International News

Ukrainian group Antytila have teamed up with Ed Sheeran, releasing a new song partly filmed and recorded while serving in the war against Russia. Antytila are one of the biggest musical acts in Ukraine but stopped working to join the military. Proceeds from the song, released on Monday, will go to help the people of Ukraine. "Ed feels that pain, compassion and sympathy for Ukrainian people," lead singer Taras Topolya told the BBC. He said the lyrics were created while he was serving ...

Shoppers who prefer using cash will not be able to spend paper £20 and £50 notes in six months time. This is because the Bank of England has said that the paper notes will become void. The central bank has said the deadline to use paper notes is September 30, 2022. This is because they will be permanently replaced with the polymer versions that were released into circulation some years ago. You will still be allowed to exchange their £20 and £50 notes after the Sept...

Streaming services are set to be regulated by Ofcom for the first time, under new government proposals. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and other streamers will be given new rules that will bring them in line with traditional broadcasters. The culture secretary said the move would protect audiences from harmful material. The government also reiterated its intention to proceed with the privatisation of Channel 4. The broadcasting reforms have been set out in a White Paper - a policy d...

The Queen is celebrating her 96th birthday on Thursday in Sandringham. Britain's longest-reigning monarch travelled by helicopter to her Norfolk estate, where she is being joined by family and friends. She is thought to be staying in a cottage particularly liked by her late husband, Prince Philip. A photograph has been released to mark the birthday, showing the Queen with two ponies and reflecting her lifelong interest in horses. The picture was taken at Windsor Castle, where the...

People using self-driving cars will be allowed to watch television on built-in screens under proposed updates to the Highway Code. The changes will say drivers must be ready to take back control of vehicles when prompted, the government said. The first use of self-driving technology is likely to be when travelling at slow speeds on motorways, such as in congested traffic. However, using mobile phones while driving will remain illegal. No self-driving cars are currently allowed on UK roads,...

Homebuyers and those looking to remortgage were this week being urged to act fast if they want to lock in a competitive home loan deal. Many banks and building societies have been pulling their mortgage deals or repricing them upwards, often at very short notice, as they grapple with rising interest rates and inflation, and the wider economic volatility. Many economists reckon the news this week that inflation has hit 7% puts more pressure on the Bank of England to hike interest rates rapi...

A veteran quizzer became the oldest female BBC Mastermind champion when she triumphed in the show at the age of 66. Alice Walker, from Derbyshire, scored a perfect 14 out of 14 in her specialist subject, the Peak District. Ms Walker - who won by six points in the grand final - was cheered on by a performance from the Morris dancing troupe she belongs to during the show, which aired on BBC Two on Monday. The now 67-year-old said it was a "shock" to win. "I applied for Mastermind after...

The “self-contained apartment” overlooks Harrods in London’s most exclusive postcode but at 88sq ft is smaller than the average car parking space A flat opposite Harrods department store in the heart of Knightsbridge has come on the market for just £175,000 — but there is a catch. The ‘self-contained flat’ is in actual fact a single 88sq ft (8.1m2) room which, according to a floor plan posted alongside the listing, has no bathroom, toilet, or kitch...