Author: BBC

A growing number of Democrats are calling on Joe Biden to end his presidential re-election bid after a series of gaffes. Source link

4 hours agoBy Nikhil Inamdar, BBC Business correspondentGetty ImagesThe Ambanis are often described as India’s most prominent business familyFor the last few months, Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani has been grabbing the spotlight in India.It’s not because he has completed a major acquisition or cut a big philanthropic cheque, but it’s his son’s grandiose wedding celebrations that have entranced the entire nation and the world.The pre-wedding parties, which began in March, have put the Ambani family firmly at the centre of many breakfast, lunch and dinner table conversations.Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend…

2 hours agoBy Zoe Kleinman, Technology editorGetty ImagesThe Vision Pro launched in the UK and parts of Europe on FridayTo get a sense of the public interest in the Vision Pro, Apple’s very high-tech, very expensive virtual reality (VR) headset – finally launched in the UK and Europe on Friday – where better to head than one of its own stores?In the past, people camped outside Apple branches overnight, so desperate were they to get their hands on the tech giant’s latest product.When I went to its branch in central London on Friday morning, though, there was just a small group, mainly…

Getty ImagesDaisy Edgar-Jones, who found fame in Normal People, is now starring in TwistersDaisy Edgar-Jones, who starred as Marianne in hit TV series Normal People, has said she would like to revisit the role in the future.”I love those characters,” the British actress, 26, tells BBC News. “It would be wonderful to explore them again.”Based on Sally Rooney’s novel, the BBC Three drama charted the on-off relationship of teenagers Marianne and Connell, played by Paul Mescal.Released in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic, it propelled its young leads to fame. Both are now starring in major new films,…

Twenty-two children have died and more than 130 have been injured after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, local officials say. Saint Academy in the state capital Jos caved in while students were in class on Friday morning. Children were left trapped under the debris. Volunteers used excavators, hammers and their bare hands to break through the piles of concrete and twisted iron rods to reach many of those trapped.Police told reporters that at least 22 children had died in the collapse, with many more receiving treatment in local hospitals. The school is believed to have more…

15 minutes agoBy Kevin Peachey, Cost of living correspondentGetty ImagesCompetition between mortgage lenders has intensified ahead of a key decision on interest rates by the Bank of England.A host of lenders have made reductions to the cost of new fixed-rate mortgages in recent days.Brokers expect further cuts to come, but mortgage rates remain much higher than homeowners became accustomed to for a decade.Lenders’ funding costs have hinted at falling with the Bank forecast to cut benchmark interest rates for the first time in four years.Analysts believe that move, from the current 16-year high of 5.25%, could come on 1 August, although this…

14 minutes agoBy Madeline Halpert & Brajesh Upadhyay, BBC News, New York & WashingtonGetty ImagesAs Joe Biden took to the stage for a rally in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday evening, one of the most raucous crowds seen in recent years at any event for the US president chanted: “Don’t you quit!”The presumptive Democratic nominee was greeted by deafening cheers from hundreds of supporters as he vowed: “I am running! And I’m gonna win!”As he left the stage, the strains of Tom Petty’s hit I Won’t Back Down washed over the high school gymnasium, an implicit rebuff to the growing list of elected…

Former political leaders came together to pay tribute to “broadcasting titan” Kirsty Wark as she presented Newsnight for the last time on Friday. Ex-prime ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, and former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, left messages of support for the longtime Newsnight presenter who, in Cameron’s words, “often terrified us”. Wark first presented Newsnight over 30 years ago, making her the longest-serving presenter in the programme’s history. She will go on to present Front Row on BBC Radio 4.

33 minutes agoBy Holly Honderich, in WashingtonGetty ImagesTrump has stayed mostly off screen as Democrats spiralAs Joe Biden attempted to calm the storm engulfing his presidential re-election campaign, he hit an early snag: referring to “Vice-President Trump” during a Thursday press conference when he meant Kamala Harris.Within minutes, Donald Trump mocked the gaffe on his social media platform, Truth Social, with an accompanying clip. “Great job, Joe!” he wrote.It was the kind of reaction voters have come to expect from Trump, who has spent years insulting the president, 81.And yet, for the past two weeks, as Mr Biden was fighting for his…

Alec Baldwin broke into tears as a New Mexico judge dismissed the involuntary manslaughter case against him for a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust. The dismissal came three days into Baldwin’s trial in Santa Fe, at a court just miles from where Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer, was shot with a revolver Mr Baldwin was using in rehearsals. It is the second time the case against the actor has been dismissed since the October 2021 shooting. He will not be tried again.His lawyers alleged police and prosecutors hid evidence – a batch of bullets – that could…