Author: BBC

A Panamanian court has acquitted all 28 people charged with money laundering in connection with the Panama Papers scandal, concluding a trial that began in April.The secret financial documents were leaked in 2016, revealing how some of the world’s richest and most powerful people use tax havens to hide their wealth.Among those exonerated were Jurgen Mossack and the late Ramon Fonseca, founder of Mossack Fonseca, the defunct law firm at the centre of the scandal.Judge Baloisa Marquinez said the evidence considered by the court was “not sufficient” to determine the criminal responsibility of the defendants.During the trial, the prosecution sought…

1 hour agoBy Stuart Maisner, BBC News, South EastSleepless in Settle/Judy FlynnThelma Barlow came out of retirement to make the short film Sleepless in SettleOne of the best-known faces from Coronation Street has come out of retirement at the age of 94 to make a short film in East Sussex.Thelma Barlow, who played iconic character Mavis for 26 years, stars in Sleepless in Settle, which is having its premiere in Rye on Saturday. It was written and directed by actress Judy Flynn who is based in the town.Ms Barlow, who is now 95 and lives in Faversham in Kent, said: “It was…

8 hours agoBy Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent EPAMore than 140 people were killed in an IS attack on a concert hall in Moscow in MarchIt is exactly 10 years since the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group proclaimed its caliphate, announced to the world days later by its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from the Nuri Mosque in Mosul. Also known as Isis or Daesh in Arabic, the group took over huge swathes of Syria and Iraq, imposing its severe version of Shariah (Islamic law), meting out cruel punishments and murders, then posting the videos online.For the next five years, IS was able…

Pearl Jam have cancelled a concert at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.Posting on X, the rock band’s account said the gig planned for Saturday had been cancelled due to illness.They added that the show will not be rescheduled, and tickets can be refunded at point of purchase.”The decision was the last thing we wanted to have to make, especially as we know so many of you made travel plans based on the tour schedule,” the post read.”There was simply no other option based on our current health and also having to avoid further damage.”We couldn’t be more disappointed to…

Hardline candidate Saeed Jalili has taken a narrow lead in Iran’s presidential election, according to early results announced by the government.The former nuclear negotiator was leading with nearly 42% of the vote after more than 8 million ballots had been counted.Current predictions are that the election will go to a second round, which is set for next Friday.Two security force members were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked a vehicle carrying election boxes in Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to state media reports.The result of the election so far is surprising. Reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshkian, who had been ahead in earlier results, is…

Is this the haircut of Glastonbury Festival 2024? You might associate mullets with the 1970s, but there has been a surge in the haircut’s popularity in recent years – and the look is certainly out in force at Worthy Farm. But is it it fad? Or is the style back for good?Video journalist: Alex Howick Source link

A backbench MP has become the first sitting member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party caucus to call on him to resign, after a disastrous by-election defeat.Wayne Long said new leadership was needed “for the future of our party and for the good of our country” in an email to fellow party members that was obtained by Canadian media outlets.Mr Long, who represents a riding in the province of New Brunswick, wrote “the voters have spoken loud and clear and they want a change”.It follows a catastrophic result for Liberals in a by-election on Monday, when they lost a Toronto…

6 hours agoBy Tom Richardson, BBC NewsbeatSquare EnixFinal Fantasy 14 is the most profitable game in the popular franchise, according to its makersIt’s a June Friday night in Tokyo, and Naoki Yoshida has weekend plans.”Take it easy, rest up.”Fairly standard, you might think. But Yoshida-san, the director of Final Fantasy 14 (FF14), knows that it’ll probably be his last chance to relax for a while.When he speaks to BBC Newsbeat it’s a week until Dawntrail, the latest expansion to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), is released.Following a “disastrous” launch in 2010, FF14 has gone on to become the most profitable…

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.LUIS TATO/AFPA man struggles as Kenya police officers arrest him, as people take to the streets of Nairobi in protest against a controversial finance bill introduced by President William Ruto, which has now been withdrawn. OLI SCARFF/AFPEarly revellers at the Carhenge art installation at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, Somerset, England. 200,000 people will enjoy a weekend of music, comedy, poetry and theatre. Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA are among the headliners. Lawrence Bryant/REUTERSA huge sinkhole opened up on a football field in Alton’s Gordon Moore Park, southern…

American actor and comedian Martin Mull, known for his work on the TV sitcoms Roseanne and Sabrina the Teenage Witch, has died at age 80.Mull, who also starred in the 1985 comedy film Clue, died on Thursday at his home after a “valiant fight against a long illness”, his daughter, Maggie Mull, said on social media.In a tribute on Instagram, Ms Mull wrote that her father “was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and for doing Red Roof Inn commercials”.“He would find that joke funny,” she added. “He was never not funny.”Mull’s first notable role was in 1976,…