Author: BBC

Archie MitchellBusiness reporterPA MediaHousehold energy bills are expected to fall slightly in the new year, according to consultancy Cornwall Insight.The forecaster, widely respected for the accuracy of its predictions, expects homes using a typical amount of gas and electricity will pay £1,733 from January.That would be a decrease of £22 per year, or 1%, from the current £1,755 price cap for a typical household’s annual energy bill.But Dr Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, warned the decrease is “only part of the picture”, with bills set to climb again in April.”This time, it’s not higher wholesale prices driving the…

Zoe KleinmanTechnology editorBBCDue to “brain fog” BBC technology editor Zoe Kleinman had to hold notes during a recent live TV reportWhen I rather nervously shared a personal post about dealing with brain fog at work on the social network LinkedIn last week, I had no idea that it would have such an enormous impact.It’s been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Women have stopped me on the street to talk to me about it.I’ve been overwhelmed by hundreds of messages from people sharing support and their own experiences of it.Usually I cover technology news. But given the response, it felt…

Jessica LaneEast Yorkshire and LincolnshireBBCRosie Halsall, 18, wants to make free sports bras and fitting available in secondary schoolsA former Team GB roller derby skater says the cost of sports bras is discouraging younger females taking part in physical activity.Rosie Halsall, 18, from Sheffield, is campaigning for free sports bras and fittings for secondary school girls, allowing them to participate and improve their long-term health.”I know a lot of girls who don’t wear sports bras and don’t want to do PE because they feel uncomfortable,” she said.Miss Halsall’s proposal has been backed by Lincolnshire football club Sleaford Town Juniors, which…

Lucy AshtonSouth Yorkshire political reporterBBCDawn Hayes is the cook at the breakfast clubDawn Hayes is cooking sausages and hash browns in the kitchen of Shirecliffe Community Centre in Sheffield.She is helping out at an adult breakfast club where parents and grandparents who have children at the adjoining Meadows nursery can have a hot meal for £1.”It stops a lot of people going home and being lonely and it makes sure single parents get a meal,” she says.The club is unusual in catering for adults at a time when many families are struggling with the cost of food – and parents…

Shiona McCallumSenior technology reporterBBCMost women will relate to the misery of inconsistent sizing in high-street shops.A pair of jeans could easily be a size 10 by one brand and a size 14 in another, leaving customers confused and disheartened.It has led to a global deluge of returns, costing fashion retailers an estimated £190bn a year as would-be shoppers wonder what size they’re meant to buy from which store.I didn’t have to look far to find people experiencing the problem. “I don’t trust high-street sizing,” one person tells me, as she browses one of London’s popular shopping streets. “To be honest,…

More than 50,000 people in the UK each month get a private prescription for medical cannabis.

Residents are to be offered advice on coping with the challenges of winter through a series of money and wellbeing roadshows. Organised by West Northamptonshire Council, the events will bring together organisations to provide practical help, from home energy efficiency to debt advice – and mental health support.The events are part of the authority’s wider money and wellbeing support programme, giving residents the opportunity to get tailored advice in a welcoming and inclusive space.Laura Couse, Reform UK councillor and cabinet member for adult care and public health, said: “It is important that you know that you do not have to…

Tom Richardson,BBC Newsbeat and Mel Ramsay,BBC NewsActivisionActress Kiernan Shipka takes a central role in Black Ops 7’s campaignThere are some things you can always rely on, and a new Call of Duty game coming out each year is one of them.As one of the best-known names in video games, it’s a series that needs little introduction.According to publisher Activision, it’s sold an estimated 500 million copies, a movie adaptation is on the way, and despite having launched in 2003 it still reliably appears at – or near – the top of the annual bestseller charts.But this year the world’s top…

When Sophie first met her now fiancé, Wales rugby international Dillon Lewis, she felt she had to be up front.At the time, she was freezing her eggs – a process she started because of potential fertility issues from her endometriosis.The condition means cells similar to those in the lining of the womb (uterus) grow in other parts of the body, which can lead to symptoms including period pain, fatigue, plus pain in the lower tummy and back.”It can be very challenging, especially with endometriosis or something chronic, or infertility issues like I’ve struggled with,” Sophie said.”How do you bring that…

Getty ImagesThe two-child limit means many low-income families do not receive further benefits when they have a third or subsequent child.It has been the subject of intense political debate and speculation, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves hinting at changes in the Budget.So how does the system work and what might happen?What is the two-child cap and how many people does it affect?The policy, introduced by Conservative chancellor George Osborne, means parents can only claim universal credit or tax credits for their first two children.It applies to third or subsequent children born after 6 April 2017.A total of 1.6 million children are…