Author: BBC

UK government borrowing was higher than expected in February, adding pressure to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her Spring Statement next week.Borrowing – the difference between spending and income from taxes – was £10.7bn last month, according to official figures.The government’s independent forecaster had predicted that borrowing would be £6.5bn for the month.Reeves is expected to announce spending cuts next week to meet her self-imposed rules for the economy, which the Treasury reiterated were “non-negotiable”.”We must go further and faster to create an agile and productive state that works for people,” said Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, adding…

US Justice DepartmentThe aftermath of an arson attack on a Tesla dealership in Oregon, pictured in court documentsUS Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday that three defendants accused of vandalism targeting Elon Musk’s Tesla electric vehicle company could face up to 20 years in prison.Bondi said the damage to Tesla cars, dealerships and charging stations was “domestic terrorism”.Arrests and charges against the three suspects were previously announced by prosecutors.Tesla dealerships across the country have been targeted in a wave of protests, but also vandalism and arson attacks, in response to Musk’s influence over the Trump administration.Watch: Tesla vehicles and…

Smitha MundasadHealth reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesRepeated failures in how CTs, X-rays and other medical scans are being interpreted are leading to avoidable patient deaths and delays in diagnosing cancer, England’s health ombudsman has warned. The most common problems include doctors failing to spot abnormalities, scans being delayed or not carried out, and results not being followed up properly.The ombudsman has upheld or partially upheld 45 cases which include failures in medical imaging in the last four years, and says lessons must be learned to avoid the same mistakes again. NHS England said staff work extremely hard to keep patients safe…

Annabel RackhamCulture reporterDisneyRachel Zegler plays Snow White in the live-action remakeBritish film critics have mostly panned Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White, while US reviewers have been somewhat more positive.Chief film critic for The Times, Kevin Maher, said: “Believe the anti-hype, it’s that bad”, although Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney called the film”mostly captivating”.Its release has faced several issues throughout its production, from alleged disagreements between cast members, to debates over representation of the seven dwarfs, and the casting of Rachel Zegler in the lead role.Reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film, which will be released globally on Friday, an initial…

Getty ImagesMore than a fifth of UK working-age adults are still not in work or actively looking for work, official figures suggest.The UK economic inactivity rate was 21.5% in the three months to January, marking a drop from both the previous quarter and year, and is relatively low compared with trends since 2009.However, the number of people not looking for work has been brought into sharp focus as the government brings in plans to try to boost UK economic growth.The figures come after controversial plans to cut sickness and disability benefits were announced this week, and ahead of next week’s…

How the US government’s crackdown on diversity deleted women’s military contributions.

Molly Stazicker and Sean DilleyBBC NewsGetty ImagesAccessibility on public transport for disabled people is a “national embarrassment”, a senior group of MPs has warned.A report by parliament’s cross-party transport select committee found “systematic” failings across all public transport and says “too great a burden is placed on individual disabled people” to hold operators and authorities to account.Disabled-led charity Transport for All is urging the government to act on the report’s findings.Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said “there is more to do to ensure everyone can travel easily and with dignity”.”It’s clear that accessibility has been an afterthought in developing transport…

Paul GlynnCulture reporterGetty ImagesGwyneth Paltrow took her first lead film role for a decade in Marty SupremeGwyneth Paltrow has said she told an on-set intimacy co-ordinator to “step a little bit back” when filming sex scenes with Timothée Chalamet, because she would feel “very stifled” by someone telling them what to do.Chalamet, 29, stars in new movie Marty Supreme as a ping pong protégé, while Paltrow, 52, plays the wife of a rival professional who falls into bed with him.”I mean, we have a lot of sex in this movie,” Paltrow told Vanity Fair. “There’s a lot – a lot.”However,…

Emma SimpsonBusiness correspondent, BBC NewsBBCFormer sub-postmaster Lee Castleton is launching legal action against the Post Office and Fujitsu, becoming the first individual Horizon IT scandal victim to sue the two organisations.His case is one of the most high profile in the scandal in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully convicted after faulty software said money was missing from their branch accounts. Mr Castleton is seeking compensation, alleging the civil judgement against him was obtained by fraud.”I want justice and to be publicly vindicated,” Mr Castleton told the BBC. The Post Office and Fujitsu have been approached for comment.On Tuesday, Mr…

Google has agreed to pay $28m (£21.5m) to settle a lawsuit that claimed white and Asian employees were given better pay and career opportunities than workers from other ethnic backgrounds, a law firm representing claimants says.The technology giant confirmed it had “reached a resolution” but rejected the allegations made against it.The case filed in 2021 by former Google employee, Ana Cantu, said workers from Hispanic, Latino, Native American and other backgrounds started on lower salaries and job levels than their white and Asian counterparts.The settlement has been given preliminary approval by Judge Charles Adams of the Santa Clara County Superior…