Author: BBC

Getty ImagesLaura always wondered if her body was running on emptyOlympic gold-medallist Dame Laura Kenny is Britain’s most successful female athlete. She has two young boys but also had a miscarriage and an ectopic pregnancy, and has always wondered if the physical toll of elite sport had damaged her fertility. The BBC News Health team has investigated.Dame Laura, 32, gave her body to cycling for more than a decade.”Every training session I went in there to give 100%, every race I went in there to give 100%.”I took it to the limit – if I wasn’t sick after a race…

Women may be at risk of missing out on opportunities at work as they are less likely to go into the office than men, the boss of the world’s biggest building society has said.Speaking to BBC R4’s Today programme, Nationwide chief executive Debbie Crosbie said it was important for career growth to have a “physical presence” in the workplace.Ms Crosbie brought an end to the organisation’s “work anywhere” policy for its 13,000 non-branch staff last December, asking most full-time workers to come in twice a week instead.She suggested that while flexible working can be useful for those with caring responsibilities,…

Getty ImagesAn immigration row has erupted between Donald Trump’s supporters over a long-standing US visa programme.The feud is about H-1B visas, which allow US-based companies to bring in skilled workers from abroad into certain industries.Some immigration hardliners say the scheme undercuts American workers – but proponents say the visas allow the US to attract the best expertise from around the world.The president-elect has weighed in, saying he supports the programme – despite being critical of it in the past – and tech billionaire Elon Musk has also defended it, saying it attracts the “top ~0.1% of engineering talent”.Here’s what the…

Five people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne in Argentina, the authorities there say. The 31-year-old star died on 16 October after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.The hotel’s manager, Gilda Martin, and its receptionist, Esteban Grassi, as well as Payne’s friend Roger Nores have been charged with manslaughter, Argentina’s prosecutor’s office says.Ezequiel Pereyra – who also worked at the hotel – and Braian Paiz, a waiter, have been charged with supplying drugs.Under Argentina’s legal system, the prosecutor’s office gathers evidence which it then presents to a…

Jenny Smith PhotographyDiane Danzebrink campaigned to improve menopause awareness after her mental health was affected “to the point of almost taking my life”Hundreds of women who are “plunged into surgical menopause” are “being failed by the NHS”, says a menopause support campaigner.Diane Danzebrink, 58, from Norfolk, has called for an urgent review of surgical menopause care to ensure all clinicians know how to prepare their patients.Ms Danzebrink, who founded Menopause Support, said awareness had improved significantly, but “we haven’t seen change fundamentally to ensure every woman has access to good quality care at the time that she needs it”.The Royal…

PA MediaThe airport said that 20 flights have been cancelled throughout the day on MondayDisruption is continuing at Gatwick Airport for a fourth day after heavy fog affected flights in one of the busiest periods of the year.Some restrictions due to adverse weather remain in place, the airport said.The airport added that 20 flights have been cancelled throughout the day on Monday to minimise any impact on passengers and allow for repositioning of aircraft.A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.”Flights throughout the day are expected to be…

Rockstar GamesGrand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be a record-breaking hit when it arrivesEven if you were lucky enough to get a new console or games this Christmas, you’ve probably got your eye on some upcoming releases.And 2025 is shaping up to be a big one.Most agree that 2024 was a painful year for the games industry, with tens of thousands of layoffs and worldwide studio closures.There’s a hope that things will bounce back – at least in part – next year.And two huge releases in particular are likely to cut through in a big way. Grand Theft Auto…

Australian actor and comedian Rebel Wilson has legally married Ramona Agruma in Sydney, the star has announced on social media.The couple had a wedding ceremony in Sardinia in September but have since married again in a service officiated by Wilson’s sister.The actress proposed to Agruma, a fashion and jewellery designer, at Disneyland in 2023.Among well-wishers commenting on social media were Pitch Perfect co-stars Adam Devine and Elizabeth Banks, who offered their congratulations to the couple.Wilson, 44, said it felt “right” to have the wedding in her hometown. “It meant my 94-year-old grandmother Gar could come which was very special to…

A community first responder has been praised for “almost certainly saving the life” of a man in his village by attending a 999 call about chest pains as he neared the end of his shift.Vounteer Phil Fuller had driven round to assess Robert McWilliams, 75, when the patient went into cardiac arrest at home in Hullbridge, near South Woodham Ferrers.Mr Fuller began a round of CPR and gave the patient a shock with a defibrillator before back-up arrived, with Mr McWilliams going on to make a full recovery.”I vividly remember Phil but not much else and I don’t know what…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the chancellor and business secretary have written to the UK’s main regulators asking them to come up with ideas for reform that could boost economic growth.They contacted watchdogs, including energy regulator Ofgem and water regulator Ofwat, before Christmas asking them to submit proposals by mid-January.This comes after figures published earlier this week indicated the UK economy had flatlined between July and September.Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said the letter “says all you need to know” about Sir Keir’s government, claiming he has to “beg his own government to create growth after Labour’s damaging Budget”.The letter…