Author: BBC

X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its office in Brazil over a censorship row. The social media platform said a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, threatened its legal representative in Brazil with arrest if it did not comply with his “censorship orders”. Brazil’s Supreme Court has not commented. People in Brazil are still able to use X, billionaire Elon Musk’s platform said on Saturday. Mr Moraes had ordered X accounts he has accused of spreading disinformation – many supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsanaro – must be blocked while they are under investigation.After X owner…

ContributedRonnie, 11, pictured in January this year before he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumourA boy is not eligible for specialist drug treatment on the NHS because his rare and incurable tumour is a millimetre too small, his heartbroken parents have said.Ronnie Hood, 11, from Sudbury, Suffolk, was diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma in March after doctors were unable to remove the entirety of a tumour growing on his spine and brain.After being given just nine months to live, the youngster went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions which helped shrink the tumour, but only very slightly.The…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to arrive in Israel shortly in his latest effort to push for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza. His ninth trip to the region since the war began in October comes days after the US presented a modified proposal aimed at bridging long-standing gaps between the two sides. The US and Israel have expressed optimism about a deal since talks resumed in Doha last week, but Hamas says suggestions of progress are an “illusion”. Differences are said to include whether Israeli troops will be required to withdraw fully from the Gaza…

Getty ImagesAlain Delon was one of French cinema’s biggest stars of the 1960sFrench film legend Alain Delon has died at the age of 88.The actor was a star of the golden era of French cinema, known for his tough-guy persona on screen in hits including The Samurai and Borsalino.”He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family,” a statement released to AFP news agency said.Delon has been in poor health in recent years and become a virtual recluse. More recently, the breakdown of his family had been making headlines in France. Once…

BBC Sarah Cook was threatened with huge fines and jail over a train ticketIt should have been a quick, simple rail journey.Nearly two years ago, Sarah Cook hopped on a train at Wombwell Station, just outside her pet shop in South Yorkshire, to travel one stop to Barnsley. A mere six minutes. “I tried to buy a ticket on the platform and the machine wouldn’t accept my bank card,” she told the BBC. “I thought: ‘It doesn’t matter, the train is here, I’ll buy one on the train.'”Unfortunately, there was no guard on the train and when Ms Cook reached…

Nothing is stopping child sexual abuse imagery spreading on WhatsApp, a safety group has warned.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is calling on Meta, which owns WhatsApp, to do more to protect children and put mechanisms in place.The group suggested these mechanisms could stop the spread of material like the content sent to disgraced BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards.A WhatsApp spokesperson said the app’s users had the “ability to report directly to WhatsApp so we can ban any user who shares this heinous material and report them” to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.The IWF is an organisation which helps…

OtherDr Tom Gorman says GPs are doing extra work that they are not paid to doGPs in England have launched a work-to-rule action in a dispute with the government over what they say is a lack of funding. It threatens to bring chaos to the system. Surgeries are taking a variety of steps and some are limiting the number of patients each GP can see to 25 per day. That could reduce the number of available appointments by a third. But with many patients already finding it difficult to get to see a doctor, there’s increasing concern it could put…

Grammy award-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream is seeking to have large parts of a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him thrown out.The 47-year-old, born Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was accused of rape and sexual battery in June by a former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe.In response, Mr Gesteelde-Diamant, who has written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey, denied the allegations.On Friday, his legal representatives filed to have the case thrown out, calling the claims “a textbook example of a ‘shotgun pleading’.”The term ‘shotgun pleading’ is used to describe a complaint which sets out multiple allegations without…

The Outrun/Studio CanalSaoirse Ronan stars in Amy Liptrot’s award-winning story about returning to her home in OrkneySaoirse Ronan likes to immerse herself in any role.But the star of Lady Bird, Little Women and Mary Queen of Scots had to learn a new skill as Rona, the main character in The Outrun.Based on Amy Liptrot’s award winning memoir, it’s about a young woman returning to her home in Orkney to deal with her past, and her addictions.She helps her father with his farm on the strip of land known as The Outrun, turning her hand to everything from feeding the animals,…

Getty ImagesThe deal has excited some and angered others”All you can fly” – unlimited flights for an annual subscription fee. What’s not to like? A fair amount, for some passengers, it turns out. Wizz Air’s new scheme under that title has divided opinion. Some have praised the €499 (£426) scheme’s “insanely great” value on trips as far as the Maldives, and the budget airline says it has been “overwhelmed” by the positive response.But others hit out at the airline’s service and recalled their own experience of delays, while questioning the scheme’s terms and conditions.Wizz says its new membership, effective from…