Author: BBC

Chris BaraniukTechnology ReporterCorbis via Getty ImagesBattery health is a top priority for buyers of used EVsWhen Kerry Dunstan and his partner set out to buy a new electric car this summer, one of the questions they asked was, “How’s the battery?”.They’d found a 2021 Nissan Leaf with just 29,000 miles on it, and the dealer told them the condition of the battery, or its state of health (SOH), was still around 93%.The couple were sold. For £12,500, they got an EV with a big boot and plenty of room for passengers.Though Mr Dunstan, a cabinetmaker who also owns a somewhat…

A blood test for more than 50 types of cancer could help speed up diagnosis, according to a new study.Results of a trial in North America show that the test was able to identify a wide range of cancers, of which three-quarters don’t have any form of screening programme.More than half the cancers were detected at an early stage, where they are easier to treat and potentially curable.The Galleri test, made by American pharmaceutical firm Grail, can detect fragments of cancerous DNA that have broken off a tumour and are circulating in the blood. It is currently being trialled by…

Kumail JafferLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceAFP via Getty ImagesThe number of births in London in 2023 was 20% lower than the peak in 2012, according to the London AssemblyFamilies are being priced out of living in London due to rising costs and a lack of social housing, the London Assembly has been told.The number of births in London in 2023 was 20% lower than the peak in 2012, with the sharpest decline in inner London, according to the Assembly’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee.The committee heard from experts on this trend, with child poverty campaigner Katherine Hill urging London’s mayor to…

Liv McMahonTechnology reporterBettmann Archive/Getty ImagesOpenAI has stopped its artificial intelligence (AI) app Sora creating deepfake videos portraying Dr Martin Luther King Jr, following a request from his estate.The company acknowledged the video generator had created “disrespectful” content about the civil rights campaigner.Sora has gone viral in the US due to its ability to make hyper-realistic videos, which has led to people sharing faked scenes of deceased celebrities and historical figures in bizarre and often offensive scenarios.OpenAI said it would pause images of Dr King “as it strengthens guardrails for historical figures” – but it continues to allow people to make…

Michelle RobertsDigital health editorGetty ImagesAn injection to prevent HIV is to be offered to patients on the NHS in England and Wales for the first time, bringing the policy in line with Scotland.The long-acting shot, given six times a year or every other month, is an alternative to taking daily pills to protect against the virus.Experts hope the cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injections will help meet the ambition of ending new HIV cases by 2030 in the UK. Meanwhile, early results for a different injection called lenacapavir suggest it may even be possible to move people on to an annual HIV prevention…

Plans for a groundbreaking rare earths refinery in East Yorkshire have been scrapped, after the company behind the project decided to seek investment in the US instead.Pensana has spent the past seven years developing a rare earths mine in Angola. The project, one of the largest of its kind in the world, will begin delivering raw materials in 2027.The firm had planned to build a refinery at the Saltend Chemicals Plant near Hull to process the materials into metals used to create powerful magnets.But Pensana said moves by China to keep rare earth prices low has made refining in the…

It’s known to be China’s biggest online shopping event – taking place on 11 November each year.But this year, Single’s Day sales have already begun in mid-October, as part of efforts by Chinese retailers to boost spending in a sluggish market.China has been plagued with issues like growing youth unemployment , a prolonged property crisis, steep government debt and an ongoing trade war with the US – all of which is making the country’s consumers cut back on spending.The Chinese government has been spending billions – through family subsidies, more wages and discounts for consumer goods in a bid to…

More than £13m has been given to a town’s trust to continue its work improving the health and wellbeing of local residents.The money from Luton Rising, the Luton Borough Council company that owns London Luton Airport, has been given to Active Luton to secure investment in leisure and library services until 2030. The council hoped the funding would “inspire participation in physical activity, and create learning and career opportunities”. It would “focus on reducing health inequalities, improving education, cutting crime and supporting sustainability,” the council added.Lawrence Kay, Active Luton’s chief executive officer, said the support had “played a vital role…

The chancellor should be “bold” in next month’s Budget or risk future spending cuts and tax rises, an influential think tank has said. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is projecting Rachel Reeves will need to find £22bn to make up a shortfall in the government’s finances, and will “almost certainly” have to raise taxes. Finding this amount would allow the government to maintain the £10bn of headroom it has built into the system – but the IFS says there is a “strong case” for trying to increase it beyond this amount. IFS director Helen Miller said the lack of…

Georgina HayesBBC ScotlandGetty ImagesThe US is the location of most new data centres but the UK is expanding quicklyData centres powering artificial intelligence (AI) in Scotland are using enough tap water to fill 27 million half-litre bottles a year, according to data obtained by BBC News.AI systems such as the large language models (LLMs) that power OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini require warehouses full of specialist computers.The equipment is power-hungry, consuming large amounts of energy, but they also use tonnes of water in their cooling systems to stop the servers overheating.Freedom of Information data shows the volume of tap water…