Author: BBC

Aimee DexterBBC News, NorfolkRobby West/BBCClub owner Mike Baxter said he wanted to give a “big thanks” to the Norwich community for its support The owner of an “underdog” nightclub said he was “lost for words” after it scooped an international award.Gonzo’s Two Room, a small club in Norwich city centre, won the Best Venue (UK and Europe) category at the BBC Radio 1 Dance Awards.Rivals for the coveted title, chosen by a public vote, included “mega clubs” in Ibiza, London and Manchester.”To win it is weird, surreal, humbling, and amazing. I am a little bit lost for words,” said owner…

Smitha MundasadHealth reporterMoorfields HospitalJace, 6, was born with a rare and aggressive eye conditionAn experimental trial of gene therapy has helped four toddlers – born with one of the most severe forms of childhood blindness – gain “life-changing improvements” to their sight, according to doctors at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. The rare genetic condition means the babies’ vision deteriorated very rapidly from birth.Before the therapy, they were registered legally blind and only just able to distinguish between dark and light. After the infusion, all parents reported improvements – with some of their young children now able to begin to…

US government workers received an email on Saturday afternoon asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week or resign – the latest development in the Trump administration’s efforts to scale back the federal workforce. The email came after Trump’s billionaire confidante Elon Musk posted on X that employees would “shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week”. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” he wrote.Musk, as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), has been leading an outside effort to aggressively curtail government spending through funding cuts…

Pauline McLeanBBC Scotland Arts correspondentBBCFormer Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi fronted a band in Glasgow in the late 70s and early 80s before finding fame as an actorYou would think the star of Doctor Who and The Devil’s Hour would be used to time looping back upon itself.But as Peter Capaldi prepares to launch his first album with indie label Last Night From Glasgow, it’s hard not to hear the echoes of the music he played in the city in the late 70s and early 80s.As a student at Glasgow School of Art, he fronted punk band The Dreamboys in…

Liam BarnesBBC News, NottinghamRob SissonsBBC News, East MidlandsBBCDelvin Marriott said the family tried to get help for his nephew Rudi, before he fatally attacked his father BrentonThe brother of a man stabbed to death by his mentally ill son has said health services and the police failed his family.Brenton Marriott died in hospital after being stabbed by Rudi Marriott in Cloister Street, Nottingham, on 5 August 2022.Rudi, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order last April after being found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but Delvin Marriott said the family tried to get…

Apple is taking the unprecedented step of removing its highest level data security tool from customers in the UK, after the government demanded access to user data.Advanced Data Protection (ADP) means only account holders can view items such as photos or documents they have stored online through a process known as end-to-end encryption.But earlier this month the UK government asked for the right to see the data, which currently not even Apple can access.Apple did not comment at the time but has consistently opposed creating a “backdoor” in its encryption service, arguing that if it did so, it would only…

Riyah CollinsBBC NewsbeatFinn WaringCaity Baser says her previous music was a “distraction” from how she was really feelingSinger Caity Baser says she’s excited for her music to “dive into my more emotional side”.With earlier hits like Friendly Sex, Why Can’t I Have Two and I’m A Problem, she says she was projecting a fun-loving, carefree version of herself that was hiding something much deeper.But it took an interviewer calling her a “man-eating, confident assassin” to realise “if that’s what people think of me then I need to be more open and let people in”.In reality, “I’m sad, I’m confused,” Caity…

João da SilvaBusiness reporterCCTVA meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country’s foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event.The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China’s most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China’s financial sector in 2020.His reappearance at Monday’s event has sparked a wave of discussion, with experts and analysts wondering what it means for him, China’s tech sector and the economy in general.The response has been overwhelmingly positive – tech stocks, including those of Alibaba,…

Chloe AslettBBC News, YorkshireAnna CieslikBeatrice, 5, was diagnosed with Batten disease at the age of 3The mum of a five-year-old girl with a terminal genetic disorder has said her daughter’s health is likely to deteriorate quickly if the NHS removes provision of the vital drug which is “keeping her doing”.Two years ago, Beatrice Cieslik was diagnosed with CLN2 type Batten disease – a rare degenerative condition which causes seizures, blindness, dementia, and difficulty with mobility and speech. She is currently treated with the drug Brineura, allowing her to attend school and live “a better quality of life”.NHS access to the…

Michael RaceBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesGovernment finances showed a large surplus last month after a surge in tax receipts but the figure missed official forecasts, increasing pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet her own fiscal rules. The surplus – the difference between what the government spends and the tax it takes in – was £15.4bn in January, which is the highest level for the month since records began more than three decades ago.However, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which monitors the government’s spending plans and performance, had predicted that the surplus would be higher at £20.5bn.The smaller figure…