BBC News Briefing

3 April, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes and wears a green top.

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. As global markets react to the newly announced US tariffs, my colleagues at BBC Verify explain the basic sums driving the White House methodology - and what economists make of it. In Myanmar, our correspondent Yogita Limaye is the first foreign journalist to enter the country, reporting from the earthquake-hit city of Mandalay. And finally, cinephiles honour late actor Val Kilmer and his prolific career. Apologies if you missed your regular News Briefing email earlier, we experienced some technical issues.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

BBC Verify explains tariffs methodology

Donald Trump is pictured from the side while speaking into a microphone, with a poster showing the tariffs announced appears behind with.

The tariff rate was calculated on the basis that it would eliminate the US's goods trade deficit with each country. Credit: Reuters

Stocks in the US and around the world sank on Thursday after President Donald Trump announced a new tariff regime. Our correspondents tracked reactions in five major economies. Some countries, like Russia, were not on the list, while the tiny southern African nation of Lesotho was hit with the highest tariff rate. But how exactly were these tariffs - essentially taxes on foreign goods - worked out? BBC Verify has been looking at the calculations behind the numbers.

Read the explainer

GET UP TO SPEED

Destroyed infrastructure at Hama airbase, Syria, after it was targeted by Israeli air strikes

Tensions rise over Turkey as Israeli strikes hit Syria

The latest air strikes come amid Turkish reports of military equipment being moved to Syrian airbases.

What to know >

A view of the White House on a sunny day. The US flag is flying from the building's roof.

Trump fires three National Security Council officials

BBC's US partner CBS News reports the decision followed a meeting between the president and activist Laura Loomer.

Get the details >

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has been linked to a bid by a consortium of American businesses interested in buying TikTok. He is pictured in the oval Office, wearing a black suit, a white shirt and a red tie. He has blonde hair and a goatee. Picture credit: reuters

Rumours swirl as TikTok sale deadline looms

The list of would-be buyers for the social media platform in the US - both rumoured and confirmed - has grown.

Who's on the list >

Harry hopes watchdog will find 'truth' about charity

The UK charity watchdog has opened an investigation into the dispute surrounding the Sentebale charity he co-founded.

What happened >

AT THE SCENE

Mandalay, Myanmar

Huge devastation and little help

The wall of a pagoda is destroyed showing inside the building with rubble all over the outside steps

Mandalay is a city living in terror, as nearly every night since Friday there have been big aftershocks. Credit: BBC

Myanmar's military government has said it's not allowing foreign journalists into the country after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit on Friday. A BBC team went in undercover, and witnessed people with very little help coming their way in the face of this massive disaster.

Yogita Limaye, South Asia correspondent

Access to everything - collapse sites, victims and their families - was not easy because of the oppressive environment created by the military junta, with people often fearful of speaking to journalists. We saw Buddhist funeral rituals being held on the street outside a destroyed house. It was the home of U Hla Aung Khaing and his wife Daw Mamarhtay, both in their sixties.

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"I lived with them but was out when the earthquake struck. That's why I survived. Both my parents are gone in a single moment," their son told us. Their bodies were extricated not by trained rescuers, but by locals who used rudimentary equipment. It took two days to pull out the couple, who were found with their arms around each other.

Keep reading

Aid in war time: In the 72 hours after the earthquake struck, rescue and relief workers were blocked by military authorities, multiple sources told the BBC.

In Thailand: An estimated 500 Muslims died while praying in mosques in the city of Sagaing.

Death toll: The earthquake killed 3,085 people and injured 4,715, Myanmar's military junta has said. Hundreds more are missing and the toll is expected to rise further.

Two paintings of the same lake surrounded by trees.

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The other Monet

Paintings by Monet's stepdaughter can barely be differentiated from his own.

Take a look

And finally... at the cinema

Hollywood actor Val Kilmer, who died earlier this week, starred in some of the biggest films of the '80s and '90s. Ask a group of film fans which role they most remember him from and they'll probably each give you a different answer. Which of these roles do you most associate him with?

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– Sofia

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