Author: BBC

Musical icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first black African performer to be selected for a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.Kidjo, who comes from the West African country of Benin and has won five Grammy awards, was among the 35 names announced as part of the Walk of Fame’s class of 2026 list.The 64-year-old was hailed as Africa’s “premier diva” during a press conference announcing the list on Wednesday.Singer Miley Cyrus, actor Timothée Chalamet, actress Demi Moore and former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal are also among those set to be honoured with a star on Los Angeles’…

Graham Fraser & Imran Rahman-JonesTechnology reportersBrittany WatsonBrittany Watson started the petition calling for Meta to answer for banning people’s accountsFacebook and Instagram users have been contacting the BBC complaining about having their accounts arbitrarily banned, and struggling to get them reinstated.Last week Meta – which owns the platforms – acknowledged a “technical error” which it said was causing the wrongful suspension of some Facebook Groups.Since then, people who use what is the world’s biggest social media company have been getting in touch with the BBC to describe the impact it is having on them – and say the problem goes…

BBCKaylie Bailey contracted botulism after being given illegal BotoxAn aesthetic beautician left one woman fighting for her life and several others seriously ill in hospital after injecting them with Toxpia, an illegal Botox-type anti-wrinkle treatment. As the BBC names the woman behind the jabs, two of her victims share their stories.The patch over Kaylie Bailey’s left eye is a daily reminder of when her beauty treatment nearly killed her.The 36-year-old mum-of-three from Peterlee, County Durham, had paid Gemma Gray £75 for three “Botox” injections, half of what it had cost on a previous visit – the bargain turned out to…

Karen HogganBusiness ReporterGetty ImagesThe cost of government borrowing has fallen in early trade, partly reversing a surge prompted by the chancellor’s emotional appearance in the Commons the previous day.The yield on UK 10-year bonds fell to 4.52%, down from 4.61% at Wednesday’s close – as markets reacted to the prime minister’s comments that he worked “in lockstep” with Rachel Reeves.The pound, which also fell on Wednesday, rose to $1.3668, although it has not regained all the ground it lost. One analyst told the BBC that financial markets seemed to be backing the chancellor, afraid that if she left her job…

Vanessa PearceBBC News, West MidlandsGetty ImagesGeezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne formed Earth, later renamed Black Sabbath, in 1968With Black Sabbath’s final concert just days away, metal bands and musicians explain how the band influenced the course of their lives – and paved the way for a new generation of artists.”Sabbath gave us the blueprint, Sabbath gave us the recipe. They gave us the cookbook, man,” says Slipknot’s Corey Taylor.”The mystique was in the lyrics. It was in the sound. It was in the way that everything was just a little darker.”The song that shares the band’s name…

Tabby WilsonBBC News, SydneyReutersThe airline says there will be no impact to Qantas’ operationsQantas is contacting customers after a cyber attack targeted their third-party customer service platform.On 30 June, the Australian airline detected “unusual activity” on a platform used by its contact centre to store the data of six million people, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers.Upon detection of the breach, Qantas took “immediate steps and contained the system”, according to a statement.The company is still investigating the full extent of the breach, but says it is expecting the proportion of data stolen to…

Catherine SnowdonHealth reporterGetty ImagesBabies born to fathers over the age of 60 went up by 14.2% in 2024 compared with the year before, official figures show. Of 594,677 live births in England and Wales last year, 1,076 babies had dads over 60, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Total births in England in 2024 rose slightly for the first time since 2021. Births where one or both parents were born outside of the UK also increased in both England and Wales.The ONS said the increase in the number of babies born to older dads was “notable”.A number of celebrities…

Faarea MasudBusiness reporter, BBC NewsPA MediaIssues at an electrical substation which caused a fire that resulted in Heathrow Airport closing were first detected seven years ago but not fixed, a report has found.The investigation found that National Grid, which owns the substation, had been aware of a fault since 2018.The report details numerous opportunities to identify issues at the substation, but found maintenance was repeatedly deferred.Heathrow shut down as a result of the power cut, which led to thousands of cancelled flights and stranded passengers. Energy watchdog Ofgem has launched an investigation into National Grid following the report’s findings, which…

The wait is over, K-pop fans – BTS are back. The South Korean band confirmed their highly-anticipated comeback on Tuesday, scheduling a new album and tour for next year.Announcing the news during their first live stream since all band members completed their mandatory military service, the seven-strong group said they would head to the US later this month to begin working on new music. “Hey guys, we are back,” Jimin said, with the group adding that their album would be released in spring 2026.”We’re also planning a world tour alongside the album. We’ll be visiting fans all around the world,…

Tech platforms could be forced to prevent illegal content from going viral and limit the ability for people to send virtual gifts to or record a child’s livestream, under more online safety measures proposed by Ofcom.The UK regulator published a consultation on Monday seeking views on further protections to keep citizens, particularly children, safer online.These could also include making some larger platforms assess whether they need to proactively detect terrorist material under further online safety measures.Oliver Griffiths, online safety group director at Ofcom, said its proposed measures seek to build on existing UK online safety rules but keep up with…