Author: BBC

The Conservatives’ promise to abolish no-fault evictions before the election will not now happen. The Renters (Reform) Bill, which would ban landlords from evicting tenants without a reason, will not become law before parliament is shut down on Friday.Rishi Sunak’s flagship bill to eventually ban smoking will also be shelved. Legislation is being rushed through as Friday is the last day MPs will sit in Parliament before the election.A separate government bill to reform leaseholds will be debated in the House of Lords on Friday. Labour sources have indicated that while they want to strengthen the bill, they are prepared…

21 hours agoJoanna Morris,BBC News, North East and CumbriaMiddlesbrough CouncilNitazenes, which are more potent than heroin, have been found in illegal vapes used by childrenA child has been treated for an opiate overdose after using a “potentially fatal” black market vape, health officials have said.Vapes laced with illegal drugs like Spice and nitazenes have led to children in Teesside needing urgent medical attention, Middlesbrough Council warned.One young person needed immediate treatment with Naloxone, a medication used to treat opiate overdoses, after inhaling from an illicit device.The joint director of public health for the South Tees area, Mark Adams, said: “The…

10 minutes agoRumeana Jahangir,BBC NewsPAGeorge Harrison was born at 12 Arnold Grove on 25 February 1943A blue plaque commemorating the life of Beatles legend George Harrison has been unveiled at his childhood home.His widow Olivia Harrison, who revealed the tribute at the house in Arnold Grove, Liverpool, said it was “a source of family pride”.Harrison lived at the terraced house in the Wavertree district of the city until he was seven.The plaque is one of the first official English Heritage blue plaques to be put on a property outside London.PA MediaGeorge Harrison (second from left) was the youngest of The…

The European Union has denounced Russia’s removal of buoys marking the border with Estonia on the Narva River.A total of 24 out of 50 buoys placed to mark sailing routes were removed in the early hours of Thursday, Estonian officials said.Tensions over the border have risen since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said “such actions are unacceptable”. “This border incident is part of a broader pattern of provocative behaviour and hybrid actions by Russia, including on its maritime and land borders in the Baltic Sea region,” he said in a statement. Moscow has…

Post Office inquiry live: Convictions to be quashed as Paula Vennells gives evidence – BBC News BreakingBreaking newsClose breaking news SummaryFormer Post Office boss Paula Vennells has been accused of living in “la-la land” as she appears for a final day of evidence at the Post Office inquiryEdward Henry KC, representing some sub-postmasters, puts it to Vennells that she is in a “cloud of denial” about her role in the Horizon scandalVennells breaks down in tears at the inquiry again, saying she worked as hard as she could to deliver the best Post Office for the UKIt comes as a…

Google’s new artificial intelligence (AI) search feature is facing criticism for providing erratic, inaccurate answers. Its experimental “AI Overviews” tool has told some users searching for how to make cheese stick to pizza better that they could use “non-toxic glue”.The search engine’s AI-generated responses have also said geologists recommend humans eat one rock per day.A Google spokesperson told the BBC they were “isolated examples”.Some of the answers appeared to be based on Reddit comments or articles written by satirical site, The Onion.They have been widely mocked on social media.But Google insisted the feature was generally working well. “The examples we’ve…

Child serial killer Lucy Letby has been denied permission to appeal against her convictions for the murder and attempted murder of babies in her care when she worked as a neonatal nurse. Letby, of Hereford, was convicted in August 2023 of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde, said they had refused Letby’s request to bring an appeal at a short Court of Appeal hearing earlier.The full reasons for the judges’ decision were not made public, with the…

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. The Thor star said it felt “surreal” to receive the plaque, in a ceremony where he was joined by his wife and children, as well as by Avengers co-stars Robert Downey Jr and Anya Taylor-Joy. Source link

EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockGeorgian protesters and riot police have repeatedly clashed near the parliament building in the capital, TbilisiThe US has said it is reviewing its bilateral co-operation with Georgia over its controversial “foreign agent” law that triggered weeks of mass protests in the capital Tbilisi.In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was introducing visa restrictions for individuals responsible for “undermining democracy in Georgia”.No officials were named, but they are believed to be members of the governing Georgian Dream party. The party described the US decision as “comical”.It also accused the US of “threats and blackmail” against Georgia and…

Retail sales fell by much more than expected in April as heavy rain kept shoppers at home.Sales volumes fell by 2.3% from the month before. Analysts had expected a drop of about 0.5%.Clothing retailers, sports equipment, games and toys stores, and furniture stores all did particularly badly as poor weather reduced footfall, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.March’s figure was also revised down to show a 0.2% fall from February, whereas previously sales had been estimated as flat.April saw storms and heavy rainfall, with several flood warnings issued across the UK.Online sales, which are usually less affected by bad…