Author: BBC

Vince Zampella, who co-created the popular video game series Call of Duty, has died in a car crash in California, aged 55. Zampella’s death was confirmed by Electronic Arts, which owns Respawn Entertainment, a game studio he co-founded.The influential video game developer was travelling in a Ferrari with another person, when it crashed and caught fire on a highway in Los Angeles on Sunday. “This is an unimaginable loss, and our hearts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and all those touched by his work,” a spokesperson for Electronic Arts told the BBC.Officials said the person on the vehicle’s…

The amount of flu circulating has started to fall in England, latest data suggests.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was encouraging news heading into Christmas, but warned the virus could always bounce back in the new year.The UKHSA uses a range of different measures to monitor flu rates, including sample testing in hospitals and in GP practices.The latest data covers last week up to Sunday with the UKHSA concluding the virus was circulating “at medium levels”.Similar trends are being seen elsewhere in the UK. Public Health Scotland said it had seen two weeks of cases decreasing.The fall in…

BBCYazz Gough uses the Re:dish Good Stuff social supermarket in the Reddish area of StockportA customer of a social supermarket has said she “can afford a few extras for Christmas” thanks to the money she saves there on her weekly groceries.Yazz Gough, who goes to the Re:dish Good Stuff in the Reddish area of Stockport, Greater Manchester, said: “I save a fortune because I’ve got two teenage kids at home who never stop eating!”The 56-year old said: “I buy a lot of the fresh fruit and vegetables to make things like apple strudels, chips or shepherd’s pie, so it has…

The US State Department said it would deny visas to five people, including a former EU commissioner, for seeking to “coerce” American social media platforms into suppressing viewpoints they oppose.”These radical activists and weaponized NGOs have advanced censorship crackdowns by foreign states – in each case targeting American speakers and American companies,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, suggested that a “witch hunt” was taking place.Breton was described by the State Department as the “mastermind” of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes content moderation on…

PA MediaPhoebe and Callum Melly pictured leaving the Evelina London Children’s Hospital with BertieA toddler who has been in hospital for most of his life is preparing to spend his first Christmas at home after finally being discharged.Nineteen-month-old Bertie Melly had severe health issues when he was born prematurely at 24 weeks, weighing just 1lb 10oz (0.7kg).As well as needing help to breathe, he was found to have a life-threatening illness affecting his intestines. He has undergone five operations – the first at just 10 days old. After spending more than 500 days in hospital, Bertie is now at home…

Fake adverts for weight loss drugs by a company pretending to be health and beauty retailer Boots have been removed from TikTok after the firm complained.The adverts for prescription-only weight loss drugs appeared to show smiling healthcare professionals from the British retailer – but in reality they were made with AI.It is illegal to advertise prescription-only weight loss drugs to the public. A spokesperson for Boots told the BBC the firm was “aware” of the videos and had complained to TikTok, which said it had removed the videos.A TikTok spokesperson said it did not allow “harmful or misleading AI-generated ads”…

A top Amazon executive has said the US technology giant has blocked more than 1,800 job applications from suspected North Korean agents.North Koreans tried to apply for remote working IT jobs using stolen or fake identities, Amazon’s chief security officer Stephen Schmidt said in a LinkedIn post.”Their objective is typically straightforward: get hired, get paid, and funnel wages back to fund the regime’s weapons programs,” he said, adding that this trend is likely to be happening at scale across the industry, especially in the US.Authorities in the US and South Korea have warned about Pyongyang’s operatives carrying out online scams.Amazon…

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a pill version of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, according to pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.It is the first pill of its kind to receive approval from the regulator, marking a new era for weight-loss drugs.Wegovy’s Danish makers Novo Nordisk said the once-daily pill was a “convenient option” to the injectable and would provide the same weight loss as the shot. It comes after Wegovy was approved by the FDA specifically for weight loss.Others like Ozempic, which has similar weight-loss effects, were primarily approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.The BBC has…

The US Coast Guard is in “active pursuit” of another vessel in international waters near Venezuela as tensions in the region continue to escalate.US authorities have already seized two oil tankers this month – one of them on Saturday. Sunday’s pursuit related to a “sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion”, a US official told the BBC’s partner CBS News. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”Washington has accused Venezuela of using oil money to fund drug-related crime, while Venezuela has described the tanker seizures as “theft and kidnapping”.US President…

Ben MorrisTechnology of Business EditorTunnock’s robot packagingA stream of hot caramel runs through the Thomas Tunnock factory just outside Glasgow.From the second floor where it is made, it runs along conveyor belts down to the first floor, bringing a a sweet, warm aroma to the building.But working with caramel is not easy. Experienced workers have to check that it is at the right consistency, and it takes a team of 12 to spread the caramel in five layers that make up the Tunnock’s wafer biscuit.”We’re making roughly 20 tonnes of caramel a day,” says Stuart Louden, the firm’s engineering and…