Antarctica
Surgeons from Scotland and US achieve world-first stroke surgery using robot
Doctors from Scotland and the US have completed what is thought to be a world-first stroke procedure using a robot. Prof Iris Grunwald, of the University of Dundee, performed the remote thrombectomy - the removal of blood clots after a stroke - on a human cadaver that had been donated to medical science. The professor was at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while the body she was operating on while using the machine was across the city at the university. Hours later, Ricardo Hanel - a neurosurgeon in Florida - used the technology to carry out the first transatlantic surgery from his Jacksonville base on a human body in Dundee over 4,000 miles (6,400km) away. The team has called it a potential game changer if it becomes approved for use on patients.
Surgery plunged me into menopause - it was like falling off a hormonal cliff edge
A woman who was plunged into sudden menopause after surgery to remove both ovaries is spearheading efforts to change NHS policy. Kate Dyson, 44, from Hastings, East Sussex, underwent the surgery six months ago after having a subtotal hysterectomy in 2021 to remove her uterus - a procedure which leaves the cervix in place. The mum-of-three says she was completely unprepared for the impact of surgical menopause, which is triggered by both ovaries being removed. Honestly, it was like falling off a hormonal cliff edge, she told BBC Radio Sussex. Within hours of the surgery I was home the same day.
How the US overtook China as Africa's biggest foreign investor
You probably don't give much thought to the device that you're reading this article on, as long as it looks good and keeps working. But the elements that power and run it are the subject of an escalating struggle between the world's two biggest economies - the US and China - with African countries in the eye of the storm. The African continent is rich in critical minerals and metals - like lithium, rare earths, cobalt and tungsten - which are vital to making and running our personal tech. Such materials are also essential for everything from electric vehicles, to AI data centres, and weapon systems. China has long been the biggest player in the global market for critical minerals and metals.
UK military to help protect Belgium after drone incursions
UK military personnel and equipment are being sent to Belgium to help it bolster its defences after drone incursions on its airspace, suspected of being carried out by Russia. The new head of the UK military, Sir Richard Knighton, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart asked for assistance earlier this week and that kit and personnel were on the way. Belgium's main airport Zavantem was forced to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were spotted nearby . They were also spotted in other locations, including a military base. Sir Richard said it was not known if the incursions were by Russia, but added it was plausible they had been ordered by Moscow.
HMRC to review suspending 23,500 child benefit payments
The UK's tax body is reviewing its decisions to strip child benefit from about 23,500 claimants after it used travel data to conclude they had left the country permanently. Normally the benefit runs out after eight weeks living outside the UK, but many people affected complained that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) had stopped their money after they went on holiday for just a short time. The move came after MPs on the Treasury Select Committee demanded answers from the tax authority. HMRC has apologised for any errors and says anyone who thinks their benefits have been stopped incorrectly should contact them. In September, the government began a crackdown on child benefit fraud which it believes could save ยฃ350m over five years.
Six dead as Russia hits energy and residential sites in Ukraine
At least six people have died after Russia launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure and residential targets in Ukraine overnight. A strike on an apartment building in the city of Dnipro killed two people and wounded 12, while three died in Zaporizhzhia. In all, 25 locations across Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv, were hit, leaving many areas without electricity and heating. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Telegram that major energy facilities were damaged in the Poltava, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions, and work was under way to restore power. In Russia, the defence ministry said its forces had shot down 79 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched more than 450 exploding bomber drones and 45 missiles.
Chatbots encouraged our sons to kill themselves, mothers say
'A predator in your home': Mothers say chatbots encouraged their sons to kill themselves Megan Garcia had no idea her teenage son Sewell, a bright and beautiful boy, had started spending hours and hours obsessively talking to an online character on the Character.ai It's like having a predator or a stranger in your home, Ms Garcia tells me in her first UK interview. And it is much more dangerous because a lot of the times children hide it - so parents don't know. Within ten months, Sewell, 14, was dead. He had taken his own life.
Tesla plans to pay Musk 1tn - do they really need him that much?
Tesla plans to pay Musk $1tn - do they really need him that much? A great leader is a huge asset for company, of course, but can anyone be worth $1 trillion? That is the pay packet Tesla shareholders have approved for Elon Musk, as long as he meets the targets they have set over the next 10 years. In the meantime he won't collect a salary, but will presumably throw himself into his work with renewed vigour. He was certainly buzzing with energy as he jigged around the stage at the carmaker's Texas headquarters to rapturous applause, telling the audience that while other shareholder meetings were snoozefests, Tesla's are bangers.
DNA pioneer James Watson dies at 97
Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson has died aged 97. His co-discovery of the structure of DNA opened the door to help explain how DNA replicates and carries genetic information, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology. But his honorary titles were stripped in 2019 after he repeated comments about race and intelligence. In a TV programme, he made a reference to a view that genes cause a difference on average between blacks and whites on IQ tests. The death of Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, was confirmed to the BBC by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he worked and researched for decades.
James Watson: Controversial discoverer of 'the secret of life'
In February 1953, two men walked into a pub in Cambridge and announced they had found the secret of life. It was not an idle boast. One was James Watson, an American biologist from the Cavendish laboratory; the other was his British research partner, Francis Crick. The full Promethean power of their achievement would slowly emerge over decades of research by fellow geneticists. It also opened a Pandora's Box of controversial scientific and ethical issues - including human cloning, designer babies and Frankenstein foods.