Author: BBC

Mitchell LabiakBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesAll UK airports should stop charging blue badge holders for being dropped off close to terminals, a disability charity has said.Several people with blue badges got in touch with the BBC following news that more than half of the busiest airports had raised the so-called “kiss-and-fly” fees to as high as £7 in some cases.Many airports already offer discounts or waive the fee for disabled drivers, but blue badge holders say the system is complex and inconsistent.Graham Footer, chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK, said some airports have “allowed greed to cloud their judgement”, and…

AlamyA man working on the hit show Emily in Paris has died during filming in Venice for the fifth season.La Repubblica named the man as 47-year-old Diego Borella, who was an assistant director on the show.Medics were called to Hotel Danieli in the city at around 19:00 local time (18:00 BST) on Thursday, but were unable to save him, the newspaper said.”We are deeply saddened to confirm the sudden passing of a member of the ‘Emily in Paris’ production family,” a spokesperson from Paramount Television Studios, who produce the show for Netflix, told BBC News.La Repubblica reports that Borella died…

Jacqui WakefieldGlobal Disinformation Unit, BBC World ServiceGetty Images/ Carlos BarqueroWomen who used the Tea app in the US are facing backlash after their data was leakedSally was stalked by her ex-boyfriend.After ending their relationship, he would turn up at work – and even her friends’ houses. She eventually had to move.When she finally got back on to the dating scene, she was wary. She decided to sign up for a new app where women could do background checks and share experiences of men they were dating.Users of the US-based Tea Dating Advice app, which is only available in America, could…

Serena Williams, one of the most successful athletes of all time, has spoken out about using weight loss drugs – she says, to lift the “stigma” around using such medication.Will her outspoken comments instil a new sense of confidence in those using the drugs? And could her honesty quieten the critics?The 43-year-old tennis star, who broke records and won 23 grand slam titles through her career, was the embodiment of fitness and athletic prowess. But, after having kids, even she, like so many of us, has admitted to struggling to shift those extra pounds.In the end, Williams told the Today…

Lily JamaliReporting fromSan FranciscoGetty ImagesUS Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said on Friday that the federal government will take a 10% stake in US chipmaker Intel.”This historic agreement strengthens US leadership in semiconductors, which will both grow our economy and help secure America’s technological edge,” Lutnick wrote on X in a post accompanied by a photo of himself with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.President Donald Trump revealed the deal earlier on Friday during remarks in the Oval Office, calling it a “great deal for them”.Shares of the Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker soared more than 5% on Friday.Intel said in a statement…

Mark SavageMusic correspondentBBCViolinist Pathrycia Mendonça will play with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra of Venezuela as Coldplay’s opening act at Wembley StadiumPathrycia Mendonça never has to worry about jet lag.The 26-year-old has just jetted into London, where she’s about to play 10 nights at Wembley Stadium with Coldplay as part of Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.The flight took 12 hours and meant leaving her beloved 10-month-old daughter at home with her mother – but the violinist is bursting with energy as she arrives for rehearsals at the iconic Air Studios in north London.That’s probably because, as a 12-year-old student in Venezuela,…

Billionaire Elon Musk and his social media firm X have reached a tentative settlement with former employees who had sued for $500m (£373m) in severance pay.The parties reported the deal in a court filing on Wednesday, jointly requesting the US appeals court in San Francisco to postpone an upcoming hearing to allow time to settle the paperwork.Some workers sued the company over their terminations and severance packages, after some 6,000 staff – more than half its workforce – were sacked as part of a cost-cutting measure after Musk took over the company in 2022.The BBC has contacted X – formerly…

Catrin Nye and Adam EleyBBC NewsGetty ImagesBaby food manufacturers must cut levels of salt and sugar in their products and stop promoting snacks for babies under the age of one, the government has said.The new guidance would also restrict the use of marketing claims that suggest health benefits without scientific evidence.Firms that do not make their products healthier within 18 months may face action.It comes four months after a BBC Panorama investigation found top-brand baby food pouches lacked key nutrients and parents were often being misled by marketing.Manufacturers told the BBC they were committed to providing high quality and nutritious…

George KingBBC News, SuffolkGeorge King/BBCBecky Mather, 40, said being able to afford school uniform for her children was a struggleFor parents across Suffolk and further afield, buying school uniforms can prove pricey – setting them back hundreds of pounds per child.Add in a recent increase in inflation, and the cost of kitting out the kids has become increasingly unaffordable for some families.Some parents use school uniform banks where they can pick up everything from blazers, trousers and ties to clean underwear and shoes for free.It is a service that can make a huge difference – but, as some parents at…

Millie Bobby Brown has announced she and husband Jake Bongiovi have adopted a baby daughter.The 21-year-old star of Stranger Things and Enola Holmes posted a message on Instagram saying: “This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption.”We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy.”It ended: “And then there were 3. Love, Millie and Jake Bongiovi.” The couple didn’t reveal the name of their new addition.The news comes 15 months after the actress married Bongiovi, the 23-year-old son of rock singer Jon Bon Jovi.At the end of last year,…