Author: BBC

15 minutes agoThomas Mackintosh,Katy AustinWatch: How chaos onboard Singapore Airlines SQ321 unfoldedEarly investigations into severe turbulence that hit a Singapore Airlines flight last Tuesday reveal it dropped around 178ft (54m) over 4.6 seconds.One British passenger died and dozens more were injured when the London-Singapore flight encountered the turbulence over Myanmar and had to make an emergency landing in Thailand.Singaporean investigators have extracted data stored in the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder of the aircraft.Their preliminary report said rapid changes in gravitational force (G) caused the altitude drop which likely injured those who were not wearing seatbelts.Singapore Airlines said…

Mining giant BHP has urged its UK-based rival Anglo American to extend the looming deadline for a final offer on a proposed £39bn merger.In a statement this morning, the Australian BHP attempted to ease concerns about its plans for Anglo American’s business in South Africa, ahead of elections in the country on Thursday.It made commitments that included job security for employees there, but said it needed an extension on talks “to allow further engagement” on the plans.If the deal goes through, it would be one of the biggest ever for the mining sector and would create the world’s largest copper…

A union representing thousands of workers at Samsung Electronics has called the first strike at the South Korean technology giant since it was founded five and a half decades ago.The National Samsung Electronics Union says it will hold a one-day protest by asking all of its members to use their paid leave on 7 June and has not ruled out a full-scale strike in the future.The union says its has about 28,000 members, accounting for more than a fifth of the company’s total workforce.Samsung Electronics says it will continue to negotiate with the union.“We can’t stand persecution against labour unions…

5 hours agoHelen Bushby,Culture reporterThis article does not reveal the winner of Race Across the World, but does include details of some earlier moments from series four. BBC/Studio Lambert/Pete DaddsThe current series reached a record audience of more than seven million, including catch-upAs the final for Race Across the World approaches, some of the show’s intrepid contestants reveal why they think it is such a success, calling it relatable, inspiring and, not surprisingly, exhausting.For anyone who hasn’t seen the Bafta-winning BBC One Show, it offers a bird’s eye (or perhaps coach window) view of five duos, racing around the globe…

Donald Trump’s historic hush-money trial edged closer to its conclusion on Tuesday as the prosecution and defence made their closing arguments to the court.In the defence’s final pitch, Mr Trump’s lead lawyer attacked Michael Cohen – his former fixer and the prosecution’s star witness – as the “greatest liar of all time”.Prosecutors then launched into a lengthy rebuttal, portraying Cohen as a flawed “tour guide” to a “mountain” of evidence against Mr Trump.Twelve jurors will soon be asked to decide if the former president, and presumptive Republican nominee for November’s election, is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of falsifying business records.Over…

39 minutes agoZoe Conway,BBC News correspondentBBCSingle mum Zoe Godrich says “the life has just been sucked out of me”, trying to sort out the problems with the insulationEvery two weeks Zoe Godrich scrapes the black mould off the walls of her children’s bedrooms.She says her house now resembles a squat. ”It’s absolutely heartbreaking because I can’t provide for my children’s basic needs of a safe warm home.”The mould took over after she had her Swansea home fitted with cavity-wall insulation three years ago. She says that within weeks, water was constantly running down the walls ”like a little waterfall”.The BBC…

WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart has hit back at claims from Elon Musk that the messaging app “exports your user data every night.”Posting on X, Mr Cathcart said the allegation was simply “not correct”.He pointed to the fact WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning they cannot be read by the company at all.Yann LeCun – artificial intelligence chief at parent company, Meta – has also weighed in, using more industrial language in his X post attacking Mr Musk’s claims.On another Meta platform, Threads, Mr LeCun also levelled further criticisms at Mr Musk, accusing him of making contradictory and unrealistic claims about…

A leading drill star has admitted two drugs charges following a police raid during an online performance.Digga D – real name Rhys Herbert – appeared at Lincoln Crown Court via video link from HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where he was remanded in custody.The 23-year-old, of Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, pleaded guilty to the supply and importation of cannabis.He was arrested near Lincoln in the early hours of 21 February while broadcasting on Instagram Live.At the hearing on Tuesday, the prosecution did not accept the basis of his pleas, and Judge Simon Hirst adjourned the case until 8 July to decide if…

24 minutes agoJames Landale,Diplomatic correspondent, @BBCJLandaleNiall Carson/PA WireA Palestinian flag was raised outside the Irish Parliament building to mark the decisionSpain, Ireland and Norway have formally recognised a Palestinian state, in what they say is an attempt to refocus attention on efforts to find a political solution to the war in the Middle East.They hope by acting together they will encourage other European countries to follow suit, in a diplomatic push that could help secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.The symbolic decision has provoked a furious row with Israel’s government which has accused…

The board of the company that owns Royal Mail is expected to recommend a fresh takeover offer for the 500-year-old organisation on Wednesday.Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky will firm up an offer of £5bn for the company which employs more than 150,000 people.It’s thought the offer will include commitments to retain the name, brand, UK headquarters and UK tax residency, as well as ruling out compulsory redundancies.Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch, who has yet to meet Mr Kretinsky, has the power under the National Security and Investment Act to scrutinise and potentially block the deal.Markets seem to think there is a chance…