Author: BBC

Pubs and music venues could benefit from fewer noise complaints under proposed changes to planning and licensing rules.Under the reforms, developers seeking to build new properties near existing venues would be told to soundproof buildings, while permissions would be fast-tracked for new businesses and al fresco dining in dedicated areas.The government hopes the changes in England and Wales will make it easier to open new bars in disused shops, promote outdoor drinking and dining, and reverse the decline in the pub industry.Labour said the changes would bring “vibrancy” to struggling towns, but the Conservatives said tax policy was responsible for…

EE says it carried out further work overnight to fix a technical problem which left some customers unable to make or receive calls.In the last 24 hours, hundreds of people who use the mobile provider have told the BBC they have experienced service issues.It comes after thousands were left unable to make or receive calls earlier this week due to a technical issue which impacted both mobile and landline phones.On Saturday, a spokesperson for BT – which owns EE – said the network was “running as normal” after maintenance was carried out last night, but that it was “monitoring” the…

Harry CraigBBC News, LondonTate PhotographyThe extended evening hours primarily aim to attract more young visitorsThe Tate Modern has announced it will extend its weekend opening hours in the autumn.From 26 September, the London art gallery will open until 21:00 BST on Friday and Saturday evenings.The move is intended to give more visitors the chance to visit the gallery after work, particularly young people.The move follows the success of the Tate Modern Lates, a series of curated evening events which have welcomed over 750,000 people since 2016.The Tate Modern normally opens at 10:00 and closes at 18:00 every day, and is…

The prescribed medication, taken for movement disorders, can have extreme side effects.

Jodi LawBBC News, East MidlandsBBCRebecca Dowdeswell described the ongoing legal proceedings as a “hard slog” A salon owner says she is “ready to fight again” ahead of a crucial hearing in her long-running trademark dispute with global cosmetics firm L’Oréal. Rebecca Dowdeswell attempted to renew the trademark of her Leicester-based business – nkd – in 2022 but the French firm opposed the move.L’Oréal has its own trademark on a series of beauty products called Naked, and claims her use of the name nkd would cause “consumer confusion”.The 49-year-old said she was feeling in a “much stronger position”, now an Intellectual…

Liv McMahon & Andrew RogersBBC NewsGetty ImagesAround 6,000 sites allowing porn in the UK will start checking if users are over 18 on Friday, according to the media regulator Ofcom.Dame Melanie Dawes, its chief executive, told the BBC “we are starting to see not just words but action from the technology industry” to improve child safety online.She told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme that “no other country had pulled off” such measures, nor gained commitments from so many platforms, including Elon Musk’s X, around age verification.But the BBC understands at least one major porn site operating in the UK does…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterReutersBafta-winning actor Micheal Ward, known for roles in shows and films including Top Boy, Small Axe and Blue Story, has been charged with rape.Mr Ward, 27, of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, is charged with two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police said.The alleged offences relate to one woman and are reported to have taken place in January 2023, according to the force.The actor made his name as one of the stars of cult hit Blue Story in 2019, and won the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards the following year.He played Jamie…

Getty ImagesResident doctors in England have started a five-day walkout over pay.They say they haven’t had a “credible pay deal” for 2025-2026, but Health Secretary Wes Streeting argues the strike is “unreasonable” after substantial pay rises in recent years.Who are resident doctors? Resident doctors used to be known as junior doctors, but the government recently agreed to change the name of their role to better reflect their expertise. They make up around half of all doctors. As a patient you could come into contact with a resident doctor in any NHS department, including A&E and your GP surgery. Resident doctors…

Tom EspinerBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesRetail sales rebounded in June as the hot weather boosted fuel and supermarket sales, according to official data.Sales volumes were up by 0.9% in the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.People bought more drinks at supermarkets and summer clothes, while fuel sales were up as consumers “ventured out and about in the sunshine”, the ONS said.The rise comes after sales fell by 2.8% in May, which was more than the ONS had previously estimated.After May’s drop, a rebound in June had been expected, but the increase was lower than many economists had forecast.Ruth…

Suzanne BearneTechnology ReporterFermentalgThere are hundreds of thousands of microalgae speciesFrench firm Fermentalg has been all over the planet in its search for useful microalgae.”One of our lucky scientists got to go and climb the volcanoes in the Caribbean for example, and I have to restrain myself from collecting more every time I go home to New Zealand,” says Hywel Griffiths, chief scientific officer at Fermentalg.There are hundreds of thousands of species of microalgae – microscopic organisms, which mostly live in water. They are essential to the aquatic food chain and also produce half the oxygen we breathe.Some are already used…