Author: BBC

Parliament will aim to pass an important bill ahead of the general election to ensure victims of the infected blood scandal are compensated as soon as possible, the government says.Commons leader Penny Mordaunt said there was a “clear desire” to get it done. MPs will consider House of Lords amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill on Friday.The government has already said first payments to victims will be made by the end of the year.Labour has also said it is committed to paying compensation.The sudden announcement of the election, and next week’s planned recess, leaves little time to get new…

47 minutes agoIan Youngs,Entertainment & arts reporterGetty ImagesOscar-nominated documentary maker Morgan Spurlock, best known for his 2004 fast food film Super Size Me, has died at the age of 53.Super Size Me saw Spurlock live on a diet of McDonald’s food for an entire month to test the health impact on his body.It sparked a huge debate and earned him an Oscar nomination for best documentary.He directed more than 20 films and documentaries in total, including 2008’s Where in the World is Osama bin Laden, and the 2013 One Direction tour movie This Is Us.He died of complications from cancer,…

Sudan’s Darfur region is facing a growing risk of genocide as the world’s attention is focused on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, a UN expert warns. “We do have circumstances in which a genocide could be occurring or has occurred,” the UN Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, told BBC’s Newsday programme. She said many civilians were targeted based on their ethnicity in Sudan’s besieged city of El Fasher, where fierce fighting has intensified in recent days. More than 700 deaths have been reported in 10 days by a medical charity in the…

19 minutes agoTom Espiner,Business reporterVennells becomes teary and says ‘I loved the Post Office’Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells has been accused of living in “la-la land” by a lawyer representing sub-postmasters.Speaking at the inquiry into the Horizon scandal, Edward Henry grilled Ms Vennells on how much she knew about remote access to sub-postmasters’ computers.He also pressed Ms Vennells on how fallout from the scandal could have upset the Royal Mail stock market flotation in 2013.She said it would have done, but that she was not involved in the strategy around privatisation.Friday was the third day that Ms Vennells gave…

2 hours agoEmma Grimshaw and PA Media,BBC News, West of EnglandPAJordan’s Iron Man-style arm means he can now grip his scooterA five-year-old boy born without a left hand is believed to have become the youngest in the world to receive a bionic hero arm.Jordan’s life-changing Iron Man-style arm was an “instant confidence boost” for him, his mother Ashley Marotta said.The custom-made, 3D-printed prosthetic was produced by Bristol-based Open Bionics for Jordan, from Long Island in New York.“As a mum, you just want your child to be happy, and he is generally happy and resilient, but after getting the Hero Arm…

1 hour agoIan Youngs,Entertainment & arts reporterGetty ImagesCharlotte Church pictured addressing a pro-Palestinian rally in London in MarchCharlotte Church and Nish Kumar have become the latest speakers to withdraw from the Hay literary festival in protest at a sponsor’s links to Israel and fossil fuel companies.The pair had been due to be among the hundreds of personalities appearing at the prestigious book event in Wales, which began on Thursday.They have pulled out in support of a campaign against one of the event’s mains sponsors, Baillie Gifford, an investment management firm.The festival said it would “continue to engage with Baillie Gifford…

A French policeman has killed a protester in France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia. Seven people have now died in a week of violence sparked by controversial voting reforms.Prosecutor Yves Dupas, in New Caledonia’s capital Nouméa, said the officer came under attack from demonstrators and fired his weapon on Friday. The death comes a day after a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron who said he would seek a new political agreement on the reforms.The officer, who is now in custody, used his gun as he and a colleague were attacked by about 15 people, Mr Dupas said.The protester killed…

The Conservatives’ promise to abolish no-fault evictions before the election will not now happen. The Renters (Reform) Bill, which would ban landlords from evicting tenants without a reason, will not become law before parliament is shut down on Friday.Rishi Sunak’s flagship bill to eventually ban smoking will also be shelved. Legislation is being rushed through as Friday is the last day MPs will sit in Parliament before the election.A separate government bill to reform leaseholds will be debated in the House of Lords on Friday. Labour sources have indicated that while they want to strengthen the bill, they are prepared…

21 hours agoJoanna Morris,BBC News, North East and CumbriaMiddlesbrough CouncilNitazenes, which are more potent than heroin, have been found in illegal vapes used by childrenA child has been treated for an opiate overdose after using a “potentially fatal” black market vape, health officials have said.Vapes laced with illegal drugs like Spice and nitazenes have led to children in Teesside needing urgent medical attention, Middlesbrough Council warned.One young person needed immediate treatment with Naloxone, a medication used to treat opiate overdoses, after inhaling from an illicit device.The joint director of public health for the South Tees area, Mark Adams, said: “The…

10 minutes agoRumeana Jahangir,BBC NewsPAGeorge Harrison was born at 12 Arnold Grove on 25 February 1943A blue plaque commemorating the life of Beatles legend George Harrison has been unveiled at his childhood home.His widow Olivia Harrison, who revealed the tribute at the house in Arnold Grove, Liverpool, said it was “a source of family pride”.Harrison lived at the terraced house in the Wavertree district of the city until he was seven.The plaque is one of the first official English Heritage blue plaques to be put on a property outside London.PA MediaGeorge Harrison (second from left) was the youngest of The…