Author: BBC

Papua New Guinea’s influential petroleum minister Jimmy Maladina has been charged with assault following an alleged “domestic dispute” in Australia, according to court documents.Police said a 31-year-old woman was allegedly attacked in Sydney by a 58-year-old man who was known to her on Saturday morning local time. Mr Maladina was granted conditional bail ahead of a court appearance on 11 July.In a statement, he said he was “aware of the recent media reports” and was “cooperating with the authorities to address this matter”.”I understand the gravity of this situation and the concerns it raises,” said Mr Maladina.”As a public servant,…

Jon Landau – the Oscar-winning producer of some of the world’s highest-grossing movies of all time, including Titanic and Avatar – has died aged 63.Landau, who was the long-time producing partner of filmmaker James Cameron, reportedly died on Friday after living with cancer for more than a year.His sister Tina confirmed his death on social media, calling him “the best brother a girl could ever dream of”.”My heart is broken but also bursting with pride & gratitude for his most extraordinary life, and the love and gifts he gave me – and all who knew him or his films,” she…

Getty ImagesRob Delaney’s son Henry died in 2018The US actor and comedian Rob Delaney has said he wants to buy the home his son died in so he can also experience his last moments there.Delaney’s two-year-old child Henry died in 2018 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Delaney told Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs he asked the landlord when he moved out: “Listen, if you ever go to sell this place, let me know first because I would like to buy it.”So when I’m 81 I can crawl in here and die. In the same room that my son…

3 hours agoBy Katya Adler, Europe editorGetty ImagesHow likely is France to wake up on Monday morning to a new far-right dawn?That was the garishly painted, hotly debated scenario in media headlines, the EU in Brussels and seats of government across Europe following the first round of France’s parliamentary vote last week.But despite the spectacular showing by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, the short answer is: an RN majority is possible. Not probable.French centrist and leftist parties have strategically withdrawn candidates to bolster each other’s contenders ahead of Sunday’s decisive second round.But the impact of this election will be seismic,…

Holly JacksonHolly’s debut novel A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder has been turned into a series for the BBCBestselling author Holly Jackson shares her secrets for plotting a modern murder mystery – and explains how true crime has influenced her.For the author of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, the process of writing a whodunnit is as meticulous as investigating a crime.”I am obsessive about it,” she says. “I don’t quite have a ‘murder board’ because it’s not on the wall, but it is on the floor.”Each scene in one of Holly’s books corresponds to an index card, which is…

24 minutes agoBy Elaine Chong and Ed Main, BBC TrendingBBCHelen Young was targeted by scammers who posed as Chinese police officersChinese people around the world are being targeted by an elaborate scam in which criminals pretend to be Chinese police. A British-Chinese woman has told the BBC that she handed over her life savings to con men who wore uniforms in video calls and gave her a virtual tour of what appeared to be a police station.Helen Young still has nightmares about the fortnight that she was made to believe she was on China’s most wanted list.Scammers posing as Chinese police manipulated…

26 minutes agoBy Penny Dale, JournalistMario Di BariFemale figures are at the forefront of Gabriella Ghermandi’s latest albumGabriella Ghermandi recalls with laughter the annoyance she felt about the so-called Ethiopian Spice Girls – charity-backed pop group Yegna that hoped to change narratives and empower girls and women through music.The all-female group sparked controversy in the UK because it was partly funded by British aid and some say it was a waste of taxpayers’ money. But for Ghermandi, assumptions that Ethiopian women had to be taught by outsiders was the issue.“I was like, what?” Ghermandi tells the BBC. “They want to teach us…

15 minutes agoBy Phelan Chatterjee, BBC NewsAlamySwedish human rights activist Anna Ardin is glad Julian Assange is free.But the claims she has made about him suggest she would have every reason not to wish him well.She is one of two women who accused the WikiLeaks founder of sexual assault 14 years ago.The allegations – which Assange has always denied – were explosive, and made headlines across the world. They set off a chain of events which saw him trying to avoid extradition to Sweden by seeking asylum in a London embassy for seven years.In 2019 the Swedish authorities ended their investigation into…

About 1,000 people in South Korea are suffering from food poisoning linked to kimchi contaminated with norovirus.Officials in Namwon City, in the south-west of the country, announced on Friday morning that there had been 996 confirmed cases – although local media reports say that number had climbed to 1,024 by early Saturday afternoon.Authorities said the popular fermented cabbage dish had been distributed to those now sick through school meals in the city.They added that students and staff from 24 schools were among the patients with vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.Norovirus is very contagious and can be caught through touching contaminated…

9 minutes agoBy Rushdi Aboualouf and Tom McArthur, BBC NewsShock and horror at scene of Gaza blastAt least 16 people have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a school in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials have said.Dozens more have been injured in the attack on the building which was sheltering thousands of 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 Defence Force (IDF) said it struck several “terrorists…