Author: BBC

Informal concerns raised about Russell Brand while he hosted Big Brother spin-off programmes were “not properly escalated or adequately addressed”, according to the findings of an investigation.The comedian and actor fronted shows including Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Big Brother’s Celebrity Hijack on Channel 4 between 2004 and 2008.An investigation by production company Banijay UK has said managers were alerted to allegations that he asked staff to get audience members’ phone numbers, and that his behaviour made female crew members feel uncomfortable or intimidated.However, no formal complaints were made and the concerns were not escalated, it said.Banijay said: “We are…

An Indian Air Force flight has brought back the bodies of 45 workers who were killed in a fire in Kuwait.The fire broke out on Wednesday at a residential building in Mangaf city where 176 Indian workers lived.Kuwaiti authorities said 50 people were killed in the fire, including 45 from India and three from the Philippines. Two bodies are yet to be identified.Dozens of workers, most of them Indian, have also been injured in the fire.Two-thirds of the Kuwaiti population is made up of foreign workers and the country is highly dependent on migrant labour, especially in the construction and…

13 hours agoBy Theo Leggett, Business correspondent, BBC NewsJLRThe price of a Range Rover starts at £104,000Jaguar Land Rover says it plans to invest more than £1m to help the police fight vehicle crime in the UK.The money will be used to support police operations in theft hotspots, as well as to fund intelligence gathering.Earlier this year, the company’s boss angrily denied reports that Range Rovers were particularly vulnerable to theft.However, owners have complained that insurers have been hiking their premiums dramatically, or even refusing cover.Among them is Meryl Cabellos, a 41-year-old Frenchman who has lived in the UK for seven years,…

28 minutes agoBy Zoe Kleinman, Technology editorGetty ImagesElon Musk might, once again, get his own way.His Tesla pay deal – worth up to $56bn (£44bn) depending on the firm’s share price – which has now been backed by shareholders is 75% of the entire spending for schools in England in 2024-5 (£60bn) and around a quarter of the budget for the NHS (£192bn).To his many admirers, Mr Musk is worth every single cent which comes his way.His businesses include Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), Starlink, Neuralink and X.ai, his latest AI project.You could argue Tesla opened up the US market for electric…

18 hours agoBy Rumeana Jahangir, BBC News@kate_rackhamKate Rackham shared updates about her treatment on social mediaTributes have been paid after the death of a teacher who raised awareness of incurable secondary breast cancer.Kate Rackham was diagnosed with oestrogen-receptive breast cancer at the age of 39.The Manchester-based teacher, who shared updates on her life with her 17,000 followers on the X platform, helped set up the Fighting to be Heard charity to raise awareness of the condition and provide support for those with the condition.A post on the 46-year-old’s account on Thursday read: “If you’re reading this, it means I have died. But…

Pope Francis has met with more than 100 comedians from across the world, including Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg, at the Vatican in Rome.The Pope said comedians have the “power to spread serenity and smiles” in a world where people are immersed in “many social and personal emergencies”. “You unite people because laughter is contagious,” he added.The entertainers were hosted in the Vatican hours before the pontiff was expected in Puglia for the G7 summit.During the audience with 107 comedians from 15 countries, the Pope praised their ability to make people smile.”You can also laugh at God, of…

39 minutes agoBy Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News in London • Jean Mackenzie, BBC correspondent in KyivUkraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden sign bilateral security dealThe G7 has agreed to use frozen Russian assets to raise $50bn (£39bn) for Ukraine to help it fight invading Russian forces.US President Joe Biden said it was another reminder to Russia “that we’re not backing down”, but in Moscow President Vladimir Putin said the move was “theft” which would “not go unpunished”. Also at the G7 summit in Italy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mr Biden signed a 10-year bilateral security deal between Ukraine and the US,…

The UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, has said that confidence is beginning to return to shoppers after it reported “strong” sales growth.The supermarket reported an increase in UK sales of nearly 5% in the past three months, saying shoppers were putting more in their baskets and switching to Tesco from competitors.It saw strong sales in its premium food range, claiming consumers are opting to dine-in more.Tesco boss Ken Murphy has come under fire for his £10m pay package last year, which doubled following a bumper share award.According to the pressure group ShareAction, that is 430 times more than the average Tesco…

1 day agoBy Suzanne Bearne, Business reporterShepherd’s GrainJeremy Bunch, second right, is asking his farmers to use AI to guide their decisionsLike the bosses of many food companies, Jeremy Bunch is worried about the impact of climate change on his business.“Weather and the climate are maybe the number one risk to our company,” says the boss of US flour firm Shepherd’s Grain.Based in Idaho, the business sources wheat from farmers across the US Pacific northwest.As weather patterns become more unpredictable, Mr Bunch says: “I need to have a plan B, and plan C, in case plan A fails.”To help strengthen these plans,…

9 hours agoBy Steven McIntosh, Entertainment reporterCowlesFilmmaker Duncan Cowles says the idea of the “old-fashioned man” is still a “seductive idea” to someThe topic of male mental health has received much more prominence in the last decade – something many would argue is long overdue. But while the high rates of male suicide have put the topic firmly on the national agenda – huge numbers of men still find it difficult to be openly vulnerable and discuss their feelings. With suicide the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK, a new film explores why many men still bottle up their…