Author: BBC

Greener technologies will help drive down household bills by the end of the decade, former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said.By 2030, the cost of renewable energy will be lower, homes will be better insulated, and the cost of running electric vehicles will be lower, after an “initial investment cost”, he said.Mr Carney said the new National Wealth Fund, recently announced by Labour, will attract investment in infrastructure and green industry.But households will need to put money into technologies including such as heat pumps and electric vehicles to get the UK on track to meeting climate targets.Under its…

A concert by Irish musician Hozier has been cancelled because of flooding. Scheduled for Tuesday evening at Chepstow Racecourse, Monmouthshire, organisers said they were left with “no other option” but to cancel the show.”This decision was extremely difficult for us, especially knowing that many of you planned your travels around the tour schedule,” they said.The Take Me To Church singer said he was “absolutely gutted” by the news and that refunds would be issued to fans. The gig, part of the venue’s Summer Sessions series, was set to follow shows from Shania Twain and Tom Jones in the past week.…

Members of an Australian religious group have gone on trial accused of killing an eight-year-old diabetic girl by denying her medical care.Elizabeth Struhs was found dead at a home in Toowoomba – about 125km (78 miles) west of Brisbane – in January 2022, after she had allegedly gone without insulin for almost a week.Prosecutors say members of a sect, known as The Saints, prayed that God would cure the child, rather than seeking help as her health deteriorated.The girl’s parents are among 14 defendants, all of whom have elected to represent themselves in the highly publicised and highly unusual case.Two…

Blackpink star Jennie has apologised after a video that showed her vaping indoors sparked a huge outcry in South Korea. The K-pop star exhaled a puff of smoke – and triggered a barrage of criticism because it blew into the face of her make-up artist. “Do you need to be educated for all the basic manners?” a popular comment on YouTube reads.Her label OA Entertainment has apologised to “everyone who felt uncomfortable with Jennie’s actions”, and to her “disappointed” fans. The star has also apologised to staff “who may have been affected”, the label said. “Jennie acknowledges and deeply regrets…

4 hours agoBy Barbara Plett Usher, BBC Africa correspondentMohamed Zakaria On the eve of his perilous escape from his home country last month, Sudanese photojournalist Mohamed Zakaria left his camera equipment with a friend, not sure if he would ever see it again.He was fleeing el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which is in the grip of a punishing battle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).Mohamed had been covering this hot spot of Sudan’s 15-month long civil war for the BBC. But with the situation growing increasingly desperate, he decided it was time to escape.The RSF…

13 hours agoBy Rob Taylor & Liz Jackson, BBC NewsBBCJarryd Nurden was diagnosed with a 4cm lung tumour the same day he got his big break in the West EndA musical theatre actor who was diagnosed with a lung tumour the same day he got his big break in a show in London’s West End says he postponed surgery for three months so he could star in the production.Jarryd Nurden, 32, who stars in We Will Rock You, had what he thought was a “terrible flu” in December 2022 – but an X-ray revealed it was actually a 4cm (1.5in) mass on…

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched its Ariane-6 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. Developed at a cost of €4bn (£3.4bn), Europe’s new rocket set off at about 16:00 local time (19:00 GMT), restoring the continent’s independent access to space. ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said the successful launch marked a “historic day” for Europe.Unlike some of its recent American competitors, the Ariane-6 is expendable and a new one is needed for every mission. The rocket will take payloads into orbit more cheaply than its predecessor, Ariane-5. The ESA is expecting to make up to 11 launches a year.Read more on…

A union representing workers at South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics has called on its roughly 30,000 members to go on strike indefinitely, as part of its campaign for better pay and benefits.The announcement came on the last day of a three-day general strike being held by the National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU).The union said it had made the decision after management showed no intention of holding talks over its demands.The NSEU, which represents nearly a quarter of Samsung Electronics’ workers in South Korea, said its actions had disrupted production. However, Samsung has disputed this claim.”Samsung Electronics will ensure no…

10 hours agoBy Jon Smith, BBC Radio Gloucestershire • Sarah Turnnidge, BBC News, West of EnglandCheltenham Literature FestivalNicola Tuxworth said Cheltenham Literature Festival’s free family events would continueCheltenham Literature Festival is “not planning to go anywhere” after an investment firm withdrew its funding, a senior member of its team has said.Baillie Gifford has ended sponsorship deals with a number of book festivals, including Hay Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival following controversy over links to fossil fuel firms and Israel.Nicola Tuxworth, head of programming at Cheltenham Literature Festival, said: “We’ve been at the heart of this community for 75 years. We will be keeping…

23 minutes agoBy Kayla Epstein, Senior JournalistReutersUS President Joe Biden has welcomed Nato leaders to Washington DC with a forceful speech that seemed pitched to reassure allies overseas and closer to home that he can fight off a looming election challenge from Donald Trump.In brief but strongly delivered remarks at the opening of the summit, the president declared the military alliance “more powerful than ever” as it faces its greatest challenge in a generation with the war in Ukraine.He called it a “pivotal moment” for Europe and the world.Warning that “autocrats have overturned global order” and terrorist groups continued to pose a…