Author: BBC

2 hours agoBy Mark Palmer, Assistant editor, BBC Wales News • David Deans, Political reporter, BBC Wales NewsPA MediaVaughan Gething met Sir Keir Starmer in the Senedd for talks on MondaySir Keir Starmer says he has great concerns over the future of Tata Steel as he visited Wales for the first time since becoming prime minister.He met First Minister Vaughan Gething at the Senedd amid worries for employees at the giant Tata steelworks in Port Talbot, where thousands of people are facing redundancy.Sir Keir’s new Labour government has said there was “a better deal available” with Tata but warned newer technologies would employ fewer people.However,…

11 minutes agoBy Ian Youngs, Culture reporterBBCActor Julie Hesmondhalgh has been campaigning to reopen the theatre’s doorsOldham’s Coliseum theatre, which closed amid an outcry in 2023 after more than 135 years, is to reopen after a successful campaign to save it, led by actor Julie Hesmondhalgh.The historic venue, which has been boarded up since last April, will have a £10m refurbishment in order to open its doors again in time for Christmas 2025.Hesmondhalgh, known for roles in TV shows like Coronation Street and Mr Bates vs the Post Office, said she was “absolutely over the moon” at the decision.The Coliseum was forced…

Just nowBy Sebastian Usher, BBC NewsAFPHundreds of Palestinian families have fled after receiving orders to evacuate several areas of Gaza CityPalestinians in Gaza City say they have experienced one of the most intense Israeli bombardments since Israel launched its war on Hamas after the group’s unprecedented 7 October attack.Columns of Israeli tanks are reported to be closing in on the centre of the city from several different directions.The Gaza Civil Emergency Service says it believes a number of people have been killed but has so far been unable to reach them because of fighting in several districts in the east and west…

Interest rates should be held again next month rather than be cut for the first time in more than four years, a Bank of England rate-setter has said.Jonathan Haskel, a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) which sets the UK’s main interest rate, said he “would rather hold rates” at 5.25% until there is more certainty that inflation pressures had “subsided sustainably”.Interest rates have been kept at a 16-year high in an attempt to slow consumer prices rising, but higher rates have pushed up the cost of borrowing, including for mortgages.The Bank previously appeared to hint that rates…

Mel B will be awarded an honorary doctorate for her charity work supporting survivors of domestic abuse.The Spice Girl will receive the doctorate from Leeds Beckett University at a ceremony next month.Brown has become a campaigner for domestic abuse victims, after leaving what she described as an abusive relationship.In 2018, she was made a patron of Women’s Aid, and in 2022, she received an MBE for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women.Speaking in a statement, the singer called the doctorate “an incredible honour”.Brown has also been studying at the university in her native city and said she had completed…

A children’s hospital has been seriously damaged in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, with the city’s mayor saying there had been casualties from a Russian strike. Footage posted on social media by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky shows smoke rising from Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, and broken windows inside the now deserted medical facility. More than 25 people were killed in attacks around the country on Monday morning. Read more on this story here. Source link

26 minutes agoBy Faisal Islam & Daniel Thomas, BBC NewsDoes the chancellor consider herself a yimby?Rachel Reeves has promised to “get Britain building again” by bringing back compulsory housebuilding targets as part of a wide-ranging plan to reboot the UK economy. In her first speech as chancellor, Ms Reeves also said she would overhaul planning restrictions and end the effective ban on onshore wind farms in England in order to speed up national infrastructure projects.She said the government would make the “tough” and “hard choices” to fix the economy, adding that the UK had lagged behind other developed nations for years.She confirmed…

7 hours agoBy Kathryn Stanczyszyn, BBC Radio WM, Presenter • Oprah Flash, BBC News, West MidlandsEmily-Jane ScandrettEmily-Jane Scandrett suffered an intolerable pain in her chest for months before she received her diagnosisA mum with a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos hopes to raise awareness after it went undetected for more than a year.Emily-Jane Scandrett has pleural mesothelioma, which is most often found in men over 75.Despite undergoing a number of tests it went undiagnosed for 17 months, including throughout her pregnancy. The 41-year-old from Tamworth said she had no idea when she had come into contact with the substance, found in buildings that…

Jonathan Munro has been announced as the new global director of BBC News. Munro, who is currently director of journalism and deputy CEO of BBC News and current affairs, will take up the post from September. The former correspondent has been at the BBC since 2014.Munro said he was “thrilled and daunted in equal measure”. “The need for independent news is growing, not shrinking, and the BBC’s role in pursuing truth and enriching knowledge has never been more important.“The BBC teams I have met across the world are dedicated, professional and talented. I can’t wait to start working with them…

The West African bloc Ecowas has warned that it risks disintegration and worsened insecurity after Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formalised their breakaway union.The head of the Ecowas commission said the move was a major blow to the 50-year-old bloc and could have serious consequences if they do not reverse their decision.It comes after the military leaders of the three countries said on Saturday that they were “irrevocably” turning their backs on the 15-member Ecowas to form a confederation of their own states.The juntas came into power after a series of coups between 2020 and 2023, with Ecowas responding by…