Author: BBC

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…

1 day agoBy Louise Parry, BBC News, EssexGetty ImagesBBL surgery has the highest death rate of all cosmetic procedures, according to the NHSA council is investigating after people ended up in hospital following Brazilian butt lift procedures.Brentwood Borough Council in Essex wants to hear from anyone in the area who has had the non-surgical work done.The procedure – also known as BBL or Liquid BBL – which uses a hyaluronic acid filler, is not illegal but is currently unregulated and can be fatal if not performed properly.The council said “an individual and associated companies” in Brentwood had been banned from carrying out…

2 hours agoBy Pete Cooper, BBC News, NorthamptonshireGetty ImagesBrad Pitt has already filmed at Silverstone and has returned to the circuitBrad Pitt has returned to the British Grand Prix to continue filming his Formula 1 movie.The film, co-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, is expected to be released on 25 June 2025.Extensive shooting has already taken place at the Silverstone Circuit, including at last year’s British Grand Prix.And Pitt, 60, has been spotted again at the Northamptonshire track, wearing the racing suit of the fictional “APX GP” team.Getty ImagesPitt will play the role of a veteran driver called Sonny Hayes in…

Kenya’s President William Ruto has begun a historic public online forum with anti-tax protesters on social media platform X Spaces, saying he is there to listen.His 31-year-old daughter Charlene Ruto billed it as “the first ever president in the world to hold an online meeting with all Gen Z”.This is a reference to the young people behind the recent protests that have rocked her father’s presidency.The demonstrations against his finance bill were organised via X Spaces, a feature that allows users to host live audio conversations with others on the platform formerly known as Twitter.A section of Kenyans on X…

Getty ImagesA skin rash is a common symptom of measles, and appears after a few days of cold-like symptomsThere have been 11 cases of measles recorded in Northern Ireland in the past 6 months.In the Republic of Ireland 68 cases were logged within the same time frame.Measles is highly infectious and is caused by a virus that can easily spread between unvaccinated people.In February, Northern Ireland reported its first case of the disease since 2017.It led to the the Public Health Agency (PHA) launching a mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine catch-up campaign in an effort to prevent the spread…

9 minutes agoBy Ian Aikman, BBC NewsGetty ImagesA hurricane which has wreaked havoc across the Caribbean, destroying property and leaving homes without power, has hit Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Hurricane Beryl, currently classed as category two, lashed the region’s coastline on Friday morning, endangering the area’s two million residents and the tourist hotspots of Cancún and Tulum. Beaches are closed and thousands of troops have been deployed to help as the storm hits the country’s southeast shoreline.The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned people in the area to shelter from the “life-threatening conditions” the hurricane will bring over the course of the day.Across…

Cheshire PoliceLucy Letby had already been convicted of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six othersFormer nurse Lucy Letby has been sentenced to another whole life term for trying to kill a premature baby girl.The 34-year-old is already in jail for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.On Tuesday, she was found guilty of trying to murder another girl, known as Baby K, following a retrial.Letby had refused to go up to the dock to be sentenced to 14 whole life terms…