Author: BBC

A selection of the best photos from across the African continent this week. Source link

The owner of the hit online game Wordle is legally challenging a geography-based spinoff called Worldle.In the filing, the New York Times, which purchased Wordle for a seven figure sum in 2022, accuses its near-namesake of “creating confusion” and attempting to capitalise “on the enormous goodwill” associated with its own brand.But the creator of Worldle, software developer Kody McDonald, is vowing to fight back on the grounds that there are many other games with similar titles.“There’s a whole industry of [dot]LE games,” he told the BBC.“Wordle is about words, Worldle is about the world, Flaggle is about flags”, he pointed…

Getty ImagesJameela Jamil has previously opened up about her decades-long battle with body imageThis story contains descriptions of eating disorders that some readers may find distressing.Jameela Jamil has said her battle with an eating disorder has “destroyed” her bone density and damaged “my kidney, my liver, my digestive system, my heart”.The actress added that she had taken “so many laxatives” in her teens that she was “amazed” she hadn’t done more damage to her digestive system.Speaking to Kelly Ripa on her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Jamil said the condition started at a young age, after she had to weigh…

US President Joe Biden has given Ukraine permission to use American-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia, but only near the Kharkiv region, US officials say.One told BBC News that his team had been directed to ensure Ukraine was able to use US weapons for “counter-fire purposes” to “hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them”. While Washington’s policy of not allowing long-range strikes inside Russia has not changed, Moscow will likely view the latest measure as an escalation.Russian forces have made gains in the Kharkiv region in recent weeks after a surprise offensive in the…

Sainsbury’s has confirmed that problems with its card payment system are affecting some same-day deliveries and some in-store payments.Complaints by customers on social media indicate widespread frustration at card terminals not working. One customer said shopping was being left around the shop after people were unable to pay, and some stores are taking only cash.The UK’s second largest supermarket said the issue has been intermittent since Thursday morning and that it is still working to resolve it.It is unclear how many stores and shoppers have been affected by the outage.With the weekend approaching, shoppers out on Thursday expressed their frustration…

A leading London-based opera company has announced that it will permanently relocate to Sheffield within two years.English Touring Opera (ETO) will open a base in the city as part of its sponsor Arts Council England’s funding programme, enabling cultural organisations to leave the capital.The company was founded to bring opera to areas of the country that would not usually have access to productions, and said the move would be a “natural extension” of its mission.Sheffield City Council said it was “delighted” by the news.A temporary office would open this year and a permanent headquarters would be occupied by 2025, an…

5 hours agoAlys Davies & BBC Arabic,BBC NewsEPAAn AI-generated image depicting tent camps for displaced Palestinians and a slogan that reads All Eyes on Rafah is sweeping social media.The post has been shared more than 47 million times by Instagram users including celebrities like Dua Lipa, Lewis Hamilton and Gigi and Bella Hadid.The image and the slogan went viral after an Israeli air strike and resulting fire at a camp for displaced Palestinians in the southern Gaza city of Rafah earlier this week. The Hamas-run health ministry said at least 45 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in the…

2 hours agoFederica Bedendo,Jonny ManningNetwork RailNetwork Rail issued pictures showing the derailed freight train near Shap, CumbriaA rail line has reopened after a freight train derailed causing travel chaos on part of the West Coast Main Line.Passengers were told not to travel after the train came off the tracks on Wednesday near Shap, Cumbria, blocking the line between Carlisle and Oxenholme Lake District.Network Rail confirmed the train had since been moved but warned there would still be delays on Thursday.Avanti West Coast said services were still “extremely limited” and advised passengers to check its website before travelling.The freight train derailed…

4 hours agoTom Richardson,BBC NewsbeatMojangNew kid on the block: Minecraft will be Netflix’s latest animated show based on a video gameNetflix has announced plans to release an animated series based on Minecraft.The best-selling video game of all time celebrates its 15th birthday this year, and the reveal dropped during an anniversary celebration. A short teaser trailer shows a green creeper character from the game scuttle into the middle of a black screen before exploding in a pixelated grey cloud.Once the fog clears, the camera sweeps into an underground cavern filled with lava.The shot eventually closes in on a red Netflix…

32 minutes agoAna Faguy,BBC News, WashingtonReutersA New York jury began deliberating on the case against Donald Trump on WednesdayAfter weeks of testimony, 12 New York City jurors are sitting in a Manhattan courthouse room to decide the fate of former President Donald Trump’s hush-money case. The jury is in its second day of deliberation and a verdict could come at any time. On Wednesday they deliberated for four and a half hours.Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in relation to a hush-money payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels. She claims she had…