Author: BBC

1 hour agoBy Katty Kay, @KattyKay_, US Special CorrespondentReutersJoe Biden’s surprisingly bad debate performance on Thursday night has prompted panic, confusion and even sadness in the Democratic Party, including among people close to the president.There are now serious conversations taking place at the top of the party, in the White House and in the Biden-Harris campaign about a range of options, one of which is whether Joe Biden should step down as a candidate for president.Democratic officials, political operatives, and people close to the president paint a picture of an anxious Democratic Party that is seriously concerned about the strength of their candidate…

3 hours agoBy Mark Savage, Music CorrespondentBBCOnly Taylor Swift sold more records around the world than Seventeen last yearBoy band behemoth Seventeen have made history at the Glastonbury Festival, by becoming the first K-pop group to play the main Pyramid Stage.Pouring onto the stage on Friday afternoon, the 13-piece group delivered an hour of precision choreography and sticky pop melodies to an audience of diehard fans and curious onlookers.”We are just extremely honoured to be here,” they said.”Even though the language, country and culture are all different, we can still connect as one, through music.”The band, who typically play Taylor Swift-length three…

Anti-tax protesters in Kenya abducted over the last week as part of a crackdown have been left traumatised, lawyers say.It is estimated 35 people suspected of leading the demonstrations against the finance bill, which has since been dropped, were picked up in an operation reportedly orchestrated by an intelligence police unit.Most of the abductees have since been released, though the Law Society of Kenya has told the BBC 10 activists are still missing.Government spokesman Isaac Mwaura defended the police’s actions, saying “criminal elements who wanted a coup d’etat” had tried to take advantage of the peaceful protests.Some described how their…

28 minutes agoBy Mark Savage, Music CorrespondentGetty ImagesThe seven-minute silence took place just before PJ Harvey’s set on the Pyramid StageIf there’s one thing Glastonbury Festival doesn’t do well, it’s silence. But that changed on Friday evening, as performance artist Marina Abramović led a seven-minute silence from the festival’s main stage. The interlude between musical acts was conceived as a “public intervention” to reflect on conflict and peace.”There are wars, there is famine, there is protest, there is killing,” Abramović said. “Here, we will try to do something different.”We can all together give unconditional love to each other. [It is] the only…

48 minutes agoBy Mike Wendling, BBC NewsReutersTrump spoke to the rioters before they marched on the CapitolFederal prosecutors overreached when using an obstruction law to charge hundreds of January 6 rioters, the Supreme Court has ruled in an opinion that could affect a case against Donald Trump.The justices ruled that obstruction charges must include proof that defendants tried to tamper with or destroy documents. More than 350 people have been charged with obstructing Congress’ business – the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The law that prosecutors used was passed in 2002, after the Enron scandal, to stop corporate misconduct.The Sarbanes-Oxley Act…

4 hours agoBy Tom Espiner, BBC business reporterBBCFormer Fujitsu engineer and Horizon expert Gareth Jenkins has said he didn’t think the software was “a monster” and that he was “trapped into doing things I shouldn’t have done”.Speaking at an inquiry into the Horizon scandal, Mr Jenkins was accused by lawyer Flora Page of “protecting” it when he gave evidence as an expert witness between 2010 and 2013.Ms Page represents Horizon victims including former sub-postmaster Seema Misra, who Mr Jenkins gave evidence against in 2010.Ms Misra told the BBC the system was a monster which “had blood on its hands, and so do…

After two days of build-up, the music is finally under way at Glastonbury Festival.Over the next few days, Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Shania Twain will play the famous Pyramid Stage.Music lovers headed there early on Friday to bag themselves a good spot.The stage’s line-up kicked off at 12:00 BST with a performance from rock band Squeeze, followed by Olivia Dean, K-Pop band Seventeen and Paul Heaton.PJ Harvey, LCD Soundsystem and Dua Lipa are still to come – with plenty more acts to watch elsewhere on the site. Source link

Iowa’s highest court has upheld a law saying the state can enforce a ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.The law bans abortions after early signs of cardiac activity can be detected in a foetus or embryo – but makes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, foetal abnormalities and when the mother’s life is in danger.The decision made on Friday reverses a temporary block of the law, which was initially passed by the state legislature in July 2023.The Iowa Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit by Planned Parenthood, in a 4-3 ruling which held that the law does…

Getty ImagesLawyers acting on behalf of two people who fell ill in the E. coli outbreak have started legal action against two leading supermarkets.Legal firm Fieldfisher said on Friday it had issued letters of claim for breach of the Consumer Protection Act over own-brand sandwiches purchased in Tesco and Asda.The claims for compensation relate to a man from the South East and an 11-year-old girl in the North West. One person in England has died linked to the ongoing E. coli outbreak, the UK Health Security Agency said on Thursday, although they had underlying health conditions.The E. coli outbreak is…

Getty ImagesUltraviolet (UV) radiation is emitted by the Sun and penetrates the Earth’s atmosphere.Some UV radiation is essential for our wellbeing, and the sun’s rays provide warmth and light. But balance is key – UV exposure can also cause dangerous skin damage. Is UV dangerous?We need to control our exposure, says Prof Dorothy Bennett, from St George’s, University of London.UV is beneficial because it enables our skin to produce essential vitamin D.This is important for the function of bones, blood cells and our immune system. “But UV is also dangerous because every exposure to UV, especially every sunburn, increases our…