the clumps.

“It’s quite shocking,” she says. “I didn’t know what it was. It doesn’t look great.”

Further up the beach, I spot several dead seabirds. It is impossible to know if they had consumed the material.

Dennis Simpson, 77, and his wife Gill, 70, have also noticed the dead birds.

“We’ve counted three,” says Mrs Simpson. “We don’t usually see dead seabirds on this beach.”

Mr Simpson adds: “We thought something would wash up here.”

His wife was volunteering in the RNLI shop, close to the beach, when the crash happened.

“Everyone was running around all over the place,” she recalls.

Sharon Glenville, 60, who is walking her two dogs, tells me she thought the clumps were pieces of coal. Her face drops when I tell her what it is.

“Injured seals, once recuperated, are released along this stretch of coastline,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful place.”

However, Ms Glenville tells me it could be far worse.

“I thought there might have been oil spills,” she says.

Chris Morris is visiting from Lincoln with his metal detector.

“I’m worried about the wildlife and fish,” he says. “I’m worried birds will mistake the pellets for food.”

The collision is believed to have claimed the life of Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old Filipino national and crew member of the Solong. He was posted as missing and presumed dead.

Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, the captain of the Solong, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. He is due to appear before the Central Criminal Court in London on 14 April.

In a statement, East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) said: “ELDC’s waste team are at Skegness beach now cleaning up plastic pellets (nurdles) and any other debris that has been found following the incident in the North Sea last week.

“Please remember that, whilst the risk to the public is low, dogs should be kept away from anything found to avoid it being ingested, and it should not be picked up or moved to restrict its spread.

“Thank you to all those who have reported debris along our coastline, the clean-up operation will continue over the coming days.”

Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said: “The Solong and Stena Immaculate remain stable with salvage operations continuing.

“The counter-pollution retrieval operation remains ongoing, with HM Coastguard and other specialist counter-pollution assets continuing to assist this response. This includes supporting local authorities who are leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

“Aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation.

“As the incident has now moved into the recovery phase, HM Coastguard has downgraded the assessment of the situation and no longer considers this to constitute a major incident. HM Coastguard will however continue to support the salvage and multi-agency retrieval operations while keeping the overall situation under review.”

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust said: “Nurdles are small plastic pellets, which may have burnt together into larger masses. Unfortunately, the risks posed by nurdles increase when other pollutants become stuck to them.

“We urge members of the public to avoid touching them if seen as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them.”

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

It took Arun George half a working life to scrape together £15,000 ($19,460) in savings, which he used to secure a care worker job for his wife in the UK.

But in barely a few months, he lost it all.

Mr George – not his real name as his wife doesn’t want to be identified within their small community for the shame associated with having returned without a job – paid the money in late 2023 to the managers of Alchita Care.

The BBC has seen evidence of the payment to Alchita Care, the private domiciliary care home in Bradford that sponsored his family’s visa. He did it at the behest of a local agent in his town in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

It was the promise of a better life for their child who has special needs that prodded the couple to dip into their savings and take such a risk. But when they got to the UK there was no work.

“We kept chasing the care home, but they made up excuses. After I pleaded with them, they forced us to undergo some unpaid training and gave my wife just three days of work,” Mr George said. “We couldn’t carry on and came back to India a few months later.”

Mr George believes he has been scammed by the company and says the ordeal has set him back at least by a decade financially. His family is just one among hundreds of people from Kerala seeking work in the UK who have been exploited by recruiters, care homes and middlemen.

Most have now given up hope of getting justice or their money.

Alchita Care in Bradford has not responded to the BBC’s questions. Their sponsorship licence – which allows care homes to issue certificates of sponsorship to foreign care workers applying for visas – was removed by the Home Office last year.

But at least three other care workers who sent thousands of pounds to Alchita Care and uprooted their lives from Kerala told us that the jobs they had been promised did not materialise.

One of them, still in the UK, said his condition was so precarious that he was surviving on “bread and milk” from charity shops for the past few months.

Like Mr George, Sridevi (not her real name) says she was charged £15,000 for a visa sponsorship by Alchita Care. She spent another £3,000 to get to the UK in 2023.

She’s unable to return to India, scared of facing family members and friends from whom she took a loan to make the trip.

“I struggle to even pay for my rent and meals,” she said. Her job is a far cry from the stable eight-hour work she was promised, she says. She is sometimes on call from 4am to 9pm, driving from one patient’s home to another, but gets paid only for the few hours she is actually with the patient, and not the full shift.

Thousands of nurses from Kerala, desperate to migrate to the UK every year, are estimated to have been exploited after the government added care workers to the UK’s shortage occupation list during Covid. This allowed people to be recruited from overseas as long as they were sponsored.

• The carers crossing the globe to fill UK shortage

For many, the care worker visa was a golden ticket to a better life as they could take family along.

Baiju Thittala, a Labour party member and the mayor of Cambridge, told the BBC he had represented at least 10 such victims over the last three years.

But the cross-border nature of these exploitative schemes means it has been incredibly hard to pursue justice, he said. Very often the victims have made payments to care homes or middlemen domiciled outside India which leads to “jurisdiction problems”, he added.

Secondly, lawyers are expensive and most care workers, already in deep debt, can hardly afford to fight it out in the courts.

Thittala estimates at least 1,000-2,000 people from Kerala, directly or indirectly victims of these schemes, are still in the UK.

There are also hundreds of people scattered across Kerala’s towns who lost money before they could even leave home.

In the town of Kothamangalam, the BBC spoke to some 30 people who had collectively lost millions of dollars while trying to obtain a care visa that allows professionals to come to – or stay – in the UK to work in the social care sector.

All of them accused one agent – Henry Poulos and his agency Grace International in the UK and India – of robbing them of their life savings through fake job offers and sponsorship letters.

Mr Poulos even made some of them take a 2,500km journey to Delhi for visa appointments that were non-existent, they said.

Shilpa, who lives in the town of Alleppey, told the BBC she had taken out a bank loan at a 13% interest rate to pay Mr Poulos, who gave her a fake certificate of sponsorship.

“I thought the UK would offer a good future for my three daughters, but now I am struggling to pay their school fees,” she told the BBC.

“I have lost everything. My wife had left her job in Israel so that we could move to the UK,” said another victim, Binu, breaking down. He made a comfortable £1,500 with his wife in Israel but has now been forced to take his children out of private school in Kerala because there’s no money anymore.

Neither Mr Poulos nor Grace International responded to the BBC, despite repeated attempts to get in touch with them. The police in Kothamangalam said Mr Poulos was absconding in the UK, and they had sealed his local offices after receiving complaints from six people.

The previous Conservative government in the UK admitted last year that there was “clear evidence” that care workers were being offered visas under false pretences and paid far below the minimum wage required for their work.

Rules to reduce its misuse were tightened in 2024, including increasing the minimum salary. Care workers are also now restricted from taking dependents, making it a less attractive proposition for families.

Since July 2022, about 450 licences allowing employers to recruit foreign workers have been revoked in the care sector.

Since the beginning of this year, sponsors are now also explicitly prohibited by the Home Office from passing on the cost of the sponsor licence fee or associated administrative costs to prospective employees.

Top police officials in Kerala, meanwhile, told the BBC they were still investigating these cases in India and would work with Interpol agencies to crack down on agents, if necessary.

But for the hundreds who’ve already been exploited, justice remains elusive, and still very much a distant dream.

The mysterious force called Dark Energy, which drives the expansion of the Universe, might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space, scientists have found.

Some of them believe that they may be on the verge of one of the biggest discoveries in astronomy for a generation – one that could force a fundamental rethink.

This early-stage finding is at odds with the current theory which was developed in part by Albert Einstein.

More data is needed to confirm these results, but even some of the most cautious and respected researchers involved in the study, such as Prof Ofer Lahav, from University College London, are being swept up by the mounting evidence.

“It is a dramatic moment,” he told BBC News.

“We may be witnessing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe.”

The discovery of Dark Energy in 1998 was in itself shocking. Up until then the view had been that after the Big Bang, which created the Universe, its expansion would slow down under the force of gravity.

But observations by US and Australian scientists found that it was actually speeding up. They had no idea what the force driving this was, so they gave it a name signifying their lack of understanding – Dark Energy.

Although we don’t know what Dark Energy is – it is one of the greatest mysteries in science – astronomers can measure it and whether it is changing by observing the acceleration of galaxies away from each other at different points in the history of the Universe.

Several experiments were built to find answers, including the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at the Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson Arizona. It consists of 5,000 optical fibres, each one of which is a robotically controlled telescope scanning galaxies at high speed.

Last year, when DESI researchers found hints that the force exerted by dark energy had changed over time, many scientists thought that it was a blip in the data which would go away.

Instead, a year on, that blip has grown.

“The evidence is stronger now than it was,” said Prof Seshadri Nadathur at the University of Portsmouth

“We’ve also performed many additional tests compared to the first year, and they’re making us confident that the results aren’t driven by some unknown effect in the data that we haven’t accounted for,” he said.

The data has not yet passed the threshold of being described as a discovery, but has led many astronomers, such as Scotland’s Astronomer Royal, Prof Catherine Heymans, of Edinburgh University, to sit up and take notice.

“Dark Energy appears to be even weirder than we thought,” she told BBC News.

“In 2024 the data was quite new, no-one was quite sure of it and people thought more work needed to be done.

“But now, there’s more data, and a lot of scrutiny by the scientific community, so, while there is still a chance that the ‘blip’ may go away, there’s also a possibility that we might be edging to a really big discovery.”

So what is causing the variation?

“No one knows!” Prof Lahav admits, cheerfully.

“If this new result is correct, then we need to find the mechanism that causes the variation and that might mean a brand new theory, which makes this so exciting.”

DESI will continue to take more data over the next two years, with plans to measure roughly 50 million galaxies and other bright objects, in an effort to nail down whether their observations are unequivocally correct.

“We’re in the business of letting the Universe tell us how it works, and maybe it is telling us it’s more complicated than we thought it was,” said Andrei Cuceu, a postdoctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, in California.

More details on the nature of Dark Energy will be obtained by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid mission, a space telescope which will probe further than DESI and obtain even greater detail. It was launched in 2023 and ESA released the new images from the spacecraft today.

The DESI collaboration involves more than 900 researchers from more than 70 institutions, around the world, including Durham, UCL and Portsmouth University from the UK.

In Gaza, Palestinians have been burying their dead.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip, Alaa Abu Hilal stands cradling his baby son Mohammed in his arms.

The child’s tiny face peeps out of a white shroud.

Mohammed was one of more than 170 children killed in Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday, which shattered the ceasefire deal in place for the past two months.

Alaa’s wife lies in a body bag at his feet. She was just 20.

“We only got married two years ago,” Alaa says. “She was seven months pregnant when she was killed.”

Israel says it broke the ceasefire because Hamas was stalling for time over the release of Israeli hostages. It accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilians and of preparing to attack Israel again.

Israel’s military does not allow foreign journalists uncontrolled access to Gaza. From Jerusalem I spoke to Dr Morgan McMonagle, an Irish trauma surgeon who is volunteering at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the doctor says he worked flat out from 02:30 in the morning, when Israel’s assault began, to late at night. He estimated 40% of the dead and injured he saw were children.

“All I can do is report as a simple humanitarian surgeon on the ground, there is a disproportionate number of children being injured and killed, and women,” he says.

“And I think any reasonable person can see that it’s disproportionate.”

Karam Tafeek Hameid lost his three boys on Tuesday in the Israeli attack: Hassan who was nine, Mohammad aged eight, and Aziz who was just five.

“They used to play around, have fun, most of all they loved to ride with me on my tuktuk,” Karam says with tears in his eyes.

“They wanted to be doctors, teachers.”

Israel says Hamas exaggerates the number of Palestinians who are killed and injured. But the United Nations views the Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health figures as reliable. Some experts believe the number of people killed in Gaza over the past 18 months of war has in fact been underestimated.

Dr McMonagle says he has no reason to believe the Ministry of Health figures are wrong.

“I try to avoid the propaganda because propaganda drives war… but I can tell you over 70 people (at Nasser Hospital) went straight to the mortuary yesterday, and many of them were children. I saw them.

“I am not privy to the official figures but what I can tell you from senior figures at the hospital is that 40% of the dead and injured were women and children.”

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz suggested Tuesday’s assault was just the beginning if Hamas didn’t return the hostages.

“If all the Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not eliminated from Gaza – Israel will act with forces you have never seen before,” Katz said.

He again said Gazans should relocate to neighbouring countries as US President Donald Trump has suggested. An idea that has been entirely rejected by Palestinians, and much of the Arab world.

India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis.

Now, with US President Donald Trump’s tit-for-tat tariff wars and the global trade upheaval that has followed, many believe that India finds itself at another crossroad.

Could this be a major opportunity for the world’s fifth largest economy to shed its protectionism and further open up its economy? Will India seize the moment, just as it did more than three decades ago, or will it retreat further?

Trump has repeatedly branded India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” of trade ties. The problem is that India’s trade-weighted import duties – the average duty rate per imported product – are among the highest in the world. The US average tariff is 2.2%, China’s is 3% and Japan’s is 1.7%. India’s stands at a whopping 12%, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

High tariffs increase costs for companies dependent on global value chains, hindering their ability to compete in international markets. They also mean that Indians pay more on imported goods than foreign consumers. Despite growing exports – primarily driven by services – India runs a significant trade deficit. However, with India’s share of global exports at a mere 1.5%, the challenge becomes even more urgent.

The jury is out on whether Trump’s tariff war will help India break free or double down on protectionism. Narendra Modi’s government, often criticised for its protectionist stance, already seems to have shifted gears.

Last month, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Trump in Washington, India unilaterally lowered tariffs on Bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and some other US products.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has made two trips to the US to discuss a potential trade deal, following Trump’s threatened retaliatory tariffs, looming on 2 April. (Citi Research analysts estimate India could lose up to $7bn annually from reciprocal tariffs, primarily affecting sectors like metals, chemicals and jewellery, with pharmaceuticals, automobiles and food products also at risk.)

Last week, Goyal urged Indian exporters to “come out of their protectionist mindset and encouraged them to be bold and ready to deal with the world from a position of strength and self-confidence”, according to a statement from his ministry.

India is also actively pursuing free trade deals with several countries, including the UK and New Zealand, and the European Union.

In an interesting turn of events, homegrown telecoms giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have teamed up with Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellite internet services via Starlink in India. The move surprised analysts, especially after Musk’s recent clashes with both companies, and came as US and Indian officials negotiate the trade deal.

India’s rapid growth from the late 1990s to the 2000s – 8.1% between 2004-2009 and 7.46% from 2009-2014 – was in large part driven by its gradual integration into global markets, particularly in pharmaceuticals, software, autos, textiles and garments, alongside a steady reduction in tariffs. Since then, India has turned inwards.

Many economists believe that protectionist policies over the past decade have undermined Modi’s Make in India initiative, which prioritised capital- and technology-intensive sectors over labour-intensive ones like textiles. As a result, it has struggled to boost manufacturing and exports.

High tariffs have also fostered protectionism in several Indian industries, discouraging investments in efficiency, according to Viral Acharya, a professor of economics at New York University Stern School of Business.

This has allowed “cosy incumbents” to gain market power by consolidating their positions without facing much competition. As Mr Acharya, a former central banker, noted in a paper by Brookings Institution, restoring industrial balance in India requires “reducing tariffs to increase the country’s share of global goods trade and reduce protectionism”.

With India’s tariffs already higher than those of most countries, further increases could be especially damaging.

“We need to boost exports and a tit-for-tat tariff war won’t help us. China can afford this strategy due to its massive export base, but we can’t, as we hold only a small share of the global market,” Rajeswari Sengupta, an associate professor of economics at Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, said. “A trade conflict could hurt us more than others.”

In light of this, India finds itself at a crossroad. As the world undergoes a major shift, India has a “unique opportunity to shape a new vision” for global trade, says Aseema Sinha, a trade expert at Claremont McKenna College.

By lowering protectionist barriers in South Asia and strengthening ties with Southeast Asia and the Middle East, India has the chance to lead in shaping a new trade vision, positioning itself as a key player in a “re-globalised” world, Ms Sinha, author of Globalising India, says.

“By reducing tariffs, India could become the regional and cross-regional magnet for trade and economic activity, drawing in varied powers in its orbit,” she adds.

That could help India create the jobs it desperately needs at home. Agriculture, which makes up 15% of its GDP, accounts for a whopping 40% of employment, reflecting extremely low productivity. Construction remains the second-largest employer, absorbing casual daily workers.

India’s challenge isn’t in expanding its thriving service sector, which already makes up nearly half of total exports, but in dealing with the large pool of unskilled workers who lack the basic skills needed for service jobs.

“While high-end services are thriving, the majority of the workforce remains uneducated and underemployed, often relegated to construction or informal jobs. To provide meaningful employment to millions entering the workforce each year, India must ramp up its manufacturing exports, as relying solely on services won’t address the needs of the unskilled labour force,” says Ms Sengupta.

One concern is that reducing tariffs could lead to dumping, where foreign companies flood the market with cheap goods, potentially harming domestic industries.

According to Ms Sengupta, India’s ideal approach to trade would involve a “universal reduction” in import tariffs, as it currently has some of the highest tariffs among its trading partners.

However, there is a caveat: China’s trade struggles, particularly with the US due to the ongoing trade war, could lead to Chinese dumping in India in the “short run”.

“To protect against this, India can use non-tariff barriers against China but only against this one country and only in cases of proven dumping. Barring that, it is in India’s interest to do a wholesale slashing of tariffs,” she says.

There’s also a growing concern that India may be overcompensating in its efforts to flatter the US.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), believes that India’s tendency to soften trade policies “based on rhetoric rather than economic pressure” shows a lack of assertiveness in global trade talks.

If this trend continues, he says, India may end up making even more compromises in its trade deal with the US, further “eroding its bargaining power”.

“In comparison to other major economies, India’s pre-emptive surrender on multiple trade fronts – without the US imposing a single country-specific tariff – makes it appear exceptionally vulnerable to pressure tactics.”

The broader consensus seems to be that India should capitalise on what could be the unintended consequences of Trump’s tariff wars. Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC, believes that “potential US tariffs may have become a catalyst for reforms.“.

“If supply chains are rejigged again during the second Trump presidency due to higher tariffs on large exporters, and the world looks for new producers, India may get a second chance,” she writes.

Creating jobs that manufacture goods for the world won’t be easy. India has largely missed the bus on low-end, unskilled factory work – jobs China dominated for decades. Automation is taking over. Without deeper reforms, India risks being left behind.

Yemen’s rebel Houthi group has said it has fired a missile at Israel, which was intercepted.

The ballistic missile was fired toward Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised statement.

Sirens sounded in several areas of Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces said. No injuries have been reported and the IDF says the missile was stopped before entering Israel.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency said Israeli strikes early on Thursday have killed at least 10 people.

Israel has extended its ground operations in Gaza, after launching a wave of air strikes that the Hamas-run health ministry says killed more than 430 people in two days.

The air strikes on Thursday reportedly targeted six homes east of Khan Younis, a spokesman for the Hamas-run civil defence agency said, and also injured dozens of people.

“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol,” the Israeli military said in a statement, referring to its air force.

The Houthi group have vowed to retaliate, including against Israel, after the US carried out deadly strikes against them in recent days.

• British bomb disposal expert injured in Gaza
• Israel extends ground operations in Gaza after deadly air strikes

The Iranian-backed rebel group, which considers Israel its enemy, controls Sanaa and the north-west of Yemen, but it is not the country’s internationally recognised government.

The Houthis said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that it will face “dire” consequences if Yemen’s Houthis continue to attack international shipping lanes.

The Pentagon said it had struck 30 targets in Yemen since Saturday, in the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump returned to the White House.

The Houthi group first tried to attack the USS Harry S Truman in the Red Sea on Sunday following deadly US strikes on Yemen.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had moved in up to the Netzarim Corridor, which divides the north and south of the Gaza Strip.

The renewed assault on Gaza marks the end of the fragile ceasefire deal that had been in place since January.

Earlier, the UN said two people – including one of its staff – had been killed after an explosion at its compound in Deir al-Balah.

The 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel saw about 1,200 people killed and the capturing of 251 hostages – 25 of whom were released alive during the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel responded with a massive military offensive, which has killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says, as well as causing large-scale destruction to homes and infrastructure.

A tourist held in the US for 19 days was removed in chains like Hannibal Lecter, according to her parents.

Becky Burke, 28, arrived home in Wales on Tuesday from her ordeal which began half way through a backpacking trip across North America.

Parents Paul and Andrea Burke, of Portskewett, Monmouthshire, said their daughter was “traumatised” after being taken in “leg chains, waist chains and handcuffs”.

The Northwest ICE Processing Center said in a statement: “All aliens in violation of US immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States regardless of nationality.”

It said that Ms Burke was repatriated to the UK on March 18 after being detained “related to the violation of the terms and conditions of her admission”.

Ms Burke’s detention came as what her family think was a misunderstanding of her accommodation arrangements.

She got free accommodation for helping host families “around the house”, which her father believes authorities may have suspected broke the terms of her tourist visa.

The US State Department says people on visitor visas are prohibited from carrying out “employment” during their stay.

Her parents said Becky had spoken about her removal by ICE agents.

“On Monday she was taken from the detention facility, to a location close to the airport, ready to be taken to the plane,” Mr Burke said.

Mr Burke said nobody outside of the detention facility knew she had been taken.

“She is not Hannibal Lecter,” he said, referring to the cannibalistic serial killer film character portrayed by Anthony Hopkins.

“She said she could only walk with the support of an ICE officer,” he added.

Mrs Burke added she could not believe it when she was told.

Becky’s parents said they were not sure their daughter was on the plane until she walked through the gates.

“It was very, very emotional,” Mrs Burke said.

“We were on tenterhooks really, just watching the door for what seemed like forever.”

Mr Burke said: “When you have been holding on like we have for this, when we saw her come through the gates, all of what we had held in was released. It was another surreal day.”

The couple were not pushing her to tell them what happened.

“It must be overwhelming for her to suddenly be able to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it,” Mrs Burke said.

“And to sleep for as long as she wants to without fluorescent lights on 24 hours a day.

“But she also feels awful for leaving the others behind.”

“She is enjoying some of the home comforts that most of us take for granted,” Mr Burke said.

“Relishing just sitting in the garden, having a comfy bed, pillow and warm clothes.

“For 19 days she was just wearing the same prison clothes.”

“There are lot of things we need to address through political channels to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Mr Burke said.

The Northwest ICE Processing Center said: “All aliens in violation of US immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States regardless of nationality.”

Becky, an artist, wrote and drew while she was detained and her parents said she hopes to write a graphic novel about the experience.

During her trip she stayed with families helping with housework in return for a place to stay.

At the end of February she went to Seattle with plans to go to Vancouver, in Canada.

But at the border, Mr Burke said Canadian authorities refused her entry, saying she needed to return to the US.

There she was held at a detention centre in Tacoma, in Washington state.

Mr and Mrs Burke said they had been completely overwhelmed by the support.

A US customs spokesman previously said they could not discuss specific cases but that travellers were treated with “integrity, respect and according to law”.

A North Dakota jury has found Greenpeace liable for defamation, ordering it to pay more than $660m (£507m) in damages to an oil company for the environmental group’s role in one of the largest anti-fossil fuel protests in US history.

Texas-based Energy Transfer also accused Greenpeace of trespass, nuisance and civil conspiracy over the demonstrations nearly a decade ago against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The lawsuit, filed in state court, argued that Greenpeace was behind an “unlawful and violent scheme to cause financial harm to Energy Transfer”.

Greenpeace, which vowed to appeal, said last month it could be forced into bankruptcy because of the case, ending over 50 years of activism.

Protests against the pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation drew thousands, but Greenpeace argued it did not lead the demonstration and that the lawsuit threatened free speech. Instead, it said the protests were led by local indigenous leaders who were opposed to the pipeline.

The nine-person jury reached a verdict on Wednesday after about two days of deliberating.

The case was heard at a court in Mandan, about 100 miles (160km) north of where the protests took place.

Trey Cox, a lawyer for Energy Transfer, said during closing arguments that Greenpeace’s actions caused between $265m to $340m in damages. He asked the jury to award the company that amount, plus additional damages.

Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline gained international attention during President Donald Trump’s first term, as Native American groups set up an encampment trying to block it from passing near Standing Rock.

The protests, which saw acts of violence and vandalism, started in April 2016 and ended in February 2017, when the National Guard and police cleared away the demonstrators.

At the peak, over 10,000 protesters were on site. The group included more than 200 Native American tribes, hundreds of US military veterans, actors and political leaders – including current US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy, Jr.

The 1,172-mile pipeline has been operating since 2017. However, it still lacks a key permit to operate under Lake Oahe in South Dakota, and local tribes have pushed for an extensive environmental review of the project.

During the three-week trial, jurors heard from Energy Transfer’s co-founder and board chairman Kelcy Warren, who said in a video deposition that protesters had created “a total false narrative” about his company.

“It was time to fight back,” he said.

Energy Transfer’s lawyer Mr Cox told the court that Greenpeace had exploited the Dakota Access Pipeline to “promote its own selfish agenda”.

Attorneys for Greenpeace argued that the group did not lead the protests, but merely helped support “nonviolent, direct-action training”.

In response to the verdict, Greenpeace International’s general counsel Kristin Casper said “Energy Transfer hasn’t heard the last of us in this fight”.

“We will not back down, we will not be silenced,” she said.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, said he believes “the verdict’s magnitude will have a chilling effect on environmental and other public interest litigation”.

“It may encourage litigants in other states to file similar lawsuits,” he told the BBC.

Energy Transfer’s legal action named Greenpeace USA, as well as its Washington DC-based funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc and its Amsterdam-based parent group Greenpeace International.

Greenpeace has counter-sued Energy Transfer in Dutch court, claiming the oil firm is attempting to unfairly use the legal system to silence critics.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, seeks to recover all damages and costs.

A former engineer at a Chinese research institute has been sentenced to death for selling classified material to foreign spy agencies, Chinese authorities said.

After he resigned from the institute, the researcher, identified by his surname Liu, came up with a “carefully designed” plan to sell intelligence to foreign agencies, according to an article published on Wednesday by China’s Ministry of State Security.

The ministry did not name Liu’s former employer or the foreign groups that allegedly bought his material.

The announcement comes amid increasing warnings from China that its citizens are being co-opted by foreign entities to serve as spies.

“Desperadoes who want to take shortcuts to heaven will all suffer consequences,” the ministry said in Wednesday’s article.

Believing that he had been treated unfairly at the institute, Liu saved a large amount of classified material before he left, intending to use it for revenge and blackmail, the ministry stated.

He then joined an investment firm and, after failed investments drove him into debt, approached a foreign spy agency which got the material from him at a “very low price”, according to the ministry.

This agency subsequently cut off contact with Liu, the ministry added, and he tried to sell the information abroad.

“In half a year, he secretly travelled to many countries and seriously leaked our country’s secrets,” the article said.

Liu, who confessed after being arrested, has been stripped of political rights for life.

Beijing has been increasingly wary of espionage, and warned that its citizens are being recruited by foreign spy agencies trying to secure Chinese state secrets.

Last November, a former employee at a Chinese state agency was handed the death sentence after his USB work flash drive was allegedly seized by foreign spies and he became their “puppet”, according to Chinese authorities.

In February last year, Australian writer Yang Hengjun, known for blogging about human rights issues in China, was handed a suspended death sentence on espionage charges. That sentence was upheld, and Yang remains behind bars in China, despite Australian leaders calling for his release.

Concerns about Chinese influence and infiltration operations are also brewing among governments across the world, several of which have in recent years stepped up arrests of Chinese nationals on espionage charges.

Landlocked Ethiopia has no intention of starting a war with neighbouring Eritrea in order to gain access to the sea, the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said.

A previous statement, in 2023, that having a seaport was an “existential issue” for the nation sparked concerns that the Ethiopia could take one by force.

Abiy’s comments to parliament on Thursday came amid fresh concerns that the neighbours, which have had a fractious relationship in the past, could be involved in a conflict again.

The prime minister said the issue of sea access for the world’s most populous landlocked nation should be resolved through diplomacy and mutual benefit.

“Our intention is to negotiate based on the principle of give and take. What the Eritrean people need is development, not conflict. Our plan is not to fight but to work together and grow together,” he said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that discussions around a seaport should not be taboo and that global norms support the idea that large nations require maritime access.

In recent weeks, there have been fears that the war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region could resume, possibly with the involvement of Eritrea.

A two-year civil war, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, came to an end in November 2022, but elements of the peace deal have started to fray as politicians in Tigray have fallen out.

There have been accusations that Eritrea is interfering in the region’s internal political divisions.

Last Thursday, Tigray’s Interim President Getachew Reda accused his rivals of colluding with Eritrea, which previously supported the Ethiopian federal government during the civil war.

“We have reason to believe external actors are involved,” Getachew said, alleging that Eritrea sees turmoil in Tigray as an opportunity for its own interests.

However, Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh dismissed these allegations, telling diplomats in the capital, Asmara, on Tuesday that his country “categorically rejects” any claims that it is involved in northern Ethiopia’s tensions.

But last week Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timotewos told diplomats in Addis Ababa that his government suspects one of the factions in Tigray has links to Eritrea, though he did not provide specific details.

Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in the 1990s, which resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the sea.

From 1998, the countries fought a two-year border war. Relations were finally normalised in 2018, after Abiy came to power in Ethiopia, but many of the changes that that brought about have since been reversed.

The Prince of Wales has arrived in Estonia for a visit showing support for UK troops guarding Nato’s border with Russia.

The two-day visit began on Thursday with a 35-minute meeting with Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, in Tallinn, where they discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Prince William will see soldiers training in the Baltic state as part of a multinational force intended to deter Russian aggression on Nato’s eastern flank.

The 900 UK troops in Estonia include soldiers from the Mercian Regiment, of which Prince William is colonel-in-chief. This is currently the British Army’s biggest operational deployment overseas.

Prince William’s visit comes amid uncertainty over the war in Ukraine and worries about Russia’s next steps.

Estonia’s capital is filled with Ukrainian flags, with a huge flag above Tallinn’s Independence Square. Prince William also visted a school where Ukrainian refugee children are being taught.

As a sign of rising tensions, earlier this week Estonia was one of the countries on Russia’s borders to withdraw from a treaty banning anti-personnel landmines – a sign of rising tensions.

Estonia’s navy has been trying to prevent sabotage of undersea cables and the country is planning to increase military spending to 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Prince William’s visit to this small, high-tech country – described as a “mini-Sweden” by diplomatic sources – is another moment of royal soft power, sending a message about the UK’s commitment to defending the Baltic states.

It follows a visit a few months ago by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Talking to students and staff at the University of Tallinn, the royal visit seems to have been warmly welcomed.

It is seen as a sign of support from Western allies for a country, with a population of only 1.3 million, keenly aware of its need for military assistance.

The threat from Russia seems very real from their perspective.

“We’re more or less preparing for war,” says Catlyn Kirna, a senior lecturer specialising in cyber-security.

There is already a constant wave of cyber attacks and misinformation from Russia, which will keep “testing the water” to see how Nato responds.

And as a former part of the Soviet empire, Estonia looks at the current situation in Ukraine with growing concern.

“If Ukraine falls, we will have to fight for our lives,” Catlyn says.

And with an 18-year-old son, it feels like a very personal worry.

The view from Eastern Europe, on Nato’s front line, gives a much sharper perspective on issues around Russian expansionism, Catlyn says.

“In western Europe, it might be bad news,” she says.

“For us, it’s the end of the world.”

Political science student Julija Raudkivi says: “[US] President Trump’s comments and behaviour created anxiety for many Estonians.

“We talk about it a lot,” she says, concerned by Trump’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for the Nato alliance.

“There’s definitely some underlying anxiety about the threat posed by Russia.

“It’s the proximity, we’re so close.”

Julija backs the push for more spending on arms and the strengthening of Nato forces.

Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, she says: “It makes you feel like war is just behind the door.”

Liberal-arts student Sharon Kaasik says young people have grown up hearing stories about the Soviet regime before Estonia’s independence in 1991 and there are worries about the past returning.

But she trusts in the military alliances and wants European countries to work more closely together.

Arts and music student Sander Poldmaa, 21, wants to defend his country and volunteers in Estonia’s defence forces.

“We’re a small country and Russia is right beside us,” he says.

And he is unsettled by Trump’s behaviour.

Sander wants Nato to be stronger but says it is about deterrence.

“The main point for me is that I don’t want the war to happen,” he says.

“But we need the ability to defend ourselves.

“The horror of people in the front line in Ukraine, I wouldn’t want that for anyone.”

Estonia has given more aid to Ukraine, as a proportion of GDP, than any other country, four times as much in relative terms as the UK.

In the cold Spring sunshine in Tallinn, it is a reflection of how close the threat feels.

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Don’t judge a blob by its cover.

Once dubbed the world’s ugliest animal for its soft, lumpy appearance, the blobfish has made a stunning comeback: it was crowned this week as Fish of the Year by a New Zealand environmental group.

The annual competition, held by the Mountain to Sea Conservation Trust, aims to raise awareness for New Zealand’s freshwater and marine life.

This year, the blobfish took home the coveted accolade with nearly 1,300 out of more than 5,500 votes cast.

It’s an underdog victory for the blobfish, which burst into mainstream notoriety as the mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013.

The gelatinous fish lives on the sea bed and grows to about 12in (30cm) in length. They’re mainly found off the coast of Australia, where they live at depths of 2,000-4,000 ft (600-1,200m).

• Why do we love ugly animals?

While the blobfish is known for its misshapen silhouette, in its natural deep-sea habitat it actually resembles a regular fish, with its shape kept together by the high water pressure.

However, when caught and rapidly brought to the water surface its body deforms into its hallmark mushy shape – the same one that has earned it the reputation of being among the ugliest creatures the world has seen.

Coming in second place was the orange roughy, a deep-sea fish in the slimehead family – known for the mucous canals on their heads.

It was “a battle of the deep sea forget-me-nots,” said Kim Jones, co-director of the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. “A battle of two quirky deep sea critters, with the blobfish’s unconventional beauty helping get voters over the line.”

The orange roughy had appeared on track for the win, until a couple of local radio station hosts started a passionate campaign for the blobfish.

“There is an up and coming fish, it needs your vote,” Sarah Gandy and Paul Flynn, hosts of local radio network More FM, urged listeners on their show last week. “We need the blobfish to win.”

News of the blobfish’s victory has been celebrated by the radio hosts.

“The blobfish had been sitting patiently on the ocean floor, mouth open waiting for the next mollusc to come through to eat,” the pair said. “He has been bullied his whole life and we thought, ‘Stuff this, it’s time for the blobfish to have his moment in the sun’, and what a glorious moment it is!”

Besides molluscs, the blobfish also eats custaceans like crabs and lobsters, as well as sea urchins.

Instead of a skeleton and scales, the blobfish has a soft body and flabby skin.

Nine of the ten nominees for fish of the year are considered by conservation groups to be vulnerable, according to the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. This includes the blobfish, which are vulnerable to deep-sea trawling.

New Zealand also has a Bird of the Year contest, organised by conservation organisation Forest & Bird. The latest winner, crowned last September, was the hoiho, a rare penguin species.

Four Canadians were executed in China on drug-related charges earlier this year, Canadian authorities have confirmed.

All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to “stop making irresponsible remarks”, as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain.

China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted “in accordance with the law”, while the embassy said there was “solid and sufficient” evidence for their crimes.

Beijing had “fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned”, the embassy said, urging Canada to respect “China’s judicial sovereignty”.

China does not recognise dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes. However, it’s rare for the death penalty to be carried out on foreigners.

Joly said she had been following the cases “very closely” for months and had tried with other officials, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to stop the executions.

In a statement to Canadian media, Global Affairs Canada spokeswoman Charlotte MacLeod said Canada had “repeatedly called for clemency for these individuals at the senior-most levels and remains steadfast in its opposition to the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere”.

China imposes the death penalty on serious crimes including those related to drugs, corruption and espionage. While the number of executions are kept secret, human rights groups believe China has one of the highest execution rates in the world.

“These shocking and inhumane executions of Canadian citizens by Chinese authorities should be a wake-up call for Canada,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, from Amnesty International Canada. “We are devastated for the families of the victims, and we hold them in our hearts as they try to process the unimaginable.

“Our thoughts also go to the loved ones of Canadian citizens whom China is holding on death row or whose whereabouts in the Chinese prison system are unknown.”

In 2019, Canadian national Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death in China for drug smuggling, in a high-profile case condemned by the Canadian government. He was not among the Canadians who were executed.

“We’ll continue to not only strongly condemn but also ask for leniency for other Canadians that are facing similar situations,” Joly said on Wednesday.

Relations between Canada and China have been icy since 2018, after Canada detained a Chinese telecom executive, Meng Wanzhou, on a US extradition request. China arrested two Canadians shortly afterwards, both of whom have now been released.

In 2023, Canadian media released reports, many based on leaked intelligence, about detailed claims of Chinese meddling in the country’s federal elections. China denied the reports, calling them “baseless and defamatory”.

More recently, China imposed retaliatory tariffs on some Canadian farm and food imports after Ottawa placed levies on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminium.

• Listen to Theo read this article on BBC Sounds

“This has been our family car for three years, and it has been an absolute dream,” says Ben Kilbey as he shows me his gleaming pearl-white Tesla Model Y.

Ben is a staunch electric car advocate. He runs a communications firm that promotes sustainable businesses in the UK. Yet now, he says, the Model Y has to go – because he disapproves vehemently of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s actions, especially the way he has handled firing US government employees.

“I’m not a fan of polarisation, or of doing things without kindness,” he says. “There are ways of doing things that don’t ostracise people or belittle them. I don’t like belittlement.”

Ben is part of a wider backlash against the Tesla boss that appears to have been gathering momentum in recent weeks, since Musk was appointed head of the controversial Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), charged with taking an axe to federal government spending.

Musk has also intervened in politics abroad, making a video appearance at a rally for the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland ahead of Germany’s parliamentary election, as well as launching online attacks on British politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

For some who do not share his views, it has all become too much.

There have been protests outside dozens of Tesla dealerships, not only in the US, but also in Canada, the UK, Germany and Portugal.

Although most of them have been peaceful, there have been cases of showrooms, charging stations and vehicles being vandalised. In separate incidents in France and Germany, several cars were set on fire.

In the US, the Tesla Cybertruck, an angular metallic pickup truck, appears to have become a particular magnet for anti-Musk sentiment. A number of social media videos have shown vehicles daubed with swastikas, covered with rubbish or used as skateboard ramps.

US President Donald Trump was quick to show his support to Tesla, by allowing the company to show off its vehicles outside the White House, and pledging to buy one. He said violence against US showrooms should be treated as “domestic terrorism”.

Musk has also been unequivocal in his response. “This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong,” he said in a recent interview with Fox News. “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”

What is hard to quantify is exactly how much impact all this has had on Tesla as a business – and the extent to which Musk’s views and involvement in the Trump administration has affected the brand and alienated some traditional electric vehicle buyers.

And if that is the case, can Tesla really build on its past success with Musk remaining at the helm?

Two decades ago, Tesla was a tiny Silicon Valley start-up, with a handful of employees and big dreams of revolutionising the motor industry. Today it is the best-selling producer of electric vehicles in a growing global market, with giant factories around the world. It is also widely credited with having proven that EVs could be fast, powerful, fun and practical.

Musk, the figurehead of the company, has driven this all forward, since he joined Tesla in 2004 as its chairman and principal funder. He became chief executive four years later, and has held that role throughout the company’s rise to prominence.

“Tesla was the pioneer,” says Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of industry insights at car sector marketing and software firm Cox Automotive. “They kind of got EVs into the mainstream, got other manufacturers to start investing, and really created a lot of awareness.”

It is easy to forget that electric cars were once derided as slow, uninspiring and impractical, with minimal range between charges. The Tesla Model S, which went on sale in 2012, had sports car performance and a range of more than 250 miles. It played a key role in changing perceptions, and provided a springboard for rapid growth.

Nowadays, Tesla is not just a producer of electric vehicles. It has invested heavily in autonomous driving systems, with the goal of building fleets of driverless “robotaxis”. It also has a fast-growing energy-storage business, and is developing a general-purpose humanoid robot, known as Optimus.

Like the late Steve Jobs at Apple, Musk became the embodiment of his brand, ever present as the front man at company events and product launches, with a devoted following among EV enthusiasts.

But recently the champion of sustainable technology has become equally well known for promoting his political views, amplifying them through his own social network, X. At the same time, Tesla itself has been facing mounting challenges.

Although its Model Y was the best-selling car worldwide last year, overall sales fell for the first time in more than a decade, dropping from 1.81 million to 1.79 million.

The decline was relatively small, and Tesla retained its position as the world’s best-selling maker of electric vehicles, but for a growth-focused business, it raised alarm bells. Profits for the year were also down.

This year has also begun badly, notably in Europe, where there was a 45% fall in new registrations in January compared to the same month in 2024. There were further falls in major European markets in February – although the UK was an outlier, with sales rising 21% – as well as in Australia.

Meanwhile, shipments of Tesla’s Chinese-made cars, which are produced for sale both in China and abroad, fell more than 49% in the same month.

In early March, Joseph Spak, Wall Street analyst at Swiss bank UBS, published a research note in which he predicted a decline in Tesla’s worldwide sales this year of 5%. That forecast, which countered market expectations of 10% growth, helped to send Tesla’s share price tumbling. It fell 15% in a single day – adding to an overall decline of 40% since the start of the year.

Sales can fall for many reasons, and people within Tesla have suggested that a drop in sales was to be expected as the company geared up for the launch of the new Model Y – with potential customers holding off for the latest version. But research by brand monitoring firm Morning Consult Intelligence suggests Musk’s activities have indeed harmed Tesla, particularly in the EU and Canada – although not in China, which remains one of its biggest markets.

In the US, it says, the situation is more nuanced, with many consumers approving of DOGE cuts in government spending. However it adds: “Musk may be turning off those US consumers most likely to buy a Tesla. Among high-income consumers who say they plan to purchase an EV in the future, Tesla now ranks lower compared with competitors than it did one year ago.”

Tesla did not respond to the BBC’s questions concerning its fall in sales.

But experts believe Tesla’s problems run deeper than simply questions about the public image of the CEO.

To start with, the current model range, which was once cutting edge, now looks uninspiring. The once ground-breaking Model S has been on sale since 2012, the Model X since 2015. Even the more recent and more affordable Model 3 and Model Y are beginning to look dated in an increasingly competitive market.

“If you look at their product line-up, they haven’t had any fresh models recently, except for the Cybertruck, which is really niche,” says Ms Valdez Streaty. “They’ve had a refresh of the Model Y, but it’s not a big splash. And there’s so much more competition out there.”

Prof Peter Wells, director of Cardiff University’s Centre for Automotive Industry Research, makes a similar point: “We’ve not seen the level of innovation in terms of the product range that perhaps Elon Musk should have been looking for. I think that is a big part of their problem.”

Competition comes from a number of directions. Traditional manufacturers have invested huge sums in moving towards EV production, with the likes of Korea’s Kia and Hyundai building a growing reputation for making good quality battery-powered cars.

At the same time, an array of new EV brands has emerged from China. They include the likes of BYD, which has expanded rapidly by supplying cars with good performance at low prices, as well as the more upmarket Xpeng and Nio, which have focused on luxury and advanced technology.

“China has amazing incentives and subsidies for EVs,” says Ms Valdez Streaty.

“You can see how Chinese firms, especially BYD, continue to grow not only in China but in other parts of the world. So that definitely is a huge threat, not just for Tesla but for other manufacturers as well.”

The extent of that threat was demonstrated in mid-March, when BYD announced it had developed an ultra-fast charging system that would provide a car with 250 miles of range in just five minutes – significantly faster than Tesla’s own supercharger network.

Musk’s comments during Tesla’s earnings calls suggests his priorities lie elsewhere, particularly in driverless vehicles.

In January, he claimed Tesla would have a robotaxi service operating in Texas by June. But this attracted a cynical response from some commentators who pointed out that Musk has been promising this kind of thing for a long time.

In 2019, for example, he said that within a year there would be a million Teslas on the road capable of acting as robotaxis. Meanwhile Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” package, available to Tesla buyers, remains a “hands-on” system that requires the driver to be paying attention at all times.

“Every year we get a new promise from Elon Musk about how his autonomous cars are just around the corner. The trouble is, they never seem to be able to find the corner to emerge from,” says Jay Nagley of automotive consultancy Redspy.

Arguably, Tesla needs strong leadership right now. But regardless of his politics, the chief executive is spinning a large number of plates. He owns or runs an array of other businesses, notably his social media platform X; the artificial intelligence firm xAI; and the private space firm SpaceX, which has experienced failures on the last two launches of its giant Starship rocket.

Asked in a recent interview with Fox Business how he was combining all of this with his new government role, Musk responded “with great difficulty”.

“It’s hard to tell exactly how much Tesla is hands-on managed nowadays by Musk,” says Prof Wells.

“If he’s making the key decisions over things like product placing and where factories are built and so forth, then those decisions have to be correct. And I think you need someone with a hands-on, 100% commitment to understanding the automotive industry, and making those decisions correctly.”

Ever since he joined Tesla in 2004, Elon Musk’s position has been unassailable. There is no obvious sign at the moment of that changing. He remains the company’s largest single shareholder, with a 13% stake – currently worth more than $95bn.

That is more or less matched by the combined holdings of investment giants Vanguard and Blackrock, while a number of other financial institutions including State Street Bank and Morgan Stanley hold smaller stakes.

For those investors, the recent falls in the share price will have made grim reading. But it is still almost 30% higher than it was a year ago. In fact, the recent decline has simply wiped out the effects of a dramatic surge that occurred immediately after the election, which almost doubled Tesla’s market valuation.

Today, Tesla is still valued at more than 100 times its earnings – a far higher margin than automotive rivals such as Ford, General Motors or Toyota, which suggests shareholders are continuing to pin their hopes on technological breakthroughs and rapid growth.

“Tesla is being valued as a company that is either going to dominate electric vehicles – which is clearly not going to happen, given the strength of the Chinese manufacturers – or that is going to dominate robotaxis and autonomous vehicles,” says Mr Nagley.

None of the major investors appears to be agitating for change at the moment – although in media interviews this week, one long-term shareholder-turned-vocal critic, the investment fund manager Ross Gerber, did call for Mr Musk to step down.

But analysts say the business would benefit from new blood at the top. “A new CEO for Tesla would without question be the best thing for the company right now,” says Matthias Schmidt of Schmidt Automotive Research.

“It would address the toxic contagion from Musk, offer a solution for the conflict of interest regarding his DOGE position, and allow a dedicated CEO to focus entirely on the job in hand.”

“I think that’s the clear direction of travel at the moment.” says Prof Wells. “I think they need somebody with strong automotive experience. Someone who knows how to rationalise the business.

“It needs a significant change of direction now.”

US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday that aims to dismantle the Department of Education, the White House says.

The move, which he promised to do on the campaign trail, is already facing legal challenges from those seeking to block the department’s closure as well as the sweeping cuts to its staff announced last week.

Trump has long called for the department to be axed, a cherished goal of some conservatives, but even with an executive order completely eliminating it would require approval by Congress.

And that is seen as unlikely given the slim 53-47 majority Republicans hold in the Senate. Major legislation such as closing a department would require 60 votes.

The president’s order is expected to be signed during a ceremony at the White House later on Thursday. Republican state governors, including Florida’s Ron DeSantis are reportedly set to attend the signing.

The order would “expand educational opportunities” and “empower parents, states, and communities to take control and improve outcomes for all students,” a White House spokesman said on Wednesday.

Established in 1979, the education department oversees funding for public schools, administers student loans and runs programmes that help low-income students.

Trump has accused it of “indoctrinating young people with inappropriate racial, sexual, and political material”.

A common misconception is that the department operates US schools and sets curricula – but that is done by states and local districts.

And a relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools – about 13% – comes from federal funds. The majority is made up from states and local groups.

The agency also plays a prominent role in administering and overseeing the federal student loans used by millions of Americans to pay for higher education.

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Soon after she was sworn in, Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent the department’s 4,400 employees a memo titled “Our Department’s Final Mission”.

“This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students,” she wrote.

“I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete; we will be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.”

Earlier reports suggested Trump would look to end some of the department’s programmes and send others to different departments, such as the Treasury.

Trump and fellow Republicans have accused the department of promoting a “woke” political ideology, and say the department is pushing liberal views about gender and race.

America’s largest teachers’ union recently decried Trump’s plans, saying he “doesn’t care about opportunity for all kids”.

In its statement, the AFT, said: “No one likes bureaucracy, and everyone’s in favour of more efficiency, so let’s find ways to accomplish that.

“But don’t use a ‘war on woke’ to attack the children living in poverty and the children with disabilities, in order to pay for vouchers and tax cuts for billionaires.”

Most US children attend public schools, which are free and governed by local officials. Nearly all of their funding comes from state and local taxes and curriculum decisions are made by state governments and school districts.

The current cabinet-level department was established by Congress at the end of 1979. Two years later, former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, started the call to undo it to save money and to favour “local needs and preferences”. It is the smallest agency in the president’s cabinet and takes up less than 2% of the total federal budget.

The department and its 4,400 employees do not operate schools or set their curriculum.

Some of those employees have already been caught up the Trump administration’s sweeping workforce cuts, led by a White House unit known as Doge. They were either urged to retire, laid off or put on paid administrative leave.

Elon Musk has led efforts by Doge, or the Department of Government Efficiency, to slash federal spending and radically restructure – or simply abolish – many government agencies.

Last week, the Trump administration announced plans to cut about half of the education department’s workforce. The mass layoffs will affect nearly 2,100 people who are set to be placed on leave from 21 March.

After nine months in space, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have finally arrived back on Earth.

Their SpaceX capsule made a fast and fiery re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, before four parachutes opened to take them to a gentle splashdown off the coast of Florida.

A pod of dolphins circled the craft.

After a recovery ship lifted it out of the water, the astronauts beamed and waved as they were helped out of the hatch, along with fellow crew members astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

“The crew’s doing great,” Steve Stich, manager, Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, said at a news conference.

It brings to an end a mission that was supposed to last for just eight days.

It was dramatically extended after the spacecraft Butch and Suni had used to travel to the International Space Station suffered technical problems.

“It is awesome to have crew 9 home, just a beautiful landing,” said Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, Nasa’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.

Thanking the astronauts for their resilience and flexibility, he said SpaceX had been a “great partner”.

The journey home took 17 hours.

The astronauts were helped on to a stretcher, which is standard practice after spending so long in the weightless environment.

They will be checked over by a medical team, and then reunited with their families.

“The big thing will be seeing friends and family and the people who they were expecting to spend Christmas with,” said Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut.

“All of those family celebrations, the birthdays and the other events that they thought they were going to be part of – now, suddenly they can perhaps catch up on a bit of lost time.”

The saga of Butch and Suni began in June 2024.

They were taking part in the first crewed test flight of the Starliner spacecraft, developed by aerospace company Boeing.

But the capsule suffered several technical problems during its journey to the space station, and it was deemed too risky to take the astronauts home.

Starliner returned safely to Earth empty in early September, but it meant the pair needed a new ride for their return.

So Nasa opted for the next scheduled flight: a SpaceX capsule that arrived at the ISS in late September.

It flew with two astronauts instead of four, leaving two seats spare for Butch and Suni’s return.

The only catch was this had a planned six-month mission, extending the astronauts stay until now.

The Nasa pair embraced their longer-than-expected stay in space.

They carried out an array of experiments on board the orbiting lab and conducted spacewalks, with Suni breaking the record for the woman who spent the most hours outside of the space station. And at Christmas, the team dressed in Santa hats and reindeer antlers – sending a festive message for a Christmas that they had originally planned to spend at home.

And despite the astronauts being described as “stranded” they never really were.

Throughout their mission there have always been spacecraft attached to the space station to get them – and the rest of those onboard – home if there was an emergency.

Now the astronauts have arrived home, they will soon be taken to the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where they will be checked over by medical experts.

Long-duration missions in space take a toll on the body, astronauts lose bone density and suffer muscle loss. Blood circulation is also affected, and fluid shifts can also impact eyesight.

It can take a long time for the body to return to normal, so the pair will be given an extensive exercise regime as their bodies re-adapt to living with gravity.

British astronaut Tim Peake said it could take a while to re-adjust.

“Your body feels great, it feels like a holiday,” he told the BBC.

“Your heart is having an easy time, your muscles and bones are having an easy time. You’re floating around the space station in this wonderful zero gravity environment.

“But you must keep up the exercise regime. Because you’re staying fit in space, not for space itself, but for when you return back to the punishing gravity environment of Earth. Those first two or three days back on Earth can be really punishing.”

In interviews while onboard, Butch and Suni have said they were well prepared for their longer than expected stay – but there were things they were looking forward to when they got home.

Speaking to CBS last month, Suni Williams said: “I’m looking forward to seeing my family, my dogs and jumping in the ocean. That will be really nice – to be back on Earth and feel Earth.”

The potential Western troop deployment to Ukraine being discussed in London should be described as a “reassurance force” rather than a “peacekeeping force”, defence and diplomatic sources say.

Currently dubbed the Multinational Force Ukraine or MFU, it would be sent to the country to cement any ceasefire and encourage long-term confidence in the country.

The focus would be on providing Ukraine with air cover to keep its skies safe and a naval presence in the Black Sea to encourage trade.

The deployment of so-called “boots on the ground” – probably about 20,000 strong – would in terms of size not be big enough to enforce any peace.

Instead, the troops – provided by a so-called “coalition of the willing” – would most likely be deployed to protect cities, ports and major energy infrastructure.

One option being considered is that the MFU might not operate in the east of Ukraine near the front line to try to reassure Russia it poses no offensive threat.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have said repeatedly they would not agree any ceasefire if European and other forces were deployed to Ukraine.

The sources say any multinational operation in Ukraine would not be a “peacekeeping force” and should not be described as such.

Peacekeeping forces – under the aegis of either the United Nations or Nato – traditionally are impartial, operate with the consent of both parties and use force only to defend themselves. The multinational force being discussed would very much be on Ukraine’s side, there to help deter future Russian aggression.

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At the moment, it is not expected that the multinational force on the ground would monitor any ceasefire. That would be done by Ukrainian troops on the frontline and Western surveillance assets in the air and space.

The sources also say the coalition troops would not be deployed to provide a so-called “tripwire force” – meaning a force smaller than that of the opponent, designed to deter an attack without triggering escalation – if Russia resumed its invasion of Ukraine.

They say the military impact of any allied deployment of about 20,000 troops would be limited compared to the number of troops on either side of the front line.

Ukraine has almost a million military personnel, Russia’s army is even larger.

Much of the focus of Thursday’s discussions is on how best any international force can provide Ukraine with assets it does not have, especially capability in the air.

So, there will be discussions about which countries can provide warplanes to keep Ukraine’s skies safe during a ceasefire.

There will also be discussions about how to make the Black Sea safe for shipping. That may involve two components: how best to keep shipping lanes clear of mines and what kind of naval task force could provide a security presence in the sea.

The key uncertainty is whether the United States would provide any air, satellite or intelligence cover for any European force on the ground.

The US has thus far said it would not be willing to provide any military “backstop”.

The European strategy for now is to stop asking the US and instead organise the best force and capability it can to ensure the security of Ukraine in the future. Once the details are agreed, then the UK, France and others would see if the European offer was substantial enough for the US to have a change of heart and agree to play some kind of role.

What all this planning depends on, of course, is some kind of ceasefire being agreed in Ukraine.

While the US remains optimistic, many in Ukraine remain sceptical that Russia even wants to end the fighting.

Enthusiasts are poring over thousands of newly released documents related to the investigation into President John F Kennedy’s assassination.

As many experts expected, this latest release by the Trump administration does not answer all lingering questions about one of the US’s historic turning points – the 1963 killing of Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.

But the latest batch does include documents that are now mostly or fully unredacted. They reveal further how much the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) observed JFK’s killer before the shooting.

A US government investigation in the 1960s concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald, a drifter and former US Marine who at one point defected to the then-Soviet Union, acted alone when he shot at Kennedy’s motorcade from a nearby building.

However, the case still prompts questions, along with wild conspiracy theories, more than 60 years later – and the latest release is unlikely to change that. Here are some key takeaways.

• JFK experts scour newly unsealed assassination files

The documents further shed light on the CIA’s strong surveillance of Oswald, said Jefferson Morley, a former Washington Post reporter and editor of the JFK Facts blog.

“He’s a subject of deep interest to the CIA” long before the assassination, and the extent of this has only become clear in the last few years, Mr Morley said.

Many of the new documents have been released before – but now more complete versions are available. Although specialists are still combing through, no earth-shattering stories have surfaced.

Still, Mr Morley calls it “the most exciting news around JFK records since the 1990s”.

“Several very important documents have come into public view,” he said.

Experts have therefore praised the release as a step forward for transparency. In the past, hundreds of thousands of documents were made available but were partially redacted. Others were held back, with officials citing national security concerns.

Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination, told the Associated Press that previously released documents described a trip Oswald took to Mexico City in September 1963, months before the assassination.

The CIA was monitoring him at that time, he said, according to the AP. “There’s reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.”

In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswald’s trip to Mexico City, the AP reported. The CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, it said, but Oswald only identified himself in one.

A number of the documents shed light on Kennedy’s relationship with the CIA before his death and on intelligence-gathering techniques – giving a window into Cold War operations.

A newly unredacted memo reveals a more complete version of a note written by Kennedy aide Arthur Schlesinger.

Critical of the CIA and its role in shaping foreign policy, the note shows the agency’s huge presence in US embassies, even in allied countries such as France.

In it, Schlesinger warns Kennedy about the agency’s influence on American foreign policy. Though not directly related to the assassination, the memo details the rocky relationship between the president and intelligence agencies.

The CIA is traditionally opposed to releasing operational or budget information, said David Barrett, a Villanova University professor and expert on the CIA and presidential power.

“It’s a very good thing for the government to release these documents even if there still may be some redactions,” he said.

One document details the use of fluoroscopic scanning – using X-rays to show images of the inside of an object.

The technique was developed to detect hidden microphones possibly used to bug CIA offices.

In another document, the CIA describes a system to secretly tag and identify public phone boxes that are tapped, using a paint only visible under ultraviolet light.

The memo is also notable for one of the names in it – James McCord, who would later gain infamy as one of the men who burgled the Watergate complex. The break-in kicked off the unravelling of the scandal that toppled President Richard Nixon.

Some well-known online accounts claimed that the recent documents reveal new details about long-alleged plots against Kennedy – even though some of the supposed revelations have been public for years.

They includes several viral posts about Gary Underhill – a World War Two military intelligence agent.

Mr Underhill reportedly claimed that a cabal of CIA agents was behind the assassination, a theory openly published in Ramparts, a left-wing magazine, in 1967. Mr Underhill’s death in 1964 was ruled a suicide, but the magazine cast doubt on that as well.

Photos of a seven-page memo regarding Mr Underhill went viral on Tuesday – but the bulk of it is not new. His story has long been discussed online and the CIA memo mentioning it was first released in 2017.

Just a few sentences on one page of the memo were newly unredacted in the latest release.

And crucially the theory is based on a second-hand account published after Mr Underhill’s death and includes no hard evidence.

However, the story was just one of a number of unsubstantiated theories circulating following the release of the files.

A 1992 law required all of the documents related to the assassination to be released within 25 years – but that law also included national security exceptions.

The push for greater transparency has led to more releases over time – both President Trump in his first term and President Biden, as recently as 2023, released batches of documents.

Ahead of the new release, President Trump said that he asked his staff “not to redact anything” from them.

That doesn’t appear to be entirely the case – the new documents still have some redactions. However, experts were largely in agreement that the latest release was a step forward for transparency.

JFK Files journalist Morley said there are further documents in the National Archives yet to be released, and others held by the CIA and FBI that have not yet been accounted for.

Even though there could be more releases to come – as well as promised drops about the killings of Robert F Kennedy Sr and Martin Luther King Jr – the questions around the JFK assassination will almost certainly continue.

“Whenever there is an assassination there will be debates and to some degree there will be conspiracy theories,” said Barrett, the Villanova historian. “That’s not going to change because of these or any other documents.”

Indonesia’s parliament has passed controversial changes to legislation that will allow its military a bigger role in government.

Critics warn that the move could return Indonesia to the dark days of Suharto’s military dictatorship, which lasted 32 years until he was forced out of office in 1998.

The revisions backed by President Prabowo Subianto – a former special forces commander and Suharto’s son-in-law – allow military officers to take up positions in government without first retiring or resigning from the armed forces.

Hundreds of pro-democracy activists have camped outside parliament since Wednesday evening to protest at the changes.

“The essence of democracy is that the military should not engage in politics. The military should only manage barracks and national defence,” said Wilson, an activist with the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (KontraS), a group advocating for activists who disappeared during a crackdown in 1997 and 1998.

“Since 1998, there has been a creeping murder of democracy. And today marks its peak. Democracy has been killed by the House of Representatives,” Wilson told the BBC.

The revisions allow active military personnel to hold positions in 14 civilian institutions, up from 10. They also raise retirement age by several years for most ranks. Highest-ranking four-star generals can now serve until 63, up from 60.

By Thursday evening, the crowd of protesters outside parliament had grown to nearly a thousand. “Return the military to the barracks!” “Against militarism and oligarchy,” read the banners they held.

Police officers and military personnel stood guard around the protesters.

While there have been efforts over the past 25 years to limit the military’s involvement in politics and governance, local human rights watchdog Imparsial found that nearly 2,600 active-duty officers were serving in civilian roles even before the law’s revision.

The changes signal a “broader consolidation of power” under Prabowo, said Dedi Dinarto, lead Indonesia analyst at public policy advisory firm Global Counsel.

That the main opposition party endorsed the changes – despite initial opposition – further underscores this shift, he noted.

“By embedding military perspectives into civilian domains, the legislation could reshape Indonesia’s policy direction, potentially prioritising stability and state control over democratic governance and civil liberties,” Mr Dinarto said.

The armed forces’ “dual function”, where they are given control of security and administrative affairs, was central to Suharto’s regime.

For some Indonesians, Prabowo epitomises that authoritarian era. It was he who led the special forces unit accused of abducting activists in 1997 and 1998.

Many had feared that his return to political power and becoming president would erode Indonesia’s hard-won but fragile democracy.

Since taking office last October, Prabowo has already been expanding the military’s involvement in public areas. His flagship $4bn free-meal programme for children and pregnant women, for instance, receives logistical support from the armed forces.

Defending the amendments on Thursday, defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told parliament “geopolitical changes and global military technology” require the military to transform to tackle “conventional and non conventional conflicts”.

“We will never disappoint the Indonesians in keeping our sovereignty,” he said.

However some rights groups argue that increasing military control in public affairs beyond defence will undermine impartiality.

“How can active-duty officers in the Attorney General’s Office remain impartial when they are still bound by military command?” asked Virdika Rizky Utama, a researcher at Jakarta-based think-tank PARA Syndicate, Benar News reports.

“If the military gains influence over the justice system, who will hold them accountable?”

“President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military’s role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity,” said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The government’s rush to adopt these amendments undercuts its expressed commitment to human rights and accountability.”

KontraS also noted that the government’s “rush to amend the [law] stands in stark contrast to its prolonged inaction on other critical human rights commitments”.

“This long struggle cannot stop just because the law has been passed. There is only one word: Resist,” said Sukma Ayu, an undergraduate at Universitas Muhammadiyah Prof. Hamka in Jakarta.

“We will continue protesting until we claim victory… We have no choice but to occupy the ‘house of the people’,” she said.

At least 85 Palestinians have been killed in overnight Israeli air strikes in Gaza, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry has said.

Hours later, Israel’s military said it had intercepted three rockets, which Hamas’s armed wing said it fired at Tel Aviv in response.

It comes after Israel resumed its bombing campaign and ground operations in Gaza this week, with air strikes having already killed more than 430 people over the past two days, according to the health ministry.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it had started a ground operation in northern Gaza. There had been a reprieve from large-scale military action since January, when a ceasefire had begun.

Gaza’s health ministry also reported that 133 people were injured in the latest attacks on Thursday.

Israel resumed attacks on Tuesday as talks to extend the ceasefire deal failed to progress, warning they would intensify until Hamas released the remaining hostages.

Israel says Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to still be alive.

IDF spokesperson Col Avichay Adraee said Hamas had fired three rockets from southern Gaza. One was intercepted, while the other two fell in an “open area”, he wrote in a post on X.

The Israeli military said earlier on Thursday that it had begun “targeted ground activities” to create what it called a “partial buffer between the north and south” of Gaza. It called the action a “limited ground operation”.

Col Adraee said forces were deployed up to the centre of a strip, known as the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern and southern Gaza.

Meanwhile, five staff members of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa were among those killed over the “past few days”, the agency’s chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X.

“They were teachers, doctors and nurses,” he added, warning that “the worst is yet to come” amid the ongoing ground invasion.

On Wednesday, the UN said that one of its workers had been killed after its compound in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza was damaged. While it said the circumstances remain unclear, UN Office for Project Services head Jorge Moreira said it was “not an accident” and “at least an incident”.

Gaza’s health ministry blamed an Israeli strike, which it said injured five others. Israel’s military said it did not attack the compound but was investigating the incident.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed on Thursday that a UK national had been wounded in the compound attack. It comes after a charity said one of its workers, a 51-year-old British bomb disposal expert, had been injured.

“Our priority is supporting them and their family at this time,” he told MPs.

At the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Qasim Abu Sharqiya said his two-year-old son, Omar, had been born through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after five years of trying.

“They bombed a tent next to us and he died,” he told AFP. “Omar is my only son, oh world, and I have no one else.”

A doctor there, Tanya Haj Hassan, told the BBC’s Newshour that she had heard of at least 76 people who “didn’t even make it into the ER” but were taken “straight to the mortuary”.

She recalled “a level of horror and evil that is really hard to articulate – it felt like Armageddon”.

Elsewhere, Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at Israel on Thursday, aiming for Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, the Iran-backed group’s military spokesperson said.

No injuries were reported and the IDF said the missile was stopped before entering Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that it had “resumed combat in full force” and any ceasefire negotiations would now take place “under fire”.

A group representing hostages’ families has accused the Israeli government of choosing “to give up the hostages” by launching new strikes.

Israel and Hamas have failed to agree how to take the ceasefire beyond the first phase, which expired on 1 March.

Hamas did not agree to a renegotiation of the ceasefire on Israel’s terms, although it offered to release a living American hostage and four hostages’ bodies as mediators tried to prolong the ceasefire.

Israel blocked all food, fuel and medical supplies entering Gaza at the beginning of March in order to put pressure on Hamas. It accused Hamas of commandeering the provisions as part of its strategy against Israel, though did not provide evidence for this claim.

The war was triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and 251 other taken hostage. Twenty-five Israeli and five Thai hostages were released alive during the first phase of the ceasefire.

Israel responded to the 7 October attack with a massive military offensive, which had killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, mainly civilians, before Israel resumed its campaign, the Hamas-run health ministry says. Israel’s offensive has also caused huge amounts of destruction to homes and infrastructure.

India has usually turned to economic reforms in times of distress, with the most famous example being 1991, when the country embraced liberalisation in the face of a deep financial crisis.

Now, with US President Donald Trump’s tit-for-tat tariff wars and the global trade upheaval that has followed, many believe that India finds itself at another crossroad.

Could this be a major opportunity for the world’s fifth largest economy to shed its protectionism and further open up its economy? Will India seize the moment, just as it did more than three decades ago, or will it retreat further?

Trump has repeatedly branded India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser” of trade ties. The problem is that India’s trade-weighted import duties – the average duty rate per imported product – are among the highest in the world. The US average tariff is 2.2%, China’s is 3% and Japan’s is 1.7%. India’s stands at a whopping 12%, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

High tariffs increase costs for companies dependent on global value chains, hindering their ability to compete in international markets. They also mean that Indians pay more on imported goods than foreign consumers. Despite growing exports – primarily driven by services – India runs a significant trade deficit. However, with India’s share of global exports at a mere 1.5%, the challenge becomes even more urgent.

The jury is out on whether Trump’s tariff war will help India break free or double down on protectionism. Narendra Modi’s government, often criticised for its protectionist stance, already seems to have shifted gears.

Last month, ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s meeting with Trump in Washington, India unilaterally lowered tariffs on Bourbon whiskey, motorcycles and some other US products.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has made two trips to the US to discuss a potential trade deal, following Trump’s threatened retaliatory tariffs, looming on 2 April. (Citi Research analysts estimate India could lose up to $7bn annually from reciprocal tariffs, primarily affecting sectors like metals, chemicals and jewellery, with pharmaceuticals, automobiles and food products also at risk.)

Last week, Goyal urged Indian exporters to “come out of their protectionist mindset and encouraged them to be bold and ready to deal with the world from a position of strength and self-confidence”, according to a statement from his ministry.

India is also actively pursuing free trade deals with several countries, including the UK and New Zealand, and the European Union.

In an interesting turn of events, homegrown telecoms giants Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have teamed up with Trump ally Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellite internet services via Starlink in India. The move surprised analysts, especially after Musk’s recent clashes with both companies, and came as US and Indian officials negotiate the trade deal.

India’s rapid growth from the late 1990s to the 2000s – 8.1% between 2004-2009 and 7.46% from 2009-2014 – was in large part driven by its gradual integration into global markets, particularly in pharmaceuticals, software, autos, textiles and garments, alongside a steady reduction in tariffs. Since then, India has turned inwards.

Many economists believe that protectionist policies over the past decade have undermined Modi’s Make in India initiative, which prioritised capital- and technology-intensive sectors over labour-intensive ones like textiles. As a result, it has struggled to boost manufacturing and exports.

High tariffs have also fostered protectionism in several Indian industries, discouraging investments in efficiency, according to Viral Acharya, a professor of economics at New York University Stern School of Business.

This has allowed “cosy incumbents” to gain market power by consolidating their positions without facing much competition. As Mr Acharya, a former central banker, noted in a paper by Brookings Institution, restoring industrial balance in India requires “reducing tariffs to increase the country’s share of global goods trade and reduce protectionism”.

With India’s tariffs already higher than those of most countries, further increases could be especially damaging.

“We need to boost exports and a tit-for-tat tariff war won’t help us. China can afford this strategy due to its massive export base, but we can’t, as we hold only a small share of the global market,” Rajeswari Sengupta, an associate professor of economics at Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, said. “A trade conflict could hurt us more than others.”

In light of this, India finds itself at a crossroad. As the world undergoes a major shift, India has a “unique opportunity to shape a new vision” for global trade, says Aseema Sinha, a trade expert at Claremont McKenna College.

By lowering protectionist barriers in South Asia and strengthening ties with Southeast Asia and the Middle East, India has the chance to lead in shaping a new trade vision, positioning itself as a key player in a “re-globalised” world, Ms Sinha, author of Globalising India, says.

“By reducing tariffs, India could become the regional and cross-regional magnet for trade and economic activity, drawing in varied powers in its orbit,” she adds.

That could help India create the jobs it desperately needs at home. Agriculture, which makes up 15% of its GDP, accounts for a whopping 40% of employment, reflecting extremely low productivity. Construction remains the second-largest employer, absorbing casual daily workers.

India’s challenge isn’t in expanding its thriving service sector, which already makes up nearly half of total exports, but in dealing with the large pool of unskilled workers who lack the basic skills needed for service jobs.

“While high-end services are thriving, the majority of the workforce remains uneducated and underemployed, often relegated to construction or informal jobs. To provide meaningful employment to millions entering the workforce each year, India must ramp up its manufacturing exports, as relying solely on services won’t address the needs of the unskilled labour force,” says Ms Sengupta.

One concern is that reducing tariffs could lead to dumping, where foreign companies flood the market with cheap goods, potentially harming domestic industries.

According to Ms Sengupta, India’s ideal approach to trade would involve a “universal reduction” in import tariffs, as it currently has some of the highest tariffs among its trading partners.

However, there is a caveat: China’s trade struggles, particularly with the US due to the ongoing trade war, could lead to Chinese dumping in India in the “short run”.

“To protect against this, India can use non-tariff barriers against China but only against this one country and only in cases of proven dumping. Barring that, it is in India’s interest to do a wholesale slashing of tariffs,” she says.

There’s also a growing concern that India may be overcompensating in its efforts to flatter the US.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), believes that India’s tendency to soften trade policies “based on rhetoric rather than economic pressure” shows a lack of assertiveness in global trade talks.

If this trend continues, he says, India may end up making even more compromises in its trade deal with the US, further “eroding its bargaining power”.

“In comparison to other major economies, India’s pre-emptive surrender on multiple trade fronts – without the US imposing a single country-specific tariff – makes it appear exceptionally vulnerable to pressure tactics.”

The broader consensus seems to be that India should capitalise on what could be the unintended consequences of Trump’s tariff wars. Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC, believes that “potential US tariffs may have become a catalyst for reforms.“.

“If supply chains are rejigged again during the second Trump presidency due to higher tariffs on large exporters, and the world looks for new producers, India may get a second chance,” she writes.

Creating jobs that manufacture goods for the world won’t be easy. India has largely missed the bus on low-end, unskilled factory work – jobs China dominated for decades. Automation is taking over. Without deeper reforms, India risks being left behind.

In Gaza, Palestinians have been burying their dead.

At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip, Alaa Abu Hilal stands cradling his baby son Mohammed in his arms.

The child’s tiny face peeps out of a white shroud.

Mohammed was one of more than 170 children killed in Israel’s renewed bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday, which shattered the ceasefire deal in place for the past two months.

Alaa’s wife lies in a body bag at his feet. She was just 20.

“We only got married two years ago,” Alaa says. “She was seven months pregnant when she was killed.”

Israel says it broke the ceasefire because Hamas was stalling for time over the release of Israeli hostages. It accuses Hamas of hiding behind civilians and of preparing to attack Israel again.

Israel’s military does not allow foreign journalists uncontrolled access to Gaza. From Jerusalem I spoke to Dr Morgan McMonagle, an Irish trauma surgeon who is volunteering at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.

On Tuesday, the doctor says he worked flat out from 02:30 in the morning, when Israel’s assault began, to late at night. He estimated 40% of the dead and injured he saw were children.

“All I can do is report as a simple humanitarian surgeon on the ground, there is a disproportionate number of children being injured and killed, and women,” he says.

“And I think any reasonable person can see that it’s disproportionate.”

Karam Tafeek Hameid lost his three boys on Tuesday in the Israeli attack: Hassan who was nine, Mohammad aged eight, and Aziz who was just five.

“They used to play around, have fun, most of all they loved to ride with me on my tuktuk,” Karam says with tears in his eyes.

“They wanted to be doctors, teachers.”

Israel says Hamas exaggerates the number of Palestinians who are killed and injured. But the United Nations views the Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health figures as reliable. Some experts believe the number of people killed in Gaza over the past 18 months of war has in fact been underestimated.

Dr McMonagle says he has no reason to believe the Ministry of Health figures are wrong.

“I try to avoid the propaganda because propaganda drives war… but I can tell you over 70 people (at Nasser Hospital) went straight to the mortuary yesterday, and many of them were children. I saw them.

“I am not privy to the official figures but what I can tell you from senior figures at the hospital is that 40% of the dead and injured were women and children.”

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz suggested Tuesday’s assault was just the beginning if Hamas didn’t return the hostages.

“If all the Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not eliminated from Gaza – Israel will act with forces you have never seen before,” Katz said.

He again said Gazans should relocate to neighbouring countries as US President Donald Trump has suggested. An idea that has been entirely rejected by Palestinians, and much of the Arab world.