Author: BBC

Parents should lead by example this Christmas and turn their phones off during family time, the children’s commissioner for England has said.Dame Rachel de Souza told the Press Association children were “crying out” for engagement with their relatives over the festive break, and urged them to have “phone-free time”.Nearly half of parents with children aged 18 or younger plan to allow phones at the Christmas dinner table this year, according to a recent survey.”I can’t tell you how many children tell me about sitting at dinner and the parents are on the phone,” Dame Rachel said. “So this Christmas, let’s…

Complex presenter Kimberly Wilson speaks to Nina Higson-Sweeney about ways to manage OCD.

Getty ImagesLower prices for clothing, food and alcohol helped the UK inflation rate ease last monthFalls in food, alcohol, and clothing prices last month helped drive inflation to its lowest level in eight months in November.The inflation rate fell to 3.2% from 3.6%, a larger fall than analysts expected.Lower food prices were the main driver of the fall, “with decreases seen particularly for cakes, biscuits, and breakfast cereals”, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) chief economist Grant Fitzner.It comes ahead of the Bank of England’s decision on interest rates on Thursday, with a cut widely expected.The fall in inflation…

Downing Street says the UK remains in “active conversations with US counterparts at all levels of government” about a wide-ranging tech deal.The BBC understands talks over the Technology Prosperity Deal have stalled because of US concerns about what it considers to be wider UK trade barriers.Billed as “historic” when it was unveiled during US President Donald Trump’s state visit in September, the partnership saw both countries pledge to co-operate further in areas such as AI and quantum computing.”We’re confident of securing a deal that will shape the future of millions on both sides of the Atlantic,” the Prime Minister’s official…

GoogleGraham had been taken for treatment to Bassetlaw Hospital several times beforeThe care given to a 45-year-old man with disabilities who died from sepsis after not being given the correct medication for 34 hours has been described as a “shambles” by his mother.The father of two – named only as Graham – was taken into Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire with an infection in November 2022.An investigation by Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) noted doctors did not follow advice from the mother, care home staff or paramedics to give him intravenous (IV) antibiotics rather than oral as it was not…

Thousands of drivers could have speeding fines cancelled after a fault saw some cameras falsely triggered on English A roads and motorways.National Highways said it had found 2,650 wrongful speed camera activations since 2021 due to a delay between cameras and variable speed signs.Affected drivers will be contacted by police and be reimbursed for any fines while points will be removed from their licences where needed.Not all camera activations are enforced, so not all of the wrongful activations will have resulted in fines.National Highways apologised for the error and chief executive Nick Harris said a fix for the issue has…

Chris BaraniukTechnology ReporterMVV EnergieMVV Energie is building the world’s most powerful heat pump systemsThe pipe that will supply the heat pump, drawing water from the River Rhine in Germany, is so big that you could walk through it, fully upright, I’m told.”We plan to take 10,000 litres per second,” says Felix Hack, project manager at MVV Environment, an energy company, as he describes the 2m diameter pipes that will suck up river water in Mannheim, and then return it once heat from the water has been harvested.In October, parent firm MVV Energie announced its plan to build what could be…

Sir Cliff Richard has revealed he has been treated for prostate cancer.The 85-year-old singer said the cancer was discovered when he had a check-up for a recent tour, but that it had been caught early and had not spread.”I was going to Australia and to New Zealand and the promoter said, ‘Well we need your insurance, so you need to be checked up for something’. They found that I had… prostate cancer,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.”The good fortune was that it was not very old, and the other thing is that it had not metastasized. It hadn’t moved,…

Hope WebbBBC Scotland reporterBBCThe workers have been protesting outside the firm’s headquarters in Edinburgh and LondonFormer staff at the firm behind Grand Theft Auto have told the BBC that a “devastating” mass sacking took place allegedly because they tried to unionise.Some 31 employees were dismissed in October for what Rockstar North called “gross misconduct”.The majority were based at the gaming giant’s Edinburgh headquarters, with former workers claiming they were penalised for discussing working conditions in a private online forum.Rockstar North said it was incorrect to suggest the dismissals were linked to union membership or activities. It said it took action…

The US firm behind the Roomba smart vacuum cleaner, iRobot, has filed for bankruptcy protection after facing competition from Chinese rivals and being hit by tariffs.Under the so-called pre-packaged Chapter 11 process, the main manufacturer of its devices, Shenzhen-based Picea Robotics, will take ownership of the firm.The tough commercial landscape had forced iRobot to cut its prices and make major investments in new technology, according to documents filed on Sunday.US import duties of 46% on goods from Vietnam, where most of iRobot’s devices for the American market are made, increased its costs by $23m (£17.2m) this year, the firm said.The…