Author: BBC

Helen Drew & Olivia DemetriadesBBC News, LondonGetty ImagesThe average cost of an attended funeral in London in 2024 was £5,449The average cost of an attended funeral in London is the most expensive compared with anywhere else in the UK, according to a report.Financial services company SunLife found that the average funeral cost in 2024 was £4,285. In London, it was £5,449 – a 5.4% increase from the year before and 58% higher than in the least expensive region, Northern Ireland.Concerns have been raised about funeral poverty, with charity Quaker Social Action saying the financial stress can “rob people of their…

President Donald Trump has extended the deadline for TikTok’s sale in the US for a further 90 days.The video-sharing app has faced questions over its future after the US passed a law last year requiring the app to be banned unless sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.Lawmakers said it posed a risk to national security – something TikTok denies.Trump, who vowed to save TikTok during his presidential campaign, signed an executive order on Thursday which has delayed the date for enforcing the law for a third time.In a statement, TikTok said it was “grateful for President Trump’s leadership and…

Ruth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporterGetty ImagesIt could apparently change the shape of my face, add pounds to my midriff, and even make my hair fall out. I feel like warnings about cortisol – a stress hormone I know very little about – have hijacked my social media accounts. I see posts advising me to drink a cortisol cocktail – a blend of orange juice, coconut water and sea salt, take a range of different supplements, and massage lavender balm into my temples.Not knowing how high my cortisol levels are makes it difficult to know whether or not I need to…

Mark SavageMusic CorrespondentGetty ImagesDua Lipa and Jay Kay duetted on a surprise version of Jamiroquai’s 1996 hit Virtual InsanityDua Lipa treated fans to a surprise appearance by Jamiroquai, as she played her first ever show at Wembley Stadium. Bringing out the band’s frontman Jay Kay for a one-off performance of his 1996 hit Virtual Insanity, the star said he was “a massive trailblazer for British music”.Their performance came half-way through a stunning two-hour show, that saw Lipa tear through hits like Physical, One Kiss, New Rules and Levitating. ”This is such a massive, massive milestone for me,” she told her…

Josh SandifordBBC News, WolverhamptonBBCJane Platt is a volunteer helping others even though she is struggling herselfJane Platt’s bright pink polo shirt marks her out as a volunteer at the Big Venture Centre.The community shop provides discounted items and other help to people living in some of the most deprived areas of Wolverhampton.Places like Bushbury, Heath Town and Low Hill, where Ms Platt believes “everyone is struggling”, including herself. The local council insists it is there for those who need support, but some living in the areas say they feel forgotten. “My baby won’t play out in the streets,” explained Ms…

Liv McMahonTechnology reporterGetty ImagesThe BBC is threatening to take legal action against an artificial intelligence (AI) firm whose chatbot the corporation says is reproducing BBC content “verbatim” without its permission.The BBC has written to Perplexity, which is based in the US, demanding it immediately stops using BBC content, deletes any it holds, and proposes financial compensation for the material it has already used.It is the first time that the BBC – one of the world’s largest news organisations – has taken such action against an AI company.In a statement, Perplexity said: “The BBC’s claims are just one more part of…

Every newborn baby in England will have their DNA mapped to assess their risk of hundreds of diseases, under NHS plans for the next 10 years.The scheme, first reported by the Daily Telegraph, is part of a government drive towards predicting and preventing illness, which will also see £650m invested in DNA research for all patients by 2030.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said gene technology would enable the health service to “leapfrog disease, so we’re in front of it rather than reacting to it”.It comes after a study analysing the genetic code of up to 100,000 babies was announced in October.The…

EPAThe BBC says it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production.Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by the BBC but produced by an independent production company. It was originally scheduled for broadcast in February, but has not yet aired on any BBC outlet.In a statement, the BBC said it was “determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly”. Basement Films said it was “relieved that the BBC will finally allow this film to be released”. The BBC confirmed it…

Nick EdserBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesA “dismal” month for supermarkets led to retail sales falling in May at the fastest pace for more than a year, the UK’s statistics body has said.Sales volumes dropped 2.7% in May, the biggest monthly fall since December 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Food retailers saw lower sales of alcohol and tobacco as households cut back, while clothing and household goods stores reported “slow trading”, the ONS said.Separate figures on the UK economy showed that government borrowing hitting the second highest level for May since monthly records began in 1993.Borrowing – the…

Accurate weather forecasts are not just vital for planning our daily lives but knowing about upcoming severe weather can help us to change our behaviour, save lives and mitigate damage to property.It is impossible to assess the full economic value of weather forecasts globally, but the numbers are huge. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), in the US alone – and just taking into account the biggest weather disasters that caused over $1bn (£740m) in damage – the fallout from severe weather in 2024 amounted to $182bn, with 568 fatalities.Since 1980, this damage figure stands at nearly $3tn!…