Author: BBC

Global sales of smartwatches have fallen for the first time, new figures indicate, in large part due to a sharp decline in the popularity of market leader, Apple.Market research firm Counterpoint says 7% fewer of the devices were shipped in 2024 compared to the year before.Shipments of Apple Watches fell by 19% in that period, Counterpoint says.It blames the slump on a lack of new features in Apple’s latest devices, and the fact a rumoured high-end Ultra 3 model never materialised.”The biggest driver of the decline was North America, where the absence of the Ultra 3 and minimal feature upgrades…

Children should completely avoid “slushy” ice drinks containing glycerol, which can make them very ill, until they are at least eight years old, say researchers calling for official health advice to change.The researchers studied the cases of 21 two-to-seven-year-olds in the UK and Ireland who needed emergency treatment soon after drinking a slushy product.The brightly coloured drinks are designed to appeal to children – but most contain the naturally occurring sweetener glycerol, instead of sugar, to stop them freezing solid and give the slushy effect.Current Food Standards Agency (FSA) advice says under-fives should avoid the drinks and under-11s should have…

Ian Youngs and Colin PatersonCulture reportersGetty ImagesEric Cantona’s installation will “playfully explore the effects of fame on players”Eric Cantona is to give football fans a taste of what it feels like to be in the spotlight as part of a new art exhibition created by players about their experiences of the beautiful game.The Manchester United legend is alongside Dutch master Edgar Davids, England’s Euro 2022 winner Ella Toone and Spanish World Cup winner Juan Mata in a squad of creative players who have been paired with artists for the show.Cantona and contemporary artist Ryan Gander will highlight the effects of…

Stock markets fell sharply in the US on Monday as investors raised concerns about the negative economic impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.It followed the president saying in a TV interview that the world’s biggest economy was in a “period of transition”, when asked about suggestions of a potential recession.Since those remarks were broadcast on Sunday, top Trump officials and advisers have sought to calm investor fears.”The previous notion of Trump being a stock market president is being re-evaluated,” Charu Chanana, an investment strategist at investment bank Saxo, told the BBC.In a Fox News interview broadcast at the weekend but…

Stock markets fell sharply in the US on Monday as investors raised concerns about the negative economic impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.It followed the president saying in a TV interview that the world’s biggest economy was in a “period of transition”, when asked about suggestions of a potential recession.Since those remarks were broadcast on Sunday, top Trump officials and advisers have sought to calm investor fears.”The previous notion of Trump being a stock market president is being re-evaluated,” Charu Chanana, an investment strategist at investment bank Saxo, told the BBC.In a Fox News interview broadcast at the weekend but…

Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, experienced massive outages throughout Monday morning that impacted thousands of users in the US and UK.The outage came as platform monitor Downdetector said it had seen tens of thousands of reports from US users of technical issues affecting the platform.There were more than 8,000 outage reports from UK users shortly before 14:00 GMT, following a brief but notable surge of reports on Monday morning.Connection issues lasted for some users into the afternoon.Many users trying to access the platform and refresh feeds on its app and desktop site during Monday’s outages…

Anna Foster is to join BBC Radio 4’s Today programme as one of the programme’s main presenters, following the departure of Mishal Husain in December.Foster is a former Middle East correspondent and has also previously presented BBC Radio 5 Live Drive and Radio 1’s Newsbeat, as well as the corporation’s flagship TV news bulletins.She will present many editions of Today from Salford, as part of the BBC’s efforts to better represent more areas of the UK beyond London.In a statement, Foster said: “There are few more exciting opportunities for a journalist than presenting Today, and I’m thrilled to be joining…

BBCThis lab-grown Wagyu steak is ready to eat, but can’t be sold in the UK because it has not yet been approved Meat, dairy and sugar grown in a lab could be on sale in the UK for human consumption for the first time within two years, sooner than expected. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking at how it can speed up the approval process for lab-grown foods.Such products are grown from cells in small chemical plants.UK firms have led the way in the field scientifically but feel they have been held back by the current regulations.Dog food made…

Mark Carney’s elevation to the top job in Canada is of particular significance at this moment when his country is at the frontline of a North American trade war. He becomes the “anti-Trump” on the US president’s doorstep.The former Bank of England governor chose to lean strongly into resisting Donald Trump’s policies at his acceptance speech. He said the US president had brought “dark days” from “a country we can no longer trust” and that he was “proud” of Canadians resisting the US “with their wallets”.While on trade specifically Mr Carney vowed to keep the retaliatory tariffs “until Americans show…

Ben MorrisEditor, Technology of BusinessGetty ImagesMedefer handles around 1,500 referrals a monthThe NHS is “looking into” allegations that patient data was left vulnerable to hacking due to a software flaw at a private medical services company. The flaw was found last November at Medefer, which handles 1,500 NHS patient referrals a month.The software engineer who discovered the flaw believes the problem had existed for at least six years. Medefer says there is no evidence the flaw had been in place that long and stressed that patient data has not been compromised.The flaw was fixed a few days after being discovered.In…