Author: BBC

Suranjana TewariAsia business correspondent, Tokyo andPeter HoskinsBusiness reporterReutersAsahi Super Dry is Japan’s most popular beerOnly four bottles of Asahi Super Dry beer are left on the shelves of Ben Thai, a cosy restaurant in the Tokyo suburb of Sengawacho.Its owner, Sakaolath Sugizaki, expects to get a few more soon, but she says her supplier is keeping the bulk of its stock for bigger customers.That’s because Asahi, the maker of Japan’s best-selling beer, was forced to halt production at most of its 30 factories in the country at the end of last month after being hit by a cyber-attack.While all of…

Sean CoughlanRoyal correspondentWatch: Prince William was visibly moved as he heard first hand about the devastating impact of suicide, having to pause during a conversationThe Prince of Wales was visibly moved as he heard first hand about the devastating impact of suicide, having to pause during a conversation with Rhian Mannings, whose husband took his own life.Rhian has since set up a bereavement charity – and Prince William’s Royal Foundation is contributing £1m to develop a National Suicide Prevention Network.The network, which will operate across the UK, will work to understand more about the root causes of suicide and to…

Hayley ClarkeEducation reporter andEmily DoughtyPA MediaUniversity and College Union (UCU) members at Edinburgh University took industrial action in SeptemberUniversities have collectively announced more than 12,000 job cuts in the last year, new analysis from the University and College Union (UCU) suggests.Additional cost savings announced in the same period are equivalent to a further 3,000 jobs, the union says, but universities have not confirmed whether these savings will be made by cutting staff.UCU members will vote on potential UK-wide strike action later this month over a 1.4% pay offer made over the summer.Employers say that offer “clearly does not reflect the…

Discord, a messaging platform popular with gamers, says official ID photos of around 70,000 users have potentially been leaked after a cyber-attack.The platform, which has more than 200 million users worldwide, says hackers had targeted a firm that helped to verify the ages of its users but the Discord platform itself was not breached.People can provide ID photos to verify their age on Discord – a networking hub for players to chat and share files with others in the gaming community.The leaked data may involve personal information, partial credit card details and messages that were exchanged with Discord’s customer service…

Aileen MoynaghBBC News NI health reporterBBCMrs Cairns was diagnosed with Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) and Pseudo Foster-Kennedy syndromeA woman who has been left with partial sight after she delayed seeking medical help said she wishes she had gone to an optician when she first had symptoms as her vision could have been saved.Gail Cairns, from Belfast, started experiencing sight loss, headaches, and eye pain in July 2025, but waited four days before getting her eyes checked.After being scanned at an opticians through a free NHS scheme she was immediately referred to hospital for treatment. She had a serious…

The price of gold has hit a record high of more than $4,000 (£2,985) an ounce as investors look for safe places to put their money over concerns about economic and political uncertainty around the world.Gold has seen its biggest rally since the 1970s, rising by around a third since April when US President Donald Trump announced tariffs which have upset global trade.Analysts say another issue worrying investors is delays to the release of key economic data as the US government shutdown enters its second week.Gold is seen as a so-called safe haven investment, which is expected to retain or…

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested by police investigating a cyber-attack on a chain of nurseries in London.The Metropolitan Police say the pair were arrested at residential addresses in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, on suspicion of computer misuse and blackmail. Hackers were said to have stolen the photographs, names and addresses of about 8,000 children from the Kido chain.The force said it received a referral from the Action Fraud cyber crime reporting service on 25 September detailing a ransomware attack. Those arrested remain in custody for questioning.Will Lyne, Met’s Head of Economic and Cybercrime, said: “We understand reports of this nature…

Ministers and school representatives are set to meet later for the first School Council Network in Jersey of the new term. The meetings, which take place up to six times a year, allow primary and secondary school councils to shape policy directly with government. The Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) said the opening event of the term would focus on safety and digital wellbeing. Education and Lifelong Learning Minister Rob Ward congratulated all the students elected to their school councils, calling it “a big responsibility but also a fantastic opportunity”.Ward, who is set to attend the…

Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has confirmed that output at some of its manufacturing sites will resume on Wednesday, as it continues to recover from a serious cyber-attack.Its production lines have been at a standstill since the start of September, following the attack.The phased return of staff will begin at some sites in the West Midlands and Merseyside.JLR has also announced a programme to fast-track payments to its direct suppliers, some of which had laid off workers after their revenues dried up following the hack.Initially the scheme will be confined to the most critical suppliers needed for restarting production, but…

Chinese car making giant BYD says the UK has become its biggest market outside China, after its sales there surged by 880% in September compared to a year earlier.The company says it sold 11,271 cars in the UK last month, with the plug-in hybrid version of its Seal U sports utility vehicle (SUV) accounting for the majority of those sales.It comes after figures from the car industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed that sales of electric vehicles (EVs) jumped to a record high in September.The UK is particularly attractive to firms like BYD as the…