Author: BBC

The tenor of questioning does not surprise Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.”The survivor may be blamed for behaving in some way which ‘provokes’ the offender; she may be blamed for destroying the family, for disrespecting her husband, or the parents and in-laws,” he told the BBC.”It takes courage to report domestic violence, and there is every reason to believe that it is very much under-reported.”The United Nations has estimated that around 400 Kazakh women are killed in domestic violence each year. In comparison, 70 women were killed in England and Wales – with…

2 days agoMark Savage,Music correspondentDave Hogan / Hogan Media / ShutterstockSir Paul previously won the fellowship of the Ivors Academy, in 2000Sir Paul McCartney affectionately mocked Bruce Springsteen, as he presented him with a prestigious prize at Thursday’s Ivor Novello Awards.Springsteen was in London to receive the ceremony’s highest honour – a fellowship of the songwriting academy.He is the first international star to receive the award, and Sir Paul said he “couldn’t think of a more fitting” recipient… “except maybe Bob Dylan”.”Or Paul Simon, or Billy Joel, or Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift,” he added. “The list goes on.””He’s known as…

3 hours agoFergal Keane,BBC News, @fergalkeane47BBCThey were shadow people, moving beyond the light of small fires on a winter dawn. There was no hint then that I was about to encounter one of the most extraordinary sights of my time in South Africa.In this part of the country, winter is a cold, dry season that burns the veld brown. The ground is hard like flint and when the wind blows across the plains, dust covers the squatters and all that they carry.I could hear digging, and coming closer I saw a woman hacking at the earth. Nearby other men and…

But the fame of this visceral, niche relationship has also given Bourgeois darker times. When pictures and videos emerged online showing his life outside trains, be it as a teen wearing different style clothes, working out at the gym, or, more recently, enjoying himself at a music festival, some on social media were quick to dismiss his TikTok identity as an inauthentic hoax.The backlash hurt. “In coming out of my shell with my railway enthusiasm, it felt like I was being pushed back in,” Bourgeois says.”Some people believe it’s just a facade or a character, but what I feel when…

1 hour agoPaul Adams,Diplomatic correspondentWatch: Israeli protesters stamp on aid packages destined for GazaThe war in Gaza is being fought on many fronts.One of them is aid.Months after some Israelis started to protest against aid lorries entering Gaza at the main Kerem Shalom crossing, the battle has moved to other key junctions, where rival groups of activists do their best to block or protect aid convoys.In recent weeks, social media has been flooded with images of aid lorries being blocked and ransacked.Right-wing activists, including Jewish settlers living in the occupied West Bank, have uploaded dozens of videos of crowds, including…

Young performers in Luton have been filmed performing a spoken word piece to be shown on screens at Radio 1’s Big Weekend.Made in collaboration with BBC Three Counties Radio, We’re Proud of Luton features 15 young people from Next Generation Youth Theatre (NGYT) based in the town.Words were written by the group to represent what they thought of the town and they were then filmed performing them around Luton.The finished film will be played on large screens at the main stage and new music stage during the Stockwood Park festival.It will also be played on displays throughout Luton as part…

GettyFamilies of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting are suing the manufacturer of the gun used in the attack, the maker of a video game and Instagram parent company Meta. In two new lawsuits, they claim the companies helped promote dangerous weapons to a generation of “socially vulnerable” young men, including the 18-year old gunman.Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the attack at Robb Elementary School. Friday marked the second anniversary of the Texas school shooting.The dual lawsuits – filed in Texas and California – are against Activision, the developer of the military video game series “Call…

An artist from Luton who is performing at Radio 1’s Big Weekend has said she is thankful for the places in the town that helped her develop as an artist.Lavz will be on the BBC Introducing stage at Stockwood Park on Saturday.The rapper, from the Marsh Farm area of Luton, praised nearby community centre Marsh House for giving her opportunities early in her career.”I’m grateful for spaces like these that have allowed me to find my feet and be in a supportive environment as well,” she said.BBC Music Introducing is a platform which supports new musicians and helps get their…

Papua New Guinea: Many feared dead in landslideEmergency services are racing to reach villages hit by a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea’s isolated Enga province, where hundreds of people are feared to be dead.A rapid response team made up of medics and military personnel has managed to reach the isolated landslide site, humanitarian agency Care Australia said.Difficult terrain and damage to main roads has complicated their journey to the area, it added in a statement.”The land continues to slide and move, and that makes it dangerous for people to operate,” UN official Serhan Aktoprak told AFP news agency.The landslide…

The day also saw a surprise from Rachel Chinouriri on the BBC Introducing Stage, who was only revealed as Friday’s stage headliner in the morning.She played songs from her recent debut album What A Devastating Turn Of Events.”Me and my friends, we’re quite good at keeping secrets. I’m a Scorpio so quite secretive,” Rachel told Newsbeat.For most of the day, though, she was “hiding in the traffic”, in a journey that ended up taking her four hours.The New Music Stage saw the likes of Diplo and Kenya Grace perform too.But one group who didn’t perform were Girls Don’t Sync, who…