Author: BBC

Katy McCloskey and Chris ClementsBBCSammy and Annie Dougherty believe they qualify for the Warm Home Discount, but their postcode isn’t recognised by the Scottish Gas online application form.People on low incomes could be losing out on a grant for winter heating bills because postcodes are missing from an energy supplier’s website.Scottish Gas were warned last autumn that customers on means-tested benefits living in a specific Glasgow postcode were unable to apply for the Warm Home Discount online. More than a year later, the website has still not been fixed.Tenants and charities have criticised the power company, with Energy Action Scotland…

Peter Hoskins,business reporterandLily Jamali,North America technology correspondentWatch: What does TikTok’s deal mean for America’s users?TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed binding agreements with American and global investors to operate its business in the US, the video platform’s boss told employees on Thursday.Half of the joint venture will be owned by a group of investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, according to a memo sent by chief executive Shou Zi Chew.The deal, which is set to close on 22 January, would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations over…

Young people will be hit hardest by successive governments’ failure to focus on financial and societal challenges caused by an ageing population, a House of Lords report has suggested.They will need to plan and prepare to work longer and save more from a much earlier age, the economic affairs committee said.The report also found that the crisis in adult social care “remains a scandal” which needs to be addressed urgently.Committee chair Lord Wood of Anfield told the BBC it was a “struggle to find where in government” there was a focus on ageing and the “transformational effects” it was going…

The ousted chair of Ben & Jerry’s has accused the company which owns the brand of threatening to launch a public smear campaign against her. Anuradha Mittal, who chaired Ben & Jerry’s independent board for seven years, told the BBC that Magnum had threatened to publish “defamatory statements” about her if she did not step down from her role.It relates to an increasingly bitter dispute between the Vermont-based activist ice cream maker and its owner over the independence of the board and its freedom to pursue its social missions.Magnum said in its view Mittal “no longer met the criteria to…

Laura Cress,Technology reporterandLily Jamali,North America technology correspondent, San FranciscoGetty ImagesTikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance has signed a deal with investors to run its business in the US.But what does this mean for the over 170 million Americans (or so the social media platform claims) who use the app?The key may lie in how TikTok’s recommendation algorithm – the powerful system that curates the platform’s For You Page to predict content you might watch – is managed when it changes hands.Social media industry expert Matt Navarra told the BBC the question will not be whether TikTok survives, but “what version of TikTok…

Lisa Summers,Scotland health and social care correspondentandCatherine Lyst,BBC ScotlandGetty ImagesScotland’s resident doctors are to go on strike in a dispute over pay – the first time a national walkout has been staged by NHS workers.Their union BMA Scotland had accused the government of reneging on a commitment to restore pay to 2008 levels.With 92% voting in favour, strike dates have been set for 07:00 on Tuesday 13 January to 07:00 on Saturday 17 January 2026.Health Secretary Neil Gray said he was disappointed by the result, adding that he had offered to meet the BMA Scotland chairman on Monday.BMA Scotland earlier…

Emer MoreauBusiness reporterGetty ImagesDrivers are being advised to allow extra time to travel with the surge in Christmas travel across the UKBritain’s roads, railways and airports are set to be thronged by festive travellers on what is anticipated to be the busiest day for Christmas trips.The AA has warned of gridlock on Friday, with a survey suggesting as many as 24.4 million cars could hit the roads.It is also expected to be the busiest day of the Christmas period for airports, with 460,000 journeys planned.Network Rail has also advised travellers to check their journeys and book a seat if possible.Drivers…

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentGetty ImagesMillions of people will be able to set their own contactless card payment limits or even have no limit at all, a regulator has confirmed.Banks and card providers will be given the power, from March, to set a maximum – or unlimited – single payment amount without the need to enter a four-digit PIN.But they are also being encouraged by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to allow cardholders to set their own individual limits, or switch off contactless entirely. Some banks already offer this function.The move comes despite the FCA’s own survey showing little appetite…

Getty ImagesRuth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporter More babies are being born by caesarean section in England than delivered naturally – without assistance – for the first time.Latest NHS data for 2024-25 shows that 45% of births were by C-section, compared to 44% which were spontaneous, a term used to describe a natural vaginal birth. Another 11% needed extra support and interventions like forceps.Nearly half of the caesaereans – when the baby is delivered by surgeons cutting into the mother’s abdomen and womb – were planned in advance.NHS England says the increase is influenced by many factors, including women choosing to…

Archie Mitchell and Josh MartinBusiness reportersReutersNewly appointed BP chief executive Meg O’Neill currently runs Australian oil and gas firm Woodside EnergyBP has appointed a new chief executive, making Meg O’Neill the first woman to run a major global oil firm.The London-based energy giant said its current boss Murray Auchincloss would step down less than two years after he replaced Bernard Looney, who was found to have committed “serious misconduct” in failing to disclose relationships with colleagues.Under Ms O’Neill, who currently runs Australian oil and gas firm Woodside Energy, BP is expected to continue its recent strategy of moving away from…