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(CNN) June Spencer, the last original cast member of BBC Radio 4 drama "The Archers," has retired from the show after more than 70 years, at the age of 103. The British soap legend, who played matriarch Peggy Woolley (formerly Archer), made her debut in the first-ever episode of the much-loved drama in 1951. Her final performance was broadcast on July 31. "In 1950 I helped to plant an acorn. It took root and in January 1951 it was planted out and called 'The Archers,'" Spencer said in a statement on the BBC website. "Over the years it has thrived and become a splendid great tree with many branches." In 1991, "The Archers" celebrated 40 years on the air with a special edition featuring the wedding of Peggy Archer, played by June Spencer, and Jack Woolley, played by Arnold Peters. Explaining her decision to leave the show after seven decades, she said: "This old branch, known as Peggy, has become weak and unsafe so I decided it was … [Read more...] about BBC soap legend June Spencer retires at age 103

(CNN) Willow Smith says she was not fazed by the media firestorm that broke out after her father, Will Smith , slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, because she sees her "whole family as being human." The 21-year-old singer and Emmy nominee broke her silence on the controversial incident in an interview with Billboard published Friday, saying it didn't derail her creativity or "rock me as much as my own internal demons." "I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness," she told the publication. "Because of the position that we're in, our humanness sometimes isn't accepted, and we're expected to act in a way that isn't conducive to a healthy human life and isn't conducive to being honest." Will Smith addresses Oscars slap in new video At the ceremony back in March, Will Smith hit host Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head as he … [Read more...] about Willow Smith speaks out about dad Will’s Oscars slap incident

DALLAS — It all started at brunch, when Dallas women Nicole Craven and Alexis Smith would order an espresso martini — just the right mix of caffeine and booze for a weekend cocktail, they say. When the pandemic struck and the workout buddies turned to hosting small dinner parties instead of going to restaurants and bars, they found that making an espresso martini at home just wasn’t the same. Why isn’t this available for sale in a can, they wondered? They quit their jobs in public relations and formulated their own canned espresso martini, a yearlong process that involved going into a “flavor house” in California to taste concoctions mixed up by people in lab coats. Their boozy-brew dream worked, and now, three gluten-free, dairy-free espresso martinis are available for sale online in 40 states. Their new company Après Hours has cans for sale now in about two-dozen Dallas-area retail stores like Pogo’s Wine & Spirits, Lucky’s Liquor, Buddy’s Booze and Uptown Liquor. … [Read more...] about Mimosas out, espresso martinis in? 2 Texas women launch boozy coffee in a can

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The U.S. deputy secretary of state said Monday the prime minister of the Solomon Islands “missed an important opportunity” by failing to attend a memorial service to mark the anniversary of a key World War II battle, amid concerns the South Pacific island nation is building closer ties with China. Wendy Sherman and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy were among dignitaries who attended a dawn service near the capital Honiara on Sunday to commemorate the Battle of Guadalcanal. Sherman’s father, Marine Mal Sherman, and Kennedy’s father, the late President John F. Kennedy, almost died in fighting on the Solomons. Kennedy had been the commander of a patrol torpedo boat that was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Sherman was wounded during the Guadalcanal campaign, which was the Japanese army’s first defeat of WWII. Local … [Read more...] about US official says Solomon Islands leader ‘missed opportunity’

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 14-20: Aug. 14: Singer Dash Crofts of Seals and Crofts is 84. Singer David Crosby is 81. Country singer Connie Smith is 81. Actor-musician Steve Martin is 77. Actor Antonio Fargas (“Starsky and Hutch”) is 76. Bassist Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone is 76. Actor Susan St. James is 76. Romance novelist Danielle Steel is 75. Keyboardist Terry Adams of NRBQ is 74. Cartoonist Gary Larson (“The Far Side”) is 72. Actor Carl Lumbly (“Alias”) is 71. Actor Jackee Harry (“Sister, Sister,” ″227″) is 66. Actor Marcia Gay Harden is 63. Singer Sarah Brightman is 62. Actor Susan Olsen (“The Brady Bunch”) is 61. Actor Halle Berry is 56. Actor Ben Bass (“Rookie Blue”) is 54. Actor Catherine Bell (“JAG”) is 54. Keyboardist Cody McCarver of Confederate Railroad is 54. Guitarist Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind) … [Read more...] about Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 14-20

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 PARIS (AP) — Efforts to feed a dangerously thin Beluga whale that has strayed into the Seine River in France have failed so far and experts are now trying to get the whale out of the river lock where it is stuck, environmentalists said Monday. The marine conservation group Sea Shepherd France tweeted Monday that “feeding attempts are continuing in parallel to finding a solution to get it out of the lock in the best conditions.” Experts at the site have warned that the beluga should not stay too long in the warm, stagnant water between lock gates. “The beluga still doesn't eat but continues to show curiosity,” Sea Shepherd France tweeted. Overnight the whale “rubbed itself on the lock's wall and got rid of patches that had appeared on its back. Antibiotics may also have helped.” The lost Beluga was first seen in France’s river, far from its Arctic habitat, earlier this week. … [Read more...] about Efforts to feed Beluga whale in France’s Seine fail so far

BERLIN (AP) — BioNTech, which teamed with Pfizer to develop a powerful COVID-19 vaccine, has reported higher revenue and net profit in the first half of the year and expects demand to grow as it releases updated vaccines to target new omicron strains. The German pharmaceutical company said Monday that revenue hit about 9.57 billion euros ($9.76 billion) in the first six months of 2022, up from nearly 7.36 billion euros in the same period a year earlier. But revenue dropped to about 3.2 billion euros in the second quarter from 5.31 billion euros in April through June of last year. BioNTech said the dynamic nature of the pandemic has led to changes in orders and revenue but that it expects a strong end to the year. It said it plans to release revamped vaccines tailored to the latest omicron variants as early as October, which could lead to a fall booster campaign. “With our initiatives around variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine candidates, we expect an uptake in demand in our key … [Read more...] about BioNTech reports strong first half, expects demand to grow

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is offering support to firefighters and search crews in Cuba following the fire and explosions at a big oil tank farm in the western province of Matanzas. In a telegram Monday to Cuban bishops, Francis said he was closely following news of the “unfortunate accident.” He said he was praying for all Cubans and especially those affected by the blaze for “the Lord to give you strength in this time of pain.” The blaze began Friday night when lightning struck a storage tank during a thunderstorm, and the fire spread to a second tank early Saturday, triggering a series of explosions, officials have said. At least one body has been discovered and more than a dozen firefighters were missing. The Argentine pope has long been close to the Cuban church and visited the island in 2015. … [Read more...] about Pope encourages Cuban search crews after Matanzas blaze

Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images Last week, Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney of the Upper East Side, chair of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Reform, made national headlines by telling me, in the middle of a high-stakes televised debate , that she thinks Joe Biden will voluntarily be a one-term president. “I don’t believe he is running for reelection,” she said in response to my yes/no question about whether Biden ought to be a candidate in 2024. The remark drew a double take from attorney Siraj Patel, one of her fellow debaters, but it wasn’t a gaffe: When asked on CNN to clarify the remark the next morning, Maloney quasi apologized and pledged her support for the president, but reemphasized that she doesn’t believe Biden will be a candidate. Maloney’s remarks fly in the face of emphatic White House statements. “To be clear, as the president has said repeatedly, he plans to run in 2024,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted in June. … [Read more...] about The Biden Age Is Hitting Its Stride

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A polar bear attacked a campsite Monday in Norway’s remote Arctic Svalbard Islands, injuring a French tourist, authorities said, adding that the wounds weren't life-threatening. The bear was later killed. The woman, who was not identified, was part of a tour group of 25 people camping at Sveasletta, in the central part of the Svalbard archipelago, which sits more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. The campsite was located across a fjord from Longyearbyen, the main settlement in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Authorities responded to the news of the attack, which came shortly before 8:30 a.m., by flying there in a helicopter, chief superintendent Stein Olav Bredli. “The French woman suffered injuries to an arm. Shots were fired at the polar bear, which was scared away from the area,” he said. Further details on her injuries weren't disclosed. She was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Longyearbyen. The main … [Read more...] about Woman injured by polar bear on Norway’s Svalbard Islands