Blog

Pascal's popular book series about identical US twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield. Photo: Random House By Emma Saunders of the BBC Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal has died at the age of 92. Her agent Amy Bekower told the BBC she died on Sunday. Pascal died of lymphoma in hospital in New York, her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal confirmed to the New York Times. Pascal's popular book series about identical US twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield was a hit around the world with its tales of teen romance, friendship and sibling rivalry. Set in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Sweet Valley, the first book from the series was published in 1983, with 180 more produced over the following 20 years. There were also several spin-offs, including Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley Univ...

By Angela Ferguson, Lesley Hitchen, Callum May & PA Media, BBC News Smoke billows from a fire started by protesters as riot police stand guard after disturbances near the Southport Islamic Society Mosque in Southport, northwest England, on July 30, 2024, a day after a deadly child knife attack. Photo: AFP / ROLAND LLOYD PARRY Several officers have been injured and a police van set on fire during a protest just hours after a vigil took place to remember the victims of a knife attack in which three children were killed. The protest, which police said was believed to involve English Defence League supporters, began only a few streets away from the vigil location, near to a mosque on St Luke's Road in Southport. Merseyside Police said a number of officers had been injured, police veh...

Hadid, who is half Palestinian, said: "I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign." Photo: AFP / CHRISTOPHE SIMON By Emma Saunders of the BBC US model Bella Hadid has spoken out after starring in an Adidas campaign which was criticised for what the brand called "unintentional" connections to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Hadid, who is half Palestinian, said: "I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign." The advertising campaign for the retro trainers - the SL72s - referenced the 1972 Munich Olympics, which saw 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer killed in the attack by a Palestinian group called Black September. Adidas subsequently apologised and said it woul...

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King died after the attack. Photo: AFP PHOTO / Merseyside Police By Ewan Gawne, Laura O'Neill, Chris Long, Monica Rimmer and Angela Ferguson, BBC News The three girls who were killed in a "ferocious" knife attack at a children's dance workshop in Britain have been named by police. Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, died after the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event on Hart Street, Southport, on Monday. Five children and two adults who were also injured remain in a critical condition. Bebe's family said "no words" could describe the "devastation that has hit our family", while Alice's parents said she would always be "our princess and no-one would change that". Merseyside Police said a 17-year-ol...

Debris covers a damaged vehicle following an Israeli military strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on 30 July, 2024. Photo: ANWAR AMRO / AFP The head of Hezbollah's operations centre has reportedly survived an Israeli strike targeting him. Two security sources have told Reuters that Mushin Shukr was not killed in the attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of the militant group. At least one person has been confirmed as being killed. Israel's military claimed responsibility for the strike, saying they were targeting the person responsible for a rocket attack on the Golan Heights at the weekend, which killed 12 young people. A loud blast was heard and a plume of smoke could be seen rising above the southern suburbs - a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah...