Author: BBC

Baroness Kathy Willis talks about the importance of green and blue spaces in cities.

Kate WhannelPolitical reporter andGeorgia RobertsPolitical correspondent, ManchesterGetty ImagesThe Conservatives have set out plans to “reward work” by giving young people a £5,000 tax rebate towards their first home when they get their first full-time job.In his speech to the party’s conference in Manchester, shadow chancellor Mel Stride announced proposals for a “first-job bonus” that would divert National Insurance payments into a long-term savings account.The party says the plans will be funded by cuts to public spending worth £47bn over five years in areas such as welfare, the civil service and the foreign aid budget.In a speech on Monday, Sir Mel…

Nearly 30 million people in the UK who bought an Apple or Samsung smartphone between 2015 and 2024 may be entitled to about £17 if the consumer campaign group Which? is successful in a case against US tech giant Qualcomm.The consumer group is taking the tech giant to the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London on Monday.The trial between Which? and Qualcomm is expected to last five weeks. The consumer group is accusing the chip company of anti-competitive practices.It claims the firm forced Apple and Samsung to pay inflated prices and licensing fees for essential handset components, which then pushed up…

Elite athletes are disproportionately affected by MND, with a study of Italian footballers suggesting the rate of the disease is up to six times higher than in the general population.It is thought that by limiting the oxygen available and causing damage to motor neurone cells, regular, strenuous exercise can trigger the disease in those already genetically susceptible.Moody, who won 71 England caps and toured with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand in 2005, was nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’ during his playing career, in honour of his fearless, relentless approach to the game.He played through a stress fracture of his…

Getty ImagesYou could be forgiven for thinking that electric cars might finally be gaining momentum in the US. After all, sales of battery cars topped 1.2 million last year, more than five times the number just four years earlier. Hybrid sales have jumped by a factor of three.Battery-powered cars accounted for 10% of overall sales in August – a new high, according to S&P Global Mobility. And in updates to investors this week, General Motors, Ford, Tesla and other companies all reported record electric sales over the past three months.This marked a bright spot in an industry wrestling with the…

Angus CrawfordBBC News InvestigationsGetty ImagesTikTok’s algorithm recommends pornography and highly sexualised content to children’s accounts, according to a new report by a human rights campaign group.Researchers created fake child accounts and activated safety settings but still received sexually explicit search suggestions.The suggested search terms led to sexualised material including explicit videos of penetrative sex.The platform says it is committed to safe and age-appropriate experiences and took immediate action once it knew of the problem.In late July and early August this year, researchers from campaign group Global Witness set up four accounts on TikTok pretending to be 13-year-olds.They used false dates…

Dr Oscar DukeDoctor and BBC Morning Live expert, LondonGetty ImagesChances are you know someone coughing and spluttering – hopefully not directly on you – right now. There are lots of coughs and colds doing the rounds as autumn draws in.But why now, how do you know if it’s more than just a cold and how can you avoid the worst.Medical doctor Dr Oscar Duke, who is also a regular TV presenter including on the BBC’s Morning Live, shares his top tips.Does colder weather cause colds?Getty ImagesResearch on the extent to which cold weather impacts our immune systems remains unclear.But darker…

Suranjana TewariAsia Business CorrespondentBBC”Throw your current lifestyle overboard!” boasts the advert for Victoria Cruises Line (VCL), which bills itself as the world’s first affordable residential cruise.Cabins typically go for US$3,840 (£2,858) a month for a three-year voyage to 115 countries, and travellers from all over the world have the option of doing the route for as long as they like.For Australians Dennis and Taryna Wawn from Perth, excited by the prospect of a home at sea, the advert on Facebook couldn’t have come at a better time as they planned their retirement.Three years later, the ship has yet to sail.…

Apple has pulled apps that let users flag sightings of officers from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).The tech giant said it had removed ICEBlock from its App Store after law enforcement made it aware of “safety risks” associated with it and “similar apps”.Another app called ICE Immigration Alerts has been removed from the App Store and Google Play. A third, Coqui, has also been taken down from Google Play.In a statement US Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had “demanded” the removal of ICEBlock saying it was “designed to put ICE agents at risk”.The app’s creator contacted BBC Verify…

Charlotte WrightPolitical Editor, South EastPA MediaGreen Party leader Zack Polanski spoke to Charlotte Wright ahead of the party’s annual conference in BournemouthThe leader of the Green Party says he wants to legalise all drugs, calling for an approach “led by public health experts, not politicians”.Speaking to BBC South East ahead of his party conference, Zack Polanski said he agreed with a Kent Green councillor, who earlier this year called for the legalisation of all drugs, including class A drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.Polanski said “the war on drugs has absolutely failed, and ultimately we need to be having a…