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BBC Front Page News

Questions raised over Rachel Reeves's CV and expensesQuestions raised over Rachel Reeves's CV and expenses

The BBC has established the Chancellor left the financial institution nine months earlier than she states in her LinkedIn profile.

The Chancellor and her expenses before she became an MPThe Chancellor and her expenses before she became an MP

BBC News has learnt that there was an expenses investigation into Rachel Reeves, and two other senior managers, when she worked at HBOS.

Brothers deny assaulting police at Manchester AirportBrothers deny assaulting police at Manchester Airport

Footage of a fracas at the airport's Terminal 2 building in July last year was widely shared online.

Scarlett Johansson warns of 'AI misuse' after fake Kanye videoScarlett Johansson warns of 'AI misuse' after fake Kanye video

A deepfake video purported to show Jewish celebrities including Johansson protesting about Kanye West.

Local BBC news for Devon

Princess Anne named president of Devon County ShowPrincess Anne named president of Devon County Show

The show says she accepted the role after a longstanding commitment to food, farming and countryside.

Daughter, 3, learns life-saving CPR to help dadDaughter, 3, learns life-saving CPR to help dad

A woman from Devon who saved her husband's life is teaching her daughter the procedure.

Teen draws graphic novel recording Devon lifeTeen draws graphic novel recording Devon life

The 17-year-old has created the graphic novel for the cultural institution Beaford Arts

Volunteers praised for work at vaccination centreVolunteers praised for work at vaccination centre

A Covid-19 vaccination centre in Devon has closed after four years of service.

AskTen - Nine things you may not have noticed last week!

1. How to regain your focus. Regaining focus can be tough, especially when distractions, fatigue, or lack of motivation get in the way. Whether you are struggling to concentrate at work, while studying, or on personal projects, sharpening your focus can make a huge difference in productivity and mental clarity. Here are some practical ways to regain your focus and get back on track. READ MORE

2. Bank cuts interest rates and slashes growth forecast. The Bank of England has halved its growth forecast for this year as it cut interest rates to the lowest level for more than 18 months. The economy is now expected to grow by 0.75% in 2025, the Bank said, down from its previous estimate of 1.5%. The government has made growing the economy one of its key aims. The Prime Minister said he was "not satisfied with growth" and the downgraded forecast "just spurs us on". The new forecast came as the Bank cut interest rates to 4.5% from 4.75%. Inflation - the rate at which prices rise - is now expected to rise to 3.7% and take until the end of 2027 to fall back to its 2% target. BBC

3. UK in zero hours contract epidemic. More than 720,000 UK workers have been on zero-hours contracts with the same employer for over a year, with 130,000 in the same position for more than a decade, new analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reveals. These workers earn £10.68 an hour – a third less than the median hourly rate of £15.69. The TUC called it an "insecure work epidemic", warning that zero-hour contracts trap people in financial hardship and weaken the economy. The organisation's polling found that only one in seven such workers are happy not to have regular working hours. The Guardian

4. People feel best in the morning. People feel the best about themselves and their lives in the morning and worst around midnight, according to research. Scientists analysed 1m responses by 50,000 people over two years to questions about their feelings, as part of a Covid-19 study. They found that people felt better about their happiness and life satisfaction on Mondays and Fridays, and less so on Sundays. People felt more depressed, anxious and lonely in the winter, while mental health was reportedly best in summer. While no cause was determined in the study, scientists say the body clock may be involved. BMJ

5. Ofsted to replace one-word school ratings. Ofsted has announced plans to overhaul its school rating system in England, moving away from single-word judgments like “inadequate” or “outstanding.” Instead, schools would receive a detailed “report card,” assessing them across at least eight categories, each graded on a five-point scale, with “exemplary” as the highest rating. The proposed changes are now open for public consultation. What do you think of Ofsted’s proposed school rating changes? Please share your views in our latest poll. VOTE HERE

 

6. Welfare system faces urgent reform. If there’s one area of the British state in desperate need of reform, it’s the welfare system. Recent statistics reveal that 3.3 million working-age people in Britain are receiving incapacity benefits, 700,000 more than four years ago. Of these, 2.5 million are claiming the highest level of benefits, which don’t require them to seek employment up from 1.85 million in 2018. The total cost of all health-related benefits is estimated at nearly £65bn, with projections to reach £100bn by the decade’s end. This is simply unsustainable The government has vowed to take bold steps to get a grip on the benefits bill with a green paper on the issue expected in the spring. The Times

7. AI powered solution to potholes. Scientists have created a groundbreaking self-healing asphalt that could help address the UK’s pothole problem. An international research team used AI to analyze why asphalt becomes prone to cracking. Using these insights, they developed a method to reverse the process. Their solution involves embedding tiny plant spores filled with recycled cooking oil into the asphalt. As traffic causes micro-cracks to form, the spores release the oil, sealing the cracks and preventing oxidation. This stops the bitumen in the asphalt from becoming brittle, reducing the likelihood of larger cracks developing. BBC

8. Electric car demand reaches new high. Battery EVs (BEVs) accounted for 21% of almost 140,000 new car registrations in January, the highest-ever share for the month and a year-on-year increase of 41.6%. It establishes BEVs as the second-largest sector of the new car market, behind only petrol, which contracted by 15% to make up just over 50% of registrations. In an overall market that shrank by 2.5%, diesel registrations declined to just over 6% of registrations. Hybrid electric made up 13% of the market, and plug-in hybrids 9%, underlining the consumer shift towards full or partial electric powertrains. Sky News

9. No better grades from phone bans. Bans on smartphones in schools do not lead to better academic grades or child wellbeing, a study has found. While researchers found a link between extended phone and social media use and lower grades, poor sleep, lack of exercise and disruptive behaviour, there was no difference between pupils of schools that banned smartphones and those that didn't. The study, published in the Lancet's Regional Health Europe journal, looked at 1,227 pupils at 30 schools in the UK, and found that school phone bans did not reduce the amount of time children spent using them. The Guardian

10. The bottom line. More than one million people in the UK missed the deadline for filing self-assessment tax returns on 31 January, according to HM Revenue and Customs. Penalties for filing late include an initial  £100 fine. More than 31,000 finished their self-assessment in the final hour before the deadline period. HMRC

6. Royal Mail should cut second-class delivery days. Royal Mail is set to be allowed to deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays and to stop Saturday deliveries under proposals to shake up postal service rules announced by the industry regulator. Ofcom said cutting the deliveries to every other weekday with a price cap on second-class stamps, while maintaining first-class letters six days a week, would still meet the public’s needs. Its provisional recommendations also included cutting delivery targets for first-class mail from 93% to 90% arriving the next day, and for second-class mail from 98.5% to 95% within three days. Ofcom’s consultation on the proposed changes will run until 10 April, and it expects to publish its decision in the summer. London Evening Standard

7. Exercise may reduce risk of dementia. A study suggests that staying active can help prevent dementia by preserving brain volume in areas linked to thinking and memory. It found that lifelong exercise reduced cognitive decline, even in those with early Alzheimer’s markers like amyloid build-up. Researchers analysed data from 468 people in their 70s from the Insight 46 study, which tracked individuals born in 1946. They looked at physical activity levels - walking, swimming, and sports - over three decades, and found that those who exercised regularly had better cognitive function at 70. The effects were particularly strong in women. The Times

8. Surge in gender dysphoria diagnosis. The number of under-18s with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria has risen 50-fold in England over ten years, a study of GP records has found. Based on data from 20% of GP practices, researchers at the University of York estimate the prevalence of such diagnoses increased from one in 60,000 in 2011 (equating to 192 people nationwide) to about one in 1,200 in 2021 (10,291). Among 17-to 18-year-olds, it was one in 238 by 2021. From 2015, there was a sharp rise in the number of children registered female being diagnosed with the condition; by 2021, they outnumbered those recorded male by about two to one. The Telegraph

9. Heat-related deaths could rise 50%. Temperature-related deaths in Europe could increase by 50% by 2100 because of changing temperatures, research has found. Between 8,000 and 80,000 more people could die a year, depending on how much temperatures change. The biggest increase will be in southern Europe because of heat waves, followed by central Europe. A slight drop in deaths was projected for northern Europe. The number of people who will die in Europe because of high temperatures is projected to outnumber those saved from milder cold weather. The Guardian

10. The bottom line. 58% of British millennials support the return of the death penalty; 27% are against, according to a More in Common poll taken after the sentencing of the Southport killer. Among all British adults, 55% support capital punishment, up from 50% in the autumn. In a separate poll by Craft, 52% of UK Gen-Zers (aged 13 to 27) agreed that the country would be a better place if a strong leader was in charge who does not have to bother with Parliament and elections. Daily Mail

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