Author: BBC

Chinese technology giant Tencent has made a €1.2bn ($1.25bn; £1bn) investment in a spin-off from Ubisoft, the maker of the Assassin’s Creed video games.Shenzhen-based Tencent will own about a quarter of the new business, with Ubisoft holding the rest of the new subsidiary, which is valued at around €4bn.The unit will run some of the French firm’s biggest franchises, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.Tencent, which is one of the world’s biggest video games developers, is also known for its internet-based services, including the hugely popular messaging app WeChat.”Today Ubisoft is opening a new chapter in…

Society’s move to cashless payments may have had an unintended positive side effect, surgeons say – fewer children needing operations or procedures to remove swallowed coins.The Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) experts looked back over hospital records in England since the Millennium. Procedures to remove foreign objects, including coins, from children’s throats, airways and noses saw a “significant decline”, of almost 700 cases by 2022.Historically, coins had accounted for over 75% of objects swallowed by under-sixes, they told a medical journal. According to the UK Payments Markets Survey, cards began outstripping cash in 2012. And that is when the researchers…

X-Men stars Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart are reprising their roles by joining the cast of Marvel’s forthcoming Avengers: Doomsday. The film is set for release in May 2026, with Robert Downey Jr already announced as playing villain Doctor Doom.Sir Ian has not appeared as Magneto since 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. Sir Patrick, meanwhile, last reprised his Professor Charles Xavier role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in 2022.Marvel Studios apparently listed the new movie’s cast by posting a video showing a row of chairs with names on the back.As well as Sir Ian…

Shanaz MusaferBusiness reporterBecky MortonPolitical reporterHouse of CommonsTaxes may have to rise in the autumn, economists have warned, despite big welfare cuts and spending reductions in Wednesday’s Spring Statement.Chancellor Rachel Reeves has only a small margin of headroom to deal with unexpected developments. The independent watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has warned global uncertainty due to the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs could hit the UK economy and derail Reeves’s plans.Reeves has not ruled out further tax rises but told the BBC there were “opportunities” as well as “risks” for the UK economy.In its election manifesto Labour…

The government needs to do more to protect young people from violent and harmful content online, a report by teenagers suggests.The Youth Select Committee, a parliamentary group of 14 to 19-year-olds, said the Online Safety Act was not robust enough to protect children from being exposed to dangerous material.But the committee argued against calls to ban social media for under-16s, like the one being implemented in Australia, saying it “is neither practical nor effective”. The government said it was “making our streets and online spaces safer for children” by delivering its Plan for Change.Wania Eshaal Ahmad, the 15-year-old chair of…

An NHS software provider has been fined £3m by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over security failings that led to a ransomware attack on the NHS.The Advanced Computer Software Group was fined for a breach that put personal information of 79,404 people at risk, the UK’s data protection watchdog said.The firm provides IT and software services to organisations around the country, including the NHS and other health providers, handling information in its role as a data processor.The breach took place in August 2022, when hackers gained access to patients’ phone numbers and medical records as well as details of how…

Juna Moon & Fan WangReporting fromSeoul and Singapore Watch: Hanni got emotional as the group reacted to court ruling”It took a huge amount of courage to speak out,” NewJeans have told the BBC in their first interview since a court blocked their attempt to leave their record label, in a case that has rocked the K-pop industry.”This fight is necessary. Although it will be extremely difficult and arduous, we will keep doing what we have done so far and speak up,” said Haerin, one of the members of the five-piece.”We thought it was important to tell the world about what…

Mitchell LabiakBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesUK inflation fell by more than expected in February, driven by a drop in clothing and shoe prices due to an unusually high number of sales.Inflation decreased to 2.8%, down from a rate of 3% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).The latest figures come ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement, where she will set out her economic plans.Grant Fitzner, chief economist at the ONS, said women’s clothing “was the biggest driver for this month’s fall”.”This was only partially offset by small increases, for example, from alcoholic drinks”, he added.Overall prices…

Tom GerkenTechnology reporterGetty ImagesThe messaging app Signal has made headlines after the White House confirmed it was used for a secret group chat between senior US officials.The editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to the group where plans for a strike against the Houthi group in Yemen were discussed.It has caused a significant backlash, with Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer calling it “one of the most stunning” military intelligence leaks in history and calling for an investigation.But what actually is Signal – and how secure or otherwise were the senior politicians’ communications on it?The security appSignal has…

The government expressed concerns about the timeline for implementing assisted dying, the BBC understands, before measures were tabled to delay when it could be available.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP bringing the bill, said she was “disappointed” to be proposing deferring when it must be in force until 2029.Some MPs expressed concern this means it might not be in place until after the next general election.Officials and civil servants have been advising Leadbeater on drafting amendments, including suggesting changes the government wants.A spokesman for Leadbeater said: “Kim hopes and believes the service can be delivered more quickly if it becomes law…