Author: BBC

Ruth Clegg Health and wellbeing reporter Getty ImagesWellbeing has become such a priceless (or in many cases pricey) endeavour that we can’t seem to get enough of it.Last year, we were mainlining magnesium, consuming creatine – a muscle boosting supplement that became mainstream, and we turned to AI chatbots for help with anything from a personalised training regime to a daily meal plan.And, that’s against a backdrop of more than a million people paying privately for weight loss drugs, in some cases completely transforming their relationship with food and exercise.What is the multi-trillion pound industry focussing on in 2026? Several…

The FTSE 100 index has climbed above 10,000 points for the first time, passing a significant stock market milestone, on the first trading day of the year.Shares included in the index performed strongly in 2025, leaving the benchmark more than 21% higher than a year ago, when it stood at just over 8,260.Rising share prices are good news for investors, including anyone with a pension or other savings that are invested in the stock market.But the London index is dominated by large international companies, so is not a direct reflection of the UK economy’s performance.The FTSE 100 tracks the performance…

China’s BYD is set to overtake Elon Musk’s Tesla as the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles (EVs), marking the first time it has outpaced its American rival for annual sales.On Thursday, BYD said that sales of its battery-powered cars rose last year by almost 28% to more than 2.25 million.Tesla, which is due to reveal its total sales for 2025 later on Friday, last week published analysts’ estimates suggesting that it had sold around 1.65 million vehicles for the year as a whole.The US firm has faced a tough year with a mixed reception to new offerings, unease over…

Philippa Roxby and Smitha MundasadHealth reportersGetty ImagesAll young children in the UK can now be offered protection against chickenpox for the first time on the NHS.The vaccine will be combined with the existing MMR jab, given at 12 and 18 months of age, which already helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella. Children up to the age of six can catch up on doses when invited.Experts say the new, combined vaccine called MMRV, where V stands for varicella – another name for chickenpox – is expected to reduce the many thousands of families affected by the infection each year and…

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentGetty ImagesEnergy bills are rising for millions of households in England, Scotland and Wales as the new year begins, after Ofgem raised its price cap slightly.Prices for those on variable tariffs are rising by 0.2% from now, the equivalent to a £3 annual increase for a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity.Campaigners say this means billpayers are facing another winter of high energy prices with the latest increase, albeit small, coinciding with the coldest period of the year.However, changes announced in the Budget should mean a fall in the cost of energy from…

After a New Year’s Eve swim in 2023, Dan Richards’ life changed foreverWhen Dan Richards went for a New Year’s Eve swim in 2023, he never could have imagined how drastically his life would change.In a freak accident, he injured his neck when a wave caused him to flip and hit the sand in Langland Bay, Swansea. “I knew instantly that I was paralysed,” the 37-year-old said. “I couldn’t move anything.”Doctors told him he would be bed-bound but, two years later, he uses a wheelchair and can move his arms and fingers.He has even walked with the help of Artificial…

ContributedEdward was one of the first children in England to be given the gene therapy Zolgensma through the NHSA five-year-old boy who received the world’s most expensive drug as a baby has made “incredible progress” and can walk independently, his mother said.Edward, from Colchester, has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) which means he lacks a protein vital for muscle development.He was one of the first children in England to be given the gene therapy Zolgensma, which costs £1.79m for the one-off treatment, through the NHS in 2021.Mother Megan said Edward was her “pride and joy” and he had achieved milestones she…

Gold and silver have seen a rollercoaster end to a year in which their prices are on track to record their biggest annual gains since 1979.The price of gold soared by more than 60% this year to hit a record high of more than $4,549 (£3,378) an ounce before falling after Christmas to stand at about $4,330 on New Year’s Eve.At the same time, silver was trading at about $71 an ounce after hitting an all-time high of $83.62 on Monday.This year’s gains were driven by several factors including expectations of more interest rate cuts, gold purchases by central banks…

Meta says it is acquiring the Chinese-founded AI firm Manus as it looks to boost the capabilities of its tech.Bloomberg analysts and The Wall Street Journal suggested the purchase could be worth more than $2bn (£1.48bn).Meta said the deal would help improve its own AI by giving people access to “agents” – tools which can do complex things with minimal user interaction such as planning trips or making presentations.”Manus’s exceptional talent will join Meta’s team to deliver general-purpose agents across our consumer and business products, including Meta AI,” it said in a blog post.Barton Crockett, analyst at Rosenblatt Securities, told…

A woman says she felt “so guilty” for having skin cancer while pregnant with her son.Emma Giannuzzi, 36, from Rogerstone, Newport, used sunbeds regularly in her late teens and was diagnosed with melanoma twice – first at 23, and again during pregnancy after noticing a mole on her stomach, with tests after giving birth confirming the cancer.She is now urging people to opt for fake tanning products instead, warning of the dangers of sunbed use.According to the NHS, sunbeds are more harmful than natural sunlight because they emit concentrated UV radiation, increasing the risk of skin cancer, premature ageing, sunburn…