Author: BBC

2 hours agoBy James Gallagher, @JamesTGallagher, Health and science correspondent, BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe cervix is the canal joining the vagina and the wombMore than one million extra women could have life-saving cervical-cancer checks if the NHS adopted do-it-yourself testing, researchers estimate.The team at King’s College London said the results of its self-testing trial were “fantastic” and “gave power to women”.The kits are like a Covid swab but longer and are posted to a lab for analysis.The NHS called the findings extremely positive and is assessing whether to roll out the scheme.There are more than 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer in the UK…

BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarronActress Molly Rainford says she “constantly worries” about the risk of spiking on nights out Eastenders actress Molly Rainford says it’s “important” for the soap to tackle spiking in a new experimental storyline.Her character Anna Knight stars in a new five-part mini series uploaded by the show’s makers to social media.Called Spiked, it shows what happens to Anna when her drink gets spiked during a night out.The online shorts are accessible via a QR code displayed during the episode shown on BBC One on Tuesday night.Viewers who scan the image with their phones are taken to the five…

Schools and universities across Bangladesh have been shut until further notice after six people were killed in protests over quotas in government jobs.University students have been holding rallies for several days against the system of providing reservations in public sector jobs for the children of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.Some jobs are also reserved for women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.A third of posts are kept for the children of those categorised as war heroes. The students argue that the system is discriminatory, and they want recruitment based on merit.Several cities, including the…

Self-exiled Chinese businessman, Guo Wengui, has been convicted by a US court of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from online followers.He was found guilty on nine out of the 12 criminal counts he faced, including racketeering, fraud and money laundering.Guo’s sentencing has been scheduled for 19 November and could face decades in prison. He is a critic of Chinese Communist party and was and an associate of Stephen Bannon, an ex-White House chief strategist under former president Donald Trump.Prosecutors said Guo raised more than $1bn (£770bn) from online followers who joined him in investment and cryptocurrency schemes between 2018…

Record rainfall from three huge storms has flooded parts of Toronto, cut power and left drivers stranded on the major motorway through the city.Environment Canada reported that almost 100mm (4in) of rain fell on Toronto on Tuesday, surpassing the city’s daily record set in 1941.Images and videos showed severe flooding across the city, cars nearly submerged, and water cascading down the staircases at Union Station.The storm left more than 167,000 customers without power, according to Toronto Hydro.Several flights were also delayed or cancelled out of Billy Bishop Airport, on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario.The Don Valley Parkway, a major…

Harland and Wolff shipyard says it has “reworked” an application for government support as concerns grow for the future of the business.The Financial Times reported that the government intended to reject the firm’s application for a loan guarantee.The Belfast-based company had requested a 100% government guarantee to cover £200m of new borrowing.It says it has now proposed a deal for a standard 80% guarantee level that “has been awarded to hundreds of other companies”.The loan guarantee is seen as essential for the firm’s financial stability.It needs to refinance an £90m high interest loan and take on new borrowings as it…

Billionaire Elon Musk has said he will move the headquarters of two of his most high-profile companies, rocket firm SpaceX and social media platform X, out of California to Texas.He cited his opposition to a new Californian state law which bans schools from requiring staff to disclose information about a child’s gender identity – including to parents. “This is the last straw,” he wrote on social media. The businessman had already moved Tesla’s headquarters to Texas in 2021, a move he first threatened over Covid-era lockdowns. Since then, he has become increasingly involved in US politics. Over the weekend, he…

Protection for Donald Trump was boosted several weeks ago after US authorities learned of an Iranian plot to kill him, according to national security officials. Officials say there is no known connection between the Iranian plot and the assassination attempt on the former president on Saturday in Pennsylvania.However, the disclosure that security had been tightened raises further questions over how Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was able to climb a building and get close enough to fire at Trump. The US Secret Service and the Trump campaign were notified of the Iranian threat, and security was increased as a result, according…

The boss of train operating company Avanti West Coast was “summoned” to talks with the new transport secretary over the company’s “unacceptable performance”.Louise Haigh demanded “immediate action” in a meeting with its managing director, Andy Mellors on Tuesday after figures showed its passengers faced some of the worst travel disruption in the country.It was the first of a series of meetings with the worst performing train firms, with railway operator Network Rail also attending.A spokesperson for Avanti said the talks between Mr Mellors and Labour’s transport secretary were “constructive”.Calls have been made to strip Avanti West Coast of its operating…

1 hour agoBy Barbara Plett Usher, BBC NewsEPAPalestinian sources say the strike in al-Mawasi hit a car carrying four peopleAt least 50 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes in south and central parts of Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says.One of the deadliest attacks occurred in the designated humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi, west of the southern city of Khan Younis.Another strike hit a UN-run school housing displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza.The Israeli military said both strikes had targeted members of Palestinian armed groups and that it was looking into reports…