Tag: UK

AI and Robots Could Ease Pressure in Care System, Says Health Secretary

Smart technology can provide better and faster care for the elderly, while easing pressure on staff, according to Health Secretary Steve Barclay. Ahead of his trip to the G-7 Summit in Nagasaki, Japan, Barclay spoke about the role of robots and AI technology in supporting patients in care homes across the UK. Learning how other…


Wind Power Is UK’s Biggest Electricity Source for 1st Time

Wind turbines have generated more electricity than gas for the first time in the UK, figures show. Research from Imperial College London reveals almost a third, or 32.4 percent, of the country’s electricity was generated by on and offshore wind farms in the first quarter of the year. Gas-fired powered stations delivered 31.7 percent. The…


MPs Told to Ban Smartphones in Schools to Clampdown on Upskirting and Pornography

Smartphones should be banned in schools because too many children are using them to watch pornography or take inappropriate pictures or videos of girls, MPs have been told. The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee has been examining the Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum and as part of that review, it heard…


Scientists Warn ‘No Reliable Evidence’ Antidepressants Can Treat Chronic Pain

Scientists have warned many antidepressants given to UK chronic pain patients are being prescribed without adequate evidence of their effectiveness. A major investigation into medications has found that despite hundreds of thousands of people being given recommended drugs to manage long-term pain, there is “no reliable evidence” for their long-term safety or reliability. The two-year…


UK Missed the Boat in Global Battery Race, Expert Tells MPs

Britain is falling behind in the race to develop an electric battery industry, a House of Commons committee heard on May 9, as it received evidence from an expert panel on battery materials. Business consultants and executives told the MPs during a Business and Trade Committee session that Britain has “missed the boat” in the…


Foreign Politicians and Criminals Using the UK to ‘Loot’ From Their Own Citizens

Politicians and criminals in Central Asia are using the UK’s financial and corporate systems to “loot” money from their own citizens a select committee has heard. The Foreign Affairs Committee heard how Britain was “enabling” corruption in Kazakstan and four other Eurasia republics by allowing dirty foreign money to be cleaned through UK property, bank…


UK Ditches Promised End-of-Year ‘Bonfire’ of Remaining EU Laws

The UK government has ditched its promise to complete a post-Brexit “bonfire” of remaining EU laws by the end of the year. Under the government’s draft Retained EU Law Bill, almost all EU laws copied into the UK statute book following Brexit would be automatically revoked at the end of 2023, unless a statutory instrument…


Bank of England Suffers From Groupthink, Peers Told

The Bank of England (BoE) needs to increase its intellectual diversity in order to combat groupthink, a House of Lords committee heard. Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, said members of the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) appeared to have voted “all in lockstep for a very long time.” But the risk of…


UK Universities Face Investigations Over Grade Inflation: Watchdog

Universities and colleges could face investigations over grade inflation, the head of England’s higher education watchdog has warned. Lord Wharton, chairman of the Office for Students (OfS), said on Tuesday that the regulator is considering taking action over the “significant” grade inflation, which he said could devalue the degrees. A report, released by the OfS…


Longer Lorries Given Green Light on British Roads as Government Says Plans Will Cut Emissions

The Department for Transport (DfT) has given permission for longer lorries to use Britain’s roads after claiming they are more efficient, safer, and produce less carbon emissions. Critics have described it as a “deeply retrograde step,” while the Road Haulage Association said it does not go far enough and urged the government to increase the…