Plans to relax restrictions on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea will be unveiled on Wednesday under the government’s North Sea Strategy. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce the publication of the strategy in the Budget, the BBC understands. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will issue a document on it […]
Sue Kinnear,BBC Radio Wiltshireand Kirsten Robertson,BBC Wiltshire Clare Brixey Clare Brixey and Tim Swimburn are recovering well following their four-hour operation Two people who met through tragic circumstances have united for a life-saving kidney transplant. Tim Swinburn, from Melksham in Wiltshire, met Clare Brixey, from Standerwick in Somerset, in 2004, when he had to knock […]
Getty Images The yellow wagtail is one of 27 bird species identified as being “at peril” in Wales Thousands of species at risk of extinction in Wales have been revealed in a new study. The “first of its kind in the UK” report identified the country’s rarest species, including the high brown fritillary butterfly and […]
Thousands of unpaid carers will have their cases reassessed after an official review found they had been left with huge debts caused by systemic failures. Former charity boss Liz Sayce found confusing guidance on Carer’s Allowance – given to those providing 35 hours of unpaid care a week – had left thousands with fines and […]
Lucy HookerBusiness reporter Getty Images Pre-packaged milkshakes and coffees that are high in sugar will be hit with an extra tax from 2028, after the health secretary announced he was extending the tax on fizzy drinks to include milk-based products. Wes Streeting told Parliament he was also lowering the threshold at which the tax applies […]
James GallagherHealth and science correspondent Monty Rakusen/Getty The brain goes through five distinct phases in life, with key turning points at ages nine, 32, 66 and 83, scientists have revealed. Around 4,000 people up to the age of 90 had scans to reveal the connections between their brain cells. Researchers at the University of Cambridge […]
Glenn CampbellScotland political editor Getty Images Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the UK government’s Budget on Wednesday This week’s budget is the first of two that will define the financial context for the 2026 Holyrood election campaign. Many of the decisions on taxation and spending taken by Chancellor Rachel Reeves will apply across the UK. […]
Drug maker Novo Nordisk says semaglutide, the active ingredient for the weight loss jab Wegovy, does not slow Alzheimer’s – despite initial hopes that it might help against dementia. Researchers began two large trials involving more than 3,800 people after reports the medicine was having an impact in the real world. But the studies showed […]
The third stage of the Covid-19 Inquiry begins hearing evidence on Monday focusing on the measures taken to support workers’ incomes and keep businesses afloat when the pandemic struck. It will focus on what action the UK government, devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and local authorities took, how well schemes were designed […]
Fergus WalshMedical editor Chu family A three-year-old boy has astounded doctors with his progress after becoming the first person in the world with his devastating disease to receive a ground-breaking gene therapy. Oliver Chu has a rare, inherited condition called Hunter syndrome – or MPSII – which causes progressive damage to the body and brain. […]