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Boat carrying 280 migrants lands in Canary Islands
By Christy Cooney BBC News A small boat carrying 280 migrants has landed in Spain’s Canary Islands. The vessel arrived on the remote island of El Hierro, some 380km (238 miles) off Africa’s western coast, on Tuesday. Rescue workers said those onboard were of sub-Saharan African origin and it was the largest number of migrants…
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Dead soldier suffered relentless sexual harassment
By June Kelly, Naresh Puri and Judith Burns BBC News Home Affairs Team A female teenage soldier is believed to have taken her own life after relentless sexual harassment by one of her bosses, an Army investigation has found. Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire in December…
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Iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio turns pink
The 40-metre (130ft) monument was lit bright pink on Tuesday to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event was organised by Brazilian non-profit organisation Fundacao Laco Rosa, or Pink Bow Foundation, and attended by cancer patients and campaigners.
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How Kevin McCarthy lost political cage fight with arch-enemy Matt Gaetz
By Sam Cabral BBC News, Capitol Hill Matt Gaetz has for weeks been dangling a threat to oust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the US House of Representatives. It was a fight he picked – and one he ultimately won. For the past couple of days, it looked like the media-savvy and sharp-tongued Mr Gaetz…
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US sanctions Chinese firms in crackdown on fentanyl supply chain
By Christy Cooney BBC News The US has announced sanctions on 25 China-based firms and individuals allegedly involved in the production of chemicals used to make fentanyl. Fentanyl, a potent opioid used as a painkiller or sedative, plays a major role in the ongoing US drug crisis. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the chain “often…
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Australian towns battle fire and flood back-to-back
By Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Hours after they were threatened by fire, several Australian towns are preparing for floods. Bushfires have been burning in Victoria’s Gippsland region and New South Wales’ South Coast this week – both areas were also hit hard by Australia’s Black Summer bushfires four years ago. Rain is now offering…
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The primordial hum from the beginning of the Universe
In the first few hundred thousand years after our Universe was born, strange soundwaves ripped through a plasma of superheated particles. Scientists are listening in with the hope of gaining new insights about the mysterious force, dark energy. Before stars or planets, before black holes and white dwarfs, before even atoms or rays of light,…
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Cost of national debt hits 20-year high
The interest the government pays on national debt has reached a 20-year high as the rate on 30-year bonds reaches 5.05%. A rise in the cost of borrowing comes at a difficult time for the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, as he prepares for the autumn statement on 22 November. Mr Hunt has already made clear that…
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‘Skimpflation’: An even sneakier form of shrinkflation
Amid inflation, businesses are cutting services and quality. It’s called skimpflation, and you may not even notice it’s happening. Products on shelves are getting quantifiably smaller, yet you’re paying the same price: a practice known as ‘shrinkflation’. But in addition to shrinking products, businesses are also cutting back on the quality and availability of their…
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House Speaker McCarthy… 9 months in 90 seconds
Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican, faced a few challenges in his shortest-serving tenure as US House speaker in 154 years. In the end, Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz led a group of eight right-wing conservatives to accomplish a goal of his since McCarthy was elected after 15 rounds in January 2023.