- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
BBC chairman resigns over loan to Boris Johnson
BBC chairman Richard Sharp on Friday announced his resignation after an inquiry found he had breached rules for failing to declare his involvement in arranging a loan for then prime minister Boris Johnson.
Controversy surrounding the appointment of Sharp to one of Britain's most high-profile roles had heaped pressure on Johnson's successor Rishi Sunak.
A week ago, Sunak lost his deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, who was forced out after another inquiry found him guilty of bullying civil servants.
Sharp was formerly Sunak's boss at investment bank Goldman Sachs and is a wealthy past donor to the ruling Conservatives.
The chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation is appointed by the UK monarch on the advice of the government.
Sharp's appointment by Johnson was criticised at the time for cronyism by a government that was said to be keen to rein in perceived critical reporting by the BBC.
Sharp "failed to disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest" to a committee of MPs who were vetting his appointment by Johnson in early 2021, the inquiry by a senior lawyer found.
"There is a risk of a perception that Mr Sharp was recommended for appointment because he assisted... the former prime minister in a private financial matter," lawyer Adam Heppinstall found.
In February, the same committee of MPs accused Sharp of "significant errors of judgement" for not disclosing his involvement in the loan.
While he was being considered for the BBC job, Sharp in late 2020 put Johnson in contact with a distant cousin of the prime minister who extended him a credit facility of £800,000 ($1 million).
Sharp has denied he got the job as a quid pro quo for helping out the cash-strapped Johnson, but announced his resignation hard on the heels of Heppinstall presenting his report to Sunak's government.
He acknowledged breaching conflict-of-interest rules for top UK officials, but said it was "inadvertent and not material" to his appointment to the BBC.
"Nevertheless, I have decided that it is right to prioritise the interests of the BBC," he said in a statement, confirming he would step down at the end of June to give time for a new chair to be found.
"I feel that this matter may well be a distraction from the Corporation's good work were I to remain in post until the end of my term."
P.Gonzales--CPN