Author: BBC

BBCMcGuinness ended his ride at the BBC’s studios in GlasgowBBC Radio 2 presenter Paddy McGuinness has crossed the finish line to complete his epic Children In Need cycling challenge, after riding 300 miles from Wales to Scotland on a Raleigh Chopper bike.The former Top Gear and Question of Sport host, 51, has raised more than £7.5m on his five-day journey on a customised 1970s children’s bike called Patch.”What a sight, what a feeling!” he said, as he finished his journey at BBC Scotland’s HQ in Glasgow just before 10:30 GMT on Friday.This year’s televised Children in Need appeal starts at…

Clare SmyrellClare Smyrell says it feels “petty” to ban special offers on formulaThe high price of baby formula makes parents feel “punished” for not breastfeeding, mums and dads have told the BBC.The cost of baby milk has surged in recent years, while retailers in the UK are not allowed to advertise or offer discounts on infant formula because it might discourage breastfeeding.Parenting site Mumsnet says this rule has raised the price of formula rather than breastfeeding rates, while the competition watchdog has recommended the ban on price promotions be overturned.Clare Smyrell, who was not able to breastfeed due to medical…

Getty ImagesThe UK’s economy barely grew between July and September, with uncertainty about the Budget being blamed for the weak growth.The economy grew by just 0.1% over the three-month period, and shrank during September itself.Labour made boosting economic growth its top priority when it came into power but Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was “not satisfied” with these latest figures which cover the first three months of the new government. However, many businesses have criticised tax rises in the Budget which they say will hit employment and push up prices.Major companies, including Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s, have hinted they…

A hacker has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for laundering the proceeds of one of the biggest ever cryptocurrency thefts.Ilya Lichtenstein pleaded guilty last year in the case involving the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange being hacked in 2016 and the theft of almost 120,000 bitcoin.He laundered the stolen cryptocurrency with the help of his wife Heather Morgan, who used the alias Razzlekhan to promote her hip hop music.At the time of the theft, the bitcoin was worth around $70m (£55.3m), but had risen in value to more than $4.5bn by the time they were arrested. At today’s…

Satirical news publication The Onion has purchased Infowars, the media organisation headed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, which spread false rumours about the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.The sale price was not immediately disclosed.Infowars and its assets were auctioned off to pay Jones’s debts. He declared bankruptcy after the Sandy Hook families won $1.5b (£1.18b) in defamation damages against him.Jones founded Infowars in 1999. He has vowed to continue broadcasting using a different platform.

Getty ImagesSydney Sweeney’s rom-com Anyone But You made $220m at the box officeAnyone But You star Sydney Sweeney has said the idea of women supporting each other in the film and TV industry is “fake”.In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress, who’s also known for Euphoria and White Lotus, said: “This entire industry, all people say is ‘women empowering other women’.”None of it’s happening. All of it is fake and a front for all the other [stuff] that they say behind everyone’s back.”Earlier this year, the star hit back at “shameful” comments made about her by a female Hollywood…

MARK MARLOW/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockThis is the first time pharmacists have voted to take action in their historyPharmacy owners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted in favour of cutting opening hours and stopping home deliveries for the first time, in a protest over government funding.The National Pharmacy Association (NPA), which ran the ballot, is calling for an annual £1.7bn funding increase to plug the “financial hole”.The NPA represents 6,500 of the UK’s community pharmacies – that’s around half of them. It says 99% of those that responded to the vote said they were willing to limit their services unless funding was…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is planning what she calls the “biggest pension reform in decades” in an attempt to boost economic growth.The government wants to merge the UK’s 86 council pension schemes into a handful of “pension megafunds”.It is hoped the changes will lead to billions of pounds being invested in the UK in areas such as energy infrastructure, tech start-ups and public services.Reeves told the BBC that UK public sector pension funds in their current form were not big enough to generate good returns for British savers, but critics say the measures could put savers’ money at risk.The chancellor told…

Getty ImagesiCloud is the online storage service from AppleApple is facing a legal claim accusing it of effectively locking 40 million British customers into its iCloud service and charging them “rip off prices”.Consumer group Which? says the legal action – which it has launched – could result in a £3bn payout if it is successful, equivalent to £70 per customer.Apple has rejected the suggestion its practices are anti-competitive, saying users are not required to use iCloud, many rely on third-party alternatives and insisting it “works hard to make data transfer as easy as possible”.It is another example of the “growing…

Getty ImagesTrump chose Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who has been critical of China in the past, to be US ambassador to the United Nations. A week after Donald Trump won a second-term in the White House, the contours of his new presidency have started taking shape.The president-elect has announced nearly a dozen appointees, the first steps toward filling out his White House staff and key government departments. He also made comments to the media and on social media that highlight what his priorities will be upon taking office in January, with a special focus on immigration and foreign policy.After a sometimes…