Author: BBC

Just nowBy Daniel Thomas and Tom Espiner, Business reportersEPAThe Post Office has apologised after it published the names and addresses of 555 postmasters prosecuted during the Horizon scandal.The company confirmed personal details had been shared in a document on its website and said it had referred itself to data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office.One former sub-postmaster tweeted that the breach had caused “a great amount of upset, distress and anger” among colleagues.In response, chief executive Nick Read apologised and said the data leak was “a truly terrible error”.It comes as witnesses continue to give evidence at an inquiry into the Horizon IT…

This week Tech Life has a special programme about the technology of artificial limbs. Source link

None of the main political parties has yet set out convincing plans on how they will improve the NHS, a leading health think tank says.The Health Foundation said on current spending projections there appeared to be a £38bn-a-year shortfall in England in what would be needed by the end of the next Parliament.The think tank said that would put plans such as tackling the NHS backlog, improving GP care and redeveloping hospitals at risk.Neither Labour nor the Conservatives have said how much they will invest in the NHS, while the Liberal Democrats’ pledge is well short of what the Health…

MDCRTravis Scott was detained under his real name, Jacques Bermon WebsterTravis Scott has been arrested in Miami on suspicion of disorderly intoxication and trespassing.The rapper was booked into custody at 04:35 local time, according to official records.An entry on the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department’s website says the 33-year-old was detained under his real name, Jacques Bermon Webster.Local news station WSNV-7 reported that the arrest was linked to a disturbance on a charter boat at Miami Beach Marina.BBC Newsbeat has contacted Miami Beach Police Department for further information.Travis Scott is a Grammy Award nominee and arguably one of the biggest hip-hop…

Human-induced climate change made recent extreme heat in the US south-west, Mexico and Central America around 35 times more likely, scientists say.The World Weather Attribution (WWA) group studied excess heat between May and early June, when the US heatwave was concentrated in south-west states including California, Nevada and Arizona. Extreme temperatures in Mexico also claimed lives during the period.Such attribution studies take some time to complete, so it is too soon for scientists to say how much of a role climate change is playing in the current heatwave stretching from the centre of the US through to the north-east and…

The Bank of England has opened the door to cutting interest rates in August in what would be the first drop in borrowing costs for more than four years.On Thursday, the Bank voted to hold interest rates at 5.25% in a decision that was widely expected.Earlier this week, figures revealed that inflation – which measures the pace of price rises – had slowed to 2% in May, which is in line with the Bank of England’s target. There are risks that some areas of inflation remain high.But minutes from a gathering of the Bank’s rate-setting committee show that when they…

46 minutes agoBy Tom Gerken, Technology reporterGetty ImagesBooking.com internet safety boss Marnie WilkingBooking.com is warning artificial intelligence (AI) is driving an explosion in travel scams.The firm’s internet safety boss, Marnie Wilking, said there had been “anywhere from a 500 to a 900% increase” in the past 18 months.She said there had been a particularly marked increase in phishing – where people are tricked into handing over their financial details – since generative AI tools like ChatGPT burst onto the market.”Of course, we’ve had phishing since the dawn of email, but the uptick started shortly after ChatGPT got launched,” she said. “The attackers…

6 hours agoBy Jim Reed, @jim_reed, Health reporter, BBC NewsBBCGentle shockwaves could regenerate the heart tissue of patients after bypass surgery, research suggests.A study of 63 people in Austria found those given the new treatment could walk further – and their hearts could pump more blood.“For the first time, we are seeing the heart muscle regenerate in a clinical setting, which could help millions of people,” Prof Johannes Holfeld, from Innsbruck Medical University, said.Larger trials of the device, dubbed a “space hairdryer” by researchers, are now planned to try to replicate the results in a wider group of patients.Blocked arteryEvery year, 18 million…

1 hour agoBy Mark Savage, Music CorrespondentGetty ImagesKendrick Lamar is the only hip-hop star to win the Pulitzer Prize for musicKendrick Lamar hosted a star-studded concert in Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on Wednesday, intended as a show of unity for the West Coast rap fraternity.More than 20 musicians made guest appearances, including Dr Dre, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla $ign, Tyler The Creator and Steve Lacy.But the highlight of the night was the live debut of Lamar’s song Not Like Us – an eviscerating take-down of Canadian star Drake, which brought their long-running feud to a decisive end last month.Encouraged by the crowd,…

The leaders of Vietnam and Russia have said they want to boost ties as the pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Vietnamese President To Lam was full of praise for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his recent re-election. Mr Putin, in return, said strengthening a strategic partnership with the south-east Asian country was one of Russia’s priorities.His trip to Vietnam, which comes on the heels of his lavish visit to North Korea, is being interpreted as a demonstration of the diplomatic support Russia still enjoys in the region. “Congratulations to our comrade for receiving overwhelming…