Author: BBC

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…

EPAPalestinian families have begun fleeing Bureij camp and surrounding areasThe Israeli military says it has begun a ground operation against Hamas in the Bureij refugee camp and to the east of the town of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.Troops backed by air strikes were targeting “terrorists and terrorist infrastructure above and below ground”, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.Palestinians in central Gaza reported intense bombardment overnight, during which health officials said at least 15 people were killed.It comes as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators meet in Doha and Cairo to discuss how to finalise a…

McDonald’s no longer has the exclusive right to use the label “Big Mac” in reference to chicken burgers sold in the European Union after a ruling by the EU’s highest court.The American fast-food chain popularised the nickname for large burger sandwiches, registering it as a trademark in the EU in 1996.But following a legal challenge from a rival chain in Ireland, other companies will now be free to use the name “Mac” to sell poultry products or in their chains’ names.The European Court of Justice found that McDonald’s could not show it had made genuine use of the trademark for…

Google must face a £13.6bn lawsuit alleging it has too much power over the online advertising market, a court has ruled.The case, brought by a group called Ad Tech Collective Action LLP, alleges the search giant behaved in an anti-competitive way which caused online publishers in the UK to lose money.Google parent company Alphabet called the case “incoherent” in its attempts to get the legal action dropped. But the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in London, has ruled the case can now go to trial.“This is a decision of major importance to the victims of Google’s anti-competitive conduct in adtech,” said former…

1 hour agoNoor Nanji,Culture reporter, @NoorNanjiGetty ImagesKeira Knightley is among the stars who have signed an open letter to creative organisationsStars including Keira Knightley and Ruth Wilson have signed an open letter calling on firms to support a crackdown on bullying and sexual harassment.The letter urges creative organisations to help fund a new watchdog, the Creative Industry Independent Standards Authority (Ciisa), which will investigate complaints in the music, film, theatre and TV industries.”Bullying and harassment claims in the industry continue abound,” the letter said.It added that the new body is “very necessary” to help to drive change.Actresses Cara Delevigne, Carey…

A local politician has been attacked in the German city of Mannheim, five days after the fatal stabbing of a police officer in its market square.The man, described as a local election candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was left with cuts in the attack, German press agency DPA reported. Police confirmed the incident took place on Tuesday evening, close to scene of Friday’s deadly attack that targeted organisers of a rally against radical Islam and which claimed the life of a 29-year-old officer.They said the politician was taken to hospital for treatment, but had not suffered…

Asda’s fuel has become the priciest among supermarket groups – after years of being among the cheapest – despite its pledge to offer the best value, research suggests.According to the RAC, average petrol and diesel prices were higher at Asda at the end of May than at Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.Asda disputed the findings, saying they covered its whole estate, including convenience shops, and that it still had the best prices at supermarket forecourts.Global fuel prices are falling, but the RAC said supermarket chains were not passing the savings on to customers.The RAC analyed data submitted by the biggest supermarkets…

What is it like to have an AI boyfriend? The women in China who date chatbots. Source link

18 hours agoAurelia Foster,Health reporterGetty ImagesThe best way to avoid sexually transmitted infections was using a condom, the UK Health Security Agency saidA record number of people in England were diagnosed with gonorrhoea last year, annual UK Health Security Agency figures show.Diagnoses rose 7.5% – from 79,268 in 2022 to 85,223 in 2023.Syphilis, meanwhile, rose 9.4% – from 8,693 to 9,513, the highest number since 1948 – with more heterosexual men and women becoming infected.Both have more than doubled in the past decade.Overall, sexually transmitted infection diagnoses, including several different STIs, rose 4.7%.Some of the rise may be due to…

Getty ImagesRussell rose to fame playing Sir Lancelot in the 1965 series Adventures of Sir LancelotOne of Doctor Who’s four original cast members, William Russell, has died aged 99.His death was confirmed and announced on Tuesday by the Guardian newspaper.Russell played schoolteacher Ian Chesterton in the first two series of the BBC’s sci-fi show and was the Doctor’s first companion.He left the show in 1965, but in 2022 he reprised his role and made a cameo in Jodie Whittaker’s final episode, The Power of The Doctor.The actor broke a Guinness World Record for the longest gap between TV appearances. In…