Author: BBC

Narendra Modi is set to be India’s prime minister for a third time, a day after humbling election results which saw his majority slashed by a resurgent opposition.Mr Modi was backed to be prime minister again following a meeting with his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday.The 73-year-old had found himself unexpectedly reliant on the NDA’s smaller parties to reach a parliamentary majority after his own party fell short of the 272 needed to form the next government.However, the opposition – which won 232 seats to the NDA’s 293 – has yet to formally concede.It was holding its own meeting…

5 hours agoAnthony Reuben and Robert Cuffe,BBC VerifyITV/PARishi Sunak and Keir Starmer faced each other in their first televised debate of the election campaign and traded claims on tax, the NHS and small boat crossings.BBC Verify has been examining them. £2,000 extra tax per family?Like the Conservatives, Labour has promised not to increase income tax, National Insurance or VAT during the next Parliament, but Rishi Sunak said: “Independent Treasury officials have costed Labour’s policies and they amount to a £2,000 tax rise for every working family.”That quote risks misleading people, and the prime minister mentioned the £2,000 figure nine times…

Getty ImagesThe Conservative Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt will face Labour’s deputy leader Angela RaynerPenny Mordaunt and Angela Rayner will go head-to-head in the first BBC election debate on Friday night, featuring representatives from the seven biggest parties in Great Britain.The Leader of the House of Commons and deputy leader of the Labour Party will be joined by Daisy Cooper for the Liberal Democrats and Nigel Farage on behalf of Reform UK. Stephen Flynn will appear for the Scottish National Party, the Green Party will be represented by co-leader Carla Denyer and Plaid Cymru by leader Rhun ap Iorwerth.The line-upConservative Party:…

South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) has suggested forming a government of national unity after losing its parliamentary majority in last week’s elections.It says it has reached out to all parties but negotiations are still underway.”The results indicate that the South Africans want all parties to work together,” ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri told journalists.The ANC got about 40% of the vote, with the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA) on 22%, the MK party of former President Jacob Zuma on 15% and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters on 9%.This was the first time the ANC has lost its majority since Nelson Mandela…

33 minutes agoTom Espiner,BBC business reporterPost Office Horizon IT InquiryMs Perkins was told Fujitsu had cut corners on the quality of its software Former Post Office chair Alice Perkins was warned about potential faults in the Horizon IT system as early as 2011, an inquiry has heard.At the time, the Post Office had prosecuted hundreds of sub-postmasters for fraud on the strength of faulty data from Horizon accounting software.It would carry on with these cases until 2015.Ms Perkins, who was giving evidence at an inquiry into the scandal, said at the time she did not make a link between the…

29 minutes agoJames Gallagher,Health and science correspondent, @JamesTGallagherLauren GolightlyLauren Golightly has Crohn’s Disease, a type of IBDA major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been discovered by UK scientists.They found a weak spot in our DNA that is present in 95% of people with the disease.It makes it much easier for some immune cells to go haywire and drive excessive inflammation in the bowels.The team have found drugs that already exist seem to reverse the disease in laboratory experiments and are now aiming for human trials.Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease.…

Getty ImagesNetflix and filmmaker Ava DuVernay have settled a defamation lawsuit over 2019 drama series When They See Us.They were being sued by a former New York City prosecutor, Linda Fairstein, who alleged defamation for her portrayal in the TV series. The four-part series covered the story of five wrongly convicted black and Latino teenagers – known as the Central Park Five – who were accused of assaulting and raping a woman in Central Park in 1989.The trial was set to start next week, but a deal has now been reached between both parties. DuVernay said their had been no…

There have been increasing cases of Zambians losing money from their mobile and bank accounts through money-laundering schemes which extend to other foreign countries, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) said in April.People in countries including Singapore, Peru, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others across Africa have also been targeted in the online scam, Zambian authorities said.Dozens of young Zambians were also arrested after allegedly being recruited to be call-centre agents in the fraudulent activities, including internet fraud and online scams, the DEC said during the arrests. After a trial lasting several weeks, the 22 Chinese nationals, including one female,…

Young people are taking to TikTok to highlight how achieving “traditional” life milestones is becoming increasingly out of reach.The online trend has more than 27 million views, with people comparing their parents achievements at the age they are at now, including getting married and buying a house.Ellie Harris, 25, whose parents were married with three children at her age, said people do not recognise that it was a “completely different time”.Ellie, who still lives with her mother, said she had “no intention of settling down soon”.Edited by Tink Llewellyn Source link

Actress Helen Worth is to leave Coronation Street street after five decades on the cobbles.Worth celebrates her golden anniversary on the show next month, having played Gail Rodwell, formerly Gail Platt, since 1974.The soap say her character Gail will “bid farewell to Weatherfield in a major storyline for the Platt family”. Speaking on the decision to leave, Worth, 73, said: “I made the decision at the start of the year and spoke to the producers who were very kind and understanding.“I have been truly blessed to have been given the most incredible scripts week in week out, and to have…