Author: BBC

Getty ImagesSir Ken pictured with two of his trademark tickling sticksSir Ken Dodd’s joke books, tickling sticks and other artefacts are to be preserved in a new £15m centre dedicated to the late comedy legend in his home city of Liverpool.The Sir Ken Dodd Happiness Centre will provide a permanent home for his archive, as well as hosting comedy performances and events.The four-storey centre will be attached to the city’s Royal Court theatre, where Sir Ken regularly performed during his career. He died in 2018.The plans were submitted in November and were approved by Liverpool City Council last week.His widow…

Apian Ltd/PA WireThe drones travelled 68km (42 miles) over the Northumberland coastlineDrones can be safely used to deliver urgent blood stocks between hospitals, a new project suggests.Researchers from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) sent 10 identical blood packs from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Wansbeck Hospital to Alnwick Infirmary in Northumberland and back again.Half were transported by drones, the other five by road, and the researchers concluded drone delivery did not influence the blood’s quality or how long it lasted.Dr Gail Miflin, chief medical officer at NHSBT, said: “The results of this first trial are very promising, showing no compromise…

Getty ImagesThe rising cost of public services and benefits has driven government borrowing to higher levels than expected in July, official figures show.Borrowing, the difference between spending and tax income, hit £3.1bn last month, the highest level for July since 2021.The increase was £1.1bn higher than what most economists had predicted, leading to speculation about what tax and spending decisions the chancellor will announce at the autumn Budget.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also revealed the UK’s national debt remained at its highest level since the early 1960s.Jessica Barnaby, deputy director for public sector finances at the ONS, said income…

OpenAI and global magazine giant Condé Nast have announced a partnership to allow ChatGPT and its search engine SearchGPT to display content from Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ and other well known publications.The multi-year deal is the latest such agreement struck by OpenAI with major media firms.The content produced by media organisations is sought after by technology companies that use it to train their AI (Artificial Intelligence) models.Some media firms including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune have resisted this and taken legal action to protect their content.OpenAI and Condé Nast did not disclose the financial terms of…

The bodies of six hostages being held by Hamas have been retrieved from an “underground tunnel route” inside the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military has said.A statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Chaim Peri and British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell were recovered from the Khan Younis area on Monday.Five of their deaths had already been announced by Israel, though it was thought Avraham Munder could still be alive.The overnight recovery operation was carried out by the IDF alongside the security agency Shin Bet.During the operation, the IDF said its forces…

ITVMr Bates vs the Post Office aired in January this year The shortlist for the National Television Awards has been revealed, with Baby Reindeer and Mr Bates vs the Post Office up for best new drama.ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office showed the human toll on hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted for false accounting and theft due to faulty software.Actor Toby Jones has also received a nod in the drama performance category for his role as Sir Alan Bates, one of more than 550 claimants who have brought legal action against the Post Office.Baby Reindeer, which was…

Getty Images”I didn’t care how expensive it was, I didn’t care if I had any money left – I just wanted to buy it.”Rather than doing school work or spending time with friends, all 14-year-old Ben, whose name we have changed, could think about was trying to get hold of the drug Spice.”I became dependent on it and I felt like a drug addict, I realised I was doing it to feel normal and regulated,” he tells the BBC.He says he first tried a Spice vape while at a friend’s house, believing it contained THC – the main psychoactive ingredient…

AFPWith just three months to go before the 2024 election, thousands are set to gather in Chicago this week for the Democratic National Convention.It’s a tradition dating back to the 1830s, when a group of Democratic delegates supporting President Andrew Jackson gathered in Baltimore to nominate him for a second term.This year will look slightly different from others, as the Democratic Party has already officially nominated Vice-President Kamala Harris in a virtual roll call after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.But many of the other DNC traditions – including appearances from celebrities and memorable speeches from party leaders…

A witty pun about a sailing trip has been named the funniest joke at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Comedian Mark Simmons was voted the winner with his gag.The U&Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe is chosen by members of the public from a shortlist drawn up by judges.For more on this year’s funniest joke click here, and to read about Edinburgh Fringe jokes from years gone by go here.

Laws stipulating what proportion of union members have to vote for strike action in order for it to be legal are set to be scrapped.It is understood that the government intends to go ahead with its pledge to repeal the Trade Union Act as part of its wider shake-up of workers’ rights.There are reports the bill will be tabled by mid-October.Senior Tories have been critical of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over recent pay offers to train drivers and junior doctors, accusing him of being beholden to the unions.Shadow Home Secretary James Cleverly recently accused the government of being “played…