Author: BBC

1 hour agoBy Mark Savage, Music CorrespondentBBCCyndi Lauper played on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, marking her first appearance at the festival since 2016Cyndi Lauper’s return to Glastonbury was beset by sound problems that left the audience struggling to hear her vocals.For the first few songs, the star’s voice was drowned out by rumbling bass. When fans could hear, she seemed to be struggling to find her pitch and timing -particularly on a wayward version of Rocking Chair.The issues appeared to have been resolved by the time she got to the power ballad I Drove All Night, with her voice suddenly resonant and powerful…

2 hours agoBy Sean Seddon, BBC NewsReutersPolice say ‘several’ arrests have been made in the city of EssenPolice and protesters have clashed outside the annual conference of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.Tens of thousands of people opposed to the AfD gathered in the city of Essen, local media reported, with police drafted in from around the country in a bid to prevent disorder.Local police said officers had been injured in the violence, which began in the early hours of Saturday morning before the official demonstration had started. The AfD’s conference comes weeks after it shocked Germany’s political establishment by coming…

Four gazelles have died at a conservation centre in the Spanish town of Almería after a nearby music festival.The centre’s veterinarian told the BBC the animals were agitated during Saturday’s concert, but the worst consequences happened the day after as gazelles ran into walls – breaking their neck and legs.Dr Sonia Domínguez, from Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA), was with the animals during the concert on Saturday night. Her team had previously asked authorities to move the festival to a different venue.But Almería Cultura, the town’s cultural hub, defended its decision to go ahead with the event, saying in…

A Serbian police officer has been injured in a crossbow attack outside the Israeli embassy in the capital, Belgrade.Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told reporters that the officer had subsequently shot and killed the assailant.The attacker – whose has not yet been identified by authorities – had hit the policeman in the neck, Mr Dacic said. The officer has been taken to hospital to undergo surgery to treat his wound, and is reportedly in a life-threatening condition.Serbian broadcaster B92 quoted Mr Dacic as saying that the attacker had approached a small building at the front of the Israeli embassy around 11:00…

Sir Michael Eavis has made his first appearance at Glastonbury 2024.The 88-year-old co-founder of the festival was met with cheers by a crowd of thousands as he appeared in a wheelchair on the Park Stage at Worthy Farm.Performing a set of just over 20 minutes at around 16:30 BST on Thursday, Sir Michael sang Frank Sinatra hits including Love’s Been Good To Me and It Was A Very Good Year, as well as Elvis Presley’s Suspicious Minds.His daughter, Emily Eavis, said his voice sounded “better than ever”. Source link

14 hours agoBy Paul Kirby, BBC News, ParisANDRE PAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockNational Rally boss Marine Le Pen hopes Jordan Bardella (R) will be the next French PM (file pic)France’s lightning-quick election campaign is over, and despite last-ditch appeals not to back the far right, voters appear ready to hand the National Rally party a historic victory in parliamentary elections.Prime Minister Gabriel Attal warned it would unleash “impulses of hate and aggression”.But the party of Marine Le Pen and 28-year old Jordan Bardella, who could be the next prime minister, has if anything cemented its lead in the opinion polls.National Rally has fended off a series…

1 day agoBy Jasdeep Bahia, BBC Asian Network • Riyah Collins, BBC NewsbeatGetty ImagesStefflon Don says she’d struggled to be vulnerable enough to release an album until now Stefflon Don’s taken 10 years to release her debut album.But it’s not because the rapper – real name Stephanie Victoria Allen – hasn’t been working.With multiple awards under her belt, including a MOBO for Best Female Act, she’s just been biding her time.”I really wanted to let people have an insight of who Stephanie actually is,” she tells BBC Asian Network.”Being in this game such a long time, there’s this misconception, I feel, of who Steff is.”Steff,…

12 hours agoBy Linda Pressly, BBC NewsBBCJan (70) and Els (71) photographed two days before they diedJan and Els were married for almost five decades. In early June, they died together after being given lethal medication by two doctors. In the Netherlands, this is known as duo-euthanasia. It’s legal, and it’s rare – but every year, more Dutch couples choose to end their lives this way.Some people might find this article upsetting.Three days before they voluntarily take their last breath, Jan and Els’ campervan sits on a sunlit marina in Friesland, in the Netherlands’ north. They’re a couple who love being mobile,…

23 hours agoBy Oprah Flash, BBC News, West MidlandsGeezer Butler joins Foo Fighters on stage for ParanoidFoo Fighters fans were stunned when rock legend Geezer Butler joined the band on stage in Birmingham.The Black Sabbath bassist performed alongside Dave Grohl and the band for a rendition of their 1970s classic hit, Paranoid.The moment rounded off the West Midlands leg of the Fighters’ UK tour on Thursday.Butler, who is from the city, was met with cheering and roars of support when he stepped out on stage at Villa Park Stadium.Bassist Geezer Butler made a return to the stage for a rendition of Black…

10 hours agoBy Aaron Akinyemi & Danai Nesta Kupemba, BBC NewsAFPSome two million people are registered to vote in the electionAs Mauritanians head to the polls in the presidential election, the country faces a multitude of issues including a legacy of military coups, migration, jihadist attacks in neighbouring countries and a harrowing legacy of slavery.President Mohamed ould Cheikh Ghazouani, who has been in power since the country’s first democratic transition in 2019, is seeking a second and final term.Six other candidates are challenging him for the top job.This election is a litmus test of Mauritania’s burgeoning democracy and an indicator of how…