Author: BBC

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…

Getty ImagesMeteor Garden was dubbed in several languages and made Hsu a big star in AsiaTaiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who was best-known for starring in the hit 2001 TV series Meteor Garden, has died from pneumonia at the age of 48, according to local media.One of the biggest stars in the Mandarin-speaking world, Hsu became a familiar face even in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand after Meteor Garden was dubbed in local languages.”I can’t believe it,” read one comment on Chinese social media platform Weibo, echoing the sentiments of millions of shocked fans who have been paying tribute. She is…

Maxine Collins/BBCIt’s towards the end of our interview that Bill Gates reveals new numbers on how much his charitable Foundation has now spent in its efforts to combat preventable diseases and reduce poverty. “I’ve given over 100 billion,” he says, “but I still have more to give.”That’s dollars, just to clarify, worth about £80bn.It’s roughly equivalent to the size of the Bulgarian economy or the cost of building the whole HS2 line. But to put it in context, it’s also around the same as just one year of Tesla sales. (Tesla owner Elon Musk is now the richest man on…

AstraZeneca has scrapped plans to invest £450m in expanding a vaccine manufacturing plant in Merseyside, blaming a reduction in government support. The pharmaceutical giant announced its decision just two days after Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out Labour’s plan to go “further and faster” to boost economic growth. AstraZeneca said that after “protracted” talks, a number of factors influenced the move, including “the timing and reduction of the final offer compared to the previous government’s proposal”. The Treasury said a change to the “make-up of the investment” that had originally been proposed led to the government grant being reduced.”All government grant…