Author: BBC

The leader of Ireland’s Green Party, Eamon Ryan, is to step down from the position, Irish broadcaster RTE reports.The announcement will mean Mr Ryan is the second leader of the Republic’s coalition government to step down this year. Former taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar stepped down as Fine Gael leader in April.Mr Ryan’s decision comes after the local and European elections, which saw the Green Party lose both of its MEP seats.The party’s number of local councillors was also halved.Mr Ryan has been leader of the Greens in Ireland since 2011 and was first elected to the Dáil (Irish parliament)…

1 hour agoBy Tom Espiner, BBC business reporterPost Office Horizon IT inquiryThe Post Office was “constantly sabotaging” the work of independent investigators probing issues with the Horizon IT system, an inquiry has heard.Forensic accountant Ian Henderson said the Post Office unjustifiably withheld documents from his company, Second Sight, which was brought in to investigate the software in 2012. He said protecting the Post Office brand was the priority, rather than supporting sub-postmasters.Mr Henderson added that former Post Office boss Paula Vennells tried to steer investigators away from looking into potential miscarriages of justice.Between 1999 and 2015 the Post Office prosecuted hundreds of…

McDonald’s is removing artificial intelligence (AI) powered ordering technology from its drive-through restaurants in the US, after customers shared its comical mishaps online.A trial of the system – which uses voice recognition software to process orders – was announced in 2019.It has not proved entirely reliable however – resulting in viral videos of bizarre misinterpreted orders. ranging from bacon-topped ice cream to hundreds of dollars worth of chicken nuggets.McDonald’s told franchisees it would remove the tech from the more than 100 restaurants it’s been testing it in by the end of July, according to a trade publication.However, it made clear…

1 hour agoBy Jane Deith and Alys Harte, BBC File on 4Alex SmithGeorgina, 16, is one of 601 children waiting for heart surgery in EnglandThe number of children receiving treatment in private hospitals across the UK rose by almost a quarter last year to more than 46,000, according to new data seen by the BBC.In each case, families either paid for treatment or used medical insurance – rather than being referred by the NHS.The record figures from private healthcare providers come as England’s NHS trusts tell File on 4 that children have become the “forgotten generation” in the race to reduce health…

23 minutes agoBy Pete Cooper and PA Media, BBC News, NorthamptonshirePA MediaBrad Pitt has been filming the untitled movie at SilverstoneBrad Pitt’s Formula 1 movie will be released next June, the sport’s bosses have confirmed.Filming for the movie, the name of which has yet to be revealed, was delayed amid the US actors’ and writers’ strike.But F1 said the film, co-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and extensively shot at the Silverstone Circuit, will be released on 25 June next year.Pitt, 60, will play the role of a veteran driver, Sonny Hayes, who is returning to the F1 grid after a…

Sam Harris, BBC Sport JournalistWith the best regular season and a fine play-off run, the Boston Celtics have earned the right to hang banner 18 in the rafters.Their Finals performance had a hiccup in game four with a blowout loss, but they found a way to get the job done at home.The triumph is the culmination of a lot of hard work from a team who have developed a strong mentality, and the result too of some bold front-office decisions.At the forefront is franchise star Jayson Tatum, who has faced intense scrutiny and criticism during his bid to end a…

1 hour agoBy Nick Edser, Charlotte Edwards, Business reporterGetty ImagesInvestment levels in the UK remain among the worst of the world’s richest nations and unless they improve it is hard to see how the economy will grow, a think tank has said.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said total investment in the UK is “significantly” behind the nearest competitor in the G7 group of wealthy nations.However, the centre-left think tank said both the Conservatives and Labour plan to reduce government investment over the next parliamentary term.It is calling for the next government to commit to an industrial strategy and end the chopping…

Apple is ending its in-house buy now, pay later scheme in the US, which it launched just last year.The technology giant says it will now offer customers payment plans through third-party credit and debit card lenders.Existing borrowers will be able to continue managing payments using Apple’s Wallet app.The decision marks a retreat for Apple from plans to offer traditional financial services.Apple Pay Later users in the US could break up the cost of purchases worth up to $1,000 (£788) into four instalments over six weeks without having to pay interest or fees.The scheme represented a move into providing financial services,…

3 hours agoBy Angie Brown, BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporterCarol McGachieCarol McGachie has been left with a permanent feeling that her finger tips are burntEvery night when Carol McGachie went to bed she felt like she was being hit by electric shocks.She would pace up and down while intense tingling pains went up her legs and down her arms.The mother-of-two from West Lothian couldn’t sleep a wink with the pain.When she went to the doctor she was given painkillers for her sore back – but Carol thought there must be something more seriously wrong. “I felt like I had been plugged…

8 hours agoBy Steven McIntosh, Entertainment reporterNetflixDirector Natalie Rae says the daddy-daughter dance has a “profound” impact on both sidesA new documentary follows a group of inmates in a US prison – and a rare opportunity for them to bond with the children they rarely get to see.The men who are filmed for Daughters, which has just screened at the Sheffield Documentary Festival, are serving sentences of several years, if not decades, in Washington DC. Viewers aren’t told why the men are in jail – their crimes are not the point. Instead, the film is built around a forthcoming father-daughter dance, an…