Author: BBC

Seb NobleCornwall political reporterBBCPatrick Langmaid viewed paying the real living wage as an investment in his businessMore employers in Cornwall have been urged to pay their staff the real living wage to help reduce in-work poverty.The Living Wage Foundation said about 300 businesses – employing about 15,000 people – currently paid the real living wage in Cornwall.Truro Foodbank said it had seen a drop in the number of people accessing it for support over the past two years since more employers began paying higher wages. However, the Federation of Small Businesses warned it could be difficult for some to commit…

China has lifted export controls on computer chips vital to car production, the country’s commerce ministry said on Sunday.Exemptions have been granted to exports made by Chinese-owned Nexperia for civilian use, it said, which should help carmakers who had feared production in Europe would be hit.At the same time, China has also paused an export ban to the US of some materials that are crucial in the semiconductor industry and suspended port fees for American ships.The moves mark an easing of trade tensions between Beijing and Washington after President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump agreed in October…

Graham FraserBBC ScotlandUniversity of DundeeProf Iris Grunwald demonstrates the technology which she says now shows that a specialist doesn’t need to be “in the same hospital, or even in the same country, to help you”Doctors from Scotland and the US have completed what is thought to be a world-first stroke procedure using a robot.Prof Iris Grunwald, of the University of Dundee, performed the remote thrombectomy – the removal of blood clots after a stroke – on a human cadaver that had been donated to medical science.The professor was at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, while the body she was operating on…

Getty ImagesTravellers wait in a long line at a security checkpoint at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on 6 NovemberMore than 1,400 flights to, from, or within the US were cancelled on Saturday after airlines were told this week to cut traffic during the federal government shutdown.Nearly 6,000 flights were also delayed, down from over 7,000 delays on Friday, according to flight tracker FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier in the week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to10% at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports as air traffic controllers, who are working without…

Property listing website Rightmove has seen its shares plummet after revealing plans to step up investment in artificial intelligence (AI).Rightmove cut its profit growth forecasts for next year to reflect plans for higher investment in AI as well as other changes intended to increase returns.The company’s chief executive, Johan Svanstrom, said AI was “becoming absolutely central” to the running of the business and its plans for the future.But investors were less enthusiastic, and Rightmove’s shares had sunk by more than a quarter at one point on Friday. Rightmove announced plans to invest £60m over the next three years and a…

Hannah says the rugby star’s podcast helped with her mental health and inspired her to take up the sport.

Theo LeggettInternational Business CorrespondentGetty ImagesNearly five months after a plane crash in India which killed 260 people, the investigation has become mired in controversy – with the country’s Supreme Court the latest to weigh in.Flight 171 was en route to London from Ahmedabad in western India on 12 June. It crashed into a building just 32 seconds after taking off.An interim report was released in July, but critics argue it unfairly focused on the actions of the pilots, diverting attention away from a possible fault with the aircraft.On Friday, a judge in India’s Supreme Court insisted that nobody could blame…

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…