Author: BBC

1 hour agoBy Joan Cummins, BBC Midlands Today • Eleanor Lawson, BBC News, West MidlandsBBCPauline Black OBE said Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson was “extraordinary”Pauline Black OBE has paid tribute to her bandmate from The Selecter, Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, who died of cancer at the age of 73.The 2-Tone band formed in Coventry in 1979 and their debut album Too Much Pressure was released a year later.Black told the BBC: “He was extraordinary. When he used to do James Bond, I’ve never seen anybody as powerful on the stage. He was absolutely fantastic.”We used to call each other the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of ska. It…

At least 49 people have been killed in a fire at a residential building in the Kuwaiti city of Mangaf, the country’s Interior Ministry says.Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the lower part of the building and thick black smoke billowing from the upper floors.Many of the casualties are said to be foreign workers who lived there, including a number of Indian nationals.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to the victims and their families.”The fire mishap in Kuwait City is saddening,” he said on X.”My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and…

Consumer price rises in the US eased slightly last month, official data suggests, ahead of a key meeting where policymakers will publish their latest interest rate decision.According to the US Labor department, prices rose 3.3% in the year to the end of May, down 0.1 percentage points from the month before.Core inflation, which strips out more volatile items like food and energy prices, also slowed despite rents continuing to weigh on household budgets.Despite borrowing costs standing at their highest rate in years, officials at the Federal Reserve are expected to hold off on any interest rate cuts this month.The inflation…

4 hours agoBy Imran Rahman-Jones, Technology reporterLarian StudiosBaldur’s Gate 3 was the bestselling game on Steam in 2023The owner of Steam – the largest digital distribution platform for PC games in the world – is being sued for £656m.Valve Corporation is being accused of using its market dominance to overcharge 14 million people in the UK.”Valve is rigging the market and taking advantage of UK gamers,” said digital rights campaigner Vicki Shotbolt, who is bringing the case.Valve has been contacted for comment.The claim – which has been filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in London – accuses Valve of “shutting out” competition…

A thousand BTS fans will queue in Seoul on Thursday for a hug from Jin, who is back to his role as K-pop idol after 18 months of military service. The three-hour marathon is his first public event since being discharged from the army on Wednesday. The 1,000 who will be embraced were chosen in a raffle – although Jin has said he had suggested hugging up to 3,000 fans. “I’m so happy now that I will meet Jin,” says Ms Park who learned last weekend that she had won a spot in Thursday’s “hugathon”. “I didn’t expect to win.…

A Thai film about a young man caring for his dying grandmother as he vies for her fortune has struck a chord in South East Asia, where TikTokers’ teary responses are going viral. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has topped box offices across the region since it was released in April.The film follows M, who is plotting to win an inheritance from his cancer-stricken grandmother, but begins to question his motives as he grows closer to her. The story appears to have deeply resonated with moviegoers, who have been sharing emotional videos of themselves before and after watching…

Singer Kevin Jonas has revealed he had a cancerous mole removed from his face.The Jonas Brothers member spoke about his diagnosis on Instagram in a short video.”So today I am getting a basal cell carcinoma removed from my head,” he said, showing followers the mole on his forehead.”Yes, that is an actual little skin cancer guy that just started to grow.”And now, I have to get surgery to remove it. So, here we go.”He then did a quick update after the operation, saying it was “time to heal and go home”.Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin…

The United Nations has added Israel’s military, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s armed wing for the first time to its list of offenders for violating children’s rights.The three entities, along with Sudan’s warring parties, have been singled out for the killing and maiming of children.“Children were killed and maimed in unprecedented numbers”, the Children in Armed Conflict report said.The annual report – seen by the BBC and due to be released on Thursday – is meant to shame parties so that they commit to measures outlined by the UN to protect children.UN Secretary General António Guterres said the conflict between…

GettyCo-operative Bank customers have reacted angrily after a glitch meant payments were taken twice from some small business accounts. Customers took to social media to complain, with some asking whether the bank had been hacked and one claiming he was “£5k down”.Co-op Bank said it was aware of a small number of business account holders affected and was working to correct the issue.”We apologise for any inconvenience caused and are supporting customers during this period.”‘I’m now massively overdrawn’According to its website, Co-op bank has about 3.1 million retail customers and 96,000 small business customers.The lender said that “duplicate, historical transactions”…

One of France’s best-loved singer-songwriters, Françoise Hardy, has died at the age of 80.”Mum is gone,” her son, Thomas Dutronc, who is also a musician, wrote on social media.Hardy burst on to the music scene in 1962 and became a cultural icon who inspired the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. Known for her melancholy ballads, she symbolised France’s Yé-yé (yeah yeah) pop movement, so-called because of its nod to English music. Her most famous songs included All the Girls and Boys (Tous les garçons et les filles), It Hurts to Say Goodbye (Comment te dire adieu) and My…