Author: BBC

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…

PA MediaJunior doctors in England have accepted the government’s offer of a 22% pay rise over two years, ending their long-running dispute.Members of the British Medical Association backed the deal with 66% voting in favour. Nearly 46,000 took part in the online ballot.It brings to an end the 18-month dispute, which saw junior doctors take part in 11 separate strikes.But the BMA warned it expected more above-inflation pay rises in future years or there would be “consequences”.The deal increases the starting salary for a junior doctor from £29,384 in 2022-23 to £36,616 a year in basic pay. Those at the…

ReutersA flooded area in Nysa, PolandThe death toll from the floods that hit central Europe over the weekend has risen, with more casualties recorded in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria. In the Czech Republic, one person drowned in a stream close to the town of Bruntal in the north-east of the country, while seven people are still missing.Four people are known to have died in Poland, although a spokesman for the interior ministry said the precise cause of death was still to be determined in at least one case. And in Austria, two people aged 70 and 80 died…

Getty ImagesFormer BBC Presenter Huw Edwards arriving at court on MondayDisgraced BBC News presenter Huw Edwards is in court at a hearing where he will be sentenced for charges of making indecent images of children.In July, the former newsreader admitted having 41 such images, which were sent to him on WhatsApp – including some showing a victim aged between seven and nine.He nodded but stayed silent as he walked through a large gathering of photographers and journalists outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Monday.The court heard that Edwards sent hundreds of pounds to a convicted sex offender after they…

Getty ImagesHarland and Wolff was bought out of administration in 2019There is a growing expectation that Harland and Wolff’s holding company will soon be placed into administration.It will be the firm’s second insolvency in five years.What has gone wrong?Shipbuilding is a capital-intensive business which means you need to spend a lot of money before you can start to make money.The major problem at this incarnation of Harland and Wolff is that it was never really financially strong enough to do that.It ended up being dependent on a hard-nosed US lender while waiting for government support that never materialised.All the while…

Getty ImagesMichelle Obama (l) wore a striking scarlet Alexander McQueen dress while meeting former Chinese President Hu JintaoSir Keir Starmer and his wife Lady Victoria accepted donations of clothing so they could “look their best” to represent the UK, David Lammy has said.Asked about the donations, the foreign secretary suggested other countries had generous taxpayer-funded budgets for leaders’ clothing.It came after reports Sir Keir may have broken parliamentary rules in failing to declare clothes bought for his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.Lammy told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “US presidents and first ladies have a huge budget, paid for…