Author: BBC

Danny FullbrookBBC News, BedfordshireUniversal Destinations & Experiences/ComcastThe park’s site will be spread over 476 acres on the site of the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks near Bedford (artist’s rendering)The first Universal theme park in Europe will be built in the UK, the government has promised.The attraction is planned for the site of a former brickworks near Bedford and could create an estimated 28,000 jobs before opening in 2031.Universal estimated the 476-acre complex could attract 8.5 million visitors in its first year.Sir Keir Starmer said the multibillion-pound investment by the company would “see Bedford home to one of the biggest entertainment parks…

Tony Smith and Angus CrawfordBBC News InvestigationsBBCJoe Nihill took his own life after learning on the forum how to buy and use a toxic chemicalA pro-suicide forum is under investigation by the UK’s online regulator – its first using new powers under the Online Safety Act.The forum, which Ofcom has not named, is understood to be a site BBC News has been investigating for the last three years, linking it to at least 50 deaths in the UK.The site has tens of thousands of members, including children, and users discuss methods of suicide, sharing instructions about how to buy and…

British Steel is at risk of running out of raw materials within weeks, raising fears over the company’s future.The government is considering nationalising the steel company which has said its two main furnaces are “no longer financially sustainable”, prompting fears the some 2,700 jobs could be lost.Simon Boyd, managing director of REIDsteel, a British Steel customer, told the BBC that government intervention was the “only solution if we want to keep steel making in the UK”.He said the firm’s Chinese-owner Jingye only has “days left to secure the order of materials to prevent the forced closure of the blast furnaces…

Ethan GudgeBBC News, OxfordWarner BrosJack Black (left) and Jason Momoa (centre) star in A Minecraft MovieA cinema has told customers to behave during showings of A Minecraft Movie after rowdy behaviour at other screenings went viral on social media.A sign displayed at Cineworld in Witney, Oxfordshire, has warned people any form of anti-social behaviour would see them removed without a refund.The film, which received underwhelming reviews from critics, made an estimated $300m (£233m) globally at the box office on its opening weekend.Its popularity has spread online, with videos of young audience members shouting responses and celebrating the appearance of different…

Priti GuptaTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesIndia’s trainer market is attractive for overseas firmsIt’s likely that you have not heard of Taiwan’s Hong Fu Industrial Group, but look down on a busy street and you may well see its products.Hong Fu is the world’s second-biggest maker of trainers (sneakers) supplying shoes to Nike, Converse, Adidas, Puma and many others. It makes around 200 million pairs of sports shoes a year.So when it made a big investment in India’s market, the footwear industry took note. Hong Fu is currently building a giant plant in Panapakkam, in the state of Tamil Nadu in south eastern…

Liam BarnesBBC News, NottinghamYouTubeJonathan Peter Brooks was arrested on the day of the stabbing and appeared in court days later – but has only just been convictedMore than four years after he stabbed his colleague, plastic surgeon Jonathan Peter Brooks has been found guilty of attempted murder.On Monday, the 61-year-old was convicted over the 14 January 2021 attack on Graeme Perks in Halam, Nottinghamshire, which a court in Loughborough heard could easily have been fatal. It can now be reported that Brooks was never seen by the jury, repeatedly refusing to engage with the trial. In a legal saga stretching…

Donald Trump has threatened China with an extra 50% tariff on goods imported into the US if it does not withdraw its 34% counter-tariff, as global markets continue to fall.Beijing retaliated on Sunday, following last week’s decision by Trump to slap a 34% tax on Chinese imports as part of his “Liberation Day” that set a minimum 10% levy on nearly all of America’s trading partners.In a social media post on Monday, Trump gave China until Tuesday to scrap its countermeasure or face the 50% tax.China’s commerce ministry labelled the additional levy as “a mistake on top of a mistake”…

Mark SavageMusic CorrespondentGetty ImagesAmadou Bagayoko learned guitar by studying British bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink FloydThousands of people gathered in Mali on Sunday for the funeral of musician Amadou Bagayoko, of the world-renowned duo Amadou & Mariam.Friends, relatives, fans and fellow artists flocked to the ceremony in the capital, Bamako – including musician Salif Keita and former prime minister Moussa Mara.One of the most successful African musical acts of the 2000s, husband and wife duo Amadou & Mariam achieved global fame by combining West African influences with rhythm and blues.Their breakthrough album, 2004’s Dimanche à Bamako, sold half a…

Angus Crawford and Tony SmithBBC News InvestigationsRUSSELL FAMILYInstagram’s owner Meta and Pinterest have made significant donations to a charity set up in the name of 14-year-old Molly Russell, the BBC understands.Molly, from Harrow in northwest London, took her own life in 2017 after being exposed to a stream of suicide and self-harm content on the two platforms. A coroner concluded the negative effects of online material contributed to her death.The donations are thought to have gone to the Molly Rose Foundation, which campaigns for internet safety. Meta and Pinterest declined to comment.Molly’s family said they had decided not to take…

Jenny ReesHealth correspondent, BBC Wales NewsGetty ImagesThere could be increased levels of intervention to get patients fit for surgery, such as people being asked to lose weight or exercise more, before they are placed on a waiting listMore details on plans to only add people who are “fit and well” to surgery waiting lists and crack down on missed appointments are expected to be revealed on Monday.Health Secretary Jeremy Miles will give a speech to health leaders on the Welsh government’s bid to cut waiting lists by around one quarter by March 2026.Hospital volunteer John Timmons, 70, said he saw…