Real World News

Rate cut 'foregone conclusion' as economy slows sharply 3 August 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Getty Images The UK economy is contracting at its fastest rate since the financial crisis, making an interest rate cut "a foregone conclusion", according to financial data company Markit. The Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index that showed activity in the UK's dominant services sector saw its sh…

US election 2016: Republican divisions grow over Trump 3 August 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Media captionDr Halper-Hayes of Republicans Overseas says Donald Trump is "out of control"Fresh divisions are emerging within the US Republican Party over its presidential candidate Donald Trump. Republican donor Meg Whitman has endorsed his rival Hillary Clinton, saying Mr Trump's "demagoguery" had undermined the national fabric. Senior party activist Jan Halper-Hayes told the BBC she th…

Ofgem energy shake-up 'doesn't go far enough' 3 August 2016 From the section Business Image copyright Getty Images Ofgem's proposals to shake up the energy market put "too much onus" on the customer and "do not go far enough", says one energy company boss. The energy regulator said four million pre-pay customers would be protected by an interim price cap from next April. It added it would work with supplier…

Syria Aleppo siege: Fighting rages as Russian jets strike 3 August 2016 From the section Middle East Media captionA resident in the rebel held area of Aleppo says 25-30 people are dying every dayIntense fighting has continued around the Syrian city of Aleppo, where a rebel offensive is trying to break a government siege of rebel-held areas. Over the weekend, the rebels tried to reconnect an encircled area in the east with insurgent territory in the west. They set off a huge tunnel bomb und…

US election 2016: Trump hits back at 'disastrous' Obama 3 August 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Trump continued to campaign on Tuesday when he spoke in Ashburn, Virginia Donald Trump has dismissed Barack Obama's time in the White House as a "disaster" after the US president said he was not fit to …

Border patrol vessels: Numbers 'worryingly low', MPs warn 3 August 2016 From the section UK Politics Image caption The UK has a total of five Border Force vessels, but only three are available Britain's Border Force has a "worryingly low" number of boats to patrol the UK's coasts, MPs have said, amid concerns that coastal security is under threat from people smugglers. The Home Affairs…

NHS can fund HIV 'game-changing' drug 2 August 2016 From the section Health Media captionWhat is Prep? The drug and the court challenge explainedThe NHS in England has been told by the High Court it can fund a "game-changing" drug that can prevent HIV after health bosses argued it was not their responsibility. NHS England had said it was up to councils to provide the pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) drug as they are in charge of preventative health. But that stance was challenged by the Nat…

US election: Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is 'the devil' 2 August 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Media captionTrump calls Clinton 'the devil'Republican candidate Donald Trump has called Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "the devil", in the face of continuing fire from within his own party. Speaking at a rally in a high school gym in Pennsylvania, Mr Trump attacked Bernie Sanders for capitulating to Mrs Clinton in the Democratic race. "He made a deal with the devil," the tycoon …

Home ownership falls across English cities, says think tank By Kevin Peachey Personal finance reporter 2 August 2016 From the section Business Major English cities - particularly Manchester - have seen the sharpest falls in home ownership since an early 2000s peak, analysis suggests. The Resolution Foundation said homes were becoming increasingly unaffordable for struggling potential buyers. The proportion of home owners dr…

US launches strikes on IS in Libya 1 August 2016 From the section Africa US attacks so-called Islamic State targets in Libya at request of government, Pentagon says This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. View the full article

Theresa May 'won't intervene' in David Cameron's honours list 1 August 2016 From the section UK Politics comments Image copyright PA Image caption Mr Cameron spent just over six years in Downing Street Theresa May will not intervene over her predecessor David Cameron's resignation honours list because it would "set a very bad preceden…

Mother of US Muslim soldier hits back at Trump over speech silence 31 July 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Media captionDonald Trump speaking to ABC: "She was standing there, she had nothing to say"The mother of a dead US Muslim soldier has hit back at presidential hopeful Donald Trump for questioning her silence during a speech by her husband. Ghazala Khan said Mr Trump was ignorant about Islam and that he didn't know the meaning of the word sacrifice. Her husband Khizr Khan attack…

Baroness Altmann: Scrap pensions triple-lock guarantee 31 July 2016 From the section UK Image copyright PA A guarantee that pensions should rise by at least 2.5% should be dropped from 2020, a former pensions minister has said. Baroness Altmann, who left her post in Theresa May's reshuffle, said the policy had "outlived its purpose". Since 2010, the "triple-lock" policy has meant that pensions rise by the in…

Trump reacts to Muslim soldier father Khizr Khan's rebuke 31 July 2016 From the section US Election 2016 Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Trump's remarks about Khizr Khan's wife have caused controversy US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has responded to criticism from the father of a Muslim US soldier killed in Iraq. In a…