Author: BBC

Kris HollandBBC News, East of EnglandGetty ImagesWomen across the East of England are now able to self-refer to their local maternity servicesThousands of expectant mothers in the East of England have taken up a new NHS service and more are being encouraged to take part.Women across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and elsewhere have been using the service, where they can refer themselves directly to their local maternity services – without the need to first see a GP – by completing an online form.Wendy Matthews, NHS England’s chief midwife for the region, said the referral system was a “leap forward in…

Paul Glynn & Ian YoungsCulture reporterPAThe BBC has apologised after a contributor to the Radio 4 Today programme’s Thought for the Day slot accused shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick of “xenophobia”.Theologian and author Dr Krish Kandiah used the term about an article in which Jenrick said he wouldn’t want his daughters living near “men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom you know next to nothing”.In response, Jenrick said listeners had been told that “if you’re concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you’re racist”.A BBC statement said that while Dr Kandiah’s message…

Artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity AI has made a surprise $34.5bn (£25.6bn) takeover bid for the world’s most popular web browser, Google Chrome.The three-year-old firm, whose backers include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and chip maker Nvidia, is headed by a former Google and OpenAI employee.But one technology industry investor called the offer a “stunt” that is a much lower than Chrome’s true value and highlighted it is not clear whether the platform is even for sale.The BBC has contacted Google for comment. A US federal judge is expected to issue a ruling this month that could see Google being ordered to…

Apple has rejected accusations from Elon Musk that its App Store stifles competiton, insisting it is “designed to be free and fair of bias.” X owner Musk has threatened Apple with legal action after claiming it had made it “impossible” for apps to compete with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI in the storeHe also called OpenAI boss Sam Altman a “liar” – after Altman claimed Musk used his platform to “benefit himself and his own companies”.The row is the latest flashpoint in what is an ongoing feud between the billionaires who co-founded OpenAI – but now fiercely compete after Musk left the firm.Apple…

Getty ImagesThe number of people surviving cancer has improved hugely in the past 50 years, but experts warn progress has been uneven with some cancers with the worst survival rates falling further behind.For some, including melanoma skin cancer, 10-year survival is now above 90% in England and Wales, while for all cancers half of patients can expect to live that long – double the figure in the early 1970s.But a London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study said there had been little improvement in those affecting the oesophagus, stomach and lungs – and less than 5% survive pancreatic cancer…

Real Housewives of LondonKaren Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker, Juliet Angus, Nessie Welschinger and Amanda Cronin are the cast of the Real Housewives of London The Real Housewives franchise has spread around the world, with viewers lapping up the partying and catfighting of wealthy socialites in locations from Orange County to Sydney to Nairobi. But there hasn’t been a series based in London – until now.”Go back to Paddington.”On its own, it sounds harmless enough, more like directions than an insult. But for Belgravia’s gilded set, being told to leave the rarefied streets and return to a supposedly less desirable…

Tom EspinerBusiness reporterGetty ImagesThe UK jobs market has continued to cool as vacancies fell and the number of people on payrolls dropped, the latest official figures suggest.Job openings fell by 5.8% to 718,000 between May to July across nearly all industries, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It said there was evidence that some firms may not be recruiting new workers or replacing people who have left.However, the slowdown was not as sharp as some economists had anticipated.Average wage growth remained at 5%, the unemployment rate was unmoved at 4.7% and an estimated drop in people on payrolls…

Zoe KleinmanTechnology editorJoshua NevettPolitical reporterEPATechnology Secretary Peter Kyle wants the Alan Turing Institute to focus on defenceStaff at the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence (AI) have warned the charity is at risk of collapse, after Technology Secretary Peter Kyle threatened to withdraw its funding.Workers at the Alan Turing Institute raised a series of “serious and escalating concerns” in a whistleblowing complaint submitted to the Charity Commission.The complaint, seen by the BBC, accuses the institute’s leadership of misusing public funds, overseeing a “toxic internal culture”, and failing to deliver on the charity’s mission.A government spokesperson said Kyle “has been clear…

Michelle RobertsDigital health editorGetty ImagesDuring hot weather, it can be easy to overheat, sometimes resulting in heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Heat exhaustion is not usually serious as long as you can cool yourself down – but heatstroke is a medical emergency which requires immediate treatment.Some groups, including older adults, young children and people with long-term health conditions can be particularly at risk. The body’s ability to regulate temperature is not fully developed in the very young and can be reduced by illness and some medications, while being overweight or obese can also make it harder to cool down.In particular, people…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are extending their deal for films and TV shows with Netflix.This has been described as a “multi-year, first look deal”, which would give Netflix a first option on proposals from Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell production company.It’s a looser arrangement than their previous deal – but it disproves claims that the Sussexes and Netflix are going to completely part company.Meghan said that she and Harry were inspired by the partnership with Netflix to “create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally, and celebrates our shared vision”.It’s not known how many years…