Author: BBC

PA MediaBradford 2025 is set to kick off on Friday eveningAdditional tickets for the opening ceremony of City of Culture have been released due to “high demand”, organisers have said.Despite minus temperatures being forecast for Rise, the curtain-raiser for Bradford 2025, the event is expected to be popular.The open-air performance in City Park later has Bradford-born magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, as its creative lead.Extra tickets went on sale on Thursday, with many attendees eligible for free entry.What is ‘Rise’?The Rise event has a cast of 200 performers and will take over City Park, in front of the…

PA MediaIt is “absolutely right” that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ trip to China go ahead as planned, a cabinet colleague has said.Opposition parties had called for Reeves to cancel the three-day visit, aimed to boost trade and economic ties, after the pound fell to its lowest level in over a year, while UK borrowing costs hit their highest for 16 years. But Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the chancellor should take seriously the UK’s relationship with China, the world’s second largest economy.Nandy said the rise in borrowing costs was “a global trend that we’ve seen affecting economies all over the world”.”We…

Pharmaceutical firms are turning to AI to find new molecules that might be able to tackle disease.

Celebrity gardener Monty Don has revealed he and his wife were stuck inside their house earlier this week as they became flooded in.The horticulturist and broadcaster, 69, said the increasing frequency of flooding in the UK was “proving to be a much bigger problem than drought”.”I live in Herefordshire. We live on a flood plain, so flooding has always been part of life there,” he said.”But it’s definitely got worse. It’s definitely got more frequent.”Don is the main presenter of TV show Gardeners’ World, which he hosts from his own garden, Longmeadow.He has recently been filming for a new series,…

The NHS is experiencing intense winter pressure, with critical incidents declared at a dozen hospitals across the UK by Wednesday.Ahead of a special day of coverage, the BBC has spoken to nurses dealing with demand in A&Es.”Patients are collapsing in the waiting room. It’s just hectic,” Lorraine, a nurse in Birmingham, told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday.”This is happening in A&E up and down the country, all areas,” said Joanne, one nurse working in an emergency ward in Manchester. “A&E is in a desperate situation right now.””The government need to take urgent action. We need help,” she said.Without identifying…

Getty ImagesThe pound continued to fall on Thursday after UK government borrowing costs rose and concerns grew about public finances.Sterling dropped as UK 10-year borrowing costs surged to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis when the bank borrowing almost ground to a halt.Economists have warned the rising costs could lead to further tax rises or cuts to spending plans as the government tries to meet its self-imposed borrowing target.A spokesperson for the Treasury said: “No one should be under any doubt that meeting the fiscal rules is non-negotiable and the government will have an iron grip on the…

Getty ImagesHelle Thorning-Schmidt, who is now the co-chair of Meta’s oversight board, is the former Prime Minister of Denmark.The co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said she is “very concerned” about how parent company Meta’s decision to ditch fact-checkers will affect minority groups.Helle Thorning-Schmidt, from Meta’s oversight board, told the BBC she welcomed aspects of the shake-up, which will see users decide about the accuracy of posts via X-style “community notes”.However, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said there were “huge problems” with what had been announced, including the potential impact on…

Getty ImagesLiam Payne died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos AiresSinger Liam Payne’s medical cause of death has been confirmed in a UK inquest opening as “polytrauma”.The One Direction star died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.Polytrauma is a term for multiple traumatic injuries which have been sustained to a person’s body and organ systems.The hearing, which was held at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court on 17 December, was told it may take “some time” to formally ascertain how the 31-year-old died.The inquest into Payne’s…

Getty ImagesThe health secretary has said some patients’ experience of the NHS this winter makes him feel “ashamed”.Wes Streeting said he had seen patients left crying and distressed and stuck in corridors, as hospitals struggle to cope.It comes as a number of NHS trusts declare critical incidents due to exceptionally high demand in A&E.NHS sources told BBC News about a dozen hospitals in England had declared major incidents, at one point on Tuesday.’Very distressing’Streeting told LBC he had seen A&E patients confused and crying out in distress, while others had been being treated in corridors, during a recent hospital visit.”When…

Getty ImagesLuxury carmaker Rolls-Royce will expand its Goodwood factory and global headquarters to meet the growing demand for bespoke models.It will invest more than £300 million so it can build more highly-customised versions of its cars for its super-rich clientele.The 120-year old British brand came under full control of German carmaker BMW in 2003 and officially opened the site in West Sussex the same year. Rolls Royce says this expansion secures its future in the UK.Rolls-Royce sold 5,712 cars in 2024, down from its record of 6,032 in 2023, but the total value of its sales was higher due to…