Author: BBC

BBCA friend got Zoe her AI-created book as a Christmas presentFor Christmas I received an interesting gift from a friend – my very own “best-selling” book.”Tech-Splaining for Dummies” (great title) bears my name and my photo on its cover, and it has glowing reviews.Yet it was entirely written by AI, with a few simple prompts about me supplied by my friend Janet.It’s an interesting read, and very funny in parts. But it also meanders quite a lot, and is somewhere between a self-help book and a stream of anecdotes.It mimics my chatty style of writing, but it’s also a bit…

Smitha MundasadHealth reporter, BBC NewsBBCAsiawu Imam says the therapy will make a huge differenceA gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease, with a price tag of £1.65m, is to be offered to patients on the NHS in England. About 50 people a year with the inherited blood disorder are likely to receive it, experts say. Prof Bola Owolabi, of NHS England, called it a “monumental step forward”, and said the one-off treatment Casgevy, also known as Exa-cel, “holds a very real prospect of a cure”.A confidential agreement has been made with manufacturer Vertex on how much the NHS will pay.Campaigners have…

Colletta Smith and Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentsGetty ImagesHouseholds in England and Wales will pay £10 more on average on their monthly water bills from April, final figures show.The rise will see the average annual bill hit £603, but there are significant variations between regions.Water companies have committed extra money for investment in infrastructure, such as reservoirs, and more help for struggling customers.However, consumer groups are warning the rise means more households will fall into debt.’Difficult’ increaseThe average bill increase equates to around £10 a month, from £40 to £50, but millions of households face even steeper rises.Southern Water customers…

US President Donald Trump has signed a legal settlement that will see Facebook and Instagram owner Meta pay out roughly $25m (£20m).Trump sued the social media giant and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, in 2021 over the suspension of his accounts after the 6 January Capitol riots that year.In July 2024, Meta lifted the final restrictions on Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in the lead up to US presidential elections.The settlement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.Around $22m of the settlement will go to a fund for Trump’s presidential library.The balance will be used to cover legal costs…

Thousands of people with a severe dust mite allergy could benefit from a “life changing” new daily treatment.The National Institute for Healthcare and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending a daily tablet that has been shown to reduce symptoms.Dr Helen Evans-Howells, a Bournemouth GP and expert in allergy patients, said the evidence “clearly” showed the treatment was an “effective solution”.The tablet, known as Acarizax, is the first of its kind according to a statement released by NICE.The institute has published its recommendations for the tablet, made by ALK-Abello, which is an option to treat moderate-to-severe house dust mite allergic rhinitis.An estimated…

Two Just Stop Oil activists have been charged after a West End production of The Tempest starring Sigourney Weaver was disrupted.Protesters took to the stage of the Drury Lane theatre on Monday, with footage later posted online of a pair carrying a sign that said “over 1.5 degrees is a global shipwreck”. Hollywood actress Weaver, who had been sitting in a chair on stage, was escorted away by a member of the theatre’s staff.Richard Weir, 60, of Tynemouth, and Hayley Walsh, 42, of Radcliffe on Trent in Nottinghamshire, are accused of aggravated trespass.They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’…

Noel Clarke has failed in his attempt to strike out the Guardian’s defence in his libel action against the newspaper.The actor, writer and director had accused the Guardian of destroying crucial messages and fabricating evidence. It means that the trial of his defamation claim will now go ahead in March.Clarke is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles which featured claims from a number of women who accused him of groping and sexually inappropriate behaviour on set over a number of years.In a statement at the time, the former Doctor Who star vehemently denied any sexual…

The cast have been arriving for the world premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy premiere in London.Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Chiwetel Ejiofor were among the stars on the red carpet in Leicester Square.The film is the fourth instalment in the franchise, which takes its title from the latest Bridget Jones novel, which was published in 2013.In the latest instalment, Bridget – now a 51-year-old widow and single parent – grapples with texts, tweets, dating apps and Botox after the death of her husband, Mark Darcy.

US officials are considering the national security implications of an apparent artificial intelligence (AI) breakthrough by Chinese firm DeepSeek, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.The announcement comes after the US navy reportedly banned its members from using DeepSeek’s apps due to “potential security and ethical concerns”.Meanwhile, the maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, has promised to work closely with the US government to prevent rivals from taking its technology.Earlier this week, DeepSeek’s reportedly cheap yet powerful AI model caused a slump in the stocks of US technology firms as investors questioned the billions of dollars they are spending on new…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterPA MediaEvans was paired with Katya Jones on the TV show and current tourSinger and broadcaster Wynne Evans has said he is taking “time out” from the Strictly Come Dancing tour as well as his “other public commitments”, to “prioritise my wellbeing”.The Welsh tenor’s statement came two days after he apologised for making an “inappropriate and unacceptable” comment.The Mail on Sunday reported that he made a sexualised remark as the tour’s dancers prepared for a group photo at the tour’s launch.On Monday, the BBC said he was “taking time off” from presenting his weekday show on BBC Radio…