Author: BBC

House buyers are putting off purchasing a new home until the Bank of England cuts interest rates, evidence suggests. UK housebuilder Crest Nicholson was forced to issue a profit warning after it said sales momentum had softened since Easter due to volatile mortgage rates as well as buyers now expecting borrowing costs to drop later this year.Meanwhile, a survey of chartered surveyors found that demand for homes had weakened in May.Financial markets are forecasting that the Bank of England could cut interest rates in August or September.Crest Nicholson reported a pre-tax loss of £30.9m for the six months to the…

Nasa has confirmed audio shared widely on social media of astronauts in distress was a simulation broadcast on its YouTube channel in error.In the clip, intended to be used for training purposes, a voice said an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) had a “tenuous” chance of survival.The broadcast of the clip on Wednesday evening sparked speculation online about a possible emergency in space – but Nasa said all members of the ISS are safe.”This audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related…

Getty ImagesThe hospital backlog in England has gone up slightly over the past month, latest NHS figures show.The waiting list hit 7.57 million at the end of April, up from 7.54 million the previous month.The numbers waiting for treatment has been a key election issue after the prime minister made it one of his five priorities for government.There had been signs the waiting list was coming down. But despite the rise, it is still lower than the September peak of 7.77 million.More than 300,000 of the waits have been for longer than a year.In many respects the rise in the…

3 hours agoBy Ian Youngs, Culture reporterWalt Disney StudiosThe puberty alarm goes off at the start of Inside Out 2The sequel to hit film Inside Out has brought some critics joy, but others felt a different emotion, which has become familiar from watching much of Pixar’s recent output – disappointment.Inside Out 2 revisits the emotions that controlled young Riley in the 2016 original – and are now joined by new, powerful feelings after she hits puberty.The sequel is “a triumphant creative return for Pixar”, according to Variety, while the Independent declared that the “cynicism-free sequel might just save Pixar”.However, other reviewers disagreed.…

Endangered wild horses have returned to the Golden Steppe of Kazakhstan for the first time in at least 200 years after decades-long efforts.The airlifts of seven Przewalski’s Horses from Europe to the Central Asian country took place in early June in an operation run by the Prague Zoo.Researchers told the BBC that the horses are already doing well two weeks in: roaming around the plains and even beginning the mating process.Zoo officials say it’s a triumph of generations of conservation work.”This is an endangered species returning to their ancestral lands, a species which went extinct in the wild in the…

Airports have criticised the government’s sudden re-introduction of 100ml limits on liquids in hand luggage last weekend.The Airport Operators Association (AOA) said it had left airports “frustrated” and created uncertainty and confusion for passengers as the busiest time of year approached.After installing high-tech new scanning equipment, some regional airports had scrapped liquid restrictions. Major hubs had not yet switched to the new rules, but are rolling out the machines.The transport secretary has insisted the re-imposition of the old limits is “temporary’” but it’s unclear how long the situation will last.The government requires all UK airports to upgrade to “next generation”…

Tesla boss Elon Musk says shareholder votes on a record-breaking payout to the multi-billionaire and a plan to move the firm’s legal headquarters to Texas are “currently passing by wide margins”.Tesla shareholders have been voting on several proposals, including one that could confirm a pay deal for Mr Musk, that was worth $56bn (£43.8bn) when it was first agreed in 2018.The company is due to make an official announcement on the result of the vote at a meeting on Thursday.Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BBC News.In a post on social platform X, formerly known…

Getty ImagesLong waits for cancer care are becoming routine across the UK with nearly half of all specialist cancer centres experiencing delays most weeks, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has said.The college has warned of an “impending crisis” in the cancer workforce, with a “staggering” 30% shortfall in radiologists and 15% shortfall in clinical oncologists.The Conservative Party said it would meet current targets for cancer care in England by the end of the next parliament, if re-elected. Labour has said it will double the number of scanners to improve early detection, while the Liberal Democrats said they would introduce…

1 hour agoBy Joan Cummins, BBC Midlands Today • Eleanor Lawson, BBC News, West MidlandsBBCPauline Black OBE said Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson was “extraordinary”Pauline Black OBE has paid tribute to her bandmate from The Selecter, Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, who died of cancer at the age of 73.The 2-Tone band formed in Coventry in 1979 and their debut album Too Much Pressure was released a year later.Black told the BBC: “He was extraordinary. When he used to do James Bond, I’ve never seen anybody as powerful on the stage. He was absolutely fantastic.”We used to call each other the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of ska. It…

At least 49 people have been killed in a fire at a residential building in the Kuwaiti city of Mangaf, the country’s Interior Ministry says.Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower part of the building and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors.Many of the casualties are said to be foreign workers who lived there, including a number of Indian nationals.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to the victims and their families.”The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening,” he said on X.”My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and…