Author: BBC

A security guard has been found guilty of plotting to kidnap, rape and murder television presenter Holly Willoughby. Gavin Plumb assembled a tool kit for highly sexualised violence against the former This Morning presenter to fulfil his “ultimate fantasy”.The 37-year-old from Harlow, Essex, was arrested and charged after he unwittingly disclosed his plans online to an undercover police officer in the US.Plumb denied soliciting murder and inciting kidnap and rape between 2021 and 2023, but has been found guilty following an eight-day trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.The defendant wept in the dock as he was told he would be sentenced…

Tens of thousands of people in northern California have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires grow across the state amid a heatwave.Around 28,000 people were told to leave their homes after the Thompson Fire broke out this week, according to reports citing the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire). Dangerously hot, dry and windy weather is expected to continue, with the National Weather Service predicting temperatures could reach 118F (47C) in some areas early next week. The city of Oroville, near where the Thompson Fire started, cancelled its 4 July fireworks celebration, and officials warned residents not to…

Sex toys and many other erotic items are to be banned from online marketplace Etsy – sparking a backlash from sellers.Also prohibited from 29 July will be items which – when modelled – expose body parts such as female nipples or the cleft between the buttocks. Etsy – which focusses on handmade, vintage and craft items – said new rules on sales were being introduced because of “evolving industry standards.”Affected sellers have told the BBC they feel let down by the policy change, which they predict will cause their revenues to plummet.”As creators who have helped make Etsy what it…

US broadcaster and comic Ellen DeGeneres has cancelled four dates on her stand-up comedy tour.”Unfortunately, the event organiser has had to cancel your event,” said a note on Ticketmaster’s website, listing shows in Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago as the ones affected.It is unclear why the dates have been dropped as other dates in those cities are still going ahead. The tour is currently scheduled to run until 17 August.It marks her return to the spotlight two years after the cancellation of the Ellen DeGeneres talk show, after employees accused executive producers over “toxic workplace” claims.Three producers were fired…

24 minutes agoBy Lucy Williamson & Rushdi Aboualouf, BBC Middle East correspondent & Gaza correspondentReutersA man sits inside a building damaged by Israeli strikes conducted during an operation to rescue four hostages held in Nuseirat refugee camp last monthThe man in the video is beside himself, a mask of anguish radiating through his bloodied face.“I am an academic doctor,” he says, “I had a good life, but we have a filthy [Hamas] leadership. They got used to our bloodshed, may God curse them! They are scum!”The video – unthinkable before the Gaza war – was filmed outside a hospital, inundated with hundreds…

In September 2023, Simon Boas was diagnosed with throat cancer. Aged just 46, he was told the disease was terminal, and that it would ultimately take his life. Over the following year, he knitted together his reflections on life into a book – A Beginner’s Guide to Dying. The book is set to hit the shelves in October. It will be a posthumous publication.In what he expects to be one of his final interviews, Simon spoke to Emma Barnett on the Today Programme, offering his reflections on life and death as he moved into hospice care. My pain is under…

US reality TV star Kris Jenner has spoken emotionally about plans to have her ovaries removed.In scenes during reality show, The Kardashians, the US media personality and businesswoman revealed she was set to have the procedure after doctors found a cyst and a tumour.While on holiday in Aspen, Colorado with partner Corey Gamble, Jenner broke the news to her daughters, Kendall, Kim and Khloé Kardashian.”I wanted to tell you guys something because I hadn’t told you yet, but I went to the doctor and I had my scan,” she said.”And this just makes me really emotional, but… they found a…

1 hour agoBy Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC News, Hathras • Toby Luckhurst, BBC News, LondonReutersRelatives are mourning the deaths of more than 120 people in the crushThe preacher who led an overcrowded gathering in India where more than 120 people were crushed to death on Tuesday has denied blame, and pledged to co-operate with the police investigation.A lawyer for the self-styled guru known as Bhole Baba told the BBC the crush occurred “due to some anti-social elements”, and blamed a “criminal conspiracy hatched against” his client.Bhole Baba – whose real name is Narayan Sakar Vishwa Hari – will fully co-operate with the investigation, his lawyer AP…

27 minutes agoBy João da Silva, Business reporterGetty ImagesMG owner SAIC is one the car makers hardest hit by the new tariffsThe European Union has raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, as Brussels takes action to protect the bloc’s motor industry.The new tariffs on individual manufactures range from 17.4% to 37.6%, which is on top of a 10% duty that was already in place for all electric cars imported from China.This could raise the price of EVs across the EU, making them less affordable for European consumers.The move is also a major blow for Beijing, which is already in a trade war…

Tracy-Ann Oberman is returning to EastEnders as Chrissie Watts – after almost two decades.Chrissie Watts was last seen in the show in December 2005, when she went to jail for murdering her husband “Dirty Den” Watts, played by the late Leslie Grantham.Chrissie made plenty of enemies during her 18 months on Albert Square, mainly Den’s adopted daughter, Sharon, played by longstanding cast member Letita Dean.Since her time on the soap, Oberman has featured in shows such as Doctor Who and After Life, and as Auntie Val in Friday Night Dinner.Oberman is also an experienced theatre actor, and most recently starred…