Although freely accessible, it is provided in individual files for each year, and is difficult to combine in order to analyze spatial or temporal trends.

You would be forgiven for thinking the rain this year has been relentless - because in some parts of the UK, it actually has been. Here at BBC Weather we have been watching computer models closely for signs of when that pattern will change. These computer-generated forecasts go out about two weeks into the future - and models have often been hinting at a change to colder and drier weather on that timescale. However, they have then reverted to the familiar wet pattern as we have got closer to the time. Now though, there are stronger signals of a change for some of us - albeit perhaps only a temporary one.

'I spoke to ChatGPT 8 times a day' - Gen Z's loneliness'crisis' Working from home after years spent alone over Covid lockdowns, 23-year-old Paisley said he began to feel trapped, and felt only AI could help him. I lost the ability to socialise, he said, and like many in Gen Z, he turned to AI for company. At one point, I was talking to ChatGPT six, seven, eight times a day about my problems, I just couldn't get away from it, it was a dangerous slope. He shared his experience of loneliness with 22-year-old documentary maker Sam Tullen, who told the BBC what Paisley was going through was part of a wider Gen Z loneliness crisis. Gen Z, a term used for those born between 1997 and 2012, often referred to as the first'digital native' generation.

The number of planning applications for new homes in England is at its highest level for four years, new data shared with BBC Verify suggests. Applications for 335,000 homes outside London were lodged in 2025, up by 60% on 2024, according to Planning Portal, the service people use to request permission. But there are warnings that more needs to be done to meet Labour's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029, as separate government data released on Thursday suggests there has been a decrease in house building. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it had overhauled the planning system and removed long-standing barriers that have held back housebuilding. The increase in planning applications for new homes in England follows controversial reforms introduced by Labour, which allow development on some lower-quality green belt land, known as grey belt .

Hundreds of illegal dumps are operating across England, including at least 11 so-called super sites containing tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish, a BBC investigation has found. Drone footage showed one of the waste dumps in Over, Gloucestershire. Most sites are in countryside locations, often hidden, and on what should be agricultural land. Police say many are run by organised crime gangs, who are making cash by charging much less than legitimate operators to take and bury waste. How the great outdoors went from an escape from the nine to five to a full-time social media job.

More than 75% of City firms now use AI, with insurers and international banks among the biggest adopters. More than 75% of City firms now use AI, with insurers and international banks among the biggest adopters. UK exposed to'serious harm' by failure to tackle AI risks, MPs warn Consumers and the UK financial system are being exposed to "serious harm" by the failure of government and the Bank of England to get a grip on the risks posed by artificial intelligence, an influential parliamentary committee has warned. That is despite looming concerns over how the burgeoning technology could disadvantage already vulnerable consumers, or even trigger a financial crisis, if AI-led firms end up making similar financial decisions in response to economic shocks. More than 75% of City firms now use AI, with insurers and international banks among the biggest adopters.

It is extraordinary enough to see the world's top central banker make an unscheduled video statement on social media. My first thought upon seeing the post from the Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell was: Is this an AI deepfake? That sense did not go away as I listened to what were indeed the real words of the world's most important financial official. The background here is a long-running spat between President Trump and the man responsible for setting interest rates in the US and indirectly much of the rest of the world. In theory, this has officially been about the cost of a renovation project at the Federal Reserve, the US equivalent of the Bank of England.

Some commentators say investors are paying too much for technology stocks because of misplaced expectations about AI developments. Some commentators say investors are paying too much for technology stocks because of misplaced expectations about AI developments. Some experts have voiced fears a tech meltdown could hit our savings and pensions - here's how to protect yourself T he new year has started as 2025 ended - with share prices booming amid warnings from some that the growth is being driven by overvalued technology stocks. Fears of an "AI bubble" have been voiced by people from the governor of the Bank of England to the head of Google's parent company, Alphabet . Even if you have not actively invested in technology shares, the chances are you have some exposure to companies operating in the sphere.

Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League at Christmas, but it is BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton who leads the way when it comes to predictions. I'm number one at Christmas - again, said Sutton, who as a player led the Premier League table at this point with Norwich in 1992 and Blackburn in 1994, and went on to win the title with Rovers. It's a big deal for me to be top, as well as for Arsenal . AI is the go-to for virtually everyone in the world whenever they have to ask anything, so the fact that I am beating it - and let's face it, I have stuffed it for half a season now - is pretty incredible. It says a lot about me, and I'm delighted. Rather than asking AI about everything, maybe people should come to me to tap into my intelligence instead?