Author: BBC

US and Chinese officials are holding a second day of trade talks in Spain on Monday as the deadline looms for the Chinese owner of TikTok to find a buyer or face a ban in America.The negotiations, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, are the latest attempt to end a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Top level trade delegations from Beijing and Washington last met in July, when they struck a deal to extend their tariffs truce by another 90 days until 10 November.After initially calling for TikTok to be banned…

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a warning about what it calls the “worrying trend” of students hacking their own school and college IT systems for fun or as part of dares.It has told teachers that they are failing to understand and recognise what it calls the “insider threat” pupils pose. It says more the majority of so-called “insider” cyber attacks and data breaches in education settings – meaning they have been carried out by someone with access to internal systems – originate with students.”What starts out as a dare, a challenge, a bit of fun in a school…

Ruth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporterGeorge HollandGeorge is currently in a “bulking” stage, but will then enter a “cut” phase where calories are reducedRipped. Shredded. Jacked. Swole. Which are you?Gym jargon such as this, which refers to the size and definition of muscles, has long been heard exchanged between pumped men in gym locker rooms – and now among teenagers too.TikTok videos show boys as young as 13 and 14 in school toilets, flexing veiny biceps which bulge out of their school uniforms.The quest for brick-like abs has become serious business – even if you’re still only in Year 8 -…

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondent andTommy LumbyBusiness data journalistGetty ImagesSpontaneous spending is likely to rise if the limit on contactless cards is increased or scrapped entirely, academics say.At present, the need to press a four-digit PIN for purchases over £100 gives people a timely prompt about how much they are paying, lowering the risk of debt-fuelled purchases.Earlier this week, the UK’s financial regulator proposed that banks and card providers set their own limits, or are allowed to remove them entirely. That would make entering a PIN even more of a rarity.Banks, and some BBC readers, say consumers should be able…

French children under 15 should be banned from social media and there should be an overnight “digital curfew” for 15-18 year olds, a parliamentary commission has recommended.The six-month inquiry into the psychological effects of TikTok on minors has found that the short video-sharing platform “knowingly exposes our children, our young people to toxic, dangerous and addictive content”.”We must force TikTok to rethink its model,” says the commission, which heard testimony from teenagers and the families of young victims.TikTok responded saying it categorically rejected the commission’s “misleading characterisation of our platform” which sought to “scapegoat our company on industry-wide and societal…

Neve Gordon-Farleigh andRobby WestEast of EnglandRobby West/BBCEmma Simmonds went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to seek help from the gynaecology department for fertility struggles A woman says she has lost “complete faith” and will never go back to a hospital that left her feeling “dismissed” after she had a miscarriage.Emma Simmonds, 41, went to the early pregnancy unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, in 2023 after bleeding at almost 11 weeks pregnant.She was told to return the next day and found out she had a miscarriage.Chris Bown, interim managing director at the QEH, said: “Our…

Julita WaleskiewiczEast of EnglandLauren Barford-DowlingLauren Barford-Dowling says the price of school shoes, meals and trips is “daunting”A mother-of-three said she has found it “scary” trying to keep up with the cost of sending her children to school.Lauren Barford-Dowling, 27, from Luton, described the price of uniforms, shoes, meals and trips as “daunting”.Level Trust, a Luton-based charity that provides free school supplies to families, said demand for its services had risen by up to 20% compared with last year.”You want them to look their best, but it’s hard to keep up,” Ms Barford-Dowling added.Kerri PorthouseThe Level Trust has a school uniform…

Seven technology companies are being probed by a US regulator over the way their artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots interact with children.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is requesting information on how the companies monetise these products and if they have safety measures in place.The impacts of AI chatbots to children is a hot topic, with concerns that younger people are particularly vulnerable due to the AI being able to mimic human conversations and emotions, often presenting themselves as friends or companions.The seven companies – Alphabet, OpenAI, Character.ai, Snap, XAI, Meta and its subsidiary Instagram – have been approached for comment.FTC chairman…

Alison HoltSocial affairs editor andJames Melley and Judith BurnsBBCThe cost of residential care for vulnerable children in England has nearly doubled in five years but many children still do not receive appropriate care, says a report from the independent public spending watchdog. The National Audit Office (NAO) says councils on average spent £318,400 on each child placed in a children’s home in the year ending March 2024. But these huge sums do not represent value for money, the report concludes. “I do not know where the money is being spent,” says Ezra Quinton, now 20, who recalls smashed windows and…

The UK economy failed to grow in July, following the biggest contraction in manufacturing output for a year.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the economy saw zero growth in the month, which was in line with expectations, following a 0.4% expansion in June.However, monthly figures are volatile, and the ONS has said it will now focus on growth over a rolling three-month period. In the three months to July, the economy expanded by 0.2%The government is under mounting pressure to deliver on its key priority of boosting economic growth ahead of the Budget on 26 November.In the Budget, Chancellor…