Author: BBC

Getty ImagesUK inflation unexpectedly dipped in December for the first time in three months as hotel prices fell and tobacco costs eased.Prices rose 2.5% in the year to December, down from 2.6% the month before, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.Despite the rate of price rises remaining above the Bank of England’s target, expectations of an interest rates cut next month have grown.The latest figures also ease pressure Chancellor Rachel Reeves who has faced criticism following a slump in the value of the pound and government borrowing costs hitting the highest level for several years.UK borrowing costs eased early…

The US markets watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk alleging he failed to disclose that he had amassed a stake in Twitter, allowing him to buy shares at “artificially low prices.”The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit alleges that the multi-billionaire Tesla boss saved $150m (£123m) in share purchases as a result.According to SEC rules, investors whose holdings surpass 5% have 10 days to report that they have crossed that threshold. Musk did so 21 days after the purchase, the filing says.In a social media post, Musk called the SEC a “totally broken organisation.”He also accused the regulator…

Anna MalnuttAnna Malnutt says a right to paid bereavement leave would have made a huge difference to herParents who experience miscarriage – the loss of pregnancy during the first 23 weeks – should be legally entitled to paid bereavement leave, according to a report by MPs.Currently only those who lose a child or a baby after 24 weeks are entitled to two weeks of paid leave. But a group of MPs is calling for the upcoming Employment Rights Bill to extend this to all pregnancy loss.A Department for Business spokesperson said losing a baby was “incredibly difficult and we know…

BBCSlattery starred on shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Just A Minute and Have I Got News For YouSir Stephen Fry has led the tributes to British actor and comedian Tony Slattery, who has died aged 65 following a heart attack.Slattery was known for his quick-witted improvisations on the popular Channel 4 show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, from 1988 onwards.Sir Stephen, who also featured on the show as well as with Slattery in Cambridge University’s Footlights group, described his old friend on Instagram as “the gentlest, sweetest soul” and “a screamingly funny deeply talented wit and clown”.Londoner…

BBCLindsey Hopkins feels ex-miners have been “thrown on the scrapheap”Former Welsh mineworkers are urging the UK government to release £2.3bn in reserves from their pension scheme so it can be paid out.The government released the equivalent money from the Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS) in the budget in October, but the money is still frozen for those in the alternative pension scheme, the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS).Lindsey Hopkins, 75, is one of the more than 3,000 former miners that could be affected and said the government had “thrown us to the wolves” by not treating both schemes in the…

TikTok users in the US are migrating to a Chinese app called RedNote with the threat of a ban just days away.The move by users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store on Monday.RedNote is a TikTok competitor popular with young people in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin-speaking populations.It has about 300 million monthly users and looks like a combination of TikTok and Instagram. It allows users, mostly young urban women, to exchange lifestyle tips from dating to fashion.Supreme Court justices are due to rule on a law that set…

Getty ImagesThere has been a rise in the proportion of women seeking abortions despite using “natural” methods to prevent pregnancy, like fertility tracking apps, a study in England and Wales suggests.The data, published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, shows a “shift” in contraception use in the last five years, from “more reliable” hormonal contraceptives such as the pill, to “fertility awareness-based methods”, say researchers. Hormonal methods, including the mini pill, fell from 19% in 2018 to 11% in 2023 among tens of thousands of women.Use of natural methods, meanwhile, increased from 0.4% to 2.5% – still a minority but…

Siyoung Song / ADORNewJeans’ members may only be aged 16 to 20, but they have taken a fierce stance against what they see as record industry exploitationThe chart-topping K-pop band NewJeans may be prevented from signing advertising deals and other contracts, after their record label filed an injunction against them.The five-piece are currently engaged in a fierce dispute with Ador, the entertainment company that formed their band in 2022. Last November, the group claimed their contracts were invalid, due to what they alleged was a pattern of bullying, harassment and subterfuge at the company. Ador, which denied the allegations, sued…

Apple’s board has asked its investors to vote against a proposal to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.It comes after a conservative group, the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), called on the technology giant to abolish its DEI policies, saying they expose firms to “litigation, reputational and financial risks”.Apple’s directors say the NCPPR’s proposal is unnecessary because the company has appropriate checks and balances in place. Other major US firms, including Meta and Amazon, have rolled back DEI programmes ahead of the return to the White House this month of Donald Trump, who has been highly…

Getty ImagesThe government said AI will boost public sector productivity, while also helping teachers and small business ownersThe government is to set out plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to boost growth and deliver public services more efficiently.The AI Opportunities Action Plan being announced on Monday will be backed by leading tech firms, which are said to have committed £14bn towards various projects, creating 13,250 jobs, the government said.It includes plans for growth zones where development will be focused, and the technology will be used to help tackle issues such as potholes.”I want to make sure that…