Author: BBC

Liam Payne’s father reads fan tributes outside hotelLiam Payne’s father has viewed tributes outside the hotel where his son died, as the star’s former partner Cheryl says her son Bear has to “face the reality of never seeing his father again”.Payne, 31, died on Wednesday when he fell from the balcony of the third-floor hotel room where he had been staying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.In Argentina, Geoff Payne was followed by a scrum of photographers as he visited the hotel, prompting fans to shout at the press and attempt to block the building’s entrance to stop them entering.Mr Payne travelled…

IMAGE SUPPLIEDNecdet Seyitoğlu lived in the UK for 18 years before moving to KenyaA British national has told the BBC that he and several Turkish citizens were abducted in the Kenyan capital Nairobi by masked men on Friday, with four of the Turkish citizens still missing.Necdet Seyitoğlu, who lived in the UK for 18 years before moving to Kenya two years ago, said he was released after eight hours when he showed his alleged abductors a copy of his British passport.In a statement, the UK Foreign Office said they were “providing consular support to a British man and his family…

Donald Trump has claimed he received a phone call on Thursday from Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook, in which the tech boss shared concerns about the European Union.He says Mr Cook told him he was concerned about recent financial penalties issued by the EU, which ordered Apple to pay Ireland €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes in September.Mr Trump, who is running as the Republican candidate for the upcoming US Presidential Election, made the claim in a podcast released on Thursday.The BBC has asked Apple for a response.Mr Trump told presenter Patrick Bet-David in his appearance on the PBD Podcast…

BBCWe are now in the era of weight-loss drugs.Decisions on how these drugs will be used look likely to shape our future health and even what our society might look like.And, as researchers are finding, they are already toppling the belief that obesity is simply a moral failing of the weak-willed.Weight-loss drugs are already at the heart of the national debate. This week, the new Labour government suggested they could be a tool to help obese people in England off benefits and back into work.That announcement – and the reaction to it – has held a mirror up to our…

Getty ImagesNiall Horan (right) said “the bond and friendship we had doesn’t happen often in a lifetime”Liam Payne’s former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan has said he is “absolutely devastated” by the “passing of his amazing friend”.Payne died on Wednesday evening in Buenos Aires and had flown in to Argentina to see Horan perform on tour.”It just doesn’t feel real,” Horan wrote.”I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking.”In the statement, posted on Instagram, Horan said:…

Getty ImagesThe Treasury has given its clearest indication yet it will change its self-imposed debt rule in order to borrow billions to fund a new infrastructure projects.Independent checks on spending for major building work will be introduced to allow the government to borrow for investment “more efficiently”, the Treasury Chief Secretary, Darren Jones, has said.He claimed that the safeguards on spending will aim to avoid a repeat of the financial turmoil which followed the 2022 mini-Budget under former Prime Minister Liz Truss.New watchdogs will oversee a 10-year strategy for a pipeline of major projects, on areas such as buildings, roads…

NetflixBaby Reindeer, created by and starring Richard Gadd, has been a big hit for Netflix Netflix is starting to raise prices in some countries as growth spurred by its crackdown on password sharing starts to fade. The film and TV streaming giant said it had already lifted subscription fees in Japan and parts of Europe as well as the Middle East and Africa over the last month.Changes in Italy and Spain are now being rolled-out.In its latest results, Netflix announced that it had added 5.1 million subscribers between July and September – ahead of forecasts but the smallest gain in…

Jeannie AmbroseJeannie Ambrose, one of about 1,000 affected patients, says Enhertu should be made available on the NHSMore than a thousand patients with advanced breast cancer are being denied a drug that can keep them alive for longer. It is already available in 19 countries in Europe – including in Scotland – but not in the rest of the UK.Jeannie Ambrose is warm and funny. But beneath the surface, she is raging.She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2019, when it had already spread to her spine, pelvis, collarbone and ribs.She was told she had three to five years…

Watch: Moments from Liam Payne’s careerLiam Payne, the former One Direction star, has died aged 31 in Argentina after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, police say.In a statement, police said they discovered Payne’s body after an emergency crew responded to an call in the upscale neighbourhood of Palermo on Wednesday. On Thursday, police inspected the area where Payne fell, and found items including alcohol and a phone. Medication was found in his room.Payne had risen to global fame as part of the much-loved boyband created on the X Factor TV show in 2010, along…

BBCLiam Payne arriving at BBC Music Awards 2015The family of former One Direction star Liam Payne have said they are “heartbroken” as they paid tribute to a “kind, funny and brave soul”, after his death aged 31.”We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.” The pop star, who found fame on The X Factor in 2010, died after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, police say.Liam was one of five members of One Direction, along with Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan…