Author: BBC

French intelligence officials believe Russia is behind a stunt in which five coffins draped in a French flag and bearing the inscription “French soldiers of Ukraine” were deposited near the Eiffel Tower.Three men were seen arriving in a van at about 09:00 (07:00 GMT) on Saturday. The coffins that they left were later found to contain sacks of plaster.Police rapidly apprehended the driver, who claimed he had been paid €40 (£34) by the two others to transport the coffins. He himself had arrived in Paris only the day before from Bulgaria.Later, police caught the two others at Bercy coach station…

41 minutes agoMark Savage,Music correspondentReutersColdplay have taken a lead in developing sustainable touring technologyIn 2021, Coldplay announced a 12-point plan to cut the carbon footprint of touring by 50%.Now, they’ve given an update on their progress, saying the first two years of their Music of the Spheres tour saw a 59% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with their previous world tour.They have used things like a dancefloor that generates electricity when fans jump up and down, and have cut down on air travel.They have also revealed that seven million saplings have been planted as part of a commitment to…

4 hours agoMansur Abubakar,BBC News, KanoGift Ufeoma/BBCThis is the fourth national strike since Bola Tinubu became president last yearMillions of Nigerians are without electricity after the national grid was shut down as part of a nation strike over the rising cost of living.The country was plunged into darkness shortly after 02:00 local time (01:00 GMT) when union members prevented operators at the country’s power control rooms from working and shut down electricity substations.Many flights have also been cancelled in the country’s busiest airport in Lagos, and in the capital, Abuja, with passengers left stranded.Unions are demanding a huge increase in…

About half a million people have been left without their Child Benefit payment, after a technical issue at HMRC.HMRC says it is working to resolve the batch processing issue, which meant that around 30% of Monday’s scheduled payments did not go through.Many parents took to social media to complain about the missing payment with some saying they have been left unable to buy food or pay for their child’s bus fare.HMRC is asking customers not to contact them, saying more information will be provided via social media as soon as it is available.The UK’s tax authority, which administers Child Benefit…

Donald Trump has joined TikTok, despite attempting to ban it on national security grounds during his presidency.In 2020 he signed a presidential executive order attempting to ban the platform for its links to China, which was ultimately blocked by US courts.He has since criticised recent attempts to curtail it, saying this would empower Facebook-owner Meta.Mr Trump, who has amassed more than 3.6 million followers since launching his account on Saturday, said he will use “every tool available to speak directly with the American people”.President Joe Biden is also using the platform to campaign for re-election in November, but he has…

1 hour agoScarlett Hutton & Riyah Collins,BBC NewsbeatBBC/TwofourLailah Muscat says she struggled having to date multiple women for the reality show Warning: This article contains spoilers.For hot, young singles looking for love, chances are there’s a reality dating show to help them in their search for the one.ITV’s Love Island returns to our screens on Monday, just after an explosive finale drew BBC Three’s I Kissed A Girl to a close.But for Lailah Muscat, it was only when the cameras stopped rolling that her relationship story could start.During Sunday’s I Kissed a Girl reunion, she and fellow contestant Meg Homer…

43 minutes agoBernd Debusmann Jr,BBC News, WashingtonGetty ImagesHunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the federal charges in DelawareWith the strike of a judge’s gavel in Delaware, Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, will become the first child of a sitting president to be a criminal defendant. Prosecutors allege that the younger Biden, 54, lied about his drug use on application forms when he purchased a handgun in 2018. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the three federal counts, in a case that will get under way on Monday…

Singer Colin Gibb, the longest-standing member of pop band Black Lace, has died at the age of 70. The group were best known for their 1984 novelty hit Agadoo, which reached number two in the UK.Black Lace also represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, finishing in seventh place with the song Mary Ann.Gibb’s bandmate Dene Michael confirmed his death to the BBC, describing it as “awful news”.Michael also posted a tribute on Twitter with a picture of himself and Gibb, writing: “Rest in peace my friend, God bless you x.”In a Facebook post, Gibb’s wife Sue…

China has accused UK’s Secret Intelligence Service MI6 of recruiting Chinese state employees as spies.In a post on its official WeChat channel, China’s Ministry of State Security said MI6 operatives turned a Chinese man identified only by his surname Wang and his wife surnamed Zhou against Beijing.Both worked in “core confidential” departments in a Chinese state agency. The ministry alleged that MI6 started cultivating Mr Wang when he went to the UK for his studies in 2015, under a Sino-British exchange programme.The operatives took “special care” of him in the UK, such as by inviting him to dinners and tours…

MrBeast has cemented himself as the biggest thing on YouTube by overtaking T-Series in a long-running battle for the most subscribers.Indian music label T-Series, which uploads trailers and music videos, held the record for the largest YouTube channel for five years, before it was toppled on Sunday.MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, was already the individual with the largest following.But the 26-year-old has now made history on the platform with a seemingly unassailable 269 million subscribers, dethroning T-Series and putting him head and shoulders above everything else.Across nearly 800 videos MrBeast has made a name for himself with massive stunts -…