Month: July 2023

John Miller By Charley Adams BBC News Tourists have been left in limbo after wildfires spreading across the Greek island of Rhodes forced thousands to flee their hotels. One family has resorted to sleeping on mattresses on the floor in a hotel conference room, while others are desperately searching for alternative accommodation. More than 3,500

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Siobhan Toman & Rozina Sini BBC News Thousands of people have been evacuated from homes and hotels on the island of Rhodes, according to Greece’s fire service. Private boats have joined the Greek coastguard in helping

By Georgina Rannard, Erwan Rivault, Jana Tauschinski BBC Climate reporter & Data Team A series of climate records on temperature, ocean heat, and Antarctic sea ice have alarmed some scientists who say their speed and timing is “unprecedented”. Dangerous heatwaves sweeping Europe could break further records, according to the UN. It is hard to immediately

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Sam Francis Political reporter, BBC News Sir Keir Starmer says Labour can now win anywhere – but Rishi Sunak insists his party is still in the game after three very different by-elections. Labour secured a massive

PA Media The Conservatives have suffered a heavy defeat in the Somerton and Frome by-election but narrowly held on to Boris Johnson’s old Uxbridge seat. The Lib Dems overturned a majority of more than 19,000, with a 29% swing to secure victory in the Somerset seat. But the Tories managed to fend off a challenge

Getty Images Banking boss Dame Alison Rose has apologised to Nigel Farage for “deeply inappropriate” comments made about him in a report on his suitability as a Coutts customer. In a letter to Mr Farage, NatWest’s CEO said the comments did not reflect the bank’s view. UKIP’s ex-leader said his account was closed for political

Reuters By Neil Johnston in Auckland and Emily McGarvey in London BBC Sport and BBC News A shooting has left two people dead in the centre of Auckland, New Zealand, hours before the city is due to open the Fifa Women’s World Cup. Six other people, including police officers, were injured and the gunman is

Reuters By Paul Kirby BBC News Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast have destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain and damaged storage infrastructure, officials say. Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said a “considerable amount” of export infrastructure was out of operation. Russia has pulled out of an international grain deal in place since last summer,

Science Photo Library By Ruth Green, Jonathan Fagg & Dominic Hughes BBC News Children in some areas of England are waiting up to 18 months on average for dental general-anaesthetic treatment and teeth extractions, an investigation reveals. Some have been left with prolonged dental pain, according to information shared with BBC News. The parents of

By Susie Rack BBC News, West Midlands A mother who was jailed for illegally taking abortion tablets to end her pregnancy during lockdown will be released from prison after the Court of Appeal reduced her sentence. Carla Foster, 45, admitted illegally procuring her own abortion when she was between 32 and 34 weeks pregnant. A

By Noor Nanji, Zoe Conway & Ellie Layhe BBC News A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonald’s. The BBC was told that workers, some as young as 17, are being groped and harassed

Getty Images By Fergus Walsh and Michelle Roberts BBC News A new drug donanemab is being hailed as a turning point in the fight against Alzheimer’s, after a global trial confirms it slows cognitive decline. The antibody medicine helps in the early stages of the disease by clearing a protein that builds up in the

Getty Images By Becky Morton Political reporter Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to crack down on “rip-off” degrees that do not lead to graduate jobs. Under plans due to be announced later, universities in England will be forced to limit the number of students they recruit onto underperforming courses. But Labour said the move

Jeff Overs/BBC By Becky Morton & Laura Kuenssberg BBC News Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether a Labour government would spend more money on public services. The Labour leader told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg his party would always invest in public services but to do this it needed to grow the

Reuters By Nadine Yousif BBC News A blistering US heatwave is forecast to intensify this weekend, with warnings issued across the south-west. Heat advisories late on Friday affected at least 113 million Americans, from Florida to Texas to California, up to the north-western state of Washington. Air conditioner use in Texas has topped the state’s

VoenTV/Belarusian Defence Ministry via Reuters By Jaroslav Lukiv BBC News Ukraine’s border guard service has confirmed that Wagner mercenaries have now arrived in Belarus from neighbouring Russia. The DPSU says it is assessing how many “militants” are in Belarus, which also shares a border with Ukraine, as well as their exact location and goals. One