There is "complete harmony" on the need to solve trade problems in Northern Ireland, Boris Johnson has said, following his first face-to-face meeting with US president Joe Biden. The two leaders met in Cornwall on the eve of the G7 summit. Mr Johnson said the US, UK and EU all wanted to protect the Good Friday Agreement. Earlier, Mr Biden warned that the UK-EU dispute over border controls should not "imperil" the peace process. During their meeting, the two men also established a taskforce to re-establish travel across the Atlantic, after the US banned most British people from entering at the start of the pandemic. And they agreed a deal - labelled the "Atlantic Charter" - which commits the two countries to work together on global challenges. Why does the G7 summit matter? From Air Force One to Beast - Biden's travel kit Biden to warn PM not to risk NI peace over Brexit The G7 summit begins on Friday and will be the first time world leaders have assembled in person since the coronavirus pandemic. Covid vaccines and climate change are on the agenda - but the on-going disagreement between the UK and the EU over post-Brexit regulatory checks on goods going into Northern Ireland from Great Britain look set to feature heavily in diplomatic discussions. The arrangements were agreed in the 2019 Brexit withdrawal deal, but the UK has since sought more flexibility. Asked about the dispute on Thursday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron said: "I think it's not serious to want to review in July what we finalised after years of debate and work in December. "We have a trade deal - it has been painfully discussed for years... if six months later, they say: 'What we negotiated with you, we don't know how to respect it', then that means that nothing is respectable anymore." Presentational grey line What is the UK-EU Northern Ireland dispute about? Northern Ireland was given special status as a result of the 2019 Brexit "divorce" settlement between the UK and the EU. While England, Scotland and Wales no longer follow EU rules, Northern Ireland still does, because it shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member. In order to avoid a physical border between the two countries - and thereby protect the peace process - it was agreed that customs checks would take place on goods entering Northern Ireland from elsewhere in the UK. But unionists say this has effectively put a border down the Irish Sea instead - something they are ideologically opposed to - and business say supply chains have been complicated and disrupted. Talks on Wednesday between Brexit minister Lord Frost and the European Commission's Maros Sefcovic to try to resolve the standoff ended without a breakthrough.

Audi has published the first official preview images of its upcoming RS3 hot hatchback and saloon, suggesting a reveal is imminent. Shown in camouflage as part of the wider Audi Sport line-up, the RS3 hatchback and RS3 Sportback are shown in production-ready guise, wearing a promotional wrap emblazoned with the sequence 1-2-4-5-3, likely a reference to the firing order of its five-cylinder powerplant. The RS3 is set to use the same turbocharged five-cylinder unit as its larger RS Q3 sibling and the TT RS Coupé. It will send 394bhp to both axles and should get the car from zero to 62mph in around 4.0sec. That output will place the RS3 among the most powerful models in its segment, second only to the Mercedes-AMG A45 S, which uses the most powerful four-cylinder engine in production, with 416bhp. As expected, visual modifications over the warmed-up S3 - revealed last year - are subtle, extending to more aggressive intakes, bespoke alloy wheels and a unique rear diffuser and spoiler. However, bespoke interior cues that reference its higher output, as well as larger brakes and wider tyres, are likely. The pictures accompanied an official interview with new Audi Sport managing director Sebastian Grams, who reflected on his first three months in the position and hinted at what is to come: "Our mission is to push the limits of what’s possible – that’s what Audi Sport is all about. And I’m positive that this will continue to be the case in the future." He later confirmed that plug-in hybrid Audi Sport models are inbound as part of the division's electrification process, as well as new all-electric models to accompany the RS E-tron GT. Audi Sport's sales and marketing boss, Rolf Michl, added: "We expect to offer more than half of our high-performance models in partially or fully electrified form as early as 2024. And by 2026, this figure will likely even be as high as 80%. We want to offer our customers the right products and services for their specific markets and segments." High-performance electrified SUVs are of particular interest to Audi Sport, according to Michl, and by 2030, all Audi Sport models will be either plug-in hybrid or fully electric. The RS3 will, therefore, be among the last non-electrified Audi performance models and could be the final outing for the brand's in-line five-cylinder engine, which has been used in various forms since the Audi 100 was launched in 1976.

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Toyota has revealed the Land Cruiser 300 as a completely reinvented SUV with an all-new platform for improved ability both on and off the road. The car will become the new flagship of the Toyota SUV range, but will not be coming to the UK or Western Europe. Customers will be able to choose from two brand new twin-turbo V6 engines; a 3.5-litre petrol and a 3.3-litre diesel, which the manufacturer says will deliver “class-leading performance and driveability superior to a conventional V8.” A ten-speed automatic transmission will also be available, which Toyota says reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10% compared to the previous-generation model. New electronic 'kinetic dynamic' suspension has been fitted, mated with a multi-terrain select system, along with some additional assist systems, including pre-collision detection and a new parking support brake. It is the first Land Cruiser model to make use of the new Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform. The Japanese company says the platform will improve performance both on and off road, with “new benefits in terms of body rigidity, strength and dynamic balance.” Despite the new platform, the Land Cruiser 300 will maintain the same dimensions of the current model, including overall length, width, wheelbase and departure and approach angles, but is 200kg lighter than its predecessor. Over ten million Land Cruisers have been sold across 170 countries, but the 300 will not make its way to Western Europe or the UK. It will go on sale in summer this year.

At least nine people have been killed after a five-storey building being demolished in South Korea collapsed on to a bus, officials said. Eight people were injured in the collapse, which happened in the southern city of Gwangju. The bus was carrying 17 people and had stopped on a street below, the National Fire Agency said. The reason for the collapse is not yet clear and search efforts are under way for survivors who may be trapped. All workers on the site had evacuated before the building collapsed, fire officer Kim Seok-sun said in a televised briefing. Some of the workers told investigators they had shut off a pedestrian path near the site before the collapse, he added. Videos uploaded to social media showed that the building collapsed directly on to the bus. South Korean firefighters search for passengers from a bus trapped by the debris of a collapsed building in Gwangju IMAGE COPYRIGHTREUTERS image captionThe building collapsed directly on to a bus Yang Ik-je, who runs a shop across the street from the collapsed building, told Yonhap news agency it felt like "the earth was shaking". "I could not see the road clearly, as if it were shrouded in thick fog," he said. "I checked the CCTV to find out that the building collapsed on to a bus." One of the world's worst peacetime building collapses happened in South Korea in June 1995, when Seoul's Sampoong Department Store collapsed, killing more than 500 people.

Ferrari’s upcoming mid-engined hybrid supercar, which has been spied testing in prototype form ahead of a 2022 launch, is set to be the firm’s first model since the Dino to use a V6 engine. The machine, which will follow the SF90 Stradale as Maranello’s second hybrid model, is being developed under the internal codename F171. Although Ferrari has been tight-lipped about the car’s development so far, it is understood to feature a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine with a single electric motor for hybrid power. Unlike the SF90, which has a motor on the front axle to offer all-wheel drive, the new machine will be rear drive only. As with the SF90, the new model will offer limited electric-only running, although it won’t be an expansive plug-in hybrid system. The engine is also tipped to appear in the forthcoming Purosangue SUV. An earlier prototype of the new hybrid was seen using a heavily modified LaFerrari chassis, but the latest one features revised production bodywork, including fake exhaust pipes at the rear. The machine is set to rival the likes of the upcoming McLaren Artura, which also has a V6- based hybrid powertrain. Along with the Purosangue, the new hybrid is likely to be tasked with helping to expand Ferrari’s reach and line-up and will further the brand’s electrification programme. Earlier this year, the company confirmed that it will launch its first fully electric car, likely a twin-motor, all-wheel-drive two-seater, in 2025.

Israel says a media building destroyed by one of its air strikes in the recent Gaza conflict was being used by the Hamas militant group to try to jam its Iron Dome missile defence system. The Jala tower housed the offices of Associated Press (AP) and Al Jazeera. Explaining the attack to AP in New York, Israel's UN envoy also offered help in rebuilding its offices in Gaza. The AP news agency welcomed the meeting but said it had yet to see evidence to back up the Israeli allegations. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, has made no comment yet on Israel's claims. The one-eyed Hamas chief in Israel's crosshairs Bowen: A conflict on pause as both sides claim victory The recent conflict began after weeks of spiralling Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem which culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets into Israel after warning it to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes from Israel on Gaza targets. Eleven days of fierce exchanges left 256 people dead in Gaza, according to the UN, with 13 people killed in Israel, before a truce was agreed on 21 May. The UN said at least 128 of those killed in Gaza were civilians. Israel's military said 200 were militants; Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, put the number of fighters killed at 80. 'Full release of evidence' Following the attack on the tower block on 15 May, both AP and Al Jazeera had demanded an explanation from the Israeli government. Israel's envoy to the UN and ambassador to the US, Gilad Erdan, travelled to AP's offices in New York on Monday and the Israel Defense Forces also released a statement on Tuesday. Mr Erdan told executives of the US news agency that the building housing its Gaza operation was being used by Hamas to develop an electronic jamming system against the Iron Dome. In pictures: The destruction in Gaza and Israel He said Israel did not suspect AP employees "were aware a covert Hamas unit was using the building in this way". Mr Erdan said Israel "upholds the importance of press freedom," adding: "Israel is willing to assist AP in rebuilding its offices and operations in Gaza." Destroyed tower in Gaza IMAGE COPYRIGHTEPA image captionIsrael has said it will help AP rebuild its operations in Gaza The IDF statement said Hamas was using the building to carry out Sigint (signals intelligence), Elint (electronic signals intelligence), and EW (electronic warfare) operations. More than 3,000 rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza during the conflict and the IDF says Iron Dome intercepted 90% of them. How Israel's Iron Dome missile shield works Associated Press told Haaretz it welcomed the meeting with Mr Erdan and the rebuilding offer, but added: "Israeli authorities maintain that the building housing our bureau was destroyed because of a Hamas presence that posed an urgent threat. We have yet to receive evidence to support these claims. "AP continues to call for the full release of any evidence the Israelis have so that the facts are public." Shortly after the air strike, Sally Buzbee, AP's executive editor, said it had had offices in the building for 15 years and had never had any indication that Hamas might be there. Qatar-based Al Jazeera strongly condemned the attack and said it would do all it could to "hold the Israeli government responsible for its actions". It condemned what it called a "clear act to stop journalists from conducting their sacred duty to inform the world and report events on the ground". US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was among those calling for an explanation. Israel gave an hour's prior warning of the air strike on the 12-storey block, allowing evacuation.

The Tesla Model S and Model X have received their most substantial updates since going on sale, ushering in a radical new-look interior and the long-awaited Plaid performance powertrain. Headed for launch in the US next month, the Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid take 1006bhp from a tri-motor electric powertrain, which in the Model S is good for a claimed 0-60mph time of 1.99sec. The Model S Plaid will also get from 0-155mph in a quarter of a mile and top out at 200mph "with the right tyres," according to CEO Elon Musk. The larger Model X Plaid needs 2.5sec to complete the 0-60mph sprint, but that still gives it the "quickest acceleration of any SUV". However, the 1100bhp Plaid+ version of the Model S, which would have bumped range up from an estimated 390 miles to more than 520 miles (on the US EPA test) - more than any EV currently in production - and further cut the 0-60mph time, has been officially cancelled. Taking to Twitter to build anticipation for the imminent dynamic debut of the Model S Plaid, Musk said: "Plaid+ is canceled. No need, as Plaid is so good." He called the standard Plaid the "quickest production car ever made of any kind" and confirmed a sub-2.0sec 0-60mph sprint time. To officially claim that title, the Model S Plaid will need to beat the new Rimac Nevera hypercar's 1.85sec 0-62mph time. The Plaid+'s cancellation comes following a month of speculation, since Tesla quietly stopped taking pre-orders for the 2022 model in May. It hasn't been publicly disclosed how many customers had placed deposits. The Plaid powertrain is described by Tesla as "beyond ludicrous," in reference to the Ludicrous Mode function that gives its cars stand-out acceleration capabilities. The update also brings new battery technology for improved range and efficiency. Precise technical details are yet to be confirmed, but new thermal architecture gives faster charging and gives "more power and endurance in all conditions". Inside, the Model S and Model X have been completely overhauled, with the old vertically oriented touchscreen making way for a new 17.0in widescreen display that offers "exceptional responsiveness" and can be tilted from left to right to give easier access for passengers or drivers as needed. There's also a new, separate 8.0in infotainment touchscreen mounted at the rear of the centre console, giving back-seat passengers access to various entertainment and comfort functions.

Scientists are reporting what they say is the longest sediment avalanche yet measured in action. It occurred underwater off West Africa, in a deep canyon leading away from the mouth of the Congo River. Something in excess of a cubic kilometre of sand and mud descended into the deep. This colossal flow kept moving for two whole days and ran out for more than 1,100km across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Oceans' extreme depths measured in precise detail High plastic concentration found on ocean floor Huge underwater avalanche recorded off California media captionFly through the sinuous Congo Canyon (Courtesy of IFREMER) The event would have gone unrecorded were it not for the fact that the slide broke two submarine telecommunications cables, slowing the internet and other data traffic between Nigeria and South Africa in the process. And also because of the prescient action of researchers who had lined the length of the Congo Canyon with instruments capable of measuring current and sediment velocities. "We had a series of oceanographic moorings that were hit by the event, which broke them from their seafloor anchors so that they popped up to send us an email," said Prof Peter Talling from Durham University, UK. "This thing gradually got faster and faster. Because it erodes the seabed as it goes, it picks up sand and mud, which makes the flow denser and even quicker. So, it has this positive feedback where it can build and build and build," he

It’s a tense moment: Keeley Hawes’ character in Finding Alice is parked up in a car, having a heart to heart with her on-screen daughter. Unfortunately, the tension of the scene is broken by yours truly suddenly exclaiming: “See that tree there? That’s where Sutcliffe spun a 16-valve Volkswagen Golf GTI backwards and ended up with a plug of wood rammed up its exhaust pipe.” My family are getting hacked off with this. The trouble is, more and more driving scenes in TV dramas and films are being shot at Longcross Studios in Chobham, Surrey, using sections of the test track that hold many memories. Scenes from James Bond films, Broadchurch and many others have all used bits of track very familiar to anyone in our business. I can’t help this enthusiasm, because Longcross has been part of my life right from short trousers. It was purpose built during the war as an extension of the Fighting Vehicles Proving Establishment at nearby Farnborough. The facility underwent many changes of acronym until it became the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment in 1970. I remember seeing what must have been Chieftain tanks running with rubber blocks on their tracks (to protect the asphalt) on local roads The original Mini was launched at Longcross in 1959, but the first time I remember seeing it used as a venue for a magazine test was in the late 1970s, when Superbike magazine organised a twin test between Derek Bell in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and nine-time world motorcycle champion Phil Read on a Honda CBX. It was only after my first visit to Chobham (we never call it Longcross) that I realised how ballsy Read must have been. llsy Read must have been. The track at Chobham isn’t for the nervous of disposition, and while I won’t say that I treated the place with the utmost respect in my youth, I did rein in my usual exuberance. The facility consists of an outer circuit with varying degrees of bank in its corners and a pair of dangerously long straights. It’s lined with trees on the outside and much of the inside – apart from where you drive next to a golf course. Where Read and Bell did their scariest driving and riding is called the Snake, which cuts off a chunk of the circuit. It’s where Sutters, as many had before and have done since, went off into the woods. Chobham certainly isn’t a place for motorcycles. Around the time of that Superbike mag piece, journalist Alan Aspel (brother of Michael) was killed on a motorcycle test day at the track. There have been several fatalities in cars over the years, too, each a tragic warning that this place needs to be treated with caution. Back to top Rather safer play areas are a long straight that we could use for 0-60mph measurements, a nice swooping corner that’s great for photography and three tank ramps. Safer, but nothing that wouldn’t cause a modern risk assessor to scream in panic. There wasn’t any of that in the 1990s, which for us was Chobham’s heyday, when you could turn up to find Gordon Murray giving a prototype McLaren F1 some gravy. You simply signed in at the control tower and were left to get on with it.

El Salvador's president says he will make the Bitcoin cryptocurrency legal tender in the country. If his plan is backed by congress, the Central American country would be first in the world to formally adopt the digital currency. It would be used alongside the US dollar, El Salvador's official currency. President Nayib Bukele says Bitcoin will make it easier for Salvadorans living abroad to send payments home. "In the short term, this will generate jobs and help provide financial inclusion to thousands outside the formal economy," Mr Bukele told a Bitcoin conference in Florida, adding that it could also boost investment to the country. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter He said he would send the legislation to congress next week. Should it pass, the move would open up financial services to the 70% of Salvadorans who do not have bank accounts, the president said. Family help that's bigger than aid budgets What is Bitcoin? El Salvador country profile El Salvador's economy relies heavily on remittances, or money sent home from abroad, which make up around 20% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). More than two million Salvadorans live outside the country, but they continue to keep close ties to their place of birth, sending back more than $4bn (£2.9bn) each year. media captionBitcoin explained: How do crypto-currencies work? Current services can charge fees for such transfers, which can take days to arrive and sometimes need to be picked up in person, according to the announcement. "This will improve lives and the future of millions," Mr Bukele said. He did not give more details about how the policy would work. Bitcoin, a virtual asset with no direct connection to the real economy, has seen large fluctuations in value over the years. Most of the world's central banks are looking into the possibility of creating their own digital currencies. In April, the Bank of England announced it was looking into creating a digital money that would exist alongside cash and bank deposits. 'PR value' Strike, a mobile payments app set up in El Salvador, is working on the introduction of Bitcoin in the country, Reuters reports. "Adopting a natively digital currency as legal tender provides El Salvador the most secure, efficient and globally integrated open payments network in the world," founder Jack Mallers said. Rohan Grey, an expert with the Digital Currency Global Initiative, told BBC World Mr Bukele was "a young president trying to capitalise on a po[CENSORED]r image". "There is a lot of PR value in announcing something like this even if you haven't worked out all the details," he said. Mr Grey cautioned more generally that a country adopting a cryptocurrency as legal tender would give considerable control "to a network that isn't stable, doesn't have accountable actors and doesn't have track record of providing the kind of price stability and liquidity that a currency is supposed to provide". Roger Ver, from the website Bitcoin.com, said that other cryptocurrencies would do a better job than Bitcoin. "This is fantastic news for all crypto-currencies in general, but what most of the world doesn't realise is that Bitcoin doesn't work as a currency anymore," he told BBC World. "Now other currencies, like Bitcoin Cash, or Monero or ZCash do a far, far better job of working as a currency."