Technology

Grandmother gets X-rated message after Apple AI fail

[ad_1] Graham FraserTechnology ReporterSuppliedLouise Littlejohn saw the funny side after realising the technology had got it wrongA woman from Dunfermline has spoken of her shock after an Apple voice-to-text service mistakenly inserted a reference to sex - and an apparent insult - into a message left by a garage.Louise Littlejohn, 66, received a voicemail message on Wednesday from a Lookers Land Rover garage in Motherwell inviting her to an event.An
Science/Nature

spacecraft can’t complete Moon mission

[ad_1] Georgina RannardClimate and science reporterWatch: Moment problem identified after Athena spacecraft lands on the MoonA private spacecraft that landed lopsided on the Moon does not have enough power to complete its mission, says the company Intuitive Machines.Athena touched down on the lunar South Pole shortly after 1730GMT (1230EST) on Thursday, but it later was revealed the craft had landed on its side.It was supposed to spend 10 days searching
Technology

Plans to make phone use safer for children watered down

[ad_1] Hope RhodesEducation producerGetty ImagesA bill that had suggested banning smartphones in schools and addictive algorithms aimed at young teenagers has been watered down to gain government support.Labour MP Josh MacAlister, who brought the private members' bill, told MPs during a parliamentary debate on Friday that reducing smartphone use in law would be a "process", not one "big bang" event.The proposed legislation calls for the government to say within a
Health

Nottingham attacks families call victim records claims ‘sickening’

[ad_1] PA MediaIan Coates, Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar were stabbed to death in June 2023The families of the Nottingham attack victims have said claims healthcare staff illegally accessed medical records belonging to their loved ones are "sickening" and "inexcusable".Barnaby Webber and Grace O'Malley-Kumar, both 19, and Ian Coates, 65, were stabbed to death by Valdo Calocane in the city in June 2023.Dr Manjeet Shehmar, medical director at Nottingham University
Politics

France has a nuclear umbrella. Could its European allies fit under it?

[ad_1] Hugh SchofieldBBC News, ParisMacron says France is open to extending nuclear deterrent to protect European AlliesSo in the end Charles de Gaulle was right.As president of France in the 1960s, it was he who launched the policy of French strategic independence.Of course, he said, Americans were more our friends than Russians are. But the US too had interests. And one day their interests would clash with ours.In the world
Technology

Barclays to pay millions as banks see month’s worth of IT outages

[ad_1] Graham FraserTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesNine major banks and building societies operating in the UK accumulated at least 803 hours - the equivalent of 33 days - of tech outages in the past two years, figures published by a group of MPs show.The Treasury Committee - which has been investigating the impact of banking IT failures - compelled Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Nationwide, Santander, NatWest, Danske Bank, Bank of Ireland and Allied
Health

Common vaginal ‘imbalance’ may be an STI

[ad_1] Michelle RobertsDigital health editor, BBC NewsGetty ImagesA common vaginal condition known as bacterial vaginosis (BV) may actually be a sexually transmitted infection (STI), according to researchers.The NHS currently says BV is caused by "a change in the natural balance of bacteria in your vagina and is not an STI", even though it can be triggered by sex.However, a study claims BV - which affects nearly a third of women
Science/Nature

UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level

[ad_1] Esme StallardClimate and science reporter, BBC NewsBecky DaleData journalist, BBC VerifyAndrew Aitchison/Getty ImagesThe number of UK homes installing heat pumps supported by government-funded incentives rose to a record level last year.Figures released on Thursday showed 52% more of the low-carbon heating systems were installed than in 2023.Experts said part of the rise was due to an increase in the grant offered by the government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) to
Science/Nature

Scientists discover new part of the immune system

[ad_1] Getty ImagesA new part of the immune system has been discovered and it is a goldmine of potential antibiotics, scientists have said.They've shown a part of the body known to recycle proteins has a secret mode that can spew out an arsenal of bacteria-killing chemicals.The researchers in Israel say it transforms our understanding of how we are protected against infection.And gives a new place to look for antibiotics to
Health

The UK’s real problem with palliative care

[ad_1] BBCThe UK was once ranked the best country in the world for end-of-life care - but that's not the case any longer. And according to experts, the problem runs far deeper than moneyThe people closest to Terry Leader remember him as a man who was always laughing. He emigrated to the UK from the Caribbean island of St Kitts as a child, and was sporty, representing the junior Great