Author: BBC

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools have got significantly better at answering legal questions but still can not replicate the competence of even a junior lawyer, new research suggests.The major British law firm, Linklaters, put chatbots to the test by setting them 50 “relatively hard” questions about English law.It concluded OpenAI’s GPT 2, released in 2019, was “hopeless” but its o1 model, which came out in December 2024, did considerably better.Linklaters said it showed the tools were “getting to the stage where they could be useful” for real world legal work – but only with expert human supervision.Law – like many other…

BBCEmma Griffiths was about 11 when she developed symptoms for lipoedema For years, Emma Griffiths was self-conscious about the fact her legs had grown out of proportion with the rest of her body.But it wasn’t until she was watching Love Island one night that the nurse noticed contestant Shaughna Phillips had the same shape legs – and started doing some research.Experts online suggested Shaughna had lipoedema and amateur triathlete Emma then knew “this is what I had, I’m not just obese”.The 35-year-old mother has now joined calls for more support to be available on the NHS for people with lipoedema.Lipoedema…

KFC, the fast-food restaurant chain formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is moving its corporate headquarters in the US from Louisville in Kentucky to Plano in Texas, according to a statement from its parent company, Yum Brands.About 100 corporate employees and dozens more remote workers will be required to move and will receive relocation support.The decision by Yum Brands is part of a plan to have two headquarters for its main brands — KFC and Pizza Hut will be headquartered in Plano, while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain in Irvine, California.In recent years, many companies have…

Manish PandeyBBC NewsbeatGetty ImagesDoechii has enjoyed a dream run latelyA top 10 single, Grammy award and a breathing exercise that’s gone viral.The last few weeks for American rapper Doechii have been quite something.Or, in her words: “It’s like now my dreams aren’t dreams anymore. They’re reality.”I just feel like I’m walking on the ceiling right now,” she tells Radio 1’s New Music Show.The 26-year-old won this year’s best rap album Grammy for Alligator Bites Never Heal – only the third female artist to do so.And the infectious “breathin’ exercise” outro from her hit single Denial is a River has got…

Tom RichardsonBBC NewsbeatObsidianThe makers of new RPG Avowed say they want the game to “respect players’ time”In Japan, there’s a word to describe a shelf full of books you’ve bought but never read – tsundoku.Video gaming has its own version of this.The backlog. Most console or PC owners probably have one – an ever-growing collection of unfinished or even unplayed titles.There are websites allowing players to catalogue their digital cabinets of shame, and Reddit support groups sharing tips on how to shrink them.It’s a thing. And a symptom of a potentially bigger problem.More games are being released than ever before,…

BBCDr Harj Singhrao says he wants to keep treating NHS patients but is struggling with “strangling” NHS contractsA dentist says he feels “strangled” by NHS contracts and believes NHS dentists may not exist in two years’ time.Dr Harj Singhrao, who has a practice in Newbridge, Caerphilly, said money was allocated on a “one size fits all basis” meaning in high need areas like his, he had to lose money in order to provide good care.It comes as the British Dental Association (BDA) Cymru published an open letter accusing the Welsh government of “peddling half- truths”, adding more practices were looking…

Various culture projects across Yorkshire are set to receive million of pounds of government funding to boost jobs, tourism and regeneration. The “critical” funding includes £15m for the National Railway Museum in York, £10m for the British Library North in Leeds and £5m for the National Poetry Centre, also in Leeds. The money is part of the government’s Plan for Change programme, which aims to deliver economic growth across the country.Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Everyone across the country should be able to access arts and culture in the place they call home.”The National Railway Museum funding will go towards…

Companies are planning to cut jobs or recruit fewer people ahead of rises to National Insurance payments and wages, according to a survey of UK employers.Businesses questioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) also said they would raise their prices to cover increasing employment costs.Separate research conducted by the Federation of Small Business found in the final three months of last year confidence among small firms hit its lowest point for 10 years, not including the Covid pandemic.The Treasury said it was delivering the stability businesses need to invest and grow. Rises to National Insurance Contributions by…

South Korea has banned new downloads of China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, according to the country’s personal data protection watchdog.The government agency said the AI model will become available again to South Korean users when “improvements and remedies” are made to ensure it complies with the country’s personal data protection laws.In the week after it made global headlines, DeepSeek became hugely popular in South Korea leaping to the top of app stores with over a million weekly users.But its rise in popularity also attracted scrutiny from countries around the world which have imposed restrictions on the app over privacy…

PA MediaThe government has met a key election pledge to deliver two million extra NHS appointments in England in its first year, the prime minister has said.The target was achieved between July and November last year, when there were almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period in 2023, the government said.That period was affected by doctor strikes, however, which would have suppressed the number of available appointments.Sir Keir Starmer said the “milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times”, while NHS…