Author: BBC

Retail sales volumes have risen for the fourth month in a row, driven by consumers buying gold online and new tech gadgets. Monthly sales rose by 0.5% in September 2025, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, defying an expected decrease of -0.2%. “Although food stores saw very little growth, good weather in July and August boosted sales of clothing, while online retailing also did well,” said ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach. Tech sales were boosted over the summer by the launch of Nintendo’s long-awaited Switch 2 gaming console and Apple’s iPhone 17.Within non-store retailing, online jewellers…

MaryLou CostaTechnology ReporterGetty ImagesThere’s no shortage of plastic to recycleIn the plastic recycling industry, the casualties keep coming.Waste management company Biffa’s Sunderland plant closed in February after opening in 2022 at a cost of £7m, while rival Viridor closed its Avonmouth plant in 2022, Skelmersdale in 2023 and confirmed this summer that its Rochester plant would close, too.Like falling dominoes, plastic recycling plant closures have been endemic across Europe too: another big name, Veolia, will close its two German operations this year, while seven plastic recyclers closed in the Netherlands last year.Meanwhile, companies Borealis, Dow and Nester have all dropped…

The government’s goal of moving care from hospitals into neighbourhood health hubs is at risk because community services are under too much strain, the health and care regulator says.In its annual report, the Care Quality Commission said waiting times were too long and staffing too stretched in areas such as mental health, GP care and social care.The regulator said there was a real risk patients would suffer because these services would not able to cope with the extra demands.But the government said investment was being made to address the pressures.The 10-year NHS plan published in July set out a vision…

Watch: “It was time”, says Trump on increase in Russia sanctionsUS President Donald Trump has announced what he called “tremendous” new sanctions against two of Russia’s largest oil companies, in a bid to pressure Moscow into ending its war on Ukraine.The measures target Rosneft and Lukoil – two major oil corporations that help fund the Kremlin’s “war machine”, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.They represent the first direct interventions the Trump administration has imposed on Russia over its invasion, and have therefore been viewed as a geopolitically significant moment.But what do the new measures actually mean – for the…

Adrienne MurrayTechnology reporterAFP via Getty ImagesDenmark has taken measures to curb drone flyingIn the northern Danish city of Aalborg, the firm MyDefence makes equipment that jams and repels drones.”We’ve had a big surge of interest,” says chief executive, Dan Hermansen.He says that up until early October his company was mainly dealing with defence firms, but now it has “completely shifted”.The small, box-like kit made by MyDefence is mostly used by the military of Nato countries and Ukraine.However lately demand has grown from civilian customers.”It’s coming from critical infrastructure,” he adds, “from big companies, looking to protect their own assets”.The device…

British UFC fighter Nathaniel Wood opens up on his struggles with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety, detailing how it has affected his MMA career.READ MORE: ‘Never be afraid to go doctors’ – Wood on ‘living nightmare’ OCDIf you have been impacted by issues discussed in this article, then please visit the BBC Action Line.

Getty ImagesHow can you prepare and protect your home before a storm hits?There are a number of steps you can take: secure any loose objects outside your property such as bins, ladders, trampolines and outdoor games, garden furniture and toolscheck fences and roof tiles are secureclear guttering of debris such as moss and leavesif possible, remove any loose or overhanging branchesclose and fasten external doors and windowssecure storm shutters, if they are fitted to your home or businesspark vehicles in a garage, if you have one; otherwise ensure they are as far away as possible from buildings, trees and fencesclose…

The cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will cost an estimated £1.9bn and be the most economically damaging cyber event in UK history, according to researchers.Experts at the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) have analysed the continuing fallout from the hack, which halted the car giant’s production on 1 September for five weeks and caused widespread delays across JLR’s supply chain.According to the CMC, 5,000 businesses have been affected in total and a full recovery will not be reached until January 2026.JLR declined to comment on the research but said it is bringing portions of manufacturing back online in a…

Andy GiddingsShropshire andVictoria ScheerLeedsGetty ImagesThe “rapid review” is now focusing on 12 English NHS trusts, with a report due by DecemberTwo NHS trusts have been removed from a review of maternity failings across England.Trusts in Shropshire and Leeds have been dropped from the government’s rapid reviews of “failures in the system”, after it was confirmed last month they were two of 14 trusts to be looked at.The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) was removed after “discussions with West Mercia Police about the detail and schedule of [an] ongoing investigation”. The decision has left families in the county shocked.The news…

The locations of the Pizza Hut restaurants and delivery sites to close across the UK has been revealed.Some 1,210 people will be made redundant as 68 restaurants in places including Brighton, Hull, Bristol, Leeds and Edinburgh shut their doors in the coming weeks.Eleven delivery outlets will also close as part of the administration.Administrators were appointed to DC London Pie Limited, which operates Pizza Hut’s UK restaurants on Monday, while the global brand owner Yum! Brands stepped in to save the remaining 64 pizza restaurants and 1,276 jobs.Pizza Hut is well-known for its family-friendly dining and salad bar, but its UK…