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By Christian Brooks, BBC Sabrina Carpenter performs at the Coachella Stage, 2024. Photo: FRAZER HARRISON Some music fans now know 15-second sped-up snippets of songs better than the real thing. It is thanks to an emerging trend on social media, particularly TikTok, of creators changing the tempo of popular songs by 25-30 percent, to accompany short viral videos of dances or other themes. These versions are even helping some artists climb the official singles charts. In November 2022, fan-made sped-up versions of RAYE's single 'Escapism' helped the artist to achieve her first ever number one on the UK Official Singles Chart, nearly three months after its original release. An initial trend developed based around the lyric: "The man that I loved sat me down last night and he told me it ...

Jacinda Ardern gives her valedictory speech to a packed debating chamber at Parliament. Photo: Phil Smith Former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern is set to attend the Democratic National Convention, a blockbuster event in US politics designed to rally the Democrats ahead of November's presidential election. Ardern confirmed she would speak during a panel held at the Democratic National Convention later this week. The convention, held by the US Democrats, will see Kamala Harris formally accept her nomination to contest the presidency. It will also be a key opportunity for Tim Walz, the Minnesota governor who's confirmed as Harris' running mate, to speak to Democrats and America more broadly as the party prepares to take on former US president Donald Trump and his Republican running mat...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders in a renewed bid for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza. Photo: AFP / Pool US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel in his latest effort to push for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza. His ninth trip to the region since the war began in October comes days after the US presented a modified proposal aimed at bridging long-standing gaps between the two sides. The US and Israel have expressed optimism about a deal since talks resumed in Doha last week, but Hamas says suggestions of progress are an "illusion". Differences are said to include whether Israeli troops will be required to withdraw fully from the Gaza Strip, as H...

By James Gregory and Noor Nanji, BBC News Alain Delon in 1967's Le Samourai. Photo: FILMS BORDERIE - FIDA CINEMATOGR / AFP French film legend Alain Delon has died at the age of 88. The actor was a star of the golden era of French cinema, known for his tough-guy persona on screen in hits including Le Samourai and Borsalino. "He passed away peacefully in his home in Douchy, surrounded by his three children and his family," a statement released to AFP news agency said. Delon has been in poor health in recent years and become a virtual recluse. More recently, the breakdown of his family had been making headlines in France. Once described as the most beautiful man in the movies, Delon starred in hits from the 1960s including The Leopard, Purple Noon and Rocco and his Brothers. Alain De...

By Imogen Foulkes, BBC Geneva correspondent Munitions are buried beneath Lake Brienz in the Swiss Alps. Photo: AFP / Fabrice Coffrini Tourists enjoying the picture postcard views of Lakes Lucerne, Thun or Lake Neuchatel might be surprised to learn what lies beneath those pristine alpine waters. For years the Swiss military used the lakes as dumping grounds for old munition, believing it could be disposed of safely there. In Lake Lucerne alone there are an estimated 3,300 tonnes of munition, and 4,500 tonnes in the waters of Neuchatel, which the Swiss air force used for bombing practice until 2021. Some munitions are at depths of 150 to 220 metres, but others in Lake Neuchatel are just six or seven metres below the surface. Now, the Swiss defence department is offering 50,000 francs (...