Author: BBC

5 hours agoNadine Yousif,BBC News, TorontoPresident’s Choice/YouTubeLoblaw’s former president Galen Weston appearing in an advertisement for the grocerCanada is searching for an international grocer to enter its domestic market, after years of anger from shoppers over high food prices, much of it directed at one of the big players. But would an Aldi or a Lidl solve the problem?Late last year, Emily Johnson took to Reddit to share her frustration with how expensive food in Canada has become.She fixated on one grocer in particular: Loblaw, the dominant food retailer in Canada, boasting nearly 2,500 stores.Her Reddit group – named LoblawsIsOutofControl…

46 minutes agoPhilippa Roxby,Health reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesOne out of every six people have symptoms when they stop taking antidepressants – fewer than previously thought, a review of previous studies suggests.The researchers say their findings will help inform doctors and patients “without causing undue alarm”.The Lancet Psychiatry review looked at data from 79 trials involving more than 20,000 patients.Some had been treated with antidepressants and others with a dummy drug or placebo, which helped researchers gauge the true effect of withdrawing from the drugs.Some people have unpleasant symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea and insomnia when they stop taking antidepressants,…

Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) will make its debut at Glastonbury Festival on the iconic Pyramid Stage. The performance of what BRB described as a “powerful and moving abstract ballet”, Interlinked by Juliano Nunes, will take place on Sunday 30 June.Birmingham Royal Ballet’s director, Carlos Acosta said: “We are honoured to be bringing ballet to the iconic Pyramid Stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. “All of us at Birmingham Royal Ballet are ready and raring to bring Glastonbury festival-goers a performance to be remembered.”The performance at Glastonbury follows on from the sell-out success of Black Sabbath – The Ballet in 2023.It…

Footage shows rivers of volcanic ash and debris following an ‘explosive eruption’ at Mt Kanlaon on Monday.The eruption sent a plume of ash kilometres into the sky, and caused dozens of flights to be cancelled and hundreds of people to be evacuated.Authorities said further eruptions were possible. Source link

2 days agoMark Savage,Music CorrespondentGetty ImagesDua Lipa will headline the opening night of the festivalMore of the line-up for this year’s Glastonbury festival has been revealed, with acts like The Snuts and The Zutons joining previously-announced headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA.Other acts added to the bill include Nigerian star Tems, rising indie artist Rachel Chinouriri and Manchester legends James.The festival kicks off in three weeks, with gates opening on Wednesday, 26 June.Tickets sold out in October, but full coverage will be available on BBC radio and television as well as BBC Sounds and iPlayer.Highlights are expected to include country…

46 minutes agoSteve Rosenberg,Russia editor, @BBCSteveRGetty ImagesRussia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 not only sparked international outrage. It also triggered a wave of sanctions designed to weaken the Kremlin’s ability to wage war against its neighbour.Russia’s assets abroad were frozen, its economy cut off from the global financial system, its energy exports targeted.I can remember Western officials and commentators describing the sanctions as “crippling”, “debilitating” and “unprecedented”. With adjectives like these filling the airwaves, the situation seemed clear. There was surely no way that Russia’s economy would withstand the pressures.Faced with the prospect of economic collapse, the Kremlin…

1 day agoThomas Mackintosh,BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe-Dream has written songs for Rihanna, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber, and Kanye WestGrammy award-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream has been accused of rape and sexual battery, according to a lawsuit filed in Los AngelesThe 47-year-old, born Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by a former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe.According to the lawsuit, Ms Mangroe says Mr Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly forced her to have sex, throttled her and on one occasion filmed an intimate encounter and then threatened to show it to other people.Mr…

Andreas SOLARO/AFPSpain’s Pedro Sánchez joined Italian centre-left leader Elly Schlein in Rome ahead of the campaign“The very soul of Europe is at risk,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned fellow European centre-left politicians who had gathered in Rome ahead of a difficult EU election campaign.At stake was how to halt the seemingly unstoppable rise of right-wing and far-right parties in the European Parliament vote, which starts on Thursday in the Netherlands and continues across all 27 EU member states until Sunday.Only four EU member states have centre-left or left-wing parties in government and recent performances at the ballot box have…

40 minutes agoEmma Jones, BBC Talking Movies,ReporterNetflixHit Man director Richard Linklater (centre), on set with stars Adria Arjona (left) and Glen Powell (right)Adult stories in Hollywood movies are “out of fashion” according to five-time Oscar nominee Richard Linklater.Linklater is the Texas-based filmmaker behind hits including 2003’s School of Rock and 2014’s Boyhood, as well as a trilogy of love stories starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, known as the Before series. He says it was a struggle to get the “traditional” film studios interested in his latest project, Hit Man, despite strong critical and audience reaction when the film premiered…

1 hour agoBasillioh Rukanga,BBC News, NairobiDaily NationMary Njambi Koikai, better known as Jahmby Koikai, dedicated most of her short life to telling her fellow Kenyans about the debilitating condition of endometriosis, which led to her death this week aged just 38.As a popular radio host and reggae DJ, she had the perfect platform.Bravely, she shared her struggles, often calling those in authority to account, demanding better healthcare for women, especially those struggling with the menstrual disorder.“People really identified with her suffering, with her pain,” fellow activist Doris Murimi told the BBC.From the tender age of 13, she experienced a regular…