Author: BBC

1 hour agoBy Shivani Chaudhari & PA Media, BBC News, EssexPA ImagesHolly Willoughby will not be giving live evidence at the trialA security guard accused of a plot to kidnap, rape and murder TV personality Holly Willoughby went to “great lengths to suggest to other people it was not a fantasy”, a trial heard.Alison Morgan KC said in her prosecution closing speech that defendant Gavin Plumb also swore and said “it’s really happening” when an undercover police officer sent him an image of a flight booking.”These, members of the jury, were the defendant’s words when he realised that another person, who he…

27 minutes agoBy Hugo Bachega, BBC Middle East correspondentReutersFighting between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified in recent weeksTwo weeks ago, Hassan Nasrallah, the influential and long-time Hezbollah secretary-general, gave a televised speech from an undisclosed location in Lebanon to commemorate Taleb Abdallah, the group’s most senior official to have been killed in an Israeli strike in the current violence.Mr Nasrallah, who spoke for about an hour, repeated that the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia and political party was not seeking an all-out war with Israel but, if there was one, they would fight “without constraints or rules”.He also said Hezbollah had deployed “only a…

Sir Ian McKellen will not appear on the UK tour of his latest theatre production, after he was injured while performing in London. The veteran actor fell off stage last month during a performance of Player Kings at the Noël Coward theatre in London.In a statement, Sir Ian said he had accepted “with the greatest reluctance” not to take part in the UK tour on medical advice.The actor’s understudy David Semark will take his place as Sir John Falstaff on the national tour, which runs from 3-27 July. “Two weeks after my accident on stage, my injuries improve day by…

One of Kazakhstan’s richest men has denied wrongdoing after organising a party on a superyacht that is suspected of igniting a forest fire with a fireworks display.Daniyar Abulgazin is one of eight Kazakh nationals who were on board the luxury vessel last month, and who are being prosecuted for complicity to arson by the Greek authorities.The businessman rented the yacht Persephoni and was in the area when the blaze burnt through 300 acres on the island of Hydra, south of Athens.Greece is grappling with its first heatwave of 2024, and firefighters have been battling several wildfires every day.Initially, authorities alleged…

Pearl Jam have cancelled more European tour dates due to continuing illness within the band. The rock band had already cancelled a show they had been scheduled to play at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the weekend.They have now also cancelled two dates at Waldbühne in Berlin on 2 and 3 July.“Despite everyone’s best efforts, the band has yet to make a full recovery,” the band said in a statement shared on social media. Their next live show is currently scheduled for 6 July in Barcelona. In their statement, the band expressed their disappointment and emphasised the difficulty of the…

Kenya’s President William Ruto says the country will have to borrow more to keep the government running following the rejection of a hugely unpopular finance bill that was going to raise more money in taxes.The president said he would withdraw the bill containing controversial tax hikes last Wednesday after deadly protests which saw parliament set on fire.But on Sunday he said dropping the bill had set the country back two years, as he explained the difficulty of being unable to raise extra taxes while facing a huge debt burden.He said this meant Kenya would have to borrow one trillion shillings…

The European Commission says Facebook owner Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model is in breach of its laws.Under the tech giant’s new service in the EU, users must either consent to receiving personalised ads or pay €12.99 (£11) a month to remove them.The Commission has told Meta it has taken “the preliminary view” that the “binary” advertising choice presented to users fails to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).But Meta contends that its EU advertising model is compliant.“Subscription for no ads follows the direction of the highest court in Europe and complies with the DMA,” a Meta spokesperson said.…

Leading French filmmakers Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon have been taken into police custody for questioning over accusations of historical sexual abuse, French media is reporting.Actor Judith Godrèche accused Benoît Jacquot of raping her as a child and Jacques Doillon of sexually assaulting her, also as a child.The two men arrived at the Regional Directorate of the Judicial Police (DRPJ) in Paris on Monday morning, the AFP news agency reports.The pair have denied the allegations and their lawyers have denounced their detainment.Jacques Doillon’s lawyer, Marie Dose, said no legal criteria could justify his being detained for questioning “36 years” after…

22 minutes agoBy Gordon Corera and Ido Vock, BBC NewsReutersAfter the crew and passengers had disembarked, the aircraft was destroyed on the runwayPassengers and crew held hostage after a 1990 British Airways flight landed are suing the airline and the UK government for “deliberately endangering” them.They claim BA and the government knew Iraq had invaded Kuwait before the plane they were travelling on landed in the country.The 367 passengers and crew of BA Flight 149 were taken hostage, and some were mistreated, seriously sexually assaulted and kept in near-starvation conditions. The claimants believe those on board were put at risk so an…

53 minutes agoBy Annabel Rackham, Culture reporterBBCBombay Bicycle Club rocked The Other Stage on Friday eveningYou never forget your first Glastonbury.The artists you see there live in your memory forever, often providing nostalgic comfort in later life.So it feels like a full circle moment when the bands that were breaking through at your first trip to Worthy Farm find themselves back on the line-up.As a fresh faced teenager in 2014, I absolutely lapped up the plethora of indie music on offer at the festival.My choices for the weekend were curated by what was hot in NME – Royal Blood, Arcade Fire and…