Author: BBC

The body of a Kenyan climber who died on Mt Everest last week will remain on the mountain where he died, his family has said. Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui died while on a daring mission to reach the summit of Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.The 40-year-old mountaineer fell into a crevasse just about 48 metres (160 ft) below the 8,849-metre peak, along with his Nepali guide.Kirui’s family said retrieving his body from such a high altitude would be too risky for the rescue team. Climbing Everest, the world’s highest peak, is considered extremely difficult and risky, even for experienced climbers.Kirui was…

The next two biggest earners are VAT, which is paid on many purchases, and National Insurance (NI), which is another tax levied on people’s earnings.The OBR has forecast that VAT will raise £203 billion in 2024/25.However, the government said it expected to raise, external £2.2bn less from NI this year – about £168bn – after the rate of National Insurance was cut from 12% to 10% in January. The tax categories described as “other” – including capital gains tax, stamp duty and vehicle excise duty – are expected to raise £115 billion in this tax year, according to the OBR.The…

The BBC’s News at One is to start broadcasting from a new home in the north west of England. The broadcaster’s flagship lunchtime programme will be live from MediaCity in Salford from Monday.It makes it the first daily network TV news bulletin outside of London. A new studio has been created for the move, which is part of the BBC’s aim to move power and decision-making across the UK to better “reflect, represent and serve” audiences.The News at One has also been an extended to one hour, and will work with Salford-based BBC Breakfast to focus on more human interest…

Trump trial live: Jury begins second day of deliberations in New York – BBC News BreakingBreaking newsClose breaking news SummaryJurors in Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial will continue their deliberations today – the 12 New Yorkers must reach a unanimous verdictYesterday, after deliberating for about four hours, the jury asked to see several pieces of evidence and hear the judge’s instructions againThe court has heard from 22 witnesses over six weeks, including Stormy Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with Trump is at the centre of this caseTrump is accused of concealing a payment made to buy the former adult-film star’s…

6 minutes agoMitchell Labiak,Business reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesBoth Labour and the Conservatives will keep income tax thresholds frozen until 2028 if they win the general election, meaning taxes will rise for many.Both parties intend to stick with the threshold freezes – amounting to an effective tax rise because of pay inflation – introduced in response to Covid, for the next three years.Mr Hunt has said the freeze will end after that. Labour has said it will stick to Tory plans.The Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned this would bring 4.5 million more people into higher income tax thresholds by 2028.It…

24 minutes agoMark Savage,Music CorrespondentGetty ImagesFreddie Mercury, who died in 1991, was Queen’s dynamic and charismatic frontmanSony Music is reportedly in talks to buy the music catalogue of the rock band Queen, including hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga and Another One Bites The Dust.According to Bloomberg, Sony is working with another investor on the transaction, which “could potentially total $1 billion” (£790 million).The BBC understands that negotiations are still under way and may not result in a sale. If it goes ahead, the deal would cover Queen’s songs and all related intellectual property – including the rights to…

Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesUkraine’s north-eastern region of Kharkiv is struggling to repel a Russian offensivePressure is growing on US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use West-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory. A number of US allies this week signalled they were open to this possibility. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has warned of “serious consequences”, especially for what he called “small countries” in Europe.On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington’s stance on the matter would “adapt and adjust” based on changing battlefield conditions. He is currently in the Czech capital, Prague, for a meeting of Nato foreign ministers.White…

Bombshells, blackholes and pledges – this morning’s announcements are part of a fiscal phony war ahead of the release of party manifestos in a fortnight.On tax and spend, at least for now, the main parties are more concerned with what they are not going to do rather than setting out actual plans.They are pointing at the other side trying to box them in.After an exchange of press statements late on Wednesday night, both parties are now committed not to change the main rate of VAT. They had already said the same about the main rates of income tax and National…

1 hour agoMark Savage,Music correspondentGetty ImagesCMAT played at Big Weekend shortly after being nominated for best album at the Ivor Novello AwardsThe Instagram clip showed the Irish star ripping off her shirt to reveal a more tight-fitting outfit during her set on Sunday afternoon.Writing on social media, CMAT said the comments had been turned off “because so many people were calling me fat”.”I didn’t realise it was illegal to have a huge ass!” she wrote.”I am guilty as charged. It is time to lock me up and throw away the key.”By the way, I am an award-winning songwriter that has…

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs says it is working with Ticketmaster after hackers allegedly stole personal details of more than half a billion customers. The ShinyHunters hacking group is reportedly demanding a $500,000 (£400,000) ransom payment to prevent the information being sold to other parties.Australia said it was aware of a breach and was “working with Ticketmaster to understand the incident”.The American website Ticketmaster, one of the largest online ticket sales platforms in the world, has yet to confirm whether it has experienced a security breach.Reports suggest a group of hackers gained access to the names, addresses, phone numbers and…