[ad_1] Brian WheelerPolitical reporterPA MediaThe government has announced plans for major changes to the benefits system aimed at cutting the growing amount the UK spends on welfare. Stricter tests for personal independence payments (Pips)Pip is paid to people in England and Wales who have difficulty completing everyday tasks or getting around as a result of a long-term physical or mental health condition.It is not means tested and is available to
[ad_1] Mark Poynting and Justin RowlattBBC Climate & ScienceDr Ross Hofmeyr / WikimediaThe Sanae IV research station in Antarctica where the alleged assault occurredA group of scientists due to work together for months at a remote Antarctic research station has been rocked after a member of the team was accused of physical assault.A team of nine researchers were due to spend the Antarctic winter at the South African-run base, which
[ad_1] Alison FrancisSenior Science JournalistWatch: Moment Nasa astronauts begin their journey back to EarthAfter an epic nine months in space, Nasa astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are finally on their way home.Their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) was only supposed to last eight days, but their mission was dramatically extended after the spacecraft that they arrived on suffered technical problems.The pair are travelling back to Earth in
[ad_1] Chris BaraniukTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesSubsea cables are critical to the operation of the internetThe diver had found the fibre optic cable lying on the seabed of the North Sea. He swam closer, until it was near enough to touch.He reached out his hand. But someone could tell he was lurking there. Someone was watching."He stops and just touches the cable lightly, you clearly see the signal," says Daniel Gerwig, global
[ad_1] Suzanne BearneTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesStorm Babet caused flooding across the UK in October 2023When Storm Babet hit the town of Trowell in Nottingham in 2023, Claire Sneddon felt confident her home would not be affected.After all, when she bought the property in 2021, she was told by the estate agent that a previous flood the year before, which had reached but not effected the property, was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and
[ad_1] Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social messaging app Telegram, has been allowed to fly home to Dubai as French authorities continue their unprecedented case against him.The tech billionaire was arrested in August after being accused of failing to properly moderate his app to reduce criminality.Mr Durov denies failing to cooperate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content and fraud. Telegram has previously denied having
[ad_1] BBCIn the next 24 hours and then over the following fortnight up until the Spring Statement, the government is going to talk a lot about a broken welfare system that is failing the people who use it, the economy and taxpayers.Taking a tough call on fixing it goes against the instincts of much of the Labour Party and has already sparked an internal backlash that could rise to ministerial
[ad_1] Navin Singh KhadkaEnvironment Correspondent, BBC World ServiceReutersNew SUV vehicles cross a bridge from Canada into the United StatesAcross the globe more and more Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are being spotted on – and off – the roads.This is despite predictions from the United Nations of an inevitable pivot towards smaller and more environmentally friendly vehicles because of the urgency of the climate crisis and the rising cost of living.That
[ad_1] Branwen JeffreysEducation editorGetty ImagesThe poorest children are missing more school and falling further behind classmates, research shared with the BBC suggests.According to new analysis by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) - which looked at pupil performance after the Covid-19 pandemic - children from the lowest income families are now up to 19 months behind peers by the time they are 16 years old.Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told BBC Panorama
[ad_1] Angus Crawford and Tony SmithBBC News investigationsGetty ImagesBereaved families are calling on the online regulator Ofcom to shut down a "vile" website which promotes videos of the deaths of their loved ones.The website, which we are not naming, has more than three million members and contains thousands of graphic photos and videos of real-life killings and suicides as well as executions carried out by extremists. Past members include those
