Author: BBC

‘One of my friends had a smartphone when they were three or four’Parents of thousands of children have been asked not to give them a smartphone until they’re at least 14 amid fears some were using devices for eight hours a day.Many schools have already banned smartphones on site but one part of the UK thinks it will be the first to have a countywide policy advising parents against giving children smartphones at home.Using mobiles is already banned in schools in Monmouthshire, south Wales, but due to a rise in cyber-bullying reports and fears phone use at home is affecting…

Recent years have seen incredible advances in eyesight restoration. But should we approach blindness as something that needs to be ‘cured’? Comedian Tom Skelton, who started losing his sight at 21, explores. Made in partnership with UKRI (UK Research and Innovation).

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up xAI says it is working to remove “inappropriate” posts made by its chatbot, Grok, after users shared how it made positive references to Hitler.Screenshots published on social media show the chatbot saying the Nazi leader would be the best person to respond to alleged “anti-white hate.””Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X,” the company said in a post.ADL, an organisation formed to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, said the posts were “irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic.””This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will…

Noor Nanji & Felicity BakerCulture reportersBBC/Shine TVGregg Wallace has been one of the most high-profile presenters on British television for 20 yearsGregg Wallace has been sacked as MasterChef presenter as a result of an inquiry into alleged misconduct, BBC News understands.It comes as 50 more people have approached the BBC with fresh claims about the TV presenter – including allegations he groped one MasterChef worker and pulled his trousers down in front of another. Wallace denies the claims.The inquiry into allegations against him, conducted by an independent law firm on behalf of MasterChef’s production company Banijay, is expected back imminently.In…

MaryLou CostaTechnology ReporterReporting fromVilnius, LithuaniaAstrolightAstrolight is developing a laser-based communications systemI’m led through a series of concrete corridors at Vilnius University, Lithuania; the murals give a Soviet-era vibe, and it seems an unlikely location for a high-tech lab working on a laser communication system.But that’s where you’ll find the headquarters of Astrolight, a six-year-old Lithuanian space-tech start-up that has just raised €2.8m ($2.3m; £2.4m) to build what it calls an “optical data highway”.You could think of the tech as invisible internet cables, designed to link up satellites with Earth. With 70,000 satellites expected to launch in the next five years,…

Harriet HeywoodBBC News, CambridgeshireBBCPelvic mesh was used to give weak or damaged tissue extra support and treat incontinence in women for many yearsA woman has criticised the government for “dragging its feet” when it came to making reforms for women harmed by pelvic mesh implants.Five years ago, the Cumberlege First Do No Harm report found two drugs and the medical device had caused women or their babies harm.The report made recommendations to support victims, but most key proposals have been ignored, said Kath Sansom, a Sling The Mesh campaign founder from March, Cambridgeshire.A spokesperson for the Department of Health and…

Tuesday will mark a major milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal following a far-reaching inquiry. Part of a final report will be published focusing on compensation and the human impact of what is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history. Thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the Post Office’s faulty Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu.More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison.Sir Wyn Williams, chair of the long-running inquiry, has put victims at…

Catherine SnowdonHealth ReporterGetty ImagesSinger Jessie J says results from tests following surgery to remove one of her breasts after an early cancer diagnosis show no spread of the disease.In a social media post she wrote that she was crying “happy tears” after receiving the news.In June she revealed her diagnosis and underwent surgery to remove her breast.She thanked her 14 million followers for the “prayers, the love, the well wishes, the joy and all the positive energy”.The 37-year-old has posted openly about her experience of undergoing a mastectomy and received comments in support of her doing so.On Monday she released…

Microsoft has confirmed that it will lay off as many as 9,000 workers, in the technology giant’s latest wave of job cuts this year.The company said several divisions would be affected without specifying which ones but reports suggest that its Xbox video gaming unit will be hit. Microsoft has set out plans to invest heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), and is spending $80bn (£68.6bn) in huge data centres to train AI models.A spokesperson for the firm told the BBC: “We continue to implement organisational changes necessary to best position the company for success in a dynamic marketplace.”The cuts would equate…

Nic MarkoLocal Democracy Reporting ServiceGoogleThe Rowan Suite maternity unit at Hartlepool Hospital became fully operational in 2020A pause in the delivery of babies at a hospital, caused by staff shortages and illness, is being reviewed monthly by health chiefs.The midwife-led Rowan Suite maternity unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool became fully operational in late 2020 and has since delivered 113 babies.North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust bosses announced a three-month pause in “intrapartum care” – the period during labour and delivery – at the site in May due to “staffing absences”.But Steph Worn, director of midwifery, said they…