Author: BBC

Elon Musk’s social media site X has been accused by the European Union of breaching its online content rules, with its “verified” blue tick accounts having the potential to “deceive” users.The bloc’s tech regulator said users could be duped into thinking the identity of those with blue tick marks was verified, when in fact anybody can pay for a blue tick. It said it had found evidence of “malicious actors” abusing the system.It also found a lack of transparency around advertising and said X did not provide data for research use as required under EU rules.The ruling could lead to…

2 hours agoBy Lewis Adams, BBC News, at Chelmsford Crown CourtEssex PoliceGavin Plumb said “fantasy isn’t enough anymore” as he plotted the violence against Ms WilloughbyA security guard who plotted to abduct, rape and murder television presenter Holly Willoughby has been jailed for a minimum of 16 years.Gavin Plumb said his “ultimate fantasy” was to use tools he had assembled to perpetrate highly sexualised violence against the former This Morning host.The 37-year-old from Harlow, Essex, was caught after he unknowingly disclosed his plans to an undercover police officer operating in the online chatroom “Abduct Lovers”.Imposing a life sentence at Chelmsford Crown Court,…

A Russian passenger plane with only crew on board has crashed near Moscow, Russia’s emergencies ministry says.It says the Sukhoi Superjet 100 went down in a forest, and all three crew members are believed to have been killed. There were no passengers on board.Russia’s state-run media report that the plane went down during a test flight following repair works.Russia’s has been developing the Sukhoi Superjet – a regional jet – for some time to replace Western-made aircraft. Heavily sanctioned over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has struggled to replace its ageing aircraft fleet.In a short statement, Russia’s…

Carpetright is on the brink of collapse, putting more than 1,800 jobs at risk.The retailer has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators while it tries to secure extra funding.Advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been lined up, but not yet appointed, to handle the administration of the company. The company said it had “begun promising conversations with interested parties” and that its 272 stores would remain open for now.Kevin Barrett, boss of Nestware Holdings, which owns Carpetright and several other retailers, said its restructuring plans were hit by a slump in April trade caused by a cyber attack.”This has…

A security guard has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years and 85 days after hatching plans to kidnap, rape and murder TV presenter Holly Willoughby.Chelmsford Crown Court was told Gavin Plumb’s plot had a “catastrophic” and “life-changing” impact on the former This Morning presenter.Plumb was unanimously convicted of soliciting murder and inciting rape and kidnap following a trial at the same court.In sentencing, Mr Justice Edward Murray said Plumb had pursued an unhealthy sexual obsession with Holly Willoughby over a number of years.

Ndong Micha believes that Yamal is placing his mother’s nation firmly in the global spotlight, saying it echoes Ansu Fati’s breakthrough at an early age, also at Barcelona, when people learnt about his family’s country Guinea-Bissau.”His performances – coupled with those in the Barca first team – show that Equatorial Guinea has an extraordinarily different way of playing to most African countries,” argues Ndong Micha.”Given his talent, and his roots, we could one day have more players like Lamine here.”Yamal is not the first Spain-based player with Equatoguinean roots to hit the headlines this year, after Emilio Nsue stunned global…

Pubs, bars, and shops are getting ready for football fever on Sunday when England will play Spain in the Euro 2024 final.A surge in beer, burger, and pizza sales is expected as fans celebrate the men’s national side’s first-ever major tournament final outside of the UK.Peter Stone, who runs The Railway Inn in Westfield, north of Ipswich, is ready for a full-house. “We won’t run out of beer,” he told the BBC.Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s is forecasting a threefold jump in beer sales while the British Retail Consortium is predicting a 24% jump in food and drink spending from 18-24 year olds.Pubs…

NHS EnglandNin Sambhi says the jab could make a difference to her and her familyThousands of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be offered a a new 10-minute injection that can help slow progression of the disease, NHS England says. The medicine, called ocrelizumab, is normally given as an infusion through a vein – a process that can take up to four hours in hospital. The new way to give the drug will help free up patients’ and doctors’ time, health chiefs say.Ocrelizumab can help halt the symptoms of two forms of MS.The under-the-skin…

2 hours agoBy Yasmin Rufo, Culture reporter Getty ImagesGuess who’s back, back again? Eminem’s latest album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), has been released and is being met with mixed reviews by critics. In the US rapper’s 12th album, his alter ego Slim Shady is killed off – the artwork shows Shady in a body bag, and in the music video for Tobey, Eminem takes a chainsaw to him.Clash called the album “a mixed bag” and described it as “at once an effective piece of fan service, while also being a record that disappoints”.”It doesn’t quite feel like an…

28 minutes agoBy Robert Greenall, BBC NewsDefiance, slip-ups and high stakes: Biden spars with mediaWestern leaders have rallied round Joe Biden at the Nato summit, amid concerns about the US president’s age and ability to serve another term.Calls are growing for Mr Biden to drop out of the presidential race this November, and his attempts to diminish fears about his re-election bid at the summit were marred by two serious gaffes.French President Emmanuel Macron said Mr Biden was “in charge” and “clear on the issues he knows well”, while UK PM Sir Keir Starmer said he was “on good form”.But Mr Biden’s…