Author: BBC

Simon Case is the head of the civil service, which makes him probably the most important unelected person in politics.The cabinet secretary’s role is to advise the prime minister, lead implementation of the government’s policies and manage other high-level civil servants.Born in Bristol in 1978, he first joined the civil service as a Ministry of Defence policy adviser in 2006.Over the next eight years he held roles in the Cabinet Office, the Northern Ireland Office and intelligence service GCHQ.In 2012 he became private secretary to then-Prime Minister David Cameron, going on to work in more senior roles within the Cabinet…

GB News has launched legal proceedings against Ofcom, after the media regulator ruled earlier this week the channel had breached broadcasting rules.The channel said its decision to launch formal action followed a number of rulings against it by Ofcom.In a statement, it said Ofcom’s rulings “go against journalists and broadcasters rights to make editorial judgements in line with the law”.Ofcom told BBC News in response: “We stand by our decision.”A GB News spokesman said it was “challenging recent Ofcom decisions… which also go against Ofcom’s own rules”, adding: “Ofcom is obliged by law to uphold freedom of expression.”Ofcom is also…

32 minutes agoKelly Ng and Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Taipei,BBC NewsReutersChina has called its drills around Taiwan a “strong punishment” for “separatist acts”China has started two days of military exercises around Taiwan, with its military calling them “strong punishment” for the self-ruled island’s “separatist acts”.The drills come three days after the inauguration of President William Lai, who called on China to stop threatening the island and accept the existence of its democracy.China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing’s control, but the island sees itself as distinct.Taiwan’s defence ministry condemned the Chinese drills as “irrational provocations”.Taipei…

A cap on vets’ prescription fees is one of the measures being considered by the UK’s competition body as it investigates the sector.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is forging ahead with a formal probe of the vets market amid concerns that pet owners are overpaying for treatments.It said it had heard from thousands of people who were struggling to pay vet bills and did not always know the best treatment options for their pets.The British Vet Association said regulation of the sector was “woefully out of date” as it welcomed the review.The CMA launched a review last year to…

11 hours agoKevin Sharkey,BBC News NIBBCUK Information Commissioner John Edwards revealed the potential fine could have been £5.6mThe Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) could be fined £750,000 for a major data breach last year.Following the breach last summer, the PSNI confirmed that the information was in the hands of dissident republicans, among others.The Information Commissioner’s Office has announced that the proposed fine could be imposed on the PSNI “for failing to protect the personal information of its entire workforce”.The PSNI has said it cannot afford such a fine.The breach happened when the police responded to a Freedom of Information…

4 hours agoKelly Morgan,BBC News, WiltshireThe sisters tell BBC Radio Wiltshire they want the therapy made more widely availableTwo sisters are hoping more funding will be made available so all deaf children can access Auditory Verbal Therapy.Sade Oram, 25, and her younger sister Topaz, 23, were diagnosed profoundly deaf as toddlers and fitted with cochlear implants.The pair, from Warminster in Wiltshire, describe the Auditory Verbal Therapy they received as a main contributor to their “success in life”, a service that helped them to listen and speak.A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government is “committed to improving…

8 minutes agoZoe Kleinman,Technology editor, @zskGetty Images“Move fast and break things” is a motto that continues to haunt the tech sector, some 20 years after it was coined by a young Mark Zuckerberg.Those five words came to symbolise Silicon Valley at its worst – a combination of ruthless ambition and a rather breathtaking arrogance – profit-driven innovation without fear of consequence.I was reminded of that phrase this week when the actor Scarlett Johansson clashed with OpenAI. Ms Johansson claimed both she and her agent had declined for her to be the voice of its new product for ChatGPT – and…

33 minutes agoBarbara Plett Usher,BBC News Africa correspondent, Nairobi Getty ImagesKenyan President William Ruto will become the first African leader in more than 15 years to make an official state visit to the US.This is an opportunity for President Joe Biden to demonstrate commitment to Africa at a time when Washington appears to be playing catch-up in its engagement with the continent.But relations with other African allies are under strain, as strategic rivals including Russia and China challenge traditional areas of Western influence.At one time Mr Ruto would have been an unlikely candidate to be feted at the White House…

14 minutes agoJane Wakefield,Technology reporterClark HoefnagelsClark Hoefnagels created an AI-powered tool that spots scam emailsWhen Clark Hoefnagels’ grandmother was scammed out of $27,000 (£21,000) last year, he felt compelled to do something about it.“It felt like my family was vulnerable, and I needed to do something to protect them,” he says.“There was a sense of responsibility to deal with all the things tech related for my family.”As part of his efforts, Mr Hoefnagels, who lives in Ontario, Canada, ran the scam or “phishing” emails his gran had received through popular AI chatbot ChatGPT.He was curious to see if it would…

A model has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2003, the latest in a string of allegations against the rapper and businessman.Crystal McKinney said in a lawsuit that Mr Combs invited her to his New York studio and plied her with alcohol and marijuana until she became intoxicated.He then forced her to perform oral sex, she said.BBC News has asked representatives of Mr Combs for comment. Earlier this week, Mr Combs apologised after CCTV footage showed him, in a separate incident, attacking singer, model and actress Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016.Last…