BBC Verify Live: US flood budget cut claims and verifying Yemen strikes
Date: 09:37 BST
Title: Welcome to Monday's BBC Verify Live
Content: Tom EdgingtonBBC Verify Live editor
Good morning and welcome to today's BBC Verify Live page.
Throughout the day me and my colleagues will be guiding you through our verification work.
We'll be setting out how we use open-sources to help us report on conflicts when access to the ground is limited, and where we counter misinformation and carry out fact-checks.
This morning, the team is looking at several stories:
If you've seen something you think BBC Verify should investigate then contact us via this form.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Mobile phones: Children under-14 advised against smartphones
Parents of thousands of children have been asked not to give them a smartphone until at least 14-years-old amid fears some were using devices for eight hours a dayMany schools have already banned smartphones on site but one part of the UK thinks it will be the first to have a countywide policy advising parents against giving children smartphones at mobiles is already banned in schools in Monmouthshire, south Wales, but due to a rise in cyber-bullying reports and fears phone use at home is affecting schoolwork, schools are going a step further."We've got reports of students who are online at two, three, four in the morning," said headteacher Hugo Hutchinson. "We get a lot of wellbeing issues, as do all schools, that come from social media activity online over the weekend, or when they should be asleep," added the head of Monmouth Hutchinson said schools had worked on "robust" phone policies but pointed out ultimately children's time was largely spent outside of school, where many still had unrestricted access to teachers in Monmouthshire acknowledge they can't force parents not to give smartphones to their under-14 children, schools have taken a "big step" to give advice about what parent should do in their own in some areas of the UK have already asked parents not to get their under-14s smartphones - like in St Albans, Belfast and Solihull in the West Midlands. 'I was worried my son would feel left out' But Monmouthshire believe they're the first county in the UK where all secondary and primary teachers in both state and private schools are advising against smartphones for more than 9,000 children under the age of of those parents being advised not to give their children a smartphone is Emma who said she felt like "the worst parent in the world" after continuously telling her 12-year-old son Monty he wasn't allowed one."He was feeling left out," she said. "He would be sitting on the school bus without a phone and everybody else would be doing the journey with a phone. He found that quite difficult. I think for boys it's more about games on the phone."The mum-of-three is worried what her son could be exposed to online and how "addictive" devices were but offered Monty a "brick phone" – a term to describe older models that can't connect to the internet and is only capable of calls and the thought of giving Monty a smartphone when he reached secondary school had become one of her "biggest fears", she and other parents said they were relieved schools are taking ownership. Schools hope the intervention of teachers would help those parents that were worried saying no to a smartphone would mean their child was "left out".But other some argued their children had been using smartphones without any Dorkings' son, who is moving up to secondary school in September, had his own smartphone when he was eight-years-old."He's always sort of been on one," he said. "It's like a calming thing, or [something to use] out of boredom. He's not on it that much, he's more of a TV boy. He doesn't pull it out his pocket every five minutes, he can put it down and just leave it."Nicholas said he could understand why schools wanted to get involved, but he believed smartphones had become essential to how young people Lili's primary school class is one of the first to be targeted by the new policy, after teachers wrote to their parents urging them to consider "brick phones" - if they felt their child needed something for travelling to school. 'Most kids around here have smartphones' Lili said she felt "14 to 15" was about the right age for children to get their first smartphone as by then they might stand a better chance of knowing if something they read online "wasn't true"."We found out that one in four children have been cyber-bullied within our school, which is really strange," said the year six pupil. "It shouldn't be right, there shouldn't be the chance for people to be cyber-bullied, because we're really young."Lili's classmate Morgan said she had got a smartphone but had decided to stop using it after learning more about them in school."Most kids around here have smartphones," said the 11-year-old. "They are just 100% always on it. When kids come over to play at some households they just go on their smartphones and just text.""I used to go on it to just scroll but I got bored - but then I'd also get bored not being on my smartphone. I just decided to stop scrolling to read a book or the trampoline." Are mobile phones being banned in UK schools? Schools in Northern Ireland are advised to restrict pupils from using phones, in Scotland teachers are backed to introduce phone bans while in Wales, headteachers have been told smartphones shouldn't be banned "outright".In England, the children's commissioner has said banning phones should be a decision for head teachers but insisted parents had "the real power" to alter how their children used phones with more time spent on them outside of now every parent of all of Monmouthshire's state and private schools will be told about the county's new smartphone over the coming months. 'People have an addiction to smartphones' "This is not a school issue. This is a whole community and society issue," added Mr Hutchinson, whose comprehensive school in Monmouth has 1,700 pupils. "Like all schools, we are experiencing much higher levels of mental health issues as a result. Addiction to smartphones, addiction to being online."We have students who on average are spending six, seven, eight hours a day online outside school. We've got reports of students who are online at two, three, four in the morning. "So the impact on their school day, the impact on their learning and the impact on their life chances is really fundamental." In a token of solidarity to their son Monty and to encourage their two younger daughters, Emma Manchand and her husband Kev offered give up their own smartphones."We do 24-hours without the phone, which has been quite a challenging," she said."Sometimes we might slightly fail. But the first time I did it, although I was nervous, I felt like I'd had a little mini break."The kids love it as well, because of course they get to be the ones telling us to put our phones down."
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Wales' papers: Tourism tax go-ahead and 'violent death' inquest
Copyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
My nosy neighbour showed me pictures of my husband cheating with his colleague – but has she done me a favour?
DEAR DEIDRE: THE nosiest neighbour in town told me something no woman wants to hear – my husband is cheating. She was almost gleeful as she knocked on my door last week. My husband was at a physio session. This woman is elderly and a real curtain-twitcher. She couldn't wait to inform me that my husband's colleague had been staying over whenever I was away. She showed me photos she'd taken of her leaving our house. Now my head is spinning. We've had a few incidents with this neighbour before. She knocks on the door with a parcel she has taken in, but always seems to know what the contents are. Once I caught her reading a letter she had fished out of our bin. She said she was looking for space because her 'bin was full'. But has she actually done me a favour? My husband went back to work a year after a car accident. His employer allowed him to make a phased return. He hasn't been up to driving yet, so after a week of getting the bus into town, a new colleague offered to pick him up. He's 45 and he told me she was 25. I had no objections. I thought it was kind of her to volunteer to give him a lift. I'm 42 and my job takes me all over the country so I'm often away overnight. Cheating and can you get over it Because of his injuries, we've not had sex for months — and now I find out he's giving it to someone else. I don't know how to even tackle the conversation with him. DEIDRE SAYS: I'm afraid you don't have a choice – you have to talk to him. Find a quiet moment to tell him what the neighbour showed you and listen carefully to his response. If this woman has been staying over, he has a lot of explaining to do. If he is remorseful, only you can decide if you are prepared to work on your relationship and forgive him. He has hurt you so he will have to prove himself for any trust to return. Please don't allow him to pull the wool over your eyes with some ridiculous explanation. There really isn't any genuine innocent reason why this woman should have stayed overnight in your home, with your husband, without your prior knowledge. Talking to a counsellor in a safe space can be beneficial. My support pack, How Counselling Can Help, explains more. SHOULD I END IT WITH LAZY OVERSEAS ONLINE GUY? DEAR DEIDRE: ALL my energy is being sapped by my long-distance relationship. My boyfriend is rubbish. I'm a woman of 27 and I met him online five years ago. I am American and I came to the UK to do a masters degree. Before I left the States, I met a man of 30 online from a different state. We never actually met before I came away to study. The relationship started out as chat and then it became sexual. He would ask me to send explicit photographs, which I did. We had video sex once too. Since then the relationship hasn't progressed. He shows no sign of wanting to meet me. He doesn't support me financially or emotionally. He doesn't even answer or return my calls. It's all on his terms. Should I walk away? DEIDRE SAYS: Yes. He is bringing nothing to the table and while you can't expect financial support from him, it would be good to know if he sees a future with you. You could ask him, but don't hold your breath. It sounds as if you're an online booty call for him. It is always better if you can find somebody local where there is a mutual interest but it's not always easy. If you find someone new, really get to know them so you can be certain they want the same things as you do, and as a rule of thumb – don't send any photograph that you wouldn't be happy for your parents to see. MY WIFE'S STOPPED ENJOYING SEX NOW DEAR DEIDRE: I STILL have regular sex with my wife but it's a long time since she's had an orgasm. In our younger years we used to be sex-mad. We are both 61 now and my wife often seems to want physical intimacy when I do – she doesn't turn me down when I initiate it anyway. But she doesn't seem to enjoy it as she used to. It's a case of her enduring it rather than liking it. We still enjoy doing things together, going on nice holidays and watching films with each other. We cuddle and hold hands. I've asked her about sex and whether she enjoys it but she says: 'It's OK.' I want to make her feel like she did when we were in our twenties. DEIDRE SAYS: It is good for you physically and mentally to have sex for as long as you can. You're both in your early 60s and there's no reason why this should stop. Your wife may not feel physically the same and it may take her a little longer to get aroused because of her age and the menopause. Kissing, caressing, and massage can all help her to feel good and it's important to not have sex until she's ready. Use lubrication if that helps. My support pack Love And The Mature Woman will offer advice, along with one called Helping Your Partner To Orgasm. I'M ADDICTED TO BUYING THINGS DEAR DEIDRE: MY online shopping habit is completely out of control even though I live off my pension. I'm a man of 56 and I live alone. I've never had a relationship with anyone – ever. When I went to my nephew's wedding, I wore a three-piece suit I'd had for years. I guess it would be considered 'vintage'. I was getting lots of compliments from men and women, saying I looked 'sharp' or 'cool'. It gave me such a buzz. The attention felt so good. I'd never thought about my appearance or been interested in clothes so much, so I started shopping on my tablet. It seemed so easy. I bought a few items and then I went to a barbers and had a haircut. They suggested I grow my facial hair into a 'trendy beard with a spaghetti moustache' – so I did it! I went to my local social club and had such a nice time talking to people and feel I've reinvented myself. The attention just keeps on coming and I'm having the time of my life. It all comes at a cost though and my credit card bill is now massive. I know that I have got to stop but I feel that I'm addicted to improving my image. DEIDRE SAYS: You'll need to try to pay off some of your credit card but without an income, it might prove difficult. To make a dent in your debts, make a concerted effort to sell some things you no longer need. There are lots of different auction sites. Ask a friend or relative to help you if you're not sure how to go about it. My support pack Solving Debt Problems will show you where to find free assistance to help you get this sorted out. You can find further support through Action On Addiction, who can advise you about shopping problems too and assist you in getting the right help (
