Author: BBC

52 minutes agoHelen Bushby,Culture reporter Getty ImagesLady Gaga let her video do the talkingTaylor Swift has come out in support of Lady Gaga, who posted a video denying pregnancy rumours, by calling comments about it “invasive and irresponsible”. The two US superstar singers responded after online speculation that Grammy and Oscar-winning singer Lady Gaga was pregnant. People began to comment after photographs emerged of the star with boyfriend Michael Polansky as they celebrated her sister Natali Germanotta’s wedding in the US. Gaga posted a video on TikTok, referencing the song Down Bad, from Swift’s new album, saying: “Not pregnant -…

20 minutes agoRushdi Abu Alouf,David GrittenAFPWitnesses and local journalists said missiles hit classrooms on upper floors of the UN schoolAn Israeli air strike on a UN school packed with displaced Palestinians in central Gaza has reportedly killed at least 35 people.Local journalists told the BBC that a warplane fired two missiles at classrooms on the top floor of the school in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp. Videos showed the destruction and a number of bodies.Israel’s military said it had “conducted a precise strike on a Hamas compound” in the school and killed many of the 20 to 30 fighters it…

54 minutes agoLucy Hooker,Business reporter, BBC NewsGetty imagesFinancial markets will scrutinise ECB president Christine Lagarde’s remarks for further hints about ratesThe EU has become the second major global economy to cut its lending rate this week.The European Central Bank (ECB) announced a cut in its main interest rate from an all-time high of 4% to 3.75%.That follows Canada’s decision on Wednesday to cut its official lending rate.The ECB’s move comes as voters head to the polls for EU-wide elections over the next four days, with the outcome expected to reflect people’s unhappiness over cost-of-living pressuresLindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter…

A 59-year-old man in Mexico has died with a type of bird flu – H5N2 – never recorded in people before now. There is no risk to the wider public, say authorities, and none of the man’s close contacts have caught the virus. It is unclear how he got it, although there have been cases in some poultry farms in Mexico. Infections like this can sometime pass from animals to humans.The man had other underlying health issues that likely made him vulnerable.He had been bedridden for weeks before getting sick with fever and shortness of breath from bird flu, according…

7 hours agoZoe Applegate,BBC News, NorfolkPA MediaLiam Gallagher in 1996, performing with Oasis at KnebworthThey were the iconic band who led the Britpop revolution, achieving number one hits and selling out stadiums and arenas across the country. But just two months before Oasis’ era-defining debut Definitely Maybe became the fastest ever selling debut album, the Manchester rockers played the tiny Norwich Arts Centre. And now 30 years on, some of the 200 or so people lucky enough to be in the crowd on 6 June,1994, have recalled the emotions of the night. Norwich Arts CentreThe band, fronted by Liam and…

A World War Two US Navy veteran travelling to France for an event marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings has died, a veteran organisation has confirmed.Robert “Al” Persichitti from Rochester, New York, was airlifted to a hospital in Germany on 30 May after suffering a medical emergency aboard a ship heading to Europe. He died the following day, aged 102.Remembered as a “great, humble man,” Mr Persichitti was involved in the allied operation in Japan. Honor Flight – a veteran organisation Mr Persichitti belonged to – confirmed his death on social media and said he had “served his…

Government officials considered sacking Paula Vennells as the Post Office’s chief executive in 2014 some five years before she resigned, an inquiry has heard. According to government documents revealed at the long-running inquiry into the Horizon scandal, they had concerns about whether she was the right person to lead the group. One issue was the perception that she was “unable to work with personalities that provide robust challenge to her”. Alice Perkins, who chaired the Post Office at the time and faced a second day of questioning by lawyers on Thursday, denied that Ms Vennells had surrounded herself with “yes-men…

19 hours agoAurelia Foster,Health reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesSports injuries could be linked with fluctuating hormones during the menstrual cycle, researchers saySportswomen make fewer mistakes and have quicker reactions when they are on their period, a study suggests.Tests designed to mimic the mental processes involved in team sports assessed 241 women’s reaction time, attention, accuracy, and spatial cognition – 14 days apart. They felt worse when menstruating and thought their performance would suffer – but on average, they were 12% faster at ball-moving tasks and 25% more likely to pass a test of their anticipation skills.It could explain why women playing…

5 hours agoHope Webb,BBC Scotland NewsGettyTaylor Swift will take to the stage at Murrayfield in Edinburgh for her first UK date in her Eras tour on FridayIt’s T minus one day until Taylor Swift brings her worldwide Eras Tour to the UK.But fans are already building up to the first gig on Friday.The star kicks off three nights at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh and the city is already in full Swift mode.Fans gathered at the stadium from the early hours on Wednesday to buy their tour merchandise ahead of the gigs.Ailsa Cameron, 32, bagged hers and shared her luck with…

A controversy over a waterfall has cascaded into a social media storm in China, even prompting an explanation from the water body itself. A hiker posted a video that showed the flow of water from Yuntai Mountain Waterfall – billed as China’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall – was coming from a pipe built high into the rock face.The clip has been liked more than 70,000 times since it was first posted on Monday. Operators of the Yuntai tourism park said that they made the “small enhancement” during the dry season so visitors would feel that their trip had been worthwhile.”The one…