Author: BBC

Esme Stallard,Climate and science reporterandJustin Rowlatt,Climate EditorAndrew Aitchison/Getty ImagesAn air source heat pump mostly powered by solar panels on a building in East AngliaHouseholds will be eligible for thousands of pounds’ worth of solar panels and other green tech to lower their energy bills, the government has announced.The long-awaited Warm Homes Plan promises to provide £15bn to households across the UK over the next five years, as well as introducing new rights for renters. The government has said it wants to create a “rooftop revolution”, tripling the number of homes with solar, and lifting one million people out of fuel…

David SilverbergTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesThe US has fewer but more “tech dense” farms according to a government reportJake Leguee is a third-generation farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada.Since his grandfather bought the 17,000 acres in 1956, the Leguee family has grown canola, wheat, flax and green lentils.As a child, he watched his father and grandfather spending hours riding their tractor to sow seeds and spray crops. Sweat would coat their shirts after those long, hot days.”It was a lot less efficient back then,” says Leguee. “Today, technology has vastly improved the job that we do.”To keep his farm competitive, Leguee has made several…

Nick Triggle,Health correspondentandDaniel Wainwright,BBC VerifyGetty ImagesNearly a quarter of hospitals in England have seen waiting times worsen since the government published its plan to tackle the backlog a year ago, BBC analysis shows.Hitting the 18-week waiting target for treatments such as knee and hip operations was Labour’s key manifesto pledge for the health service, and last January it set out how it would get hospitals on track.While nationally progress is being made, 31 hospital trusts have gone backwards and another 17 have made little progress out of the 129 services examined.The hospitals struggling the most said they were facing a…

Wage growth in the UK eased to 4.5% between September and November, official figures suggest, following a sharp slowdown in private sector pay increases.The pace of pay growth for those employed by private businesses slowed to the lowest rate in five years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).In contrast, public sector workers saw their wages jump but, the ONS said, this was likely due to pay rises being awarded earlier than in the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of people on company payrolls continued to fall – down 135,000 in the three months to November – with a…

Joe TidyWorld Service Cyber CorrespondentBBCThere’s something uniquely agonising about having your cryptocurrency stolen. All transactions are recorded on a digital ledger, known as a blockchain, so even if someone takes your money and puts it in their own crypto wallet, it is still visible online.”You can see your money there on the public blockchain, but there’s nothing you can do to get it back,” says Helen, who lost around $315,000 (£250,000) to thieves.She likens it to watching a burglar pile up your prized possessions on the other side of an impassable chasm.For seven years Helen and her husband Richard (not…

A pilot scheme designed to identify and nip potential health problems in the bud has been launched by the Isle of Man’s public health directorate.The so-called fit checks have begun at Ramsey Group Practice in the north of the island, as part of a project that could also help to shape future services.They look at the lifestyle, mental well-being, and basic physical health of people aged between 18 and 39.Public health consultant Dr Ross Keat said supporting people earlier to make small preventative changes would make “a big difference later on”.Some 3,500 people in the north of the island within…

Gold and silver prices have hit record highs following the threat by US President Donald Trump to impose fresh tariffs on eight European countries opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland.The price of gold touched $4,689.39 (£3,499) an ounce on Monday, while silver rose to a peak of $94.08 an ounce.Precious metals are seen as safer assets to hold in times of uncertainty, and the prices of both gold and silver have soared over the past year.The row over the future of Greenland has escalated following the threat of extra tariffs by the US and there are reports that the…

Liv McMahonTechnology reporterBBCAshley St Clair is a conservative influencer and authorAshley St Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has sued his company xAI over sexualised deepfakes of her created on social media platform X.The lawsuit filed in New York on Thursday alleges the Grok AI tool created sexually explicit pictures of Ms St Clair.The parent company of X and Grok, xAI, has counter-sued Ms St Clair for violating its terms of service.X did not respond directly to enquiries by BBC News about the lawsuits.”We intend to hold Grok accountable and to help establish clear legal boundaries for…

Duncan LeatherdaleNorth East and CumbriaPA MediaThe nurses from Darlington Memorial Hospital launched employment tribunal proceedings against NHS bossesHospital bosses violated the dignity of a group of female nurses who complained about a transgender woman using their changing room, an employment tribunal has found.Eight nurses from Darlington Memorial Hospital claimed they had been “penalised” by managers for objecting to Rose Henderson, a biological male who identifies as a woman, using the single-sex space.County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust claimed the nurses had “demonised” their colleague and the policy was in accordance with guidelines at the time.In a partial victory for…

BBCSmall restaurant owner Justina John, from Cardiff, says it is “impossible” to compete with the chain restaurants on delivery appsIndependent restaurants have accused global corporations of being “sneaky” and “a killer” to family businesses by masquerading as indies on delivery apps. Chain restaurants including Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Frankie & Benny’s, Las Iguanas and Barburrito have brands on apps such as Deliveroo and Just Eat, giving them different names and the appearance of being small or independent businesses.Justina John, owner of ONJA Taste of Tanzania in Cardiff, said trying to survive was “like small fish trying to swim with the…