Author: BBC

Family photoVlad Nikolin-Caisley died on 7 May 2024 after swallowing poison he bought online”I saw my son fighting for his last breath,” says Anna Nikolin-Caisley. “He went in agony.”Anna believes her youngest child, Vlad, 17, was “encouraged” to swallow poison by users of an online “pro-suicide” group which is still active in the UK, despite numerous calls to ban it. Vlad’s family have decided to reveal the harrowing details of his death, in Hampshire in May 2024, as a warning to others. The government said platforms must remove illegal suicide and self-harm content when new rules come into effect this…

Faarea MasudBBC Business reporterReutersInterest rates are expected to be cut by the Bank of England later, in a move closely watched by households and economists.Analysts predict the benchmark rate will be cut from 4.75% to 4.5%, given the recent weakness in the UK economy which has seen slow growth.The Bank uses interest rates as its main tool for controlling inflation, which is currently above the Bank’s target. However, inflation unexpectedly dipped at the end of last year, raising expectations of a rate cut.Inflation is forecast to rise again though, partly due to changes in the Budget as well as uncertainty…

Sky News presenter Kay Burley has announced she is retiring from the network after 36 years. Closing the channel’s breakfast programme on Wednesday, Burley said it had been “an honour and a privilege to work with some of the best and hardest working teams in the business”.Burley reflected that Sky News had gone “from a standing start to one of the most recognised and valued brands in global news”.Burley, 64, joined Sky News in 1989 and was part of the team that covered the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the 9/11 terror attacks, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and…

Getty ImagesBanning phones in schools is not linked to pupils getting higher grades or having better mental wellbeing, the first study of its kind suggests.Students’ sleep, classroom behaviour, exercise or how long they spend on their phones overall also seems to be no different for schools with phone bans and schools without, the academics found.But they did find that spending longer on smartphones and social media in general was linked with worse results for all of those measures.The first study in the world to look at school phone rules alongside measures of pupil health and education feeds into a fierce…

Asha PatelBBC News, NottinghamNottinghamshire PoliceValdo Calocane, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was given a hospital order in January 2024 after admitting manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibilityTriple killer Valdo Calocane was not forced to take his anti-psychotic medication because he did not like needles, a major review of his NHS care has revealed.The NHS England report identified numerous failings that show “the system got it wrong” with Calocane, who stabbed to death Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in Nottingham in June 2023.It laid out how Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, had no contact with mental health…

The US Postal Service (USPS) said it has stopped accepting parcels from mainland China and Hong Kong until further notice.Letters will not be affected by the suspension, said the company, which declined to offer a reason for the decision.However, on Tuesday new rules came into force which closed a loophole that allowed small packages worth $800 (£641) or less to be sent to the US without paying tax or fees.It was one of the measures announced by US President Donald Trump who imposed an additional 10% tariff on all goods imported to the US from China.The so-called de minimis tax…

Yasmin RufoEntertainment reporterGetty ImagesAsa Butterfield may be best known for playing nerdy teenager Otis in Sex Education, but now he is swapping the classroom for the stage as he makes his theatre debut in one-man show Second Best. The 27-year-old said he was done playing a teenager and “wanted to do something totally different”.He says he perused various theatre scripts and Second Best caught his eye.”It’s the perfect story that explores how you move past that sliding doors moment,” he told the BBC. The show tells the story of a former child actor, Martin, who narrowly missed out on playing…

Laura Cress and Tom RichardsonBBC News and BBC NewsbeatEA/MaxisHumple Borpnah! The Sims is celebrating its 25th birthdayThe Sims was never supposed to be a hit.Back in the 1990s, when creator Will Wright pitched the game to his bosses, they weren’t convinced by his idea of a “virtual dollhouse”.A so-called life simulator where players design their own characters, give them personalities and tend to their needs.Who wants that?Quite a lot of people, it turns out.Now, 25 years from its debut, The Sims is one of the best-selling video game series of all time, with an active community of superfans known as…

Shona Elliott and Ruth CleggBBC News InvestigationsWatch the moment Ricky Sawyer is confronted by BBC reporterA self-styled “beauty consultant”, whose celebrity client list includes Katie Price, is offering potentially dangerous cosmetic procedures to clients and handing over medication illegally – a BBC investigation has discovered.Ricky Sawyer specialises in liquid Brazilian butt-lifts (BBLs) – which involves injecting dermal filler into buttocks to lift them and make them look bigger.BBC News has spoken to five of his clients who needed emergency hospital treatment after their procedures. We have also been shown the testimonies of more than 30 women who say they have…

Sean McManusTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesMany staff are said to be using unapproved AI at work”It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission,” says John, a software engineer at a financial services technology company. “Just get on with it. And if you get in trouble later, then clear it up.”He’s one of the many people who are using their own AI tools at work, without the permission of their IT division (which is why we are not using John’s full name). According to a survey by Software AG, half of all knowledge workers use personal AI tools.The research defines knowledge workers as “those…