Author: BBC

27 minutes agoSteve Rosenberg,Russia Editor, in IvanovoBBCRussian propaganda tells people the country is marching on to economic and military successIf the billboards in Ivanovo are to be believed, Russia’s really going places.“Record harvest!”“More than 2000km of roads repaired in Ivanovo Region!”“Change for the Better!”In this town, a four-hour drive from Moscow, a giant banner glorifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine covers the entire wall of an old cinema. With pictures of soldiers and a slogan: “To Victory!”These posters depict a country marching towards economic and military success.But there is one place in Ivanovo that paints a very different picture of today’s…

2 days agoDanny Fullbrook,BBC News, HertfordshireThis article does reveal the winner of Race Across the WorldStudio LambertThe winners have already planned how they would spend the moneyThe winners of Race Across the World have revealed how they will spend their share of the £20,000 prize fund.St Albans school mates, Alfie Watts, 20, and Owen Wood, 21, were the first to reach the final checkpoint in Lombok, Indonesia, and became the youngest winners of the Bafta-winning BBC One Show.They told BBC London News they hoped to spend their winnings on more travelling.Mr Watts, who is a referee for the Hertfordshire Football…

One person has been killed and at least 24 others injured in a mass shooting in the US state of Ohio.The shooting happened just after midnight local time (05:00 BST) in the city of Akron.Officers at the scene, near Kelly Street and 8th Avenue, discovered dozens of bullet casings and a gun, according to local media reports.No one has been arrested or identified as a suspect and an investigation is under way, the Akron Police Department has confirmed.In a statement to the BBC, the force said at least 25 people had been shot, one of whom had been killed.It also…

Online fast fashion firm Shein is planning to file paperwork for a potential London share listing as soon as this week, according to reports.An initial public offering (IPO) could value the company at around $66bn (£51.7bn).The firm, which was founded in China and now headquartered in Singapore, stepped up preparations for a share sale in the UK after it faced regulatory hurdles and intense scrutiny in the US.A Shein spokesperson declined to comment. Shein has in the past been linked to unethical business practices, including forced labour allegations. A confidential filing with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority could lay the…

2 days agoGuy Lambert,Entertainment Reporter, @guybertieBBCJennifer Lopez has said she is “devastated” after cancelling the US leg of her This Is Me… Live tour.Ticketing company Live Nation announced on Friday that the 2024 summer tour was cancelled, saying the singer is “taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends”.Addressing fans through her On the Jlo newsletter, the singer wrote: “I am completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down.”Live Nation assured fans in a statement that they will be automatically refunded.The tour comes off the back of Lopez’s ninth studio album This Is Me… Now, which…

The poll by the ARD public broadcaster said 21% of respondents agreed with the proposition. “It is racist. I feel we need to wake up. Many people in Europe had to flee.. searching for a safe country,” Nagelsmann said on Sunday.The 36-year-old said he agreed with Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich, who described the questionnaire as “racist” a day earlier. “Josh [Kimmich] responded really well, with a very clear and thought-out statement,” Nagelsmann said at a briefing at his team’s training base.“I see this in exactly the same way. This question is insane.”“There are people in Europe who’ve had to flee…

1 day agoMichael Sheils McNamee,BBC NewsGetty ImagesWatching the issues in her parents’ marriage pushed Rebel Wilson to avoid “any kind of romantic relationship”, she has said in a new interview. The Australian actor and comedian told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that she thought being in a relationship “might chain me to a situation I didn’t want to be in”. Speaking to host Lauren Laverne, she touched on her childhood, weight loss and the controversy following the recent publication of her biography. In her book Rebel Rising: A Memoir, released earlier this year, Wilson wrote about her father’s anger…

“The results reflect the will of the people,” says President RamaphosaSouth Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted his African National Congress (ANC) party has suffered a challenging election result, after the party lost its majority for the first time since apartheid ended 30 years ago.The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, won 159 seats in the 400-seat parliament in Wednesday’s election, down from 230 in the previous assembly.Mr Ramaphosa still described the results as a victory for democracy, calling on rival parties to find common ground – apparently preparing for coalition talks. The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party has said…

1 day agoWedaeli Chibelushi,BBC News, LondonLarkin DureyAboudia’s work has been shown in exhibitions held in Abidjan, London, New York and Tel AvivBack in September, global art experts were taken aback by the name topping a fresh list of the world’s best-selling artists.Aboudia, a graffiti-inspired artist from Ivory Coast, had beaten well-known names, like Damian Hirst and Banksy, to sell the most pieces at auction the previous year.According to the Hiscox Artist Top 100, Aboudia, real name Abdoulaye Diarrassouba, had flogged 75 lots. One of these canvasses had gone for £504,000 (£640,000).Leading online marketplace Artsy called Aboudia’s triumph “striking”, while The…

A couple of “magnet fishing” enthusiasts say they pulled up a safe containing an estimated $100,000 (£78,000) from a New York lake. James Kane and Barbie Agostini threw a rope with a magnet into a lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens on Friday and pulled up the safe. Upon opening the secured box, they said they found it stuffed with bundles of water-damaged $100 bills.They told NY1 police told them the safe wasn’t linked to any crime and that they were allowed to keep the money. The BBC has approached the New York Police Department (NYPD) for comment.…