Author: BBC

Health authorities in India’s Kerala state have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus. According to the state’s health minister, an additional 60 people have been identified as being in the high-risk category of having the disease. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the boy was from the town of Pandikkad and that those who came into contact with him have been isolated and tested. People in the area have been asked to take precautions such as wearing masks in public areas and refraining from visiting people in hospital. What is Nipah virus? The Nipah…

Carpetright has been saved from collapse by rival flooring retailer Tapi but hundreds of its shops are expected to close, putting at least 1,000 jobs at risk.Tapi Carpets & Floors is set to buy the Carpetright brand name, the company’s intellectual property, two warehouses and 54 stores.Jeevan Karir, managing director of Tapi, said that initially it had wanted to save all of Carpetright, but it “quickly established saving the entire business was unviable”.He said that the deal would save about 300 jobs, but it is not thought to include more than 200 shops across the country.More than a week ago…

1 hour agoBy Mark Savage, Music correspondentBBCThe song High Energy sold more than seven million copies, and earned Thomas a spot on Top Of The Pops in 1984Disco singer Evelyn Thomas, whose powerful voice helped define the Hi-NRG scene of the 1980s, has died at the age of 70.The Chicago-born star scored an international hit with the 1984 single High Energy, which made the top five in the UK and topped the US club charts.Her death was announced by her producer Ian Levine on social media.“It is hard for me to accept that my lifelong protege really has left us,” he wrote.…

US President Joe Biden has announced that he will end his candidacy for re-election, saying “it is in the best interest of my party and the country”. It follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after a faltering debate performance against Republican Donald Trump at the end of June. He said in his statement he would address the nation on the matter next week and and gave his endorsement to his Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she should be the Democratic party’s presidential nominee. Source link

BT has been fined £17.5m for a “catastrophic failure” of its emergency call handling service which led to thousands of 999 calls not being connected.The network fault, which lasted for more than 10 hours on 25 June last year, led to 14,000 calls to emergency services failing to connect.Following an investigation into the company which manages the 999 phone system, the regulator Ofcom said that BT was “ill-prepared” to respond to the problem. “BT fell woefully short of its responsibilities,” said Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s director of enforcement.”Being able to contact the emergency services can mean the difference between life and…

6 hours agoBy Charlie Northcott, BBC Africa EyeBBCA convicted South African murderer who shot dead dozens of black men during apartheid has told the BBC the police sanctioned his violence. Louis van Schoor says others should share the blame for the killings he carried out as a security guard. But in talking to BBC Africa Eye over the past four years, he has also let slip horrifying details that raise serious questions about his early release from prison.Standing in the bedroom of a killer, your eyes naturally hone in on the details.Van Schoor’s bed is immaculately neat – the duvet so flat…

Malaysia says it has intercepted a large oil tanker that was involved in a collision with another ship before fleeing the scene and turning off its tracking system. The coastguard says it has located and detained Ceres I, sailing under the flag of São Tomé and Príncipe, and two tugboats that were towing the vessel off the country’s eastern coast.The ship had collided with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile on Friday, causing both ships to catch fire. Officials in Singapore say all crew members from both ships were rescued.Malaysia’s coastguard said Ceres I had left the location immediately after the collision…

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says “a significant number” of devices that were impacted by a global IT outage on Friday are now back online.In a social media post, the company – whose faulty security update caused Microsoft Windows computers to crash around the world – added it “continues to focus on restoring all systems”.Microsoft has estimated that the incident, which is being described as one of the worst IT outages in history, impacted 8.5m computers around the world.Businesses, banks, hospitals and airlines were among the worst-hit, with some still struggling to fully restore their systems.”We understand the profound impact this has…

Only one in eight renters can afford to buy in the area they live, research suggests.High rent, bills and house prices mean it is more difficult for renters to buy their first home than it is for existing owners to move on, according to Skipton Building Society.Its new index, compiled by Oxford Economics, claims renters are four times less likely to be able to buy than homeowners.Software engineer Emma Harris earns £50,000 a year and said the cost of renting and bills takes up about two-thirds of her salary. “I am not likely to ever own a house and it’s…

3 hours agoBy Madeline Halpert, BBC NewsGetty ImagesPresident Joe Biden has endorsed Kamala Harris, but what happens next isn’t straightforwardPresident Joe Biden surprised American voters on Sunday when he announced he would drop out of the race for president after weeks of resisting calls to step down. Though he will carry out the rest of his presidency, he has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place as the Democratic Party’s nominee. The decision throws the party into uncharted waters with just a month to go before the Democratic National Convention. Here’s a guide to what could come next.What happens now?…