Author: BBC

BBC/House Productions/Vishal SharmaBethany Asher said filming the series had been “mindblowing”Actress Bethany Asher has said she hopes her leading role in the new series of Sherwood will break down barriers facing other actors with Down’s syndrome.The Nottinghamshire-set crime drama returns to BBC One on Sunday with Asher in a key plotline alongside stars including David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, David Harewood and Robert Lindsay.Asher, from Burbage in Leicestershire, told BBC Radio Leicester filming with the cast of established stars had been a “mindblowing” experience.She also thanked series director James Graham for trusting her with a major part.Getty ImagesShow creator James Graham…

PA MediaJanusz Racz, 67, says he is “open to trying new things”A 67-year-old man has become the first person in the UK to try what doctors hope will be a revolutionary new treatment for lung cancer – a vaccine that tells the body how to fight and kill the disease. It uses the same mRNA technology as some Covid jabs to give instructions to the immune system. The early-stage trial in which Janusz Racz is taking part will check the shot is safe. Some 34 research sites in seven countries, including University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the…

Getty ImagesSome supermarket chains have said they are refocusing on staffed checkoutsAfter years of encouraging shoppers to scan their own groceries, some supermarkets are checking out a move back to traditional tills.Asda said it would put more staff on checkouts, while Morrisons admitted it might have “gone too far” with self-scan. Northern upmarket chain Booths has got rid of them altogether.The dreaded “unexpected item in the bagging area” announcement is among a list of customer complaints about self-service tills.But some shoppers told the BBC they’re happy to skip the queues and the chit chat if it speeds up their shop.The…

Getty ImagesA file picture of an AK47 rifle and ammunitionWeapons dealers in Yemen are openly using the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to sell Kalashnikovs, pistols, grenades and grenade-launchers.The traders operate in the capital Sana’a and other areas under control of the Houthis, a rebel group backed by Iran and proscribed as terrorists by the US and Australian governments.”It is inconceivable that they [the weapons dealers] are not operating on the Houthis’ behalf,” said the former British Ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Fitton-Brown, who now works for the Counter Extremism Project. “Purely private dealers who tried to profit…

A would-be burglar in Rome was caught after stopping to read a book on Greek mythology in the middle of a robbery.The 38-year-old reportedly gained access to a flat in the Italian capital’s Prati district via the balcony but became distracted after picking up a book about Homer’s Iliad on a bedside table.The 71-year-old homeowner is said to have awoken and confronted the alleged thief, who was engrossed in the book.News of the failed robbery attracted the attention of the book’s author, who told Italian media he wanted to send the man a copy so he could “finish” his read.After…

Canadian singer Justin Bieber has announced the birth of his first child with his wife Hailey Bieber.In an Instagram post, Bieber shared a picture of his newborn son’s small foot.”Welcome home,” Bieber wrote in the caption in the early hours of Saturday morning, revealing his name as Jack Blues Bieber.Katy Perry and Kylie Jenner were among the famous faces who congratulated the couple.”Your blessing has arrived,” Perry wrote as a comment to Bieber’s post. Meanwhile, Jenner wrote: “I can’t handle this little foot”.Announcing their pregnancy in May, the couple shared a video and images of Hailey debuting her bump in…

The first drug shown to slow the destruction of the brain in Alzheimer’s disease will not be available on the NHS after a decision by the medicine’s regulator.The decision on funding lecanemab has caused upset and disappointment from those hoping the drug could help fight a horrible and devastating disease.But the decision is also not a shock.Lecanemab is not a “wonder drug”. The European Medicines Agency looked at the same data as the UK and concluded the drug should not be prescribed to anyone outside of a clinical trial. But what would it take to get an Alzheimer’s-slowing drug covered…

Ms Rogerson‘s role includes checking in, at home, with students such as Kian.From Year 7 to Year 11, Kian found school challenging and had extended absences.“I was probably in like once or twice a month,” he tells us.“When I first met Kian, I couldn’t get a word out of him for two to three months,” Ms Rogerson says.“It’s gone from not speaking to me, to being wary, to where we are now.“I’ll pick him up and go and visit colleges – or we’ll sit and work through problems.”Kian now attends school regularly and is making plans for his future.“The school…

Getty ImagesIt is an increasingly common message from websites: browse for free – if you allow us to track your data and target you with personalised ads – if you don’t, hand over some cash.The model is known as “consent or pay” and, while it may be becoming increasingly common, questions remain over whether it is ethical or even legal.The UK data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a consultation on the practice – it will report its findings later this year.”In principle, data protection law does not prohibit business models that involve ‘consent or pay,'” the ICO…

bazaIn an unverified video posted on social media, a man was shown holding a knife, apparently in a courtyard within the IK-19 Surovikino facilityRussian authorities have stormed a remote prison colony in the southwestern Volgograd region and “neutralised” four people, after prisoners revolted and took several guards hostage. Special forces were forced to scramble to the IK-19 Surovikino facility after knife-wielding prisoners, who identified themselves as Islamic State (IS) militants, took staff hostage and claimed to have taken control of the sprawling complex. An unverified image posted on social media appeared to show an inmate holding a knife standing above…