Angela Merkel rejects criticism over Russia gas deals
BBC Angela Merkel sat down for a rare interview with the BBC’s Katya Adler Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told the BBC the gas deals she made with Russia were intended to help German firms and kept the peace with Moscow, as she insisted the war with Ukraine would have started earlier if she […]
The Rock says people should feel free to sing in cinema
Getty Images Dwayne Johnson has said fans should feel free to sing in the cinema, as he attended the UK premiere of Moana 2. “Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part,” the US star, aka The Rock, told BBC News on the red carpet. Auli’i Cravalho and Johnson are reprising their roles as […]
Modern take on Victorian photography on display in Devon
Abigail Tinnion The photographs were exposed twice to create the idea of ghostly apparitions. A new exhibition of photographs is going on display in Plymouth inspired by Devon folklore and using a technique from the Victorian era. Magic Mirror asked participants to share their creativity to create the images, much like the creation of folk […]
Abused Pelicot family torn apart in public
Reuters Gisèle Pelicot has attended almost all the trial since it began in September At the epicentre of this devastating family drama is Gisèle Pelicot, a diminutive 72-year-old woman, drugged by her former husband and abused for a decade by dozens of strangers he had recruited online. Watching her entering the court in Avignon and […]
What happened when a Canadian city stopped evicting homeless camps
BBC Encampment residents like Andrew Goodsell say Halifax’s skyrocketing rent has made housing unaffordable for many As cities across North America grapple with homelessness, one Canadian city has taken a different approach by regulating tent encampments instead of banning them, as it tries to tackle what one official calls the issue “of the decade”. Andrew […]
Why more Indians are crossing borders illegally to enter the US
AFP Migrants from India share water in the intense heat after walking into the US from Mexico in June In October, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) sent a chartered flight carrying Indian nationals back home, marking a growing trend in deportations to India. This was no ordinary flight – it was one of multiple […]
Nigeria’s fertility scam: ‘Pregnant’ for 15 months
BBC Chioma is adamant that baby Hope is her son Chioma is adamant that Hope, the baby boy she is holding in her arms, is her son. After eight years of failed attempts to conceive, she sees him as her miracle baby. “I’m the owner of my baby,” she says defiantly. She’s sitting next to […]
Wicked film’s box office opening weekend projected to be $114m
Wicked is projected to have the top-grossing opening weekend of any Broadway musical adaptation ever in the UK and Ireland, as well as North America. The adaptation of the hit musical is expected to rake in $114m (£90.6m) on its opening weekend in North America, according to data firm the Boxoffice Company. In the UK […]
Laos backpackers avoid shots after suspected poisonings
BBC reports from outside empty Laos clubs after suspected methanol poisonings As the sun slowly dips behind the jagged peaks of Mount Nam Xay, a group of brightly coloured hot air balloons drift across the Vang Vieng valley. In the river below, young tourists laugh and splash each other from their kayaks. It’s not hard […]
There’s more to JC Stewart than his viral Friends parody
Warner Bros / JC Stewart The singer’s parody song was reposted by Jennifer Aniston Northern Irish singer JC Stewart has been releasing music since 2014 – but it was an inspired moment of lockdown fever that gave him a breakthrough last summer. Bored at home in Magherafelt, the 24-year-old wrote a parody of the Friends […]