Author: BBC

Karabo MahapaKarabo “Kay” Mahapa wants to encourage his young audience to go out and voteSouth Africa’s social media influencers, popular with the youth, have been stepping into a new role ahead of this week’s general election – political mobilisers.With 42% of registered voters under the age of 40, the younger demographic could have a big role to play in Wednesday’s election.Nestled in between videos of jokes about power cuts and relationships, Karabo “Kay” Mahapa, a TikTok creator who boasts over 350,000 followers, takes a detour from his usual content to tell people to get out and vote.The messages have targeted…

The actor calls dressing as a 7ft monster in Netflix thriller series Eric a ridiculous moment. Source link

46 minutes agoElijah Kanyi & Tamasin Ford,BBC Africa Eye, Nairobi & LondonBBCAs Kenya struggles with rising violent crime, BBC Africa Eye follows one former criminal as he tries to persuade men to turn in their illegal firearms, one gun at a time.“The worst thing I ever did was to kill. I killed a man,” the young man says after agreeing to be filmed on condition of anonymity.“I did not feel anything, because I was high on drugs. I felt like I had killed a fly.”Samuel, which is not his real name, is in Kisumu on the edge of Lake Victoria…

2 hours agoNatalie Sherman,Business reporter, BBC NewsNathan WilkinsWhen Nathan Wilkins moved back in with his mother and sister in 2019, he hoped it would help him save money to buy a home. But in the years since, the US housing market has been transformed by rising rents, surging home prices, and a massive jump in mortgage rates, making homeownership seem like an ever more impossible. He and his sister are making more money than ever, the 32-year-old insurance adjuster from Utah says. But shelling out $2,500 (£1,960) a month in rent doesn’t leave much left over. “It’s like I’m playing…

51 minutes agoEmma Saunders ,Culture reporter at the Hay FestivalGetty ImagesMarian Keyes’ first book came out in 1995 and she has had 16 novels published in totalBestselling author Marian Keyes has said she would never have become a writer if she hadn’t got sober 30 years ago.The Irish writer, behind books including This Charming Man and The Break, told an audience at the Hay Festival: “I wouldn’t have had the discipline or self-belief.”But she joked: “I came to the writing business blessed (with material).”I suffer from depression, I have very frizzy hair and I was an addict!”She added: “I went…

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says 50 people have been killed and scores injured in an explosion at a refugee camp near Rafah.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed carrying out an air strike targeting a Hamas compound in the area. It says it is reviewing the incident.Earlier in the day Hamas fired eight rockets from Rafah towards Tel Aviv, the first long-range attacks on the city since January.Videos from the southern Gaza Strip show a large explosion and intense fires burning. Hamas said an Israeli air strike had hit a camp for displaced Palestinians north-west of Rafah, away from…

16 minutes agoPhil Hendry,Senior producer, BBC NewsBBCRichard says he regrets ever buying his flat”The worst decision of my life,” reflects Richard Moore, as he sits in the small flat he bought as an investment to provide him with a pension in his old age.”My service charges have doubled from £4,000 to £8,000 a year. I feel like I’m being robbed”.Problems with the building’s cladding also render the flat effectively worthless unless it is fixed, he says.The flat Richard paid £300,000 for in 2016 is leasehold – which means he doesn’t own the physical flat – but a lease allowing him…

A cancer charity is warning people to do more to protect themselves from the sun as the number of melanoma skin-cancer cases in the UK continues to rise.Cancer Research UK predicts there will be a record 20,800 cases diagnosed this year – up from a yearly average of 19,300 between 2020 and 2022.Its analysis shows rates rose by almost a third between 2009 and 2019 – from 21 to 28 cases per 100,000 people.The rise in diagnoses is due partly to a growing ageing population and an increase in awareness of the signs of skin cancer.The report suggests around 17,000…

The three days have seen an estimated 100,000 music fans enjoy numerous performances.Drum and bass duo Chase & Status thrilled on Friday with surprise acts such as ArrDee, Stefflon Don and Clementine Douglas.They followed Becky Hill, Ella Henderson, Rudimental and Nathan Dawe who also performed on the Main Stage.Saturday saw Raye deliver a powerful, and at times emotional, performance.”When you’ve waited so long, for opportunities like this, I will be kicking myself if I didn’t give it everything,” she said.Charli XCX entertained fans in the sweaty New Music Tent, bringing a club night vibe.She admitted being “very scared” before going…

Hamas says it has launched a “big” rocket attack at the Tel Aviv area in central Israel, several of which were intercepted by air defence systems, according to the Israeli military.Hours later, Palestinian health and civilian officials said dozens of Palestinians had been killed and injured in an Israeli strike on an area in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where displaced people were sheltering.Many of the casualties were living in tents at the Tal al-Sultan camp, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said, adding that the death toll was likely to rise. An official for the Hamas-run media office said…