Author: BBC

Just nowBy Mansur Abubakar, BBC News, KanoMahmud YakasaiA couple who live in Nigeria’s “divorce capital” are being hailed for their long marriage having recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.Mahmud Kabir Yusuf and Rabiatu Tahir spoke to the BBC about the secrets of their happiness, and about why so many marriages fail in the northern city of Kano, in a video that has generated much comment.Mr Yusuf puts it down to his wife’s generous nature.“She is a very unselfish person and she overlooks a lot which has contributed to the success of our marriage,” the 76-year-old told BBC Hausa.This prompts a smile from…

3 hours agoBy Maria Zaccaro, BBC NewsPAThe new Health Secretary Wes Streeting says negotiations with junior doctors will begin next week in an attempt to end a long-running pay dispute. The Ilford North MP said he spoke with the British Medical Association (BMA) on Friday ahead of starting fresh talks, as he branded the NHS “broken”.The BMA described the call as “positive”. It has asked for a 35% rise, to make up for what it says are 15 years of below-inflation pay rises. Mr Streeting said Labour had promised to begin negotiations as a matter of urgency “and that is what we…

Ken Northall has spent the last 25 years travelling the world to see Twain play liveAn 81-year-old Shania Twain superfan has told his hero that meeting her was a “dream” after she called him up on stage at a show in his hometown.The Canadian superstar, who recently lit up Glastonbury’s legends slot with a set of her greatest hits, asked Ken Northall to join her during her show at Lytham Festival in Lancashire on Thursday night.She even changed the lyrics to That Don’t Impress Me Much in honour of him, swapping film star Brad Pitt’s name for Ken’s.Thanking her as…

The head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, David Barnea, is reported to have travelled alone to Doha to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani as momentum is again building over a possible ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.This appears to be very much a preliminary move in what could once again be a complicated series of discussions aimed at finally bridging the gap between the Israeli government and Hamas over what each defines as its bottom line in what any potential deal would comprise.After Mr Barnea left Doha, the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

Getty ImagesUS jobs growth slowed last month although the economy still created more posts than expected, official figures show.Employers added 206,000 jobs in June, while the number of jobs created in May was revised down to 218,000 from the previous estimate of 272,000.The US unemployment rate edged up to 4.1%, while wage growth rose at its slowest for three years.Analysts said the figures could take the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, a step closer to cutting rates later this year.Economists had forecast that the US economy would add 190,000 jobs in June.Emily Bowerstock Hill, the chief executive of Bowerstock…

Sabrina Carpenter, the US singer behind two of this summer’s biggest songs, has broken a UK chart record, according to the Official Charts Company.The Pennsylvania-born star has become the first female artist to hold both the number one and number two positions on the singles chart for three consecutive weeks. Please Please Please remained in the top spot on this week’s chart, while her previous single Espresso held on at number two. The Beatles achieved the same feat in the 1960s, scoring the chart double on two separate occasions. More recently, Justin Bieber scored four weeks in the top two…

An Italian archbishop and staunch critic of Pope Francis has been excommunicated by the Vatican, its doctrinal office has said. Carlo Maria Vigano was found guilty of schism – meaning he has split from the Catholic Church – after years of fierce disagreement with the pontiff. The 83-year-old ultra-conservative has previously called on the Pope to resign, accusing him of heresy and criticising his stances on immigration, climate change and same-sex couples.Archbishop Vigano was a senior figure in the Church, serving as papal envoy to Washington from 2011 to 2016. In 2018 he went into hiding after alleging that the…

3 hours agoBy Lora Jones, Business reporter, BBC NewsReuters”Serious” and “determined” are words often used to describe Rachel Reeves, the former Bank of England economist who has become the UK’s first female chancellor.But colleagues and friends have suggested that her public persona does not reflect her human side, with a loud laugh and deep love of Beyoncé tracks.In her maiden speech in the House of Commons in 2010, she vowed to fight for “jobs, growth and prosperity” – all of which form the central pillar of Labour’s economic plans as it enters government.So who exactly is Rachel Reeves, and how might she…

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are free to leave Romania but not the EU, a Bucharest court has ruled. They had previously been banned from leaving the country where they are awaiting trial, indicted on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. They deny all allegations against them. The decision to allow freedom of movement in the EU is not final and can be appealed.The brothers said the move represented a “significant victory and major step forward” in their ongoing case. The brothers’ lawyer, Eugene Vidineac, called the ruling a…

Rachel Reeves has issued a damning assessment of the state of the UK’s finances.The new chancellor of the exchequer said she was inheriting a depleted economy from the Conservatives that would create a “challenge” for the new Labour government.“There’s not a huge amount of money there,” Ms Reeves told the BBC. “I know the scale of the challenge I inherit.”Ms Reeves said she would lean on the private sector to cover the shortfall.“Private-sector investment is the lifeblood of a successful economy. We need to unlock private-sector investment,” she said.Sir Keir Starmer has become the UK’s first Labour prime minister since…