Author: BBC

40 minutes agoBy Paul Kirby, BBC News in ParisANDRE PAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockRadical left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon was quick to claim victory after the first projectionsNobody expected this. High drama, for sure, but this was a shock.When the graphics flashed up on all the big French channels, it was not the far right of Marine Le Pen and her young prime minister-in-waiting Jordan Bardella who were on course for victory.It was the left who had clinched it, and Emmanuel Macron’s centrists had staged an unexpected comeback, pushing the far-right National Rally (RN) into third.Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the veteran left-wing firebrand seen by his critics as an…

2 hours agoBy by Guy Lynn and Stephen Menon, guy_lynn, BBC Investigations, LondonBlavatnik School of GovernmentCiaran Martin, former head of the National Cyber Security Centre said hack was “one of the most serious cyber incidents in British history”A leading cybersecurity expert has warned that the NHS remains vulnerable to further cyber-attacks unless it updates its computer systems. This stark assessment comes in the wake of a major ransomware attack that has severely disrupted healthcare services across London.Prof Ciaran Martin, the founding CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the BBC: “I was horrified, but not completely surprised. Ransomware attacks on…

1 hour agoBy Anagha Pathak, BBC MarathiBBC/MANGESH SONAWANESunita Bhurbade spends up to five hours a day collecting drinking water for her familyFetching drinking water is a gruelling daily routine for millions of women in India.Even without enduring the scorching summer months or the freezing winters, they walk for miles every day, balancing plastic or earthen pots on their heads and carrying buckets in their hands to manage the household water stock.“It’s a daily struggle. I get so tired that I collapse when I’m done,” says Sunita Bhurbade from Tringalwadi, a tribal village 180km (112 miles) from India’s financial hub, Mumbai.Ms Bhurbade spends…

1 hour agoBy Jonathan Josephs, Business reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesDr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says she is concerned about the growth of separate trade blocksGlobal trade “is not having the best of times at the moment”.That is the admission of the director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. “We are seeing increasing protectionism, some undermining of the WTO rules, and some of this is leading to fragmentation,” she tells the BBC.“Global trade is really part of the lifeblood for making countries resilient – and also for underpinning growth, so we are concerned about that.”In recent weeks and months these fragmentations…

2 hours agoBy Holly Honderich, BBC News, WashingtonGetty ImagesConcern about Mr Biden’s fitness to run has seemed to spread among DemocratsPresident Joe Biden sought to revive his beleaguered re-election effort on Sunday, as members of his party debated the future of his candidacy.The president’s halting debate performance last week raised serious questions about his physical and mental capacity to run. A prime time interview with ABC on Friday fuelled further speculation about his campaign’s future. Amid the uncertainty, Mr Biden appeared at two campaign events in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, on Sunday.But those efforts have not stopped the president’s fellow Democrats…

Jean-Luc Mélenchon tells supporters he is “immensely relieved” as exit polls show a lead for his left-wing alliance. Source link

2 days agoBy Mike Wendling, BBC News, Madison, WisconsinDemocratic voters chime in on Biden’s ability to run for officeThe hundreds of die-hard Democrats who turned out to see Joe Biden in Wisconsin on Friday didn’t need much convincing.The US president received an enthusiastic response to his loudly delivered remarks at the rally in Madison, especially when he attacked his Republican rival Donald Trump.But as some major Democratic donors and lawmakers call on Mr Biden to exit the presidential race, even some of his most ardent supporters here in Madison are keeping an open mind about whether he might be replaced – and…

At least 16 people have been killed in an air strike on a school in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials have said. Dozens more were injured in the attack on the building which was sheltering displaced people at Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Video from the scene shows adults and children screaming in a smoke-filled street covered in dust and rubble, as they run to help the wounded. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck several “terrorists operating in structures located in the area of Al-Jaouni School”. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that…

It was the moment when millions of football fans held their breath.England’s place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals had come down to a penalty shootout against Switzerland. People watched at home, in pubs and in… London’s Old Vic Theatre. James Corden’s play, The Constituent, was due to start at the same time last night as the penalties. But instead of ploughing on with the show, Corden went on stage and watched the sporting drama with the audience and his fellow cast members. Videos show him kneeling down, watching the game on his tablet and talking the crowd through each kick…

2 hours agoBy Toby Luckhurst, BBC News, LondonGetty ImagesThe Tokyo governor, Yuriko Koike, wins a third termTokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is certain to win a third consecutive term in Sunday’s gubernatorial election, according to exit polls.The 71-year-old first female governor of Japan’s most populous city, will secure her position for another four years.Her victory will be a relief for struggling Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), who backed the 71-year-old to win a third term.She was elected in 2016, and won her second term in 2020. The conservative governor successfully guided the city through the coronavirus pandemic and…