
-
Both sides in Sean Combs trial rest case, closing arguments next
-
Benfica beat Bayern to top group C
-
Trump plays deft hand with Iran-Israel ceasefire but doubts remain
-
England knew they could 'blow match apart' says Stokes after India triumph
-
Lyon appeal relegation to Ligue 2 by financial regulator
-
US intel says strikes did not destroy Iran nuclear program
-
Nearly half the US population face scorching heat wave
-
Israel's Netanyahu vows to block Iran 'nuclear weapon' as he declares victory
-
Saint Laurent kicks off Paris men's fashion week
-
Arbitrator finds NFL encouraged teams to cut veteran guarantees: reports
-
India, Poland, Hungary make spaceflight comeback with ISS mission
-
Piot, dropped by LIV Golf, to tee off at PGA Detroit event
-
US judge backs using copyrighted books to train AI
-
Russian strikes kill 19 in Ukraine region under pressure
-
Raducanu's tears of joy, Krejcikova survives match points at Eastbourne
-
Duplantis dominates at Golden Spike in Czech Republic
-
Prosecutors of Sean Combs rest their case, eyes turn to defense
-
Duckett and Root star as England beat India in thrilling 1st Test
-
Thunder celebrate first NBA title with Oklahoma City parade
-
US judge allows using pirated books to train AI
-
Flagg expected to be taken first by Dallas in NBA Draft
-
Iran willing to return to talks as ceasefire with Israel takes hold
-
Spain moves to strengthen power grid after huge April blackout
-
Haliburton says no regrets after Achilles tendon surgery
-
Oil slides, stocks rise as Iran-Israel ceasefire holds
-
Krishna, Thakur give India hope after Duckett ton leads England charge
-
How Iran's 'telegraphed' strikes on Qatari soil paved way to Israel truce
-
US Fed chair signals no rush for rate cuts despite Trump pressure
-
Gaza rescuers say 46 killed as UN slams US-backed aid system
-
The billionaire and the TV anchor: Bezos, Sanchez's whirlwind romance
-
Life returns to Tehran, but residents wary ceasefire won't hold
-
The billionaire and the TV anchor: Bezoz, Sanchez's whirlwind romance
-
Fickou to captain youthful France squad for tour of New Zealand
-
India's Krishna strikes twice after Duckett hundred boosts England chase
-
Former French PM launches new party two years before presidential election
-
French volunteers hand migrants water beyond the crowded beach
-
Russian strikes kill 11 in Ukraine region under pressure
-
Oil slides, stocks rise as Trump says Iran-Israel ceasefire holds
-
Trump sows doubt on defending allies ahead of NATO summit
-
France ordered to compensate family of jogger killed by toxic algae
-
French Open sensation Boisson falls in Wimbledon qualifying
-
US Fed chair to signal no rush for rate cuts despite Trump pressure
-
England lay foundation for victory charge against India
-
EU lawmakers vote to bar carry-on luggage fees on planes
-
Wimbledon plan to honour Murray with statue
-
Russian strikes kill 7, wound dozens in Dnipro
-
Trump says Iran-Israel truce holds after berating both countries
-
Oil slides, stocks jump amid Iran-Israel ceasefire uncertainty
-
Ceasefire in Iran-Israel war takes hold
-
Former India spinner Dilip Doshi dies aged 77

UK govt freezes BBC funding for two years
The UK government on Monday announced a freeze of the BBC licence fee, arguing a new funding model was needed to ease cost of living pressures and reflect a transformed media landscape.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told parliament the £159 ($217, 190 euros) annual fee, paid by every television set owner in the country, would be fixed for the next two years.
After that it will rise in line with inflation for four years, she said, saying the rising annual cost of the compulsory charge was hurting cash-strapped families.
The long-term future of the corporation should not depend on a system which criminalises non-payers, she added.
But opposition parties linked the move to efforts to keep Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a job, by offering "red meat" to BBC critics, due to anger at lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street.
Labour media spokeswoman Lucy Powell said monthly payments for the licence fee were small change compared to proposed Tory annual tax increases and soaring energy bills totalling thousands of pounds.
"Is the licence fee really at the heart of the cost of living crisis or is this really about their long-term vendetta against the BBC?" she asked
"It's at the heart of Operation Red Meat to stop the prime minister becoming dead meat," she added, referring to a proposed government fight-back plan of populist measures to boost Johnson's standing.
The BBC has come under increasing criticism from right-wingers since Britain's divisive Brexit referendum in 2016 for alleged political bias, and pushing a "woke", London-centric liberal agenda.
But the public service broadcaster, which this year marks its 100th anniversary and has editorial independence from government, has faced similar accusations from the political left.
Critics accused Johnson loyalist Dorries, who leaked details of the plan on Twitter on Sunday night after a torrid week for the prime minister, of "cultural vandalism", wrecking a world-renowned British institution.
The licence fee funds television, radio and online services, including its popular iPlayer on-demand platform, as well as programming, many of which are exported commercially worldwide.
Dorries said discussions about the future of the funding model from 2028 will start "shortly" but change was needed because of evolving media consumption and technological advances.
"This is 2022, not 1922. We need a BBC that is ready to take the challenges of modern broadcasting, a BBC that will continue to engage the British public and that commands support from across the breadth of the UK, not just the London bubble, a BBC that can thrive alongside Netflix and Amazon Prime and all of its other challenges which attract younger viewers."
BBC chairman Richard Sharp and director-general Tim Davie said they were disappointed at the move, warning it would hit British cultural industries and "necessitate tougher choices which will impact licence fee payers".
B.Finley--AMWN