Author: BBC

Deborah GrushkinDeborah Grushkin says she felt panicked when she heard about the end of “de minimis”Earlier this year, Deborah Grushkin, an enthusiastic online shopper from New Jersey, “freaked out”.US President Donald Trump had signed an order to stop allowing packages from China worth less than $800 (£601) to enter the country free of import taxes and customs procedures.It was a move, backed by traditional retailers, that had been discussed in Washington for years amid an explosion of packages slipping into the US under the limit. Many countries, including the UK, are considering similar measures, spurred in part by the rapid…

Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, Sir Ian McKellen and Florence Welch are among a list of stars calling on the prime minister to update copyright laws in a way that protects them from artificial intelligence.A letter signed by more than 400 British musicians, writers and artists, addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, says failing to give that protection would mean them “giving away” their work to tech firms.Also at risk, they write, is “the UK’s position as a creative powerhouse”.They want the PM to back an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that would require developers to be transparent…

Drs Chris and Xand are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.

An art expert who has worked on the BBC’s Bargain Hunt has admitted failing to report a series of high-value art sales to a man suspected of financing the proscribed group Hezbollah.Oghenochuko Ojiri, 53, pleaded guilty to eight counts under the Terrorism Act 2000 of failing to make a disclosure during the course of business, the first prosecution of its kind.The court heard on Friday that Ojiri sold artwork worth £140,000 to Nazem Ahmad, who is accused of supporting the Lebanon-based group and was sanctioned by the US in 2019.Lyndon Harris, prosecuting, said Ojiri had read news reports showing Ahmad…

Jennifer MeierhansBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesThe UK and the US have reached a deal over tariffs on some goods traded between the countries.President Donald Trump’s blanket 10% tariffs on imports from countries around the world remains in place and still applies to most UK goods entering the US.But the deal has reduced or removed tariffs on some of the UK’s exports, including cars, steel and aluminium.Here’s an at-a-glance look at what’s in the deal.This isn’t a trade dealTrump declared on social media this announcement would be a “major trade deal” – it’s not.He does not have the authority to sign…

Adrienne MurrayTechnology ReporterReporting fromLongyearbyen, NorwayGetty ImagesNorway’s Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost townHigh above the Arctic Circle, the archipelago of Svalbard lies halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.Frozen, mountainous, and remote, it’s home to hundreds of polar bears and a couple of sparse settlements.One of those is Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town, and just outside the settlement, in a decommissioned coal mine, is The Arctic World Archive (AWA) – an underground vault for data.Customers pay to have their data stored on film and kept in the vault, for potentially hundreds of years. “This is a place to make sure…

Kyran Thrax shares four top tips for living well.

A man accused of crashing his car through the gates of actor Jennifer Aniston’s home has been charged with stalking and vandalism. Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, of New Albany, Mississippi, is accused of repeatedly sending the Friends star unwanted voicemail, email and social media messages since March 2023.The 48-year-old is alleged to have crashed his grey Chrysler PT Cruiser through the front gate of Aniston’s home in the Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.Prosecutors said the collision caused major damage and Aniston, 56, was at home at the time of the incident. According to the LA Police Department,…

Thomas MackintoshBBC NewsA timeline of the Heathrow Airport distruptionThe root cause of a fire which led to the shutdown of Heathrow Airport and affected hundreds of thousands of journeys worldwide “remains unknown”, an interim report says.Heathrow was closed to all flights for much of 21 March after a fire at a nearby electrical substation, which started the previous night, caused a power outage at the airport.In Thursday’s report, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said a transformer disconnected and caught fire at the substation in Hayes, west London.The grid operator’s final report is due by the end of June. Heathrow…

Chris VallanceSenior Technology ReporterGetty ImagesWikipedia is taking legal action against new Online Safety Act regulations it says could threaten the safety of its volunteer editors and their ability to keep harmful content off the site.The Wikimedia Foundation – the non-profit which supports the online encyclopaedia – is seeking a judicial review of rules which could mean Wikipedia is subjected to the toughest duties required of websites under the act.Lead counsel Phil Bradley-Schmieg said it was “unfortunate that we must now defend the privacy and safety of Wikipedia’s volunteer editors from flawed legislation”.The government told the BBC it was committed to…