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Russia hikes interest rates after rouble slides
Getty Images By Michael Race Business reporter, BBC News Russia has hiked interest rates to 12% after the rouble fell to its lowest value in 16 months. The rouble fell past 100 per US dollar on Monday, prompting Russia’s central bank to hold an emergency meeting. The Bank of Russia said it decided to raise…
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Couple ‘horrified’ at £110 Ryanair ticket print fee
Getty Images By Noor Nanji & Faarea Masud Business reporters, BBC News An elderly couple have said they were “horrified” after being charged £110 by Ryanair to print their tickets at the airport. Ruth and Peter Jaffe told the BBC they had to pay the fees after mistakenly downloading their return tickets instead of their…
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Ukraine war: Three killed after blasts in Volyn and Lviv
Reuters By James Waterhouse, Ukraine correspondent & Malu Cursino in Kyiv and London Three people have been killed by Russian missile attacks in the Volyn region of north-western Ukraine, the regional governor has said. Many were wounded and some were in hospital in the city of Lutsk, Yuriy Poguliaiko said. Air strikes also damaged buildings…
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Muddy floodwater rips through Italian town’s riverbank
Over a hundred people have been displaced after the Merdovine River unexpectedly burst its banks, covering the town of Bardonecchia in thick mud. The flood was likely triggered when heavy rain caused a mountain stream to overflow, leading to a landslide. There were no deaths or missing people, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Monday.…
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Lancashire and Carolina pen pals meet for first time in 70 years
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Sam Nanda BBC News A pair of 80-year-old pen pals who have been writing to each other since 1955 have finally fulfilled their “lifelong wish” to meet in person. Patsy Gregory, from Hoghton in Lancashire, travelled…
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China drops youth jobless data as economy falters
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock By Mariko Oi & Nick Marsh BBC News China has stopped releasing youth unemployment figures, which were seen by some as a key indication of the country’s slowdown. The decision is due to changes in the world’s second largest economy and its society, a government spokesman said. In June, China’s jobless rate for 16…
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Rubik’s cubers battle it out at world championship
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the Rubik’s Cube World Championships in Seoul, South Korea. It’s the final day of the competition, in which hundreds of “speedcubers” are competing across 17 events. These range from competing to solve the classic cube in the shortest time, to tackling it blindfolded or one-handed, to cracking other…
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Donald Trump election probe court files criminal charges
Reuters By Kayla Epstein & Madeline Halpert Reporting from court A Georgia court investigating former US President Donald Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss has filed criminal charges, though it is unclear if he has been indicted. A clerk at the Fulton County court said the grand jury had returned 10 indictments…
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Japan economy grows much faster than expected
Getty Images By Mariko Oi Business reporter Japan’s economy grew much faster than expected in the three months to the end of June as the country’s weak currency boosted exports. The world’s third largest economy saw its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rise by an annualised 6% in the period. It is about twice the rate…
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Michael Oher, subject of The Blind Side, alleges ‘adoptive parents’ tricked him
Getty Images By Sam Cabral BBC News A retired American football star whose rags-to-riches tale was adapted into an Oscar-winning Hollywood film has alleged the story is built on lies. In 2009 movie The Blind Side, Michael Oher, a foster child in Tennessee, is adopted by a wealthy white couple and blooms into a star…