[ad_1] Mitchell Labiak & Michael RaceBusiness reporters, BBC NewsGetty ImagesEnglish councils will be ranked according to their pothole fixing progress under government plans, with those who fail to publish updates losing out on millions in funding.The Department for Transport (DfT) said local authorities' road maintenance pot would be boosted by £500m from mid-April, but councils must publish annual reports detailing progress on potholes or lose a quarter of that extra
[ad_1] Disney's live-action version of the classic fairy tale Snow White has topped the North American box office chart despite a slew of underwhelming reviews.The movie has taken an estimated $87.3m (£67.5m) globally during its opening weekend, according to Box Office Mojo. Almost half of that figure came from North America.But it is below expectations for a film that reportedly cost more than $270m.The reworking of the 1937 feature length
[ad_1] Popular DNA testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection, and announced that its co-founder and CEO, Anne Wojcicki, has resigned with immediate effect.The company will now attempt to sell itself under the supervision of a court. 23andMe said in a press release that it plans to continue operating throughout the sale process and that there "are no changes to the way the company stores, manages, or protects customer
[ad_1] Martin Jones & Kaushal Menon MuralidharanBBC West InvestigationsBBCDavid Quinton waited more than a year for his CETV valuation and said he wants to join a group seeking compensation for the long waitsTeachers unable to get divorced because of delays getting their pensions valued are taking legal action against the government.Hundreds of teachers have been frustrated by long delays that left them "in limbo", unable to move on with their
[ad_1] BBCSibghatullah Karimi says the cost is one of the factors behind the fall in overseas students coming to the countryThe University of Lincoln is joining other universities across the country calling for the government to reconsider its decision to impose visa restrictions on international students.The restrictions, introduced at the start of 2024, prevents some students from bringing their families with them to the UK. The government said the new
[ad_1] Janine MachinBBC News, East of EnglandBBCChantry Primary says that since Covid, they have been using special educational needs teaching techniques for entire classes, even when they contain non-Sen pupils Five years ago, schools and nurseries across the UK closed to most children as the first Covid-19 lockdown began. A year of online learning, bubbles, flow tests and little social contact followed and school leaders say they are still dealing
[ad_1] Alison HoltSocial affairs editorBBCPhil Brown was able to get an ultrasound scan quickly and easily in a Barnsley shopping centre"That was really quick - straight in, straight out," says Phil Brown as he leaves a smart glass building in a shopping centre in Barnsley.He has just had an ultrasound scan at an NHS centre which sits between familiar High Street names. It is easy-to-reach healthcare - as convenient as
[ad_1] Michael BuchananSocial Affairs CorrespondentBBCListen to Michael read this articleBy the entrance to Furness General Hospital in Barrow-in-Furness sits a sculpture of a moon with 11 stars. It is a memorial to the mother and babies who died unnecessarily due to poor care at the hospital between 2004 and 2013.Inscribed underneath is a short verse: "Forever in our hearts; Forever held in the love that brought you here; Our star
[ad_1] Ian YoungsCulture reporterGetty ImagesJohn Cooper Clarke is nicknamed the punk poet and the bard of SalfordJohn Cooper Clarke is about to become the first poet to headline a UK arena, and is responsible for the lyrics to one of the world's most streamed songs of recent years. But he has lost none of the sharp-tongued vitriol of his punk origins.To a sizeable portion of the nation, Clarke's 50-year stream
[ad_1] Madina MaishanuBBC News, KanoBBCA mother in northern Nigeria is visibly upset as she clutches her two-year-old child, who has burns and discoloured skin on his face and legs.The 32-year-old used skin-whitening products on all six of her children, under pressure from her family, with results that she now deeply regrets.Fatima, whose name has been changed to protect her family's identity, says one of her daughters covers her face whenever
