Author: BBC

The Post Office’s Horizon system is “very robust” and the only scandal is that the company failed to properly defend it, according to a man tasked with representing sub-postmasters.George Thomson, the former leader of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters (NFSP), told a long-running inquiry: “The Horizon system is not the scandal, the Post Office stupidity on steroids handling of the situation is the scandal.”Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted for offences including theft on the strength of faulty data from the Horizon IT system.Christopher Head, a former sub-postmaster, described Mr Thomson’s views as “nothing short of…

52 minutes agoBy Imran Rahman-Jones, Technology reporterGetty ImagesTikTok says it offered the US government the power to shut the platform down in an attempt to address lawmakers’ data protection and national security concerns.It disclosed the “kill switch” offer, which it made in 2022, as it began its legal fight against legislation that will ban the app in America unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it. The law has been introduced because of concerns TikTok might share US user data with the Chinese government – claims it and ByteDance have always denied.TikTok and ByteDance are urging the courts to strike the legislation down.”This…

Some qualified GPs cannot find enough work even at a time of high patient demand for appointments, according to a doctors’ union. The British Medical Association (BMA) says it has heard from locum doctors in England who are struggling to get shifts at practices.Locums are used by practices to cover sickness or other absence among partners or salaried GPs.The BMA says the situation is “ridiculous”.Prof Philip Banfield, chairman of the BMA Council, said: “How is it possible to have thousands of patients needing treatment and GPs available to give that care, but prevented from doing so by a system unable…

12 minutes agoBy James W Kelly, BBC NewsJohanna Dart Johanna Dart was supported by a doctor and some staff in the theatre foyerA woman has described the moment Sir Ian McKellen fell on her as the actor tumbled off the stage during a London theatre performance.Johanna Dart, from Leatherhead in Surrey, was in the audience when Sir Ian, 85, fell during a fight scene in a performance of the Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre on Monday.Ms Dart said she felt the theatre staff did not adequately respond to the injuries and shock she suffered. The BBC has contacted the theatre…

Fighting around a strategic town in eastern Ukraine has become “extremely difficult”, according to a Ukrainian military unit redeployed to defend it. Officials from Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade said they have been sent to the town of Chasiv Yar, as Russia continues to launch “mass frontal attacks” on the key settlement. Chasiv Yar sits to the west of Bakhmut and has been the focus of intense Russian attacks since February, after nearby Aviivka fell to Moscow’s forces.The deployment comes as Moscow said it had shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones in parts of Russia and occupied Crimea overnight, with…

Octopus Energy will pay nearly £3bn to the government as part of a pledge to return the taxpayers’ funds it received for rescuing Bulb, its collapsed competitor.It means the Treasury will recoup almost all the cost of temporarily nationalising Bulb back in 2021.Past forecasts had suggested that it could have been the government’s biggest bailout since the financial crisis. However, lower wholesale energy costs have seen the expected final bill slashed.Octopus has already begun paying the sum but expects to this to be completed in September, according to the Financial Times, in a boost to whoever wins the general election…

23 hours agoBy Guy Lambert, Entertainment ReporterGettyThe multi-award winning actor is expected to return to the Player Kings cast when the show moves to BristolSir Ian McKellen will not be returning to his starring role for the final three West End performances of Player Kings, after falling from the stage on 17 June.It is hoped the veteran actor will return to the cast when the play moves to Bristol on 3 July.The role of Sir John Falstaff will be played instead by David Semark, who plays Sir Richard Vernon, but is also Sir Ian’s understudy, the play’s production team said.Sir Ian, 85,…

Former Juventus and AC Milan footballer Roberto Baggio has been injured in an armed robbery at his home in northern Italy.The incident began at 22:00 local time (21:00 BST) when at least five people broke into the 57-year-old’s villa in Altavilla Vicentina, local media reported.The veteran footballer was taken to an emergency room in Arzignano and was treated with stiches to his forehead after one burglar hit him with a gun. In his first public address since the incident, Baggio thanked well wishers, adding: “Now all that remains is to overcome the fear.”Baggio added that “fortunately the violence I suffered…

Chinese car companies have called on Beijing to hit European Union rivals with import taxes of up to 25% if the trading bloc imposes tariffs on vehicles from China, the country’s state media has reported.The demand was reportedly made at a closed-door meeting organised by China’s Ministry of Commerce, which was also attended by representatives of European car firms.The measures would target cars from the EU with large petrol-driven engines.Last week, the EU threatened Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers with tariffs of up to 38% from 4 July.The meeting in Beijing was attended by four Chinese and six European car…

Small roles in British film and television followed, among them appearances alongside Christopher Lee in the horror films Castle of the Living Dead and Dr Terror’s House of Horrors.The first of these was directed by Warren Kiefer, whose surname Sutherland gave to his oldest son Kiefer when he was born shortly afterwards.Other roles around this time included parts in episodes of The Saint, one of which was directed by its star Roger Moore.It was on the strength of that episode that Sutherland landed his breakthrough role in World War Two action film The Dirty Dozen.Sutherland was not the first choice…