Author: BBC

5 hours agoTom Richardson,BBC NewsbeatSonyMost would agree that the star of the show was Astro BotSony has revealed a host of upcoming games to a mixed response. The console-maker’s State of Play broadcasts are a short collection of trailers and gameplay footage of forthcoming games.There’s been criticism that the company’s PS5 release calendar has been lacking the blockbuster exclusives that PlayStation built its name on.It doesn’t normally show bigger games at State of Play – those reveals are usually saved for its “Showcase” branded events.And that proved to be the case again. But there was one exclusive title that did…

50 minutes agoHelen Bushby,Culture reporterGetty ImagesJeremy Renner will join Daniel Craig and a starry line-up in the next Knives Out filmMarvel star Jeremy Renner has taken his first role since his 2023 snowplough accident, joining the cast of the third Knives Out film.Renner joins a starry line-up for the murder mystery sequel, titled Wake Up Dead Man, alongside Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and Josh O’Connor, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Daniel Craig will return as Benoit Blanc, the detective with a distinctive southern US drawl and a knack for solving murders. Last week, the films’ Oscar-nominated director and…

3 hours agoDearbail Jordan,Business reporter, BBC NewsGetty Images UK house prices returned to growth in May after rising by 0.4%, according to Nationwide, as buyers’ confidence was buoyed by wage growth and lower inflation.The average house price reached £264,249 this month, compared to £261,962 in April, the building society said.Mortgage rates in the UK have been comparatively high because the Bank of England is not forecast to cut interest rates as quickly or as steeply as initially predicted at the beginning of this year.May’s gain reverses a 0.4% drop in the previous month. Andrew Harvey, senior economist at Nationwide, said:…

Actor Nick Pasqual has been arrested at the border between the US and Mexico, and charged with allegedly stabbing and attempting to murder his estranged girlfriend, authorities have said.Mr Pasqual is accused of breaking into the victim’s home and stabbing her multiple times, shortly after she had taken a restraining order out against him, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney.They did not identify her, but she has been named in US media as Hollywood make-up artist Allie Shehorn.Mr Pasqual allegedly fled the scene and was detained at a checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas.He has had minor roles in films…

32 minutes agoFarouk Chothia,BBC News, JohannesburgReutersSouth Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) looks set to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory at the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994. It would herald the end of the party’s decades-long domination of South African politics, raise questions about the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa and usher in an era of coalition politics. Here are three factors that explain how South Africa got here, why and what the future holds.1) Behind the ANC’s free-fallThe ANC was once a revered liberation movement…

The proposed merger between Nationwide and Virgin Money is to be investigated by the UK’s competition watchdog.The country’s biggest building society announced the £2.9bn deal with its smaller rival in March.It is the largest banking merger since the 2008 financial crisis and create the UK’s second-largest provider of mortgages and savings.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will examine whether it would result in a substantial lessening of competition within the UK banking sector.The takeover would result in a combined group with 700 branches, second only to Lloyds Banking Group.The combined assets of the groups would total roughly £366.3bn.Virgin…

Nicki Minaj’s latest concert in Amsterdam has been cancelled, its promoter has said, almost a week after the US rapper was arrested in the city on suspicion of trying to export drugs.The star started her European tour in Amsterdam last week but was held by Dutch military police at the airport two days later, before being fined and released.The arrest forced her to postpone a show in Manchester at the last minute on Saturday.She had been due to return to Amsterdam for a second show this Sunday, but promoter Mojo said it would no longer take place “due to the…

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been moved from a hospital in the centre of the country, two weeks after being seriously wounded in a shooting.The hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica said he was now receiving “home nursing care”. He was airlifted to the capital, Bratislava, and taken home to continue his long road to recovery, reports say.The 59-year-old was left fighting for his life after being shot four times at close range in the central town of Handlova on 15 May as he greeted supporters after a government meeting.Mr Fico is said to have undergone a…

8 hours agoCraig Williams,BBC Scotland NewsGetty ImagesClimate activists boycotted the the 2023 Edinburgh book festival.The Edinburgh International Book Festival has ended its 20-year funding partnership with sponsors Baillie Gifford after pressure from climate change protesters.The move follows a similar decision by the Hay festival in Wales last week.The investment company, which is based in Edinburgh, has been a major sponsor of UK arts events but has come under scrutiny for its investments in fossil fuels.Book festival chairman Allan Little said they could nor deliver a safe and sustainable festival in August with the constant threat of disruption from activists. The…

57 minutes agoWill Grant,Mexico and Central America correspondentReutersOpinion polls have given Xóchitl Gálvez and Claudia Sheinbaum a wide lead over their rivalsAs Claudia Sheinbaum, the front-runner in Mexico’s presidential election, arrives for a rally in a packed park in the colonial city of Orizaba, the crowd starts to chant “Presidenta!” Those attending are convinced that is what she is about to become: Mexico’s first ever woman president.The polls suggest they may well be right.With her closest rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, also a woman, and the only man in the presidential race a distant third, Mexico is almost certain to set to…