Author: BBC

In the 1940s vulnerable hospital patients were fed sugar to see if their teeth decayed

The US has lost its last perfect credit rating, as influential ratings firm Moody’s expressed concern over the government’s ability to pay back its debt.In lowering the US rating from ‘AAA’ to ‘Aa1’, Moody’s noted that successive US administrations had failed to reverse ballooning deficits and interest costs.A triple-A rating signifies a country’s highest possible credit reliability, and indicates it is considered to be in very good financial health with a strong capacity to repay its debts. Moody’s warned in 2023 the US triple-A rating was at risk. Fitch Ratings downgraded the US in 2023 and S&P Global Ratings did…

A New Jersey man who stabbed and partially blinded novelist Sir Salman Rushdie on a New York lecture stage was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday.Hadi Matar, 27, was convicted of attempted murder and assault earlier this year.Sir Salman was on stage speaking before an audience in August 2022, when he was stabbed multiple times in the face and neck. The attack left him blind in one eye, damage to his liver and a paralysed hand caused by nerve damage to his arm.The attack came 35 years after Sir Salman’s controversial novel The Satanic Verses, which had long…

Chris BaraniukTechnology ReporterNetflixIn Netflix’s Adolescence the camera had to be attached to a drone while filmingThree strong knocks from the police battering ram and the front door bursts open. There’s a lot of shouting.We follow heavily-armed officers as they stream into the house, a woman drops to the floor as the camera turns left, and we head up a small, dimly lit staircase, passing a man with his back against the wall, hands raised, yelling to no avail.Within moments, a 13-year-old boy has been arrested and we’re back outside in the morning light. The family screams on the front lawn…

Sam FrancisPolitical reporterHarry FarleyPolitical correspondentWatch live BBC coverage of the debate from the House of CommonsMPs are debating a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for the first time since significant changes were made to it.The bill passed the first stage of the Commons last November – but since then the details have been pored over and dozens of amendments added by both sides.A vote to pass or reject the bill is not likely to take place on Friday, but rather in June.Friday’s debate comes as the government quietly made changes to its impact assessment on assisted…

Car maker Nissan says it is open to sharing factories around the world with its Chinese state-owned partner Dongfeng as it shakes up its business.The Japanese firm, which employs thousands of people in the UK, told the BBC it could bring Dongfeng “into the Nissan production eco-system globally.”This week, the struggling company said it would lay off 11,000 workers and shut seven factories but did not say where the cuts would be made.Speaking about Nissan’s UK plant on Thursday at a conference organised by the Financial Times, its boss Ivan Espinosa said: “We have announced that we are launching new…

US singer Chris Brown has been arrested in the UK in connection with a bottle attack at a London nightclub in 2023.Brown was arrested at a hotel in Manchester in the early hours of Thursday, and held on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm to music producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in Mayfair.The Sun said it became aware of Brown’s presence in the UK on Wednesday, at which point it alerted the Met Police. The Met said a 36-year-old man remains in custody. Representatives for Brown have been approached for comment. A Met spokesman told BBC News: ”A…

Co-op narrowly averted being locked out of its computer systems during the cyber attack that saw customer data stolen and store shelves left bare, the hackers who claim responsibility have told the BBC.The revelation could help explain why Co-op has started to recover more quickly than fellow retailer M&S, which had its systems more comprehensively compromised, and is still unable to carry out online orders.Hackers who have claimed responsibility for both attacks told the BBC they tried to infect Co-op with malicious software known as ransomware – but failed when the firm discovered the attack in action.Both Co-op and M&S declined…

Dean Windass speaks to BBC Sport’s Lydia Hayhurst about his alcohol dependency and mental health struggles after retiring from football. Former Hull, Bradford and Middlesbrough striker Dean Windass has been diagnosed with stage two dementia.READ MORE: Dean Windass on his dementia diagnosisIf you’ve been affected by issues raised in this video, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.

Nick EdserBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe UK’s economy grew by more than expected in the first three months of the year, according to the latest official figures.The economy expanded by 0.7% in the January-to-March period, which was stronger than the 0.6% that analysts had forecast.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said growth was largely driven by the UK services sector, although production also “grew significantly”.The figures mark the period just before the US imposed import tariffs and UK employer taxes increased in April, and analysts warned the strong rate of growth was unlikely to continue.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the latest…