Author: BBC

Labour’s original plan to reform the welfare system was a hasty effort to try to make billions of pounds of cuts to a rapidly growing bill in order to help the chancellor meet her self-imposed rules on government borrowing.But this latest U-turn raises significant questions about just how stability and credibility-enhancing it really is to tweak financial plans every six months to hit budget targets that change frequently due to a variety of reasons, including things such as the cost of borrowing which the government cannot control.The latest deal appears to row back more than half of the annual £5bn…

MaryLou CostaTechnology ReporterReporting fromVilnius, LithuaniaEnergesmanFly larvae are excellent at converting food waste into proteinMost people are inclined to shoo flies away from food, and the thought of maggots in your bins is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.But a handful of city councils have embraced maggots – more formally known as fly larvae – and their taste for rotting food.In Vilnius, capital of the Baltic state of Lithuania, fly larvae have officially been given the job of processing the 2,700 tonnes of food waste the city’s 607,000 residents put out for collection each year, alongside that of the six neighbouring…

Daniel WainwrightData journalist, BBC VerifyGetty ImagesDoctors and patient groups warn that the NHS in England is facing an uphill struggle on the government’s number one NHS priority – improving hospital waiting times.They are concerned about the lack of progress towards hitting the 18-week waiting time target, one of Labour’s key election pledges. It has not been met since 2015.Since the election, the proportion of patients waiting less than 18 weeks has improved, but by less than a percentage point.And an analysis of hospital trusts by BBC Verify found over a third are seeing a smaller share of patients within 18…

One of the “grandpa robbers” found guilty of stealing jewellery worth millions from reality TV star Kim Kardashian has died one month after being convicted, French media have said.Didier Dubreucq, 69, was diagnosed with lung cancer while in detention prior to going on trial and had been undergoing chemotherapy.In May, he and seven accomplices were found guilty of the high-profile Paris heist, during which millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery were stolen from Kardashian nearly a decade ago.Dubreucq denied any involvement in the heist. “It’s a mistaken identity case… I had nothing to do with this,” he told the court…

The government has unveiled a plan for trade aimed at boosting exports and protecting UK firms at a time of growing uncertainty for businesses following the introduction of US tariffs.It aims to remove obstacles for UK businesses selling abroad while also bolstering the country’s trade defences to avoid the risk of cheap imports undercutting domestic companies.Some sectors are concerned that cars and steel originally destined for US markets will be diverted to UK shores, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs make it significantly more expensive to sell in America.But Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK’s plan would “ensure British businesses…

Pornhub and a number of other major adult websites have confirmed they will introduce enhanced age checks for users from next month.Parent company Aylo says it is bringing in “government approved age assurance methods” but has not yet revealed how it will require users to prove they are over 18.Regulator Ofcom has previously said simply clicking a button, which is all the adult site currently requires, is not enough.Ofcom said the changes would “bring pornography into line with how we treat adult services in the real world.”The Online Safety Act requires adult sites to introduce “robust” age checking techniques by…

Philippa RoxbyHealth ReporterCharlie BeattieCharlie Beattie holds her nine-week-old baby in her arms after many years of miscarriagesUK scientists say they have developed a test which can help identify women with an abnormal womb lining that increases their risk of miscarriage.They say their work could pave the way for new treatments for those going through repeated pregnancy loss. In some women with a history of miscarriage, the womb lining doesn’t react the way it should – transforming into a supportive place for the embryo to implant, the Warwick University team discovered.Charities say the findings could help provide an explanation, in some…

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Emer MoreauBusiness reporter, BBC NewsSyreeta SandhuSyreeta Sandhu has spent £15,000 on IVFIVF patients are being warned over unregulated “concierge clinics” after a popular one went bust leaving scores of clients without treatment or refunds.As the number of privately funded IVF cycles has risen, online concierge companies have emerged, acting as “middlemen” between patients, donors and doctors.The fertility watchdog has said that as these clinics do not provide IVF treatment directly, it does not have powers to regulate them. It is calling for the law to be strengthened to protect patients.Syreeta Sandhu lost nearly £15,000 when her concierge clinic went bust.…

Natalie Sherman and Lucy HookerBBC NewsGetty ImagesA US judge has ruled that using books to train artificial intelligence (AI) software is not a violation of US copyright law.The decision came out of a lawsuit brought last year against AI firm Anthropic by three writers, a novelist, and two non-fiction authors, who accused the firm of stealing their work to train its Claude AI model and build a multi-billion dollar business. In his ruling, Judge William Alsup wrote that Anthropic’s use of the authors’ books was “exceedingly transformative” and therefore allowed under US law.But he rejected Anthropic’s request to dismiss the…