Author: BBC

Eight actors from the Equity union have filed a High Court case against casting website Spotlight, claiming it is charging unfair fees.Spotlight charges performers to appear in its directory, which it says was used to cast 99% of productions in the UK in 2023.But Equity says the fees, which were recently increased to £216 a year for actors on a monthly tariff, are “above what the law reasonably allows”.Spotlight denies that and says the union has been waging “a campaign of deliberate misinformation”.Jassa Ahluwalia, an actor and Equity councillor, who was among those who filed the High Court papers on…

1 hour agoBy Fergal Keane, BBC NewsBBCRescue workers in Gaza say they often struggle to identify bodiesThe things they see. The dead girl lowered by a rope from a ruined building. She sways slightly, then comes to rest, legs folding beneath her on the rubble.They see people and parts of people lying out in the open where the blast or the bullet caught them. Violent death in all of its contortions.Bodies lying in the streets, in the blasted open sitting rooms of houses, under the rubble. Sometimes covered by so much concrete the men will never reach them, and only in the…

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been in intensive care in hospital in recent days but is now “out of danger”, according to a statement from his side project The Smile.”A few days ago, Jonny became seriously ill from an infection that needed emergency hospital treatment, some of it in intensive care,” it said.”Mercifully he is now out of danger and will soon return home.”Greenwood, 52, has been on tour with Radiohead bandmate Thom Yorke in The Smile in recent months, but they have now cancelled future concerts.”We have been instructed by the medical team in charge of Jonny’s care to…

Kenya’s police chief Japhet Koome has resigned, following weeks of violent protests against proposed tax hikes in which more than 40 people died.Human rights groups have accused police of shooting dozens of protestors, some of them fatally, and abducting or arbitrarily arresting hundreds more.The resignation comes a day after President William Ruto sacked most of his cabinet, following pressure from the protest movement which is largely coordinated online by young Kenyans.Two weeks ago protesters stormed parliament, shortly after legislators passed the controversial finance bill. Police responded by opening fire on demonstrators in the streets.President Ruto later withdrew the bill but…

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…