Author: BBC

Post Office inquiry live: Convictions to be quashed as Paula Vennells gives evidence – BBC News BreakingBreaking newsClose breaking news SummaryFormer Post Office boss Paula Vennells has been accused of living in “la-la land” as she appears for a final day of evidence at the Post Office inquiryEdward Henry KC, representing some sub-postmasters, puts it to Vennells that she is in a “cloud of denial” about her role in the Horizon scandalVennells breaks down in tears at the inquiry again, saying she worked as hard as she could to deliver the best Post Office for the UKIt comes as a…

Google’s new artificial intelligence (AI) search feature is facing criticism for providing erratic, inaccurate answers. Its experimental “AI Overviews” tool has told some users searching for how to make cheese stick to pizza better that they could use “non-toxic glue”.The search engine’s AI-generated responses have also said geologists recommend humans eat one rock per day.A Google spokesperson told the BBC they were “isolated examples”.Some of the answers appeared to be based on Reddit comments or articles written by satirical site, The Onion.They have been widely mocked on social media.But Google insisted the feature was generally working well. “The examples we’ve…

Child serial killer Lucy Letby has been denied permission to appeal against her convictions for the murder and attempted murder of babies in her care when she worked as a neonatal nurse. Letby, of Hereford, was convicted in August 2023 of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016.Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde, said they had refused Letby’s request to bring an appeal at a short Court of Appeal hearing earlier.The full reasons for the judges’ decision were not made public, with the…

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. The Thor star said it felt “surreal” to receive the plaque, in a ceremony where he was joined by his wife and children, as well as by Avengers co-stars Robert Downey Jr and Anya Taylor-Joy. Source link

EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockGeorgian protesters and riot police have repeatedly clashed near the parliament building in the capital, TbilisiThe US has said it is reviewing its bilateral co-operation with Georgia over its controversial “foreign agent” law that triggered weeks of mass protests in the capital Tbilisi.In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was introducing visa restrictions for individuals responsible for “undermining democracy in Georgia”.No officials were named, but they are believed to be members of the governing Georgian Dream party. The party described the US decision as “comical”.It also accused the US of “threats and blackmail” against Georgia and…

Retail sales fell by much more than expected in April as heavy rain kept shoppers at home.Sales volumes fell by 2.3% from the month before. Analysts had expected a drop of about 0.5%.Clothing retailers, sports equipment, games and toys stores, and furniture stores all did particularly badly as poor weather reduced footfall, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.March’s figure was also revised down to show a 0.2% fall from February, whereas previously sales had been estimated as flat.April saw storms and heavy rainfall, with several flood warnings issued across the UK.Online sales, which are usually less affected by bad…

12 hours agoEmma Woollacott,Technology ReporterGetty ImagesBuilding is still largely manual workIf you took a worker from a 1920s construction site and transported them to a present day project, they would not be that surprised by what they saw, according to Sam O’Gorman.”Overall, across Europe and the US, stuff is still built in a pretty manual fashion – not very different to the way it would have been built 100 years ago,” says Mr Gorman, an associate partner in the property practice of consultancy firm McKinsey.Back in 2017, the McKinsey Global Institute concluded that the construction industry could improve productivity by…

Professor Katie Urch, Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our surgery staff are committed to delivering the best, safest care to our patients, often in challenging situations. “Surgeons do not work as individuals, they work collaboratively in teams. Those teams are highly skilled, performing complex surgery that is never without some risk. “Their outcomes are continuously and closely monitored – both internally and externally – and whenever our care falls short of our high standards, we take immediate action to learn and improve.” The BBC has been investigating patient safety concerns at University Hospitals Sussex…

Just nowIan Youngs,Entertainment & arts reporterMarc BrennerTom Holland plays Romeo, with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as JulietThe “unprecedented” excitement among fans outside the London theatre where Spider-Man star Tom Holland is appearing in Romeo in Juliet hasn’t quite been matched by the response from the critics inside.The most glowing review – a five-star write-up in the Telegraph – said Holland “ravishes” and “mesmerises” as Romeo.But at the other end of the scale, the Daily Express’s one-star critique called it “absolute drivel” and described Holland as “a charisma free zone”.Time Out said the actor “certainly doesn’t disgrace himself”, whle the Guardian said it…

19 minutes agoSofia Ferreira Santos,Guy HedgecoeEPAA desperate search for survivors is under way after a two-storey restaurant collapsed on the Spanish island of Majorca, killing four people and injuring 16, local emergency services say.Several people are believed to be trapped under rubble at the site of the Medusa Beach Club, a beachside restaurant in one of the busiest areas of the regional capital, Palma de Majorca.Police said the victims are a Spanish man, two German women and a Senegalese man, reported to be Abdoulaye Diop, who made national headlines in 2017 for rescuing a man who was struggling in waters…