Real World News

Social care: Sajid Javid sets out new measures 15 December 2016 From the section UK Politics Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption About £19.7bn will be spent on social care in England this year The government has set out new measures aimed at boosting funding for social care in England. Local authorities have been told they can bring forward council tax rises to cover costs over the next two years. Communities Secr…

UK interest rate left unchanged at 0.25% 15 December 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Thinkstock The Bank of England has voted unanimously to keep the UK's main interest rate at a record low of 0.25%. The last move came in August, when the rate was cut following the vote to leave the EU. The news has sent the pound lower, falling below $1.25. It comes a day after the US Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by 0.25% to 0.75%, citing stronger economic growth and rising employme…

Babies made from three people approved in UK By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News website 15 December 2016 From the section Health Image copyright Science Photo Library Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK's fertility regulator. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children being born with deadly genetic diseases. Doctors in Newcastle - who developed the advanced form of IVF - are expected to be the first…

Pink wafer firm Rivington Biscuits reveals Brexit crunch 15 December 2016 From the section Manchester Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Rivington Biscuits makes the popular Pink Panther pink wafers A popular brand of pink wafer is under threat after a company went into administration due to a "sharp fall" in the value of sterling after Brexit. Administrator FRP Advisory said a "sustained deterioration" since the vote had ca…

Media playback is unsupported on your device 'Dear Santa, Can I have a moustache?' 15 December 2016 Last updated at 10:58 GMT Inside the Royal Mail sorting office that deals with some of the letters sent to Father Christmas. View the full article

Light pollution dampens urban robins' song By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News 15 December 2016 From the section Science & Environment Image copyright SPL The song and behaviour of the UK's favourite bird is being affected by light and noise pollution. That is according to research from Southampton University, which revealed how robins are affected by night-time lighting and road noise in a city park. They measured how much the quality of robin territory …

Bake Off's Nadiya Hussain tells of racist abuse on train 15 December 2016 From the section Beds, Herts & Bucks Image caption Nadiya Hussain, who won the Great British Bake Off in 2015, says a man refused to sit next to her because she is a Muslim Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain has spoken of the racial abuse she received after a passenger on a train refused to sit next to her. The 31-year-old, who grew up in Luton, said the man had remarked: "I ain't sitting …

Bestival moving from Isle of Wight to Lulworth 15 December 2016 From the section England Image copyright NPAS Winfrith Image caption The annual festival is moving to Lulworth in Dorset where Camp Bestival is held annually in July Bestival organisers have said they are moving the festival from the Isle of Wight to Dorset. The four-day event is to be held at the Lulworth Estate in September on the same site as Camp Bestival - a fami…

Ignore school league tables, head teachers urge parents By Hannah Richardson and Katherine Sellgren BBC News education reporters 15 December 2016 From the section Education & Family Image copyright Thinkstock Parents are being urged to ignore newly published school league tables, in the wake of "chaotic" changes to testing. Final year pupils sat a raft of tough new tests in the summer. Only 53% of pupils passed, compared to the 80% who passed less rigorous tests i…

Media playback is unsupported on your device 'I gave too much' - man who ran 401 marathons 15 December 2016 Last updated at 09:20 GMT Ben Smith completed a record 401 marathons in 401 days. His achievement saw him brave snow, wind and even a broken spine to raise awareness of bullying and mental health issues. But two months later, he has told BBC reporter Jon Kay that life off the road has affected his mental health. View the full article

Samia Shahid case: Father bailed 'due to lack of evidence' 15 December 2016 From the section Leeds & West Yorkshire Image copyright Family photo Image caption Samia Shahid died while visiting relatives in Pandori in northern Punjab The father of an alleged "honour killing" victim has been granted bail in Pakistan "due to lack of evidence". Samia Shahid, 28, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, died in Pakistan in July. Chaudhry Mu…

Brexit added to Oxford English Dictionary 15 December 2016 From the section Oxford Image caption "Brexit" ultimately proved more popular than early frontrunners "Brixit" and "UKexit" The word Brexit has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). It defines Brexit as "the (proposed) withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, and the political process associated with it". It continues: "Sometimes used specifically with reference to the referendum held in…

Public at risk over failing probation company, reports says 15 December 2016 From the section London Image copyright Getty Images Image caption London was the worst area HM Inspectorate of Probation had inspected this year People are being put at "undue risk" under a new system which monitors offenders, an inspection has found. Some offenders were not seen for weeks or months while others were lost in the system altogether, a HM I…

Oldham paper mill fire: Homes evacuated 15 December 2016 From the section Manchester Image copyright Greater Manchester Fire Brigade Image caption More than 70 fire fighters were tackling the blaze in Oldham Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes as more than 70 firefighters tackle a huge fire at a former paper mill in Oldham. A total of 100 homes were cleared after the fire broke out before 06:00 GMT with 15 fire…

More arts funding 'should go outside London' 15 December 2016 From the section Entertainment & Arts Image caption The committee said 'more needs to be done to avoid further closures' Theatres, galleries and other cultural groups located outside London should get a bigger share of government arts funding, a committee of MPs has said. There should be a "better regional balance" in the grants, according to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee. They…