Author: BBC

The Home Office has failed to meet the challenge of “crises” it has faced over several years and is “not yet fit for purpose”, the home secretary has told the BBC. Shabana Mahmood acknowledged that the department, which she was put in charge of last month, had “a range of problems” including procuring contracts and holding on to senior staff but said that she was “determined to deliver”. Mahmood was talking to the BBC while overseeing a police operation on a high street in south London aimed at tackling migrants working illegally in the UK. She said a crackdown was…

Lily JamaliNorth America Technology Correspondent, San FranciscoGetty ImagesOpenAI has completed its conversion to a for-profit entity, a move that could allow it to raise billions of dollars in investment and potentially clear the way for a stock market debut.As part of the arrangement, OpenAI and Microsoft announced changes to their partnership that leave the tech giant with a 27% stake in the ChatGPT-maker.The deal changes the relationship between the two companies, which first partnered in 2019, when OpenAI was a non-profit artificial intelligence (AI) research organisation.Under the terms, Microsoft can now pursue artificial general intelligence – sometimes defined as AI…

Sliced Bread looks into the chemical reaction that happens – and whether it’s harmful.

The government is facing a bigger-than-expected hole in the public finances as it prepares for next month’s Budget.A downgrade to the UK’s productivity performance from the government’s official forecaster could lead to the chancellor facing a £20bn gap in meeting her tax and spending rules, the BBC understands.Rachel Reeves has confirmed both tax rises and spending cuts are options in next month’s Budget.The Treasury declined to comment on “speculation” ahead of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) final forecast, which will be published on 26 November alongside the Budget.The OBR will deliver its final draft forecast, including productivity – a…

Talifhani Banks is the founder of South African delivery firm Spaza Eats.Founded in 2023, Spaza Eats focused on serving the townships and rural areas that were being ignored by existing delivery firms. Now the firm has tens of thousands of customers and has given smaller food sellers a modern delivery platform. It has also generated data that is being used to develop a larger marketplace with more services, called AnalyticsX.This is the first in a six-part video series on technology in Africa.

Getty ImagesCampaigners say a national registry could lead to faster diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for patientsNearly 3,500 people have signed a petition calling for a national endometriosis registry in the hope of improving care, waiting times and awareness.The condition affects one in ten women, but Endometriosis UK say poor recording within the NHS meant there was a lack of data about the number of sufferers and the success rate of various types of treatments.Hayley Barlow-Ford, from Edlington, said she believed a national registry would allow patients and doctors to make “real decisions, rather than relying on trial and error”.A Department…

The Home Office has “squandered” billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on asylum accommodation, according to a report by a committee of MPs.The Home Affairs Committee said “flawed contracts” and “incompetent delivery” left the department unable to cope with a surge in demand and it relied on hotels as “go-to solutions” instead of temporary stop-gaps.The MPs said expected costs had tripled to more than £15bn and not enough had been done to recoup excess profits.A Home Office spokesperson said the government was “furious about the number of illegal migrants in this country and in hotels”, and reiterated its pledge to…

Tim ManselBusiness reporter, Malmö, SwedenBBCThe strike is about the right of the main union to negotiate pay and conditions for all its membersIn Sweden 70 car mechanics are continuing to take on one of the world’s richest companies – Tesla. The strike at the US carmaker’s 10 Swedish service centres has now reached its second anniversary, and there is little prospect of a resolution.Janis Kuzma has been on the Tesla picket line since October 2023.”It’s a tough time,” says the 39-year-old. And as Sweden’s cold winter weather sets in, it’s likely to become tougher.Janis spends each Monday with a colleague,…

Health leaders are warning that NHS services and jobs in England will have to be cut unless up to £3bn more in funding is allocated to cover unexpected costs. The NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, representing trusts and other health organisations, said in a joint statement that the cost of covering redundancies and strikes, along with paying more for medicines, was not included in the budget this year and will need extra cash from the Chancellor.Talks between the Department of Health and the Treasury are ongoing, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has confirmed. Responding to the statement, the Department of Health…

Jasmine Sandhar,BBC Newsbeat and Pete Allison,BBC NewsbeatGetty ImagesManchester Pride has been one of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ eventsWhen Saki Yew stepped off stage at this year’s Manchester Pride, she felt “joyous”.The former Drag Race UK queen had spent weeks rehearsing and creating costumes for the performance at the city’s Sackville Gardens in August.It was effort she was happy to make for one of the UK’s biggest LGBTQ+ events, and the reaction from the crowd made it worth it.But when she asked Pride’s organisers for her payment, she says there was silence.The charity behind Manchester Pride went bust this week, leaving…