Author: BBC

BBCTracey MeechanTracey Meechan’s pain from an ovarian cyst is so severe she can’t bend over – she relies on her children to help her put her shoes and socks on.Every day the 41-year-old wakes up and wonders if any new symptoms are going to appear.She has been on an “urgent” NHS waiting list for surgery for 100 weeks and now feels “forgotten”.As the latest NHS Scotland waiting times data is due to be published, Mrs Meechan told BBC Scotland News that the wait for treatment has affected every part of her life.’It’s a drudge’She said: “I can’t live my life…

Higher beef and fresh produce prices pushed UK food inflation to rise for the fourth month in a row to its highest level in a year.Food price increased 2.8% in the year to May, up from 2.6% in April, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents supermarkets and other retailers.Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said shops were passing on the costs of higher minimum wages and increased employer National Insurance contributions.Nick Allen, of the British Meat Processors Association, told the BBC the price of beef had risen to “record levels” due to strong demand…

Devina GuptaBusiness reporterMansukh PrajapatiAn earthquake changed the life of Mansukh PrajapatiFor Mansukh Prajapati, childhood in the western Indian city of Morbi began before sunrise, with a six-mile walk to collect clay for their family business.”My father was a potter,” he recalls.Often he would wake up to the rhythmic sound of his father at work at his potter’s wheel.”My mother and I would get up at four in the morning and walk for miles every day to get clay.”Used for storing water, clay pots were a common item in Indian households in the 1970s.But the income from making pots was meagre…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterReutersSir Salman lost the sight in one eye and sustained other serious injuries in the attackAuthor Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is “pleased” the man who tried to kill him in a knife attack in 2022 has received the maximum possible prison sentence.Hadi Matar, 27, was jailed for 25 years earlier this month for attempted murder after repeatedly stabbing Sir Salman on a New York lecture stage.”I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds,” Sir Salman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.The attack left the…

Ruth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporterCara HallinanCara is stockpiling ahead of the ban and says she is hoping to buy enough disposable vapes to last her through the summer Cara Hallinan says she and many of her friends are feeling very nervous about the looming disposable vape ban.In fact, she says: “I’m not sure what we are going to do.”The 25-year-old took up vaping five years ago.One of her friends gave her a puff on theirs and that was it, she could finally wean herself off cigarettes.Cara says it was cherry fizz flavoured vapes which helped her quit her 20-a-day smoking…

Helen Drew & Jess WarrenBBC NewsBBCTower Hamlets Council estimates the grant will help about 7,000 students About 7,000 families in east London are set to benefit from a council’s universal school uniform grant.The £150 will be available to children who are entering their first year of primary or secondary school, if their families have a household income of £50,350 or less.Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, said it would “go some way” to support children in the borough, while Mohi, a local parent, said school uniform costs were a “matter of worry” for himself and his family.It comes as the…

Two humanoid robots traded punches while fans watched on, in a competition held in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday.The fight was part of the China Media Group World Robot Competition and featured robots developed by Unitree Robotics.The event included both fighting demonstrations and matches, marking a world-first combat sports event featuring humanoid robots.

Paul GlynnCulture reporterWatch: A look back at Alan Yentob’s colourful, creative careerAlan Yentob, the long-serving BBC arts broadcaster and documentary-maker, has died aged 78.Yentob profiled and interviewed a wide range of important cultural and creative figures over the years, including David Bowie, Charles Saatchi, Maya Angelou and Grayson Perry, for TV series such as Omnibus, Arena and Imagine.He also served as controller of BBC One and Two, and the organisation’s creative director and head of music and arts during a long and varied career.Paying tribute to her late husband, Philippa Walker described Yentob as “curious, funny, annoying, late and creative…

Elin AlexanderBBC Wales NewsBBCMarianne Barry, 29, believes there is a lack of understanding about PMDDIf 29-year-old Marianne Barry doesn’t take the contraceptive pill each day, she could have symptoms of severe anxiety or even suicidal thoughts.Marianne has pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a condition which affects as many as 8% of women and causes intense emotional and physical symptoms in the days leading up to menstruation – with an average wait time for a diagnosis of around 12 years.Contraceptive medication remains the primary course of treatment for women living with PMDD, but for women who wish to become pregnant this poses…

Sean Dilley & Molly StazickerTransport correspondent & transport producerPAHeidi Alexander making a speech this week in front of a train carriage with the new GBR logoSouth Western Railway (SWR) has been renationalised, making it the first train company to transfer to public ownership under Labour.The first nationalised service, from Woking to Surbiton, departed on time at 05:36 on Sunday, though the ongoing journey to London Waterloo was on a rail replacement bus due to engineering work.The government called the move a “new dawn for rail” but held back from promising lower fares, focusing more on plans to improve services and…