Author: BBC

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…

A shortage of epidural kits in the UK is expected to last until at least March, the government’s medicines regulator has warned.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told healthcare providers in a patient safety alert earlier this month that the shortage followed manufacturing issues concerning epidural bags.Hospitals are being sent substitutes bags for the pain relief drug given to women in labour, while the Royal College of Anaesthetists is working with the NHS to advise hospitals on how to manage the situation.Medical staff have expressed concern about these plans, the BBC understands, though the NHS said women “should…

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…