Author: BBC

Apple is taking the unprecedented step of removing its highest level data security tool from customers in the UK, after the government demanded access to user data.Advanced Data Protection (ADP) means only account holders can view items such as photos or documents they have stored online through a process known as end-to-end encryption.But earlier this month the UK government asked for the right to see the data, which currently not even Apple can access.Apple did not comment at the time but has consistently opposed creating a “backdoor” in its encryption service, arguing that if it did so, it would only…

Riyah CollinsBBC NewsbeatFinn WaringCaity Baser says her previous music was a “distraction” from how she was really feelingSinger Caity Baser says she’s excited for her music to “dive into my more emotional side”.With earlier hits like Friendly Sex, Why Can’t I Have Two and I’m A Problem, she says she was projecting a fun-loving, carefree version of herself that was hiding something much deeper.But it took an interviewer calling her a “man-eating, confident assassin” to realise “if that’s what people think of me then I need to be more open and let people in”.In reality, “I’m sad, I’m confused,” Caity…

João da SilvaBusiness reporterCCTVA meeting between Chinese president Xi Jinping and some of the country’s foremost business leaders this week has fuelled excitement and speculation, after Alibaba founder Jack Ma was pictured at the event.The charismatic and colourful Mr Ma, who was one of China’s most prominent businessmen, had withdrawn from public life after criticising China’s financial sector in 2020.His reappearance at Monday’s event has sparked a wave of discussion, with experts and analysts wondering what it means for him, China’s tech sector and the economy in general.The response has been overwhelmingly positive – tech stocks, including those of Alibaba,…

Chloe AslettBBC News, YorkshireAnna CieslikBeatrice, 5, was diagnosed with Batten disease at the age of 3The mum of a five-year-old girl with a terminal genetic disorder has said her daughter’s health is likely to deteriorate quickly if the NHS removes provision of the vital drug which is “keeping her doing”.Two years ago, Beatrice Cieslik was diagnosed with CLN2 type Batten disease – a rare degenerative condition which causes seizures, blindness, dementia, and difficulty with mobility and speech. She is currently treated with the drug Brineura, allowing her to attend school and live “a better quality of life”.NHS access to the…

Michael RaceBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesGovernment finances showed a large surplus last month after a surge in tax receipts but the figure missed official forecasts, increasing pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet her own fiscal rules. The surplus – the difference between what the government spends and the tax it takes in – was £15.4bn in January, which is the highest level for the month since records began more than three decades ago.However, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which monitors the government’s spending plans and performance, had predicted that the surplus would be higher at £20.5bn.The smaller figure…

Manslaughter charges against a friend of Liam Payne and two members of staff at the hotel where the singer died have been dropped.Rogelio “Roger” Nores and two workers from the hotel in Buenos Aires were charged in December, two months after the One Direction star’s death.On Wednesday, appeal court judges reversed the earlier decision to charge all three.However, two other men accused of selling Payne cocaine before his death remain in prison and have been told they still face prosecution and a probable trial.Payne died last October after falling from a balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in the Argentine…

Apple has announced a new iPhone which brings artificial intelligence (AI) features at a lower cost than its flagship handsets.The iPhone 16e has the same processor as the larger iPhone 16, Apple said, with similar storage options, though a lower spec elsewhere, including fewer cameras.Apple has been struggling to find a new product that excites consumers – sales of iPhones dropped at the end of last year.It will be hoping that bringing enhanced AI functionality to a less expensive phone will address that – however analysts have been cautious about the sales boost such tools bring.Its name is clearly a…

James CookScotland editorBBCJames McMillan and Lisa McCuish grew up next to each other and now they lie side by side in Pennyfuir CemeteryJames McMillan grew up next door to Lisa McCuish in a neat cul-de-sac on a hillside above Oban Bay. Now they lie side by side in Pennyfuir Cemetery.The newest headstones on the freshly-dug fringes of the graveyard tell an alarming story of a lost generation in this pretty tourist town on Scotland’s west coast.Oban is home to just 8,000 people and at least eight recent confirmed or suspected victims of drug misuse were buried here. The youngest was…

The US President Donald Trump has said he is not happy with Boeing over a contract to build two new Air Force One planes that is running behind schedule.Speaking on board one of the 35-year-old presidential planes that are currently in use, Trump also said he is looking for alternatives because it is taking Boeing too long to build the planes.The contract for two updated versions of the presidential plane based on the modern Boeing 747-8 were negotiated during Trump’s first term in office.Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BBC News. “No, I’m not happy…

Rapper A$AP Rocky has been found not guilty of firing a gun at a former friend.A jury in Los Angeles acquitted the musician, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, on two felony assault charges that carried up to 24 years in prison.Terell Ephron claimed the Grammy-nominated hip-hop star opened fire at him during an argument on a Hollywood street on 6 November 2021, grazing his knuckles with one of the shots.Mr Mayers, who is also a fashion mogul and the longtime partner of pop star Rihanna, denied the charges, arguing that the weapon was a prop gun and that his…