Innovation

Young Elvis impersonator to perform at Graceland

by Daniel
written by Daniel

A 12-year-old Elvis impersonator has been invited to perform at the singer's iconic home in the US.

Cooper from Paignton in Devon has been given three slots for his Elvis tribute act at Graceland in Memphis in August after the promoters saw his videos.

The great pretender told BBC Radio Devon he had been impersonating the king of rock and roll since he was five years old after he saw an Elvis video and "fell in love".

He said: "It's the moves, the hair, his looks, his style, everything really, that makes me want to look like, act and sing like him."

Cooper said "the Elvis world was a great world"

Cooper has been performing his tribute act for the past five years in care homes, hotels and other small venues across the UK.

After his agent sent videos to the Graceland team he was chosen to take part in three shows at the singer's former mansion and has signed a contract with Elvis Presley Enterprises.

His mother Kelly said she was "so, so proud".

She said: "I'm pretty speechless most of the time, especially when I see him on stage.

"I'm like 'where did he get this confidence from?'"

Cooper said: "The Elvis world is a great world and I just want to win as many competitions as I can and tour the world as Elvis."

Market

Council sells former chalk pit for redevelopment

by Claire
written by Claire

A former chalk pit depot in Surrey has been sold off and could become a housing development.

Seven homes could be built on the site in Chalk Pit Lane, in Great Bookham, after it was sold by Surrey County Council on Tuesday.

The site has long been vacant but was most recently used in autumn 2024 as a temporary store for the council's highway winter fleet vehicles.

No planning applications have yet been submitted and any development would first require planning permission, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Clare Curran said she thought people would support the site being released for redevelopment.

"It will be good to see it come to positive use," she added.

Funds from selling the 0.82 acre site will be put back into the council's pot to support its programme for building and infrastructure.

It also means the council no longer needs to spend money on maintaining the site.

Economy

Tariffs court fight threatens Trump's power to wield his favourite economic weapon

by Allison
written by Allison

Since returning to power, US President Donald Trump has wielded tariffs – or the threat of them – as his economic weapon of choice.

He has slapped import duties against allies and adversaries alike, and raised their rates to staggeringly high levels, only to change his mind and abruptly pause or reduce the charges.

Markets and global leaders have scrambled trying to guess his next moves, while major retailers have warned of rising prices for American consumers and potentially empty shelves in shops.

The president has claimed this power to impose tariffs unilaterally. He says that as president he is responding to a national economic emergency – and he cannot wait for Congress to pass legislation.

In effect, this meant firing off a threatening missive to a country playing hardball was as easy as posting on Truth Social (just ask the European Union, which he called "very difficult to deal with" in negotiations last week).

However, late on Wednesday, the US Court of International Trade ruled that he had exceeded the authority of the emergency powers he was using. The court gave the White House 10 days to remove almost all tariffs, which it says have been imposed illegally.

The White House appealed, and a federal appeals court has stayed the trade court's ruling, which means that those tariffs will stay in place – for now.

The administration argued in its appeal that a ruling against Trump "would kneecap the president on the world stage, cripple his ability to negotiate trade deals, imperil the government's ability to respond to these and future national emergencies".

On Thursday night, Trump was back on Truth Social, rebuking the lower court judges who had ruled against him, calling their decision "wrong" and "horrible".

  • Trump tariffs can stay in place for now, appeals court rules
  • What tariffs has Trump announced and why?
  • Simon Jack: Tariff ruling doesn't really change US-UK deal
  • Where does court ruling leave Trump's tariff agenda?

Until now, the power to make or break the economy has rested on his shoulders, as the tariff rates levelled against other countries keep going up and down – seemingly according to Trump's mood.

He raised the tariffs on imported Chinese goods all the way up to 145% before dropping them down to 30%. A few weeks later he used a social media post to threaten the EU with 50% tariffs, before backing down a couple of days later.

Wall Street analysts have even reportedly now coined the phrase "Taco trade", referring to their belief that Trump Always Chickens Out from imposing steep import taxes. He looked furious when asked about the acronym in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

"That's a nasty question" he said, arguing that it was only by making these threats that he got the EU to the negotiating table.

Watch: Trump slams "Taco" acronym given to tariff flip-flops

Trump's ambassador to the EU during his first term, Gordon Sondland, told the BBC this erratic approach was by design.

"What Trump is doing is exactly what he would do as a business person. He would immediately find a point of leverage to get someone's attention today. Not next month, not next year… he wants to have these conversations now," he said earlier this week, before the latest legal twists.

"How do you get someone as intransigent and as slow moving as the EU to do something now? You slap a 50% tariff on them and all of a sudden the phone start ringing."

If Trump's tariffs plan continues to meet resistance in the courts, one option at his disposal is asking Congress to legislate the taxes instead. But that would eliminate one of his biggest tools – the element of surprise.

For decades, Trump has been convinced that trade tariffs are the answer to many of America's economic problems. He has appeared to welcome the prospect of global trade war sparked by his tariff agenda, insisting that it is by raising the price of imported goods and reviving the US manufacturing sector that he will "Make America Great Again".

Trump touts the money – billions of dollars, not trillions, as he says – that tariffs have already brought in to US government coffers.

The president argues they will help to revive American manufacturing by persuading firms to move their factories to the US to avoid import duties.

However, University of Michigan economics professor Justin Wolfers described Trump's methods as "madness".

"If you believe in tariffs, what you want is for businesses to understand that the tariffs are going to… be permanent so that they can make investments around that and that's what would lead the factories to come to the United States," he told the BBC.

Watch: Trump tariff agenda "alive and well", says Trump adviser Peter Navarro

He said that whatever happens with this court challenge, Trump has already transformed the global economic order.

Prof Wolfers said while Trump "chickens out from the very worst mistakes" – citing his original 'Liberation Day' levies and the threat of 50% tariffs on the EU – he doesn't backflip on everything.

The president wants to keep 10% reciprocal tariffs on most countries and 25% tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium.

"Yes, he backs off the madness, but even the stuff he left in meant that we had the highest tariff rate yesterday than we'd had since 1934," Prof Wolfers said.

All signs point to this being a fight that the Republican president won't give up easily.

"You can assume that even if we lose, we will do it another way," Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro said after Thursday's appeals court ruling.

While the litigation plays out, America's trade partners will be left guessing about Trump's next move, which is exactly how he likes it.

Innovation

Woman in hospital after suspected XL bully attack

by Megan
written by Megan

A woman in her 40s is in hospital with life-changing injuries after a suspected XL Bully attack.

Avon and Somerset Police said the woman was bitten by the dog at a home in Sutton Avenue, Bristol, at about 16:15 BST.

The force confirmed the dog – which is thought to be an XL Bully – has been secured inside the home.

Officers used protective shields while entering the address, police said, adding the woman was sent to hospital by ambulance.

Speaking from the scene, BBC reporter Christopher Mace said: "We saw a dog being taken out of the house and into the back of a police vehicle but neighbours told us they believe it was not the dog involved in the incident.

"Police were at the top and bottom of Sutton Avenue when we arrived.

"There were four of five police cars, including forensics, and either family members or friends were gathered outside on the road."

Innovation

'Missed opportunities' to prevent baby's death

by Asher
written by Asher

A baby boy "almost certainly would not have died when he did" if his rare heart condition had been diagnosed, an inquest has found.

Archie Squire suffered heart failure days after his first birthday and died in November 2023 after multiple visits to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.

Speaking after the inquest, Archie's parents Jake Squire and Lauren Parrish said they "do not feel reassured that a baby going through heart failure in the same way Archie had for months would be correctly diagnosed".

Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKH), said the trust was "truly sorry".

  • 'We want to keep Archie's memory alive' – family

Sarah Clarke, area coroner for North East Kent, concluded that there was "no doubt" that an earlier diagnosis of a congenital heart defect would have "altered the outcome" of his care.

The coroner echoed a report by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which highlighted "missed opportunities" that could have prevented his death.

Delivering her conclusion, Ms Clarke recorded Archie's cause of death as heart failure and congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA).

This defect could have been diagnosed by an echocardiogram, which Ms Clarke said was not undertaken despite "many presentations to medical personnel in the weeks and months leading up to his death".

A paediatric cardiac surgeon described the delay as "unacceptable" in his report to the court.

Ms Clarke added: "There is no doubt that earlier recognition and diagnosis of Archie's underlying heart condition would have altered the outcome.

"I am not saying what that outcome would have been. He almost certainly would not have died when he did."

Speaking outside North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone, Mr Squire said: "It has been incredibly difficult to sit and listen to the evidence over the last couple of weeks.

"Archie was a happy baby, but he was not a well baby, and me and Lauren did all that we could during his short life to seek help for him.

"We trusted the doctors and nurses who cared for him to take our concerns seriously and to find out what was wrong.

"To learn after his death that he had such a serious problem with his heart that had not been diagnosed, despite the number of times we took him to hospital, was heartbreaking."

New and more robust systems had been put in place by the trust since Archie's death, Ms Clarke added.

Speaking directly to Archie's family, Ms Clarke praised them as an "absolute credit to each other".

'Mystery child'

The inquest at North East Kent Coroner's Court in Maidstone heard how Archie was reviewed at the A&E and Urgent Care Centre at QEQM Hospital more than 10 times during his life, displaying symptoms including constipation, breathlessness and failure to thrive.

Ms Parrish recalled her son was the labelled a "mystery child" because doctors were not sure what was wrong with him.

Family Handout
Archie Squire died in November 2023 – three days after his first birthday

Archie died in the early hours of 23 November 2023, three days after his first birthday, following two cardiac arrests.

Archie's godmother Nikki Escudier described Archie as a "shining light" whose "laughter, love and joy touched everyone lucky enough to know him".

A paediatrician from East Kent Hospitals previously told the inquest that it was "a surprise" to find that Archie had a cardiac issue as he did not have any signs of heart disease or heart failure in October 2023.

Ms Clarke made no judgement on individual decisions but said there were missed opportunities for a more proactive approach during October, adding a more holistic approach should have been taken.

In a statement on behalf of the trust, Ms Fletcher said: "After meeting with Archie's family, we have made important changes to our service.

"These include one standard process for triage and booking of child referrals, and prioritising the assessment of children referred to us. We will examine further learnings identified through the inquest process.

"Staff across the Trust now receive specialised training to improve how clinical concerns, diagnoses and plans are discussed with families in our care. The training for our children's health team specifically draws on lessons learned from Archie's death."

Global Trade

Iran is reeling from Israel's unprecedented attack – and it is only the start

by Ellie
written by Ellie

Israel's "Operation Rising Lion", as it calls its attack on Iran, is unprecedented. It is vastly more extensive and ambitious than anything that has come before, including the two missile and drone exchanges it had with Iran last year. For Iran, this is the biggest assault on its territory since the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988.

In the darkest hours before dawn the Israeli Air Force targeted not just sites linked to Iran's nuclear programme but also the country's air defences and ballistic missile bases, thereby reducing Iran's ability to retaliate.

On the ground and in the shadows, the network of operatives working for Mossad, Israel's overseas intelligence agency, reportedly helped to pinpoint the exact location of key figures in both the military command and nuclear scientists.

Those killed overnight include the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the guardians of the Islamic Revolution that overthrew the Shah's regime in 1979, as well as the head of the mainstream armed forces and the head of the IRGC air force. Iran says at least six of its scientists have been killed.

Once again, Israel's spy agency is shown to have successfully penetrated the very heart of Iran's security establishment, proving that no one there is safe.

Getty Images
There will be many more potential targets on Israel's hitlist, although some may be beyond its reach

Iran's state TV reported that 78 people were killed and said that civilians, including children, were among the dead. (This is an unofficial figure and has not been independently verified.)

Mossad was reportedly able to launch drones from inside Iran as part of this attack. The primary targets of this whole operation have been the nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz and bases belonging to the IRGC. For Israeli military planners, this has been a long time coming.

Iran is reeling and this may be only the first wave. There will be many more potential targets on Israel's hitlist, although some may be beyond its reach, buried deep underground in reinforced bases beneath solid rock.

So what has led to this attack by Israel and why now?

Curbing Iran's nuclear programme

Israel, and several Western countries, suspect that Iran has been secretly working towards what is called "breakout capability", meaning the point of no return in developing a viable nuclear weapon.

Iran denies this and has always insisted that its civil nuclear programme – which has received help from Russia – is for entirely peaceful purposes.

For more than a decade Israel has been trying, with varying degrees of success, to slow down and set back Iran's nuclear progress. Iranian scientists have been mysteriously assassinated by unknown assailants, the military head of the nuclear programme, Brig-Gen Fakhrizadeh was killed by a remote-controlled machine-gun on a lonely road near Tehran in 2020.

Before that, US and Israeli cyber sleuths were able to insert a devastating computer virus, codenamed Stuxnet, into Iran's centrifuges, which caused them to spin out of control.

Getty Images
Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the country's armed forces (pictured left) was among those killed

This week the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), found Iran to be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations and threatened to refer it to the UN Security Council.

Many of the concerns over Iran's nuclear programme arise from its stockpiling of highly enriched uranium (HEU) that has been enriched up to 60 per cent, far beyond the level needed to generate civil nuclear power and a relatively short hop to the level needed to start building a bomb.

There was a deal to curb Iran's nuclear programme. It was concluded in 2015 during the Obama presidency, but Donald Trump called it "the worst deal in the world" and when he got into the White House he pulled the US out of it. The following year Iran stopped complying with it.

Nobody outside Iran wants the Islamic Republic to possess the nuclear bomb. Israel, a small country with much of its 9.5 million-strong population concentrated in urban areas, views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat.

It points to the numerous statements by senior Iranian figures calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states don't much care for Iran's revolutionary Islamic Republic regime but they have learned to live with it as a neighbour.

Getty Images
Mossad was reportedly able to launch drones from inside Iran as part of the attack

They will now be extremely nervous about the risks of this conflict spreading to their own shores.

For Israel, the timing was crucial. Iran has already been weakened by the effective defeat or elimination of its proxies and allies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. Its air defences were heavily compromised after last October's attacks by Israel.

There is a sympathetic president in the White House and lastly, Israel reportedly feared that some of Iran's key uranium enrichment equipment was about to be moved deep underground.

Where does this go from here?

It is clear what Israel wants by this operation: it is aiming to, at the very least, set back Iran's nuclear programme by years. Preferably it would like to halt it altogether.

There will also be many in Israel's military, political and intelligence circles who will be hoping that this operation could even so weaken Iran's leadership that it collapses altogether, ushering in a more benign regime that no longer poses a threat in the region. That may be wishful thinking on their part.

President Trump said on Friday that Iran had "a second chance" to agree to a deal. A sixth round of US-Iran negotiations was due to take place in Muscat on Sunday but Israel does not set much store by these talks.

Getty Images
For Israel the timing was crucial, says Frank Gardner. Among other things, there is a sympathetic president in the White House

Just as Russia is accused of stringing along Trump over peace talks with Ukraine, Israel believes Iran is doing the same here.

Israel believes this is its best and possibly last chance to kill off Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme.

"Israel's unprecedented strikes across Iran overnight were designed to kill President Trump's chances of striking a deal to contain the Iranian nuclear programme," says Ellie Geranmayeh, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

"It is clear their [the attacks] timing and large-scale nature was intended to completely derail talks."

Industry

Investigation after man stabbed in city centre

by Angela
written by Angela

A police investigation is under way after a man was stabbed in Nottingham city centre.

A man in his 30s was attacked in Market Street at about 11:50 BST on Monday, and was taken to hospital with injuries that were "not thought to be life-altering or life-threatening", according to Nottinghamshire Police.

Police put a cordon in place at about 12:00 and the road was closed, causing disruption to tram and bus services.

Ch Insp Neil Humphris said: "This was an appalling act of violence carried out in full view of members of the public."

"A team of detectives is now working to understand exactly what happened in the moments before, during and after this incident," Ch Insp Humphris added.

"To this end they want to hear from anyone who saw or heard any part of what happened.

"We understand the concern incidents of this nature can cause and people should expect to see an increased police presence while we investigate the circumstances."

Tram operator Nottingham Express Transit (NET) confirmed at 13:40 that it was running a full service once again.

Nottingham City Transport confirmed buses were back to normal routes following the closure, but advised passengers of possible delays.

Innovation

I felt like a burden as I figured out my sexuality

by Paisley
written by Paisley

A reality TV star has opened up about how figuring out his sexuality made him feel "like a burden in the world".

"I used to hold everything to my chest and show a fake face and a smile [while] inside I was crumbling," said Jake Devline-Reed, 29, from Swansea, who was a contestant on BBC Three's I Kissed a Boy in 2023.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or a minority sexual orientation are more than twice as at risk of self-harm and suicide than heterosexual people.

Mr Devline-Reed has teamed up with not-for-profit men's mental health organisation Helpu to launch a new online support group to help gay and bisexual men across Wales.

"When I was in school, I used to get bullied for being chubby and my lisp, my dyslexia, and I got bullied when my dad passed away," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"I struggled with my own mental health as a kid, finding healthy ways to manage my insecurities with gardening, walking, hiking, stuff like that.

"School is a bit brutal, especially when you're hitting puberty, not knowing what's happening next and not knowing your own sexuality as well.

"At one point, I reached that dark path where I felt like a burden in the world, felt like I didn't belong."

Industry

Beach electricity cable plans approved

by Kevin
written by Kevin

Highly controversial plans to bring an electricity cable from an offshore wind farm onshore at a Devon beach have been approved.

White Cross offshore windfarm wants to put seven floating turbines about 30 miles (52km) off the north Devon coast and plans to bring a power cable onshore at Saunton Sands, then under Braunton Burrows and across the Taw Estuary to connect to a new electricity substation.

More than 1,800 people objected to the plans.

Councillors at the North Devon Council planning meeting held at Barnstaple Rugby Club were won over by the developers' argument that the project would create new jobs and bring renewable energy to the region.

Protesters came to the planning meeting to try to stop the cable plans

Objectors cited concerns about the impact on tourism, on the environment and about high numbers of heavy goods vehicles.

About 100 members of the public came to the meeting with the vast majority against the plans.

Lucie Tamlyn, from Saunton Beach Villas, said there would be a huge impact on tourism.

She said: "We can't see how we would continue to attract guests during these works."

Helen Cooper, who has led a campaign to oppose the plans, said she was "bitterly disappointed but not surprised".

The electricity cable will be brought onshore at the north end of Saunton Sands under the plans

Leading figures from business and education spoke in favour of the application at the meeting held at Barnstaple Rugby Club.

Paul Coles, CEO of the South West Business Council, told councillors they should be excited about the opportunity and said: "Let's play a real part in delivering renewable energy in our region."

Bill Blythe, vice principal of Petroc College, described the project as "an investment in renewable energy and in the future of our students".

He said the scheme would bring "high quality jobs while preserving what makes our region special".

Al Rayner, the project director for White Cross, promised his company would "inject £153m into the local economy" and it was an "enormous" opportunity.

Global Trade

Plans submitted for 101 home development

by Jennifer
written by Jennifer

New plans have been submitted for a major high street development providing homes, a village square and shops.

Developer London Square wants to build 101 homes in Ascot, with space for businesses, community use and a park, south of High Street and east of the town's fire station.

A previous set of plans for 132 homes were dropped by the developer just days before they were set for refusal by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

Council officers argued the previous plans did not include enough affordable housing and had an "unnecessary reliance" on private cars.

Currently, the land is close to Ascot railway station and is being used as a car park for the racecourse.

New plans have reduced the number of homes and said 40% will be affordable, which complies with council standards.

These would be 29 homes and 72 apartments, including 33 one-bedroom apartments, 29 two-bedroom apartments, 10 three-bedroom apartments, 16 three-bedroom homes and 13 four-bedroom homes.

Each apartment would have a private balcony, communal terrace or garden, with all homes provided with a private garden plus 135 car parking spaces.

A village green will make up 26% of the total land.

Along with the homes and green space, 960m sq of floor space would be provided, which could be used for offices, shops, restaurants and cafes.

Ricardo Rossetti from London Square said: "We hope that the quality of the updated application will be well received and assist in meeting long standing objectives to bring positive benefits to Ascot."

The plans have been received by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and are currently under consultation.