Author: BBC

Getty ImagesMany of the maternity failings at scandal-hit hospitals are becoming more widespread, England’s NHS regulator says.Investigations into units in Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent found poor care may have contributed to babies dying or having life-changing injuries.But the Care Quality Commission said these problems were also being seen elsewhere.Its review of 131 units across the NHS highlighted issues with staffing, buildings, equipment and the way safety was managed, warning preventable harm was at risk of becoming “normalised”.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “These findings are cause for national shame. “Women deserve better – childbirth should not be something they…

Watch how the Hezbollah exploding pagers attack unfoldedAt least 12 people including two children were killed and thousands more injured, many seriously, after pagers used by the armed group Hezbollah to communicate dramatically exploded across the country on Tuesday.It is unclear how the highly sophisticated attack occurred, though Hezbollah has blamed its adversary Israel. Israeli officials have so far declined to comment. Analysis of fragments from the pagers suggested they were made by the Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo, but the CEO denied this and said they had been made under licence by a company in Hungary. BBC calls to the…

Getty ImagesSean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail by a New York judge on TuesdayLawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will appear in court on Wednesday to challenge a judge’s ruling that denied Mr Combs bail after he pleaded not guilty in a sex-trafficking case.A New York federal judge remanded the musician in custody on Tuesday after prosecutors argued he was a “serious flight risk”. Mr Combs, 54, was arrested on Monday evening, accused of running a criminal enterprise from at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to force women to “fulfill his sexual desires”, according to prosecutors.A…

Getty ImagesInflation held steady at 2.2% in the year to August, despite a jump in the cost of flights.The rise in air fares was offset by lower fuel prices and prices in restaurants increasing more slowly, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.The latest figure means overall inflation remains slightly above the Bank of England’s target of 2%.But the rate is significantly lower than at the peak of the cost of living crisis in 2022.The latest figures come as the Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates unchanged at 5% when it meets on Thursday.Most economists think a…

Getty ImagesGoogle has won its challenge against a €1.49bn (£1.26bn) fine from the EU for blocking rival online search advertisers.The bloc accused Google of abusing its market dominance by restricting third-party rivals from displaying search ads between 2006 and 2016.While Europe’s second-top court upheld much of the European Commission’s findings, it chose to annul the fine. It comes a week after the EU’s highest court upheld a 2.42bn euro fine against Google over its shopping service.

Dr Lily HuangDr Lily Huang, who works in London, supports the name changeJunior doctors working across the NHS will now be called resident doctors instead – in a change intended to better reflect their expertise. The doctors union, the British Medical Association (BMA), which called for the change, called the term junior “infantilising and demeaning”.”Resident doctor” will refer to more than 50,000 qualified doctors working in GP practices and hospitals – some recently out of medical school and others with a decade of experience. Health ministers say they have accepted the new name as part of a drive to “reset…

EPARescuers work at flooded areas in Czechowice-Dziedzice, south PolandIntense storms battering central Europe are now reaching Italy, where warnings for heavy rain, strong winds and floods have been issued for much of the country.Floods are already reported in the central city of Pescara, while the Italian meteorological service’s weather alerts apply from the northern coast of Emilia-Romagna to the far-south.The warnings come as flooding has devastated parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria this week, leaving at least 21 people dead.Authorities in Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia are also warning of flooding in the coming days.The significant flooding has…

PA MediaJay Blades’ case was heard at Cannock Magistrates’ Court, sitting in WalsallBBC Repair Shop host Jay Blades, who had been accused of using his mobile phone while driving, has had the charge thrown out.The 54-year-old appeared for a two-minute hearing at Cannock Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, which was sitting in Walsall.He had previously pleaded not guilty to the offence, which was alleged to have been committed in Wombourne, Staffordshire, on 2 April.At the hearing Mr Blades, from Claverley, Shropshire, said his plea had not changed before prosecutor Zulqarnain Saeed confirmed the Crown Prosecution Service was offering no evidence.Mr Saeed…

Energy firm Ovo has been told to pay out £2.4m after the regulator found it had not been dealing with customer complaints correctly.Ofgem said that 1,395 Ovo customers were hit by problems, including long delays in dealing with complaints, in some cases up to 18 months.Those affected will get about £271 on average in compensation, while Ovo will also pay £2m to the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme, which provides money to charities helping vulnerable customers.Ofgem said affected customers do not need to take any action. Ovo said it had sent a letter of apology and compensation to those affected.The…

Facebook owner Meta says it is banning several Russian state media networks, alleging they use deceptive tactics to carry out influence operations and evade detection on its platforms.”After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” Meta said.In a news bulletin, RT newsreader Eunan O’Neill said the broadcaster “and Russia as a whole denies the accusations that have been coming en masse against this channel and others in the past number of days”.The bans are expected to come…