Author: BBC

Manish PandeyBBC NewsbeatGetty ImagesDoechii has enjoyed a dream run latelyA top 10 single, Grammy award and a breathing exercise that’s gone viral.The last few weeks for American rapper Doechii have been quite something.Or, in her words: “It’s like now my dreams aren’t dreams anymore. They’re reality.”I just feel like I’m walking on the ceiling right now,” she tells Radio 1’s New Music Show.The 26-year-old won this year’s best rap album Grammy for Alligator Bites Never Heal – only the third female artist to do so.And the infectious “breathin’ exercise” outro from her hit single Denial is a River has got…

Tom RichardsonBBC NewsbeatObsidianThe makers of new RPG Avowed say they want the game to “respect players’ time”In Japan, there’s a word to describe a shelf full of books you’ve bought but never read – tsundoku.Video gaming has its own version of this.The backlog. Most console or PC owners probably have one – an ever-growing collection of unfinished or even unplayed titles.There are websites allowing players to catalogue their digital cabinets of shame, and Reddit support groups sharing tips on how to shrink them.It’s a thing. And a symptom of a potentially bigger problem.More games are being released than ever before,…

BBCDr Harj Singhrao says he wants to keep treating NHS patients but is struggling with “strangling” NHS contractsA dentist says he feels “strangled” by NHS contracts and believes NHS dentists may not exist in two years’ time.Dr Harj Singhrao, who has a practice in Newbridge, Caerphilly, said money was allocated on a “one size fits all basis” meaning in high need areas like his, he had to lose money in order to provide good care.It comes as the British Dental Association (BDA) Cymru published an open letter accusing the Welsh government of “peddling half- truths”, adding more practices were looking…

Various culture projects across Yorkshire are set to receive million of pounds of government funding to boost jobs, tourism and regeneration. The “critical” funding includes £15m for the National Railway Museum in York, £10m for the British Library North in Leeds and £5m for the National Poetry Centre, also in Leeds. The money is part of the government’s Plan for Change programme, which aims to deliver economic growth across the country.Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Everyone across the country should be able to access arts and culture in the place they call home.”The National Railway Museum funding will go towards…

Companies are planning to cut jobs or recruit fewer people ahead of rises to National Insurance payments and wages, according to a survey of UK employers.Businesses questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also said they would raise their prices to cover increasing employment costs.Separate research conducted by the Federation of Small Business found in the final three months of last year confidence among small firms hit its lowest point for 10 years, not including the Covid pandemic.The Treasury said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow. Rises to National Insurance Contributions by…

South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, according to the country’s personal data protection watchdog.The government agency said the AI model will become available again to South Korean users when “improvements and remedies” are made to ensure it complies with the country’s personal data protection laws.In the week after it made global headlines, DeepSeek became hugely popular in South Korea leaping to the top of app stores with over a million weekly users.But its rise in popularity also attracted scrutiny from countries around the world which have imposed restrictions on the app over privacy…

PA MediaThe government has met a key election pledge to deliver two million extra NHS appointments in England in its first year, the prime minister has said.The target was achieved between July and November last year, when there were almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period in 2023, the government said.That period was affected by doctor strikes, however, which would have suppressed the number of available appointments.Sir Keir Starmer said the “milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times”, while NHS…

Samuel Spencer & Shola LeeBBC NewsBBCIn the early research stages of EastEnders, multiple cities were considered for the new soap, from Manchester to London to Birmingham, according to BBC archive documents.But one audience report recommended that a serial set in a working-class neighbourhood in London would probably have the most widespread appeal.This would also set the soap apart from other big series of the time, like Coronation Street (set in Greater Manchester), Emmerdale Farm (set in Yorkshire) and Crossroads (set in a Midlands motel).The Albert Square set under construction – and how the setting of the show, called East 8…

Jacqueline HowardBBC NewsReutersThousands of Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee drivers are logging off during peak hours on Valentine’s Day in a campaign for better pay and working conditions, a union says.The strike action is taking place across the UK from 16:00 to 22:00 GMT.The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said it would unite “drivers up and down the country faced with low pay and insecure conditions”. Uber, Bolt and Addison and Lee have defended their working conditions after the IWGB said drivers in cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Brighton were backing the strike.Vasilica Dumitrescu has been…

Chris BaraniukTechnology ReporterSylvia ZhangProf Mingmin Zhao (right) has been working on a radio vision system for robotsIf you want to find out whether your robot can see through smoke, well, you’re going to need some smoke.But a University of Pennsylvania student got a shock when they began setting up a late night experiment to test such a robot.Shortly after flicking the switch on the smoke machine, a loud fire alarm went off. “The whole building got triggered,” says Mingmin Zhao of the University of Pennsylvania, smiling. “My student called me. He was very surprised.”The incident was a minor setback for…