Author: BBC

Tiffany Wertheimer and Alys DaviesGetty ImagesElon Musk became the first person ever to achieve a net worth of more than $500bn (£370.9bn) in OctoberTesla boss Elon Musk has been one of the world’s richest people for several years now, and that wealth recently went stratospheric when he became the first half-trillionaire.Despite this, Musk has insisted he leads a largely unglamorous lifestyle. He said in 2021 that he lived in a Texas home valued at $50,000 (£38,000).His former partner Grimes, with whom he has two children, told Vanity Fair in 2022 that he does not live the extravagant life of excess…

Watson co-discover the double-helix structure of DNA, but his reputation was later damaged by his comments on race and sex.

Faarea MasudBusiness reporterAlamyITV has said it is in “preliminary” discussions to sell its broadcasting business to Sky for £1.6bn, a move that could reshape the UK’s television landscape.The talks focus on ITV’s Media and Entertainment division, which includes its free-to-air TV channels as well as the ITV X streaming service.The discussions with Sky, which is owned by US-based Comcast, come as the television industry faces fierce competition from streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+.The deal would not include ITV’s production arm – ITV Studios – which makes popular programmes such as Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me…

Lily Jamali,North America Technology correspondent and Osmond Chia,Business reporterWatch: Tesla shareholders cheer Elon Musk’s $1tn pay dealTesla boss Elon Musk has had a record-breaking pay package that could be worth nearly $1tn (£760bn) approved by shareholders.The unprecedented deal was approved by 75% of votes and drew huge applause from the audience at the firm’s annual general meeting on Thursday.Musk, who is already the world’s richest man, must drastically raise the electric car firm’s market value over 10 years. If he does this and meets various targets, he will be rewarded with hundreds of millions of new shares.The scale of the…

Rawlstock/Getty ImagesDr Mark Watson’s actions consisted of sexual harassment, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service saidA doctor accused of pouring beer down a younger colleague’s cleavage before licking it off and touching her breasts has been suspended for a year. Dr Mark Johnson, who was working at West Suffolk Hospital at the time of the incident, also allegedly sent “derogatory and sexually demeaning” messages to another junior colleague.Some of these messages included comments about the size of his colleague’s breasts, sex positions and oral sex, a tribunal was told.The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPT) said some of Dr Johnson’s actions constituted…

Drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) could be facing a new tax in next month’s Budget.With pressure on the chancellor to find tens of billions of pounds in additional revenue, the BBC understands there have been “conversations” within government about the possibility of a new levy on EVs.A government spokesperson told the BBC: “Fuel duty covers petrol and diesel, but there’s no equivalent for electric vehicles. We want a fairer system for all drivers.”The statement follows a report in the Daily Telegraph, that the Budget would include a new pay-per-mile charge for electric vehicles. According to the Telegraph EV drivers could…

Laura CressTechnology reporterGetty ImagesIf you’ve ever wanted to create your own computer program but never learnt how to code, you might try “vibe coding”.Collins Dictionary’s word of the year – which is confusingly made up of two words – is the art of making an app or website by describing it to artificial intelligence (AI) rather than by writing programming code manually.The term was coined in February by OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, who came up with the name to represent how AI can let some programmers “forget that the code even exists” and “give in to the vibes” while making…

Grace Shaw & Phil BodmerYorkshireBBCFreyja died at five days old of injuries sustained during her birth at St James’s Hospital in LeedsThe father of a baby girl who died five days after she was born in a Leeds hospital has said he wants an independent inquiry into maternity services to focus on culture as well as potential negligence.Freyja Green died in March 2019 after a traumatic birth at St James’s University Hospital.Her father, Damon Green, who is part of a campaign group calling for action over failings in maternity services run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said his family…

Hazel ShearingEducation correspondentGetty ImagesChildren will be taught how to budget and how mortgages work as the government seeks to modernise the national curriculum in England’s schools.They will also be taught how to spot fake news and disinformation, including AI-generated content, following the first review of what is taught in schools in over a decade.Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government wanted to “revitalise” the curriculum but keep a “firm foundation” in basics like English, maths and reading.Head teachers said the review’s recommendations were “sensible” but would require “sufficient funding and teachers”.The government commissioned a review of the national curriculum and…

Asian online giant Shein along with Temu, AliExpress and Wish are being investigated by Paris prosecutors after France’s consumer watchdog said childlike sex dolls had been found on Shein’s platform.Shein promised to co-operate fully with authorities as the company prepared to open its first physical store on Wednesday, on the sixth floor of Paris department store BHV.BHV’s decision to house the fast-fashion giant has angered rival clothing brands and a number have said they will leave the prestigious department store in protest.Fashion designer Agnès B said she would close her concession in BHV when her contract ended in January. “I’m…