Author: BBC

1 hour agoAlex Taylor,BBC News Culture reporter, @TayloredwordGetty ImagesEminem’s Slim Shady persona sparked constant controversy but also helped break rap’s racial barriersTwenty-five years after bursting on to the scene, it appears rapper Eminem’s provocative alter ego Slim Shady may finally be silenced.The antagonistic Slim Shady, with his peroxide-blond hair and everyman blue jeans, stemmed from Eminem’s self-described “white trash” upbringing.In a surprise April announcement teased as a mock murder news report, Eminem revealed that his new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), will be released this summer. And on Friday, Shady once again said “guess who’s back”…

US President Joe Biden has urged Hamas to accept a new Israeli proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying that “it’s time for this war to end”. The three-part proposal would begin with a six-week ceasefire in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza. There would also be a “surge” of humanitarian aid, as well as an exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The deal would eventually lead to a permanent “cessation of hostilities” and a major reconstruction plan for Gaza. Hamas said it views the proposal “positively”. Speaking at the White…

Organisers of a music festival that has been running for the past 60 years have announced that this year’s event will be their last.The family behind Towersey Festival, which started in Oxfordshire, said they have to “bow out after this year”.They cited “economic challenges” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the reasons for their decision.The independent event founded by Denis Manners MBE in 1965, five years before Glastonbury, has championed roots and folk music.The festival was first held in the village of Towersey but moved to nearby Thame in 2015 and finally settled at the Claydon Estate in…

Russia has accused Nato and the US of “provoking a new level of tension” after the US and Germany became the latest allies to let Ukraine’s military use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russia.A Berlin spokesman said Germany was convinced Ukraine had the right to defend itself from Russia, especially from cross-border attacks on its second largest city Kharkiv.US officials said American-supplied weapons could be used to counter Russian fire near the Kharkiv region, either where Russian forces were “hitting them or preparing to hit them”.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the decision would help protect civilians living in villages…

Hackers are attempting to sell what they say is confidential information belonging to millions of Santander staff and customers.They belong to the same gang which this week claimed to have hacked Ticketmaster.The bank – which employs 200,000 people worldwide, including around 20,000 in the UK – has confirmed data has been stolen.Santander has apologised for what it says is “the concern this will understandably cause” adding it is “proactively contacting affected customers and employees directly.””Following an investigation, we have now confirmed that certain information relating to customers of Santander Chile, Spain and Uruguay, as well as all current and some…

5 hours agoTom Richardson,BBC NewsbeatSonyMost would agree that the star of the show was Astro BotSony has revealed a host of upcoming games to a mixed response. The console-maker’s State of Play broadcasts are a short collection of trailers and gameplay footage of forthcoming games.There’s been criticism that the company’s PS5 release calendar has been lacking the blockbuster exclusives that PlayStation built its name on.It doesn’t normally show bigger games at State of Play – those reveals are usually saved for its “Showcase” branded events.And that proved to be the case again. But there was one exclusive title that did…

50 minutes agoHelen Bushby,Culture reporterGetty ImagesJeremy Renner will join Daniel Craig and a starry line-up in the next Knives Out filmMarvel star Jeremy Renner has taken his first role since his 2023 snowplough accident, joining the cast of the third Knives Out film.Renner joins a starry line-up for the murder mystery sequel, titled Wake Up Dead Man, alongside Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington and Josh O’Connor, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Daniel Craig will return as Benoit Blanc, the detective with a distinctive southern US drawl and a knack for solving murders. Last week, the films’ Oscar-nominated director and…

3 hours agoDearbail Jordan,Business reporter, BBC NewsGetty Images UK house prices returned to growth in May after rising by 0.4%, according to Nationwide, as buyers’ confidence was buoyed by wage growth and lower inflation.The average house price reached £264,249 this month, compared to £261,962 in April, the building society said.Mortgage rates in the UK have been comparatively high because the Bank of England is not forecast to cut interest rates as quickly or as steeply as initially predicted at the beginning of this year.May’s gain reverses a 0.4% drop in the previous month. Andrew Harvey, senior economist at Nationwide, said:…

Actor Nick Pasqual has been arrested at the border between the US and Mexico, and charged with allegedly stabbing and attempting to murder his estranged girlfriend, authorities have said.Mr Pasqual is accused of breaking into the victim’s home and stabbing her multiple times, shortly after she had taken a restraining order out against him, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney.They did not identify her, but she has been named in US media as Hollywood make-up artist Allie Shehorn.Mr Pasqual allegedly fled the scene and was detained at a checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas.He has had minor roles in films…

32 minutes agoFarouk Chothia,BBC News, JohannesburgReutersSouth Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) looks set to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory at the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994. It would herald the end of the party’s decades-long domination of South African politics, raise questions about the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa and usher in an era of coalition politics. Here are three factors that explain how South Africa got here, why and what the future holds.1) Behind the ANC’s free-fallThe ANC was once a revered liberation movement…