Author: BBC

38 minutes agoBy Philippa Roxby, Health reporterGetty ImagesMosquitoes can spread disease from person to person, and from place to placeAn invasive species of mosquito has been found in 13 countries in the EU, including France, Spain and Greece, with experts linking their discovery to a rise in dengue fever in Europe.Climate change is creating favourable conditions for the tiger mosquito to spread, said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). As far north as Paris, where the Olympic Games will take place at the end of July, authorities have been monitoring and trapping the insect.The ECDC has warned international travel…

Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden is to open up about her ordeal with breast cancer in a new BBC documentary.The film, with the working title Amy Dowden: Fight of My Life, will be broadcast on BBC One this summer.It will be shown ahead of her return to Strictly, after she missed last year’s series because of her illness.The Welsh dancer was diagnosed in April 2023, at the age of 32, after finding a lump in her breast the day before she went on her honeymoon.”It was an exciting new chapter in my life, but finding a lump on my…

11 minutes agoBy Will Grant, Mexico and Central America correspondent • George Wright, BBC NewsReutersA police officer stands guard in Haiti’s capitalA new government has been formed in Haiti as it tries to restore order in the violence-ravaged nation.The new cabinet completely replaces all the ministers from the government of the former Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, who was forced to step down earlier this year by gangs which control large parts of Haiti.The announcement of the new cabinet comes two weeks after the country’s transitional government council appointed Garry Conille as interim prime minister.He will also take on the role of interior minister, according to…

35 minutes agoBy Natalie Sherman, BBC NewsGetty ImagesIn 2018, Tesla shareholders approved the biggest pay package in history for Elon Musk. Six years later, will they do it again?The electric car company will find out this week at its annual meeting, where it is seeking a show of support for the roughly $50bn deal.The package – worth an estimated 300 times what the top-earning boss in the US made last year – won backing from 73% of shareholders who voted six years ago.The compensation plan gives Mr Musk rights to roughly 300 million shares – a roughly 10% stake in the firm…

26 minutes agoBy Ben Morris, Editor, BBC Technology of BusinessBBCIan Crawford oversees the archiving of Imperial War Museum mediaThe year 2039 might seem like a long way off, but Ian Crawford is already planning for it.It will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War Two – a big year for his employer, the Imperial War Museum. Mr Crawford is chief information officer at the museum, and oversees a project to digitise its huge collection of pictures, audio and film.With a collection of around 24,000 hours of film and video, and 11 million photographs, it’s a vast task. And in…

3 hours agoBy Shehnaz Khan, BBC News, West Midlands • PA Media, News agencyBBCArthur “Gaps” Hendrickson died after a short illness, a spokesperson for The Selecter announcedArthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, frontman of 2-Tone band The Selecter, has died aged 73.In a post on X, a spokesperson for the Coventry band announced the vocalist, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, had died after a short illness.”The world has lost a 2-Tone original, a talented musician and an absolute gentlemen,” the post said.The Selecter, which also featured lead singer Pauline Black OBE and drummer Charley “Aitch” Bembridge, was formed in 1979.The Selecter was formed in the city…

1 hour agoBy Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC NewsAFP via Getty ImagesThe Azov brigade is seen as one of Ukraine’s most effective fighting units The US has lifted its long-standing ban on weapons supplies and training to Ukraine’s Azov brigade, whose origins were mired in controversy over alleged links to far-right groups.A state department spokesman told the BBC a vetting process “found no evidence of gross violations of human rights” by the brigade. The Azov brigade, now a unit within Ukraine’s National Guard, hailed the move, saying Russia’s “lies… received a devastating blow”.Moscow condemned the decision, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying the US…

31 minutes agoBy Ian Aikman, BBC NewsPAThe interview, broadcast on the Piers Morgan Uncensored YouTube channel, featured a direct discussion of how Mr Spacey views his past actions. When asked to clarify what he meant by “pushing the boundaries”, the double Oscar winner said: “Being too handsy, touching someone sexually in a way that I didn’t know at the time they didn’t want.”Pressed on the potential for this being criminal conduct, Mr Spacey said he has “been gentle with people” and he would not use the word “grope” to describe his actions. “You want to be gentle. You want to see if…

56 minutes agoBy Matt Murphy, BBC News Getty ImagesHamas says it has submitted its response to a US-backed plan for a ceasefire in Gaza, with a senior group official telling the BBC that it still requires an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire. In a statement, the group, and its Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) allies, expressed “readiness to positively” reach a deal. The proposed ceasefire plan – which was endorsed by the UN security council on Monday night – calls for a six-week ceasefire that would eventually become permanent. Qatar and Egypt – who, along with the US, have mediated negotiations between…

The guitar heard in the solo of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights debut track has sold for £21,500 – including fees – at auction.The 1974 Les Paul Custom was expected to attract bids of up to £10,000 at Gardiner Houlgate auctioneers in Corsham, Wiltshire, but went under the hammer for £17,000.Guitarist Ian Bairnson – who died last year aged 70 – played the piece with a broken arm.Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said the price in the end “was quite deserved, in my opinion”.Explaining how much the background of a guitar can change the price, Mr Hobbs said: “The guitar itself – in…