Author: BBC

Ben & Jerry’s will be destroyed as a brand if it remains with parent company Magnum, the company’s co-founder Ben Cohen has told the BBC. His remarks are the latest in a long-running spat between the ice cream brand and its parent company over its ability to express its social activism and the continued independence of its board. The comments came on the day that the Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) started trading on the European stock market – spinning off from owner Unilever. A spokesperson for Magnum said the firm wanted to build and strengthen Ben & Jerry’s “powerful,…

US President Donald Trump has announced that he will allow AI chip giant Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 chips to “approved customers” in China.”We will protect National Security, create American Jobs, and keep America’s lead in AI,” Trump said on social media on Monday.The decision will apply to other US chip companies like AMD and comes after extensive lobbying by Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, who visited Washington last week to drum up support.Nvidia – both the world’s leading chip firm and most valuable company – has found itself at the centre of a geopolitical tug-of-war between the US and…

Catherine Burns,Health correspondent,Vicki Loader,Health producerandHarriet AgerholmGetty ImagesHundreds of GPs across England have told the BBC they think mental health problems are being over-diagnosed. One commonly-held view by family doctors, our research suggests, is that society tends to over-medicalise normal life stresses. But they’re also concerned about how hard it is to get help for patients with mental health conditions.Earlier this week, the Health Secretary ordered an independent review into the reasons for a rising demand for mental health, ADHD and autism services in England, and where the gaps in support are.BBC News sent a questionnaire to more than 5,000 GPs…

Jennifer McKiernan,Political reporterandKathryn ArmstrongGetty ImagesAn expansion of the government’s apprenticeship scheme is expected to benefit 50,000 young people as part of a push to tackle youth unemployment.The number of young people starting apprenticeships has fallen by almost 40% in the past decade, Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the BBC.She said the government was removing the 5% levy on apprentices for under-25s and offering new apprenticeships in AI, hospitality and engineering, in collaboration with the defence sector.The number of young people aged 16 to 24 who are neither earning or learning has been going up since 2021, with the latest…

US President Donald Trump has flagged potential concerns over Netflix’s planned $72bn (£54bn) deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery’s movie studio and popular HBO streaming networks.At an event in Washington DC on Sunday, he said Netflix has a “big market share” and the firms’ combined size “could be a problem”.On Friday, the two companies said they had reached an agreement to bring Warner Brothers’ franchises like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones to Netflix, creating a new media giant.The planned deal, which has raised concerns among some in the industry, is yet to be approved by competition authorities. The BBC…

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Redcar Area FoodbankEvery day the foodbank reveals an item it wants people to donateA foodbank is asking for donations ahead of Christmas through a reverse advent calendar.Tracy Gibson from the Redcar Area Foodbank said it was “always busy at this time of year” and the advent calendar allowed people to give something to the local community.Every day, the foodbank reveals on social media which item it would like the public to donate, ranging from food to Christmas treats.Alongside the usual essentials, it will be asking for items such as custard, cranberry sauce and gravy.Ms Gibson said instead of people getting…

Liv McMahonTechnology reporterGetty ImagesThe EU has fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120m (£105m) over its blue tick badges – prompting an angry reaction from the US.The European Commission said by allowing people to pay for a blue verified check mark on their profile, the platform “deceives users” because the firm is not “meaningfully verifying” who is behind the account.”This deception exposes users to scams, including impersonation frauds, as well as other forms of manipulation by malicious actors,” it said.But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have criticised the EU regulator, accusing it…

Getty ImagesThe NHS must take diseases like pneumonia and flu in older people much more seriously, England’s chief medical officer has warned.Sir Chris Whitty said some doctors do not appreciate that an infection can significantly increase the risk of a stroke or heart attack.His comments come as the number of flu patients in hospital in England has reached a record high as the nation faces an unprecedented flu season.NHS data shows that adults over 70 are much more likely to catch and go on to become severely ill or die from an infection.While the health system was “extremely good” at…

People struggling with high heating bills and other cost-of-living pressures are being encouraged to use a series of “Warm Welcome” spaces this winter.More than 20 places across North Tyneside, including community hubs, libraries and churches, are taking part in the scheme, which also sees free food and drink offered alongside a range of activities.The Meadows community centre in North Shields is among them, with sessions each Thursday from noon until 14:30 GMT.Support worker Jen Buchanan says it means help is available at a time of year when it is badly needed.”There are no boundaries – everybody is welcome. That’s the…