Author: BBC

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentBBCThe Bank of England cut interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25% in May – the second reduction in 2025.Analysts expect the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee to announce further cuts later in the year.Interest rates affect mortgage, credit card and savings rates for millions of people.What are interest rates and why do they change?An interest rate tells you how much it costs to borrow money, or the reward for saving it.The Bank of England’s base rate is what it charges other banks and building societies to borrow money. That influences what they charge their own customers for…

TikTok will live on for at least another three months in the United States, as President Donald Trump is poised to extend a sale or ban deadline for the third time since taking office this year.”President Trump will sign an additional Executive Order this week to keep TikTok up and running,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.The popular video sharing app was supposed to be banned in the US after its Chinese owner, ByteDance, refused to sell it to a US buyer by a January deadline.TikTok and ByteDance did not immediately respond to requests for comment from…

Getty ImagesUnlicensed practitioners giving cosmetic injections are putting people’s lives at risk, officials sayCosmetic procedures such as fillers, Botox and Brazilian butt lifts are taking place in public toilets, hotel rooms and other “shocking locations” in Britain, officials have warned.People’s lives “are being put at risk every single day” by the lack of regulation in the industry, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) says, as it called for urgent action to set up a licensing scheme.It has also uncovered unsafe fillers and fat-dissolving injections being sold online.The Department for Health and Social Care says the government is looking into new…

Getty ImagesAlfred Brendel, who was considered one of the world’s most accomplished pianists, has died at the age of 94.His representatives confirmed the composer and poet died peacefully in London surrounded by his loved ones on Tuesday.Most critics have acknowledged him as one of the foremost interpreters of the works of Beethoven.A statement from his spokesman added that Brendel would “be remembered and celebrated with deep gratitude by his family – partner Maria Majno, Irene Brendel, his children, Doris, Adrian, Sophie and Katharina, and his four grandchildren.”The musician was also known as an acclaimed essayist and poet, with an irrepressible…

Natalie ShermanBusiness reporterWatch: A trade deal, a family photo and conflict in the Middle East – Trump’s short G7A deal removing some trade barriers between the UK and US has been signed off by President Donald Trump.The move will bring into force parts of an agreement agreed between the two countries last month, and reduce tariffs on UK cars being shipped to the US.It comes after weeks of talks to implement parts of the pact, which the UK government hopes will shield British businesses from the impact of Trump’s tariffs.But the deal includes a 10% levy on most UK goods,…

Ben MorrisTechnology of Business EditorGetty ImagesUkrainians can access 130 services from the Diia portalRounding a corner in Kyiv on 24 Feb 2022, Oleksandr Bornyakov remembers driving into a gun battle. It was day one of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Russian saboteurs were fighting with Ukrainian security forces in the centre of the Ukrainian capital.”There is shooting, cars are burning, armoured vehicles are burning… when we eventually passed… there were a lot of bodies.”As a government minister he had been ordered to drive hundreds of kilometres west and continue his work in a safer location. Beginning in 2019, Bornykov,…

Philippa Roxby and Smitha MundasadHealth reportersGetty ImagesPollen levels are forecast to be high or very high in many parts of the UK over the coming days.The fine powder released by certain grasses, trees and plants is causing chaos for the many who’re allergic to pollen.Itchy eyes, sneezing, dripping noses, scratchy throats and headaches are a common complaint.So what can you do to feel better?Why are my eyes streaming?If you’re sneezing hundreds of times day, your eyes are watering and you’re sleeping badly then it’s probably hay fever.You’re not alone – around one in five people are allergic to pollen and…

A juror in the sex trafficking trial of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has been removed after giving inconsistent answers about where he lives.During jury selection, the juror indicated on a questionnaire that he lived in the Bronx area of New York. But more recently, he told a court staffer he had moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey.On Friday, Judge Arun Subramanian said he had found “several inconsistencies” between the juror’s answers in court transcripts, which he said could suggest a desire to “be deceptive” in an effort to get on the jury. Lawyers for Combs had opposed the…

Lucy HookerBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesIsrael’s strikes on Iran, and Iran’s response, initially caused a shudder on global financial markets.The price of oil in particular surged, but after a weekend of missile and drone strikes between the two countries the cost of crude has fallen back. Nevertheless, oil prices are $10 higher than they were a month ago and there are renewed fears increased energy costs could make everything – from petrol and food to holidays – becoming more expensive. That is what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, affecting people’s lives around the globe.How much have oil…

Victoria GillScience correspondent, BBC NewsGlobal WitnessThe Raja Ampat archipelago in Indonesia is sometimes referred to as the ‘Amazon of the Seas’Stark images, captured from a drone by environmental campaigners and shared with the BBC, appear to show how nickel mining has stripped forests and polluted waters in one of the most biodiverse marine habitats on Earth.The Raja Ampat archipelago – a group of small islands in Indonesia’s Southwest Papua Province – has been dubbed the “Amazon of the Seas”. But mining for nickel – an ingredient in electric vehicle batteries and in stainless steel – has ramped up there in…