Author: BBC

2 hours agoCaitriona Perry,Brandon DrenonKenyan president ‘confident’ in police deploying to HaitiKenya’s President William Ruto says his peacekeeping police force is expected to arrive in Haiti to help quell growing gang violence in about three weeks.In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Mr Ruto confirmed a planning team was already in Haiti and had met local police to secure arrangements before the Kenyan troops are deployed.Mr Ruto’s comments came as he concluded a three-day trip to Washington DC, the first official state visit of any African leader to the US in over 15 years.During his trip, the White House called…

52 minutes agoEmma Saunders,Culture reporter at the Hay FestivalGetty ImagesJodi Picoult has seen several of her books adapted for the big screenBestselling American author Jodi Picoult has said “the loss of free speech is a very, very slippery slope” and that having two of her books banned in school districts in some US states is “not a badge of honour”.Speaking at the Hay Festival, Picoult said she was “very fortunate because I’m at a point in my career where people who are going to be buying my books are not in school libraries”.But the author, who has written 30 books…

10 minutes agoSteven McIntosh,Entertainment reporterEPATaylor Swift’s own life is reflected in the lyrics of her songsTaylor Swift heads to the UK in a fortnight, with cities braced for a jamboree of sparkly outfits, mass singalongs and boyfriends proposing during the final chorus of Love Story. Fans are likely to spend hundreds of pounds on tickets, travel, accommodation and merchandise as they attend her record-breaking Eras tour. But while the public can’t seem to get enough of seeing their favourite pop stars on stadium tours, their favourite actors aren’t drawing them to cinemas in the same way.While casting a big star…

A leading think tank has issued a stark warning about the financial challenges awaiting the next government.The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says the state of public finances hangs over the election campaign “like a dark cloud”.It warns more tax rises or cuts to public services could lie ahead.It calls for an “open and robust” discussion about how all the parties will tackle these.Both Labour and the Conservatives have committed to get debt falling as a share of national income. All the major parties would likely have a similar form of self-imposed rules in order to keep the government’s cost…

Just nowAseem Chhabra, Cannes,Film writer BBCKapadia’s film follows two women navigating careers and love in MumbaiIndian filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s new film opens with street scenes of contemporary Mumbai. But All We Imagine as Light does not show us the rich, elite Mumbai of Bollywood stars and billionaire industrialists. Instead the filmmaker overlays the street images with voices of real immigrants of Mumbai who are the city’s heartbeat.This is Kapadia’s first narrative feature and it premiered on Thursday night in the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film received an eight-minute-long standing ovation.It’s a significant achievement for the…

Police have arrested a teenager who is accused of attacking pro-Palestinian protesters at an encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The attack three weeks ago led to brawling that ended after more than two hours, when police cleared the site. The arrest of Edan On, 18, appears to mark the first arrest of a counter-protester linked to the overnight campus chaos. Mr On is reportedly the person, in widely shared pictures and video of the melee, seen wearing a white hoodie and mask and hitting protesters with a wooden pole.Police have not identified the man they arrested…

Key moments from Paula Vennells’ three days of questioning at Post Office inquiryFormer Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells has broken her almost decade-long silence on the Horizon IT scandal. She was quizzed over the course of three days on how things unfolded during her time at the head of the organisation by both the counsel to the public inquiry and lawyers speaking on behalf of sub-postmasters.It was the most anticipated appearance in the long-running inquiry into what has been described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British history.Here is a summary of five of the key moments:1. Tears,…

10 hours agoHelen Bushby,Culture ReporterGetty ImagesA new legal case has been filed against rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, by April Lampros, who said she had “four terrifying sexual encounters” from the mid-1990s to the early-2000s.The documents, filed on Thursday at the Supreme Court of the State of New York, state she met him in 1994, when she was a student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.The lawsuit accuses Mr Combs of battery, assault, sexual assault, negligent infliction of emotional distress and gender-motivated violence. BBC News has contacted Mr Combs for comment. Job as an internThe documents also contain claims that…

In a suburb on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a family is processing the news that their pet was taken by a lioness during the night. CCTV footage reveals the animal jumping up across the house gate, later leaving the same way while clutching a Rottweiler in her mouth. The BBC caught up with the pet’s owners who are still shocked that their beloved animal was snatched away. Source link

1 hour agoLee Bottomley,BBC News, West MidlandsPA MediaCoventry Building Society has bought Co-op Bank in a deal worth £780mCoventry Building Society has finalised its £780m deal to buy the Co-operative Bank, but will not be giving its members a vote.The purchase is subject to approval from financial regulators, but is expected to be complete in early 2025.The financial institutions combined will have millions of customers and about £89bn worth of assets.Both organisations will continue to operate under their current names and branding while they are integrated, which is expected to take several years.The deal means Co-op Bank will return to…