Author: BBC

Chinese officials appear to have blocked a formerly imprisoned journalist from the view of cameras at an event between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra.Cheng Lei, who was imprisoned by Beijing for three years, later said she believed two embassy officials had stood in front of her to prevent her from “saying” or “doing something” that they thought “would be a bad look”.Mr Li’s visit – the first by a Chinese premier since 2017 – has been seen as another step in the thawing of tensions between the two nations after a string of…

A third food manufacturer has recalled products over fears of possible contamination with E. coli.Manufacturer THIS! is recalling its plant-based chicken and bacon wrap, which is only sold at WH Smith.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said it was a “precautionary step” and E. coli “has not been detected in the product”.It comes days after two other suppliers, Greencore Group and Samworth Brothers Manton Wood, announced recalls of at least 60 types of pre-packed sandwiches, wraps and salads sold in major supermarkets. It is understood these were items containing salad leaves.More than 200 people across the UK are known to have…

Sir Paul McCartney has announced his first UK tour dates since 2018, with shows in Manchester and London this December.They will be the first British shows of his long-running Got Back Tour, which sees the star playing hits from across his career – from the Beatles’ debut single Love Me Do, to Wings’ Band On The Run, and solo hits like Coming Up and Dance Tonight.The tour kicked off in April 2022 and has so far made more than $200m (£158m) at the box office. Sir Paul said he was “excited to be ending my year” back at home.”It’s always…

1 hour agoBy Paul Kirby, BBC NewsJULIEN DE ROSA/AFPSocialists, Ecologists, Communists and France Unbowed have formed a left-wing allianceFrance’s left-wing political parties say they have united to form a “New Popular Front” to go head to head with the far right in snap parliamentary elections at the end of this month.President Emmanuel Macron called the two-round vote after the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella won a resounding victory in European elections last Sunday.The latest opinion poll for Le Point website puts RN on 29.5% of the vote in the first round on 30 June and the…

Chinese electric cars may become pricier in the European Union (EU) after politicians called them a threat to its own industry.It has “provisionally concluded” that Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers will face tariffs from 4 July “should discussions with Chinese authorities not lead to an effective solution”.The EU’s announcement comes as it continues an investigation into what it claims is a flood of cheap, government-subsidised Chinese cars into the trade bloc.China alleged the tariffs violated international trade rules and described the investigation as “protectionism”.EV makers who co-operated with the investigation, which the EU’s governing European Commission launched in October, will…

James May has told the BBC that another motoring series with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond is unlikely to happen.The trio had huge success on the Top Gear then The Grand Tour, with the final episode of the Amazon show set to arrive in September.Asked by Amol Rajan for the Today Podcast whether he had any plans for another series or episode, May said: “We’re not going to make another series together about cars.”He added that “you should never say” never – but that it was “pretty unlikely”.Reflecting on his legacy, May said the trio had been working together for…

South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) and the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) have agreed to form a government of national unity, along with two smaller opposition parties. This follows weeks of speculation about who the ANC would partner with after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years, in last month’s elections.It got 40% of the vote, while the DA came second with 22%.The agreement paves the way for ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa to remain president.The newly elected MPs will elect a president later on Friday, as the National Assembly meets for the first time…

US regulators are investigating after an incident in which a Boeing 737 Max 8 flown by Southwest Airlines rocked side to side while in air, in a potentially dangerous movement known as a “Dutch roll”.It is one of two new inquiries involving Boeing planes that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently confirmed.The agency is also involved after Boeing reported learning of potentially falsified documents used to certify titanium used in its planes.The issues have emerged at a time when the safety record of Boeing planes is under intense scrutiny.Boeing referred questions about the Southwest flight to the airline, which…

2 hours agoBy Dan Martin & PA Media, BBC News, LeicesterThe Lost KingSally Hawkins starred in The Lost KingThe portrayal of a university academic in a Steve Coogan film about the discovery of Richard III’s remains did have a defamatory meaning, a judge has ruled.Richard Taylor is suing the comedian, who wrote the film, as well as his production company Baby Cow, and Pathe Production for libel.The film tells the story of historian Philippa Langley and her search to find the king’s skeleton under a Leicester car park in 2012.Mr Taylor launched High Court legal action claiming the film had made him…

Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine would need to withdraw troops from territories Russia claims to have annexed before a ceasefire could begin – a proposal Ukraine’s president called a Hitler-like “ultimatum”.Volodymyr Zelensky has long said Ukraine will not negotiate with Moscow until Russian forces leave all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.The Russian president also said Ukraine would have to give up on joining Nato before peace talks could start.Mr Putin’s statement setting out his ceasefire conditions comes as leaders from 90 countries prepare to meet in Switzerland on Saturday to discuss paths towards peace in Ukraine – a summit Russia has…