Author: BBC

QVCColdplay spoke to the public during their 30-minute appearanceAfter 25 years in the music business, Coldplay have appeared on almost every TV and radio show you can imagine, so when it came to promoting their 10th album, Moon Music, they decided to try a different tack.On Thursday night, the band popped into the US arm of tele-shopping channel QVC to hawk copies of their latest record – as well as a toaster and tea set based on the artwork.”That is vastly more important than the album,” joked frontman Chris Martin.”Because we’re older now, we’re moving into crockery and Tupperware. The…

The health secretary has urged GPs in England to end collective action and warn it will “only punish patients” in a speech on Friday.Addressing the Royal College of GPs conference in Liverpool, Wes Streeting said he understands why doctors “wanted to give the previous government a kicking”.But he asked them not to “shut your doors to patients” and instead “work with us to rebuild the NHS together”.GPs voted to work-to-rule in a ballot conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA) in August, with 98.3% of the 8,500 GPS who took part in favour of taking collective action.Following the ballot, the…

A pivotal European Union (EU) vote is set to take place later on whether to impose big taxes on imports of electric vehicles from China.The move to introduce tariffs aims to protect the European car industry from being undermined by what EU politicians believe are unfair Chinese-state subsidies on its own cars.Charges of up to 45% could be enforced on electric cars made in China for the next five years if EU members back the proposals, but there have been concerns such a move could raise electric vehicle (EV) prices for buyers.The decision also risks sparking a trade war between…

Getty ImagesFinding the best gate for an aircraft is a surprisingly difficult taskNext time you’re running at full tilt towards your airport gate, spare a thought for the airline staff who made sure that that gate was actually available.Gate allocation is a surprisingly complex task. “With 15 gates and 10 airplanes, there are more than 570 billion possibilities,” says Dr Joseph Doetsch, who has been working on the problem of gate allocation as quantum computing lead at Lufthansa Industry Solutions.Picking the best gate for each flight can help shorten aircraft taxi times and reduce congestion, meaning that travellers spend less…

The UK has announced it is giving up sovereignty of a remote but strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean after more than half a century.The deal – reached after years of negotiations – will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic move.This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the US government as a military base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.The announcement, made in a joint statement by the UK and Mauritian Prime Ministers, ends decades of often fractious negotiations between the two countries.The US-UK base…

Newcastle will host the MOBO Awards for the first time in 2025, it has been announced.The awards have celebrated black musicians since 1996, honouring artists such as Little Simz, Stomzy and Beyoncé.Ahead of the ceremony, organisers will run the MOBO Fringe Festival, series of activities and events celebrating black music and culture with Newcastle City Council and members of the local community.The 2025 event will take place at the Utilita Arena on 18 February.Kanya King CBE, founder and CEO of MOBO Group, said: “Newcastle is a city steeped in history, culture, and a dynamic sense of community alongside an electric…

BBC Dominika’s one-day-old daughter Emilia is part of the screening programmeThe entire genetic code of up to 100,000 newborn babies in England will be analysed by the NHS, with the aim of speeding up the diagnosis and treatment of more than 200 rare diseases.At present, newborns are given a heelprick blood test that checks for nine serious conditions, including cystic fibrosis.As part of this new study, led by Genomics England, blood samples will be taken from babies’ umbilical cords to help diagnose many more gene disorders, such as haemophilia and spinal muscular atrophy.Hundreds of blood samples have already been collected…

PAThe Bank of England could be a “bit more aggressive” on cutting interest rates, according to its governor. Andrew Bailey said the speed at which borrowing costs are reduced will depend on the rate of inflation.The Bank cut interest rates from 5.25% to 5% in August, which was the first drop in more than four years. In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Bailey also said that the Bank was watching developments in the Middle East “extremely closely”, in particular any movement in oil prices which could fuel inflation.The cost of crude jumped sharply following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in…

Elon Musk has been ordered by a federal court to answer further questions from lawyers about his takeover of Twitter – now called X – on Thursday, and the financial world has one question: Will he be there?Last month, he was a no-show for a court ordered appearance at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) office in Los Angeles.Thursday’s planned interview is part of a high-level investigation into whether Mr Musk waited too long to disclose he was building up a stake in Twitter before acquiring the social media platform in 2022.The billionaire has previously said this delay was…

ReutersThe Secretary General of the United Nations has condemned Iranian strikes on Israel, after earlier being banned from the country for his initial response.Speaking to the UN Security Council, António Guterres said it was high time to stop what he called the “deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence” in the Middle East. In an earlier statement, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres personal non grata and an “anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists”.The comments were issued in response to Guterres initially calling for a ceasefire, but not specifically mentioning the Iran attack. Addressing the council, the UN secretary general…