Author: BBC

Getty ImagesMeteor Garden was dubbed in several languages and made Hsu a big star in AsiaTaiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who was best-known for starring in the hit 2001 TV series Meteor Garden, has died from pneumonia at the age of 48, according to local media.One of the biggest stars in the Mandarin-speaking world, Hsu became a familiar face even in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand after Meteor Garden was dubbed in local languages.”I can’t believe it,” read one comment on Chinese social media platform Weibo, echoing the sentiments of millions of shocked fans who have been paying tribute. She is…

Maxine Collins/BBCIt’s towards the end of our interview that Bill Gates reveals new numbers on how much his charitable Foundation has now spent in its efforts to combat preventable diseases and reduce poverty. “I’ve given over 100 billion,” he says, “but I still have more to give.”That’s dollars, just to clarify, worth about £80bn.It’s roughly equivalent to the size of the Bulgarian economy or the cost of building the whole HS2 line. But to put it in context, it’s also around the same as just one year of Tesla sales. (Tesla owner Elon Musk is now the richest man on…

AstraZeneca has scrapped plans to invest £450m in expanding a vaccine manufacturing plant in Merseyside, blaming a reduction in government support. The pharmaceutical giant announced its decision just two days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out Labour’s plan to go “further and faster” to boost economic growth. AstraZeneca said that after “protracted” talks, a number of factors influenced the move, including “the timing and reduction of the final offer compared to the previous government’s proposal”. The Treasury said a change to the “make-up of the investment” that had originally been proposed led to the government grant being reduced.”All government grant…

Asian shares slid on Monday after US President Donald Trump followed through on his promise to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Investors are bracing for a turbulent period that could hit the earnings of major companies and dent global growth. Canada and Mexico have said that they will hit back with retaliatory tariffs while China promised “corresponding countermeasures” and vowed to challenge Trump’s move at the World Trade Organization.Trump has said the tariffs are necessary to halt the flow of illegal drugs and immigration into the US.Canada and Mexico are facing tariffs of 25% on their exports to…

Samantha Granville, Emma Vardy & Christal HayesBBC NewsReporting fromLos Angeles, California Getty ImagesThe week leading up to the Grammy Awards is typically a star-studded seven days. It is filled with exclusive parties that draw some of music’s top talents from across the globe – producers, singers, agents and musicians – all to the epicentre of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. But nearly all of that is non-existent this year. Even the hallmark rowdy after-parties have been cancelled. There were questions over whether the Grammys ceremony, the “Oscars for Music,” would even go on as planned on Sunday after Los…

Koei TecmoDynasty Warriors: Origins released worldwide in January 2025 It is rare that a video game series becomes so popular it inspires copycats – but it is rarer still that it’s so unique it kicks off its own genre.But that’s what happened with Dynasty Warriors, a series which pioneered the so-called “1 vs 1,000” gameplay, in which the player defeats thousands of enemies in each level.Throughout years of development – the series has been going since 1997 on the original PlayStation – hardware limitations meant at its best only a few hundred enemies could appear on-screen at any one time.But…

Erica Donnelly, Jessica Tse, Jack LathamThe BBC spoke to six people – including Erica, Jessica and Jack – who have had their first cervical screening in the last six monthsPeople not knowing about options to make their cervical screening easier and more comfortable is “costing lives”, a cancer charity warned last month.To find out what having the test is really like for first timers, the BBC spoke to six people who have had their first cervical screening, formerly known as a smear test, in the last six months.Cervical screenings, offered by the NHS to all women and people with a…

Jessica Murphy in Toronto & Will Grant in Mexico CityBBC NewsGetty ImagesTrump had threatened to impose major tariffs upon taking officeCanada, Mexico and China have vowed to respond to sweeping new tariffs to their exports to the US announced by President Donald Trump.Trump said a levy of 25% on Canadian and Mexican imports as well as an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods would come into force on Tuesday. Canadian energy faces a lower 10% tariff.The US president said the move was in response to his concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking – two of the main promises on…

Emily in Paris star Lily Collins has welcomed her first child via surrogacy.The actress, 35, shared the news in a joint message on Instagram with husband, film director Charlie McDowell.”Welcome to the centre of our world Tove Jane McDowell,” the pair wrote.”Words will never express our endless gratitude for our incredible surrogate and everyone who helped us along the way.”The post was accompanied by a photo of their baby daughter sleeping alongside a blanket with her name on it.It ended by saying: “We love you to the moon and back again.”The announcement came a day after Collins posted a tribute…

Andrew RogersBBC NewsbeatBBCRacers, start your engines, and may the best smell, win!Modern video games look and sound more realistic than they ever have.But there’s one sense developers have yet to exploit – smell.Imagine playing as Mario, pirouetting through the Mushroom Kingdom as a waft of a Fire Flower power-up hits you.Or dropping into a hallway in the Last of Us crawling with Clickers – the deadly, stalking enemies mutated by an extinction-level fungal pandemic. James, a member of the Nuneaton Nitros esports team, says he’s curious about some of those weird aromas.”I could definitely say I’ve wanted to smell things…