Author: BBC

Getty ImagesEven as Covid hit, the government and its health officials were bullish in their confidence about their ability to cope.Dr Jenny Harries, then the deputy chief medical officer for England, hailed the UK as an “international exemplar” in its preparedness at one of the early TV press conferences.She was not the only one who thought like this – after all, just a year before the pandemic a government review had praised our “world-leading capabilities”.But such a belief, said Baroness Hallett as she set out the first of her Covid reports, was “dangerously mistaken”.The UK had, in fact, prepared for…

26 minutes agoBy Sam Cabral, BBC News, WashingtonGetty ImagesDana White describes Donald Trump as ‘the ultimate American badass’The president of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will take the stage on Thursday night before Donald Trump – days after an assassination attempt – officially accepts the Republican presidential nomination.Trump has embraced Dana White, one of his most outspoken supporters outside of politics, and the hugely popular combat sports franchise he manages, gracing several of its live events over the past year while grappling with court battles.With an unfiltered and unorthodox style similar to Trump’s, the UFC boss will now act as frontman, introducing his…

4 hours agoBy Daniel Thomas and Victoria Park-Froud, BBC News business reportersGetty ImagesThe collapse of High Street plastic surgery chain SK:N on Wednesday has shocked its customers and staff, many of whom have contacted the BBC to say they are owed thousands of pounds for treatments they’ve not yet had or wages not received. The group, which has 70 branches across the UK under various brand names, has given little detail beyond a message on its website to say its clinics have “ceased trading” with immediate effect and that is doing “all” it can to address customer concerns. Jane, 33, from Essex,…

Getty ImagesA swarm of mosquitoes, the insects that spread malaria when they drink bloodMillions of lives are at risk unless urgent and radical action is taken to stop drug-resistant malaria spreading in Africa, scientists warn.Malaria parasites that can shrug off the effects of the critical drug artemisinin are now well-established in East Africa. Resistance levels have soared in some areas from fewer than 1% to more than 20% of cases in the space of three years. The last time resistance to an antimalarial spread in Africa it led to a tripling in the number of children dying. Twenty-eight leading malaria…

United Airlines has apologised to NFL Hall of Fame legend Terrell Davis after the two-time Super Bowl champion said he was “wrongly handcuffed” on a flight to California.Mr Davis said he was removed from a United Airlines aircraft last Saturday after a flight attendant accused the former Denver Broncos star of hitting him.The 51-year-old, who was flying with his family from Denver, spoke about his ordeal on social media, said the claim was false and described feeling “traumatised” by it.United Airlines says it has removed the flight attendant from duty while it investigates the matters and reviews its policies.Posting on…

2 hours agoBy Kevin Peachey and Nick Edser, BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe Bank of England has said a “global payments issue” which may have delayed some high value and time sensitive payments, including house purchases, has been fixed.The Bank said any payments made during Thursday via the CHAPS system, which is used by traditional High Street banks as well as international lenders, would be settled by the end of the day.It has advised anyone who is worried about a CHAPS payment to contact their bank.The problem was not affecting ordinary debit and credit payments, cash machines or bank transfers.”We are pleased to confirm…

He said that, whilst understandable, the different messages in different parts of the UK – where there were different Covid rules – risked being “confusing” for the public. He insisted that he had always enjoyed a “friendly” relationship with then-Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, despite suggestions earlier in the inquiry that No 10 was reluctant for them to hold meetings.In England, he said the tier system was “divisive and difficult to implement” involving “laborious” negotiation over local financial support.One eye-catching revelation during Mr Johnson’s testimony came over diary extracts from Sir Patrick Vallance, his chief scientific adviser at the time.According…

1 hour agoBy Katie Razzall, Culture and Media Editor, @katierazz • Ian Youngs, Culture reporterPA MediaGraziano Di Prima was removed from this year’s line-up last weekendThe spokesman for Strictly Come Dancing’s Graziano Di Prima has confirmed the star kicked celebrity partner Zara McDermott once during rehearsals last year, which led to his removal from the show.”There is never a time when kicking, or any sense of that is right,” Mark Borkowski told BBC News. “And he knows that.”He knows he’s made a mistake. He apologised at the time.”Di Prima thought the matter had been resolved, but video of the incident is believed to have been brought…

Protesters have set fire to the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Bangladesh as violent clashes between students and police continue, the authorities say.A post on BTV’s official Facebook page warned “many” were trapped inside the building in Dhaka, as it appealed for help from the fire service to put the blaze out.Bangladesh’s information minister told the BBC that broadcasts had been stopped and most employees had left the building in the capital.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had appeared on the network the night before, appealing for calm after days of violent protests which have left at least 17 people dead,…

Subscribers have reacted with anger on social media after coffee chain Pret A Manger said it would change its coffee subscription deal after a “rethink”.Under the current system, which Pret said “almost seemed ‘too good to be true'”, subscribers can order up to five coffees a day for a monthly fee of £30.From September, Pret said it would instead offer half price off up to five coffees a day for £10 a month and end the one fifth discount on food. The move has led to a backlash from current subscribers on social media, but a retail expert backed the…