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Showing posts from January, 2024

Spotify's content filter fails to block explicit lyrics in dozens of hits

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Fans are shown swear words and racial slurs in dozens of songs even when explicit content is blocked.

eBay to pay $59m settlement over sales of pill-making tools

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The government accused eBay of making it too easy to buy equipment for producing counterfeit pills.

Record Dry January saved the average person £118

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This January was the driest in history with a survey suggesting one in five drinkers gave up alcohol.

Zuckerberg among tech bosses to testify on child safety

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Senators say Meta, X, TikTok, Discord and Snap are not doing enough to protect children online.

Missed energy bill error saw man pay £244,000 direct debit

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Energy firms are being urged to tackle errors after the BBC is told of payments for wildly inaccurate bills.

Microsoft says AI is getting deployed 'at scale'

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The tech giant's AI success has caused shares to surge, after its market value passed $3tn.

Toyota warns 50,000 US vehicle owners to stop driving

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The motor industry giant has warned that Takata air bag inflators could explode and kill people.

US weapons sales abroad hit record high in 2023, boosted by Ukraine war

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Sales negotiated by the US government spiked 56%, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine stoked demand.

Lower cost of tea eases January price rises

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Discounts during the January sales and a cheaper cup of tea helped slow the rate of price rises.

Phone and broadband users face 'unfair' price hikes says Which?

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The consumer group says phone and broadband providers should abandon "grossly unfair" plans to raise prices this spring.

Evergrande: Hong Kong judge orders property giant's liquidation

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A liquidation order may have little impact in mainland China where most of Evergrande's assets are held.

China's Xi tightens stock market rules after sell-off

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Nearly $6tn has been wiped off Chinese and Hong Kong stocks since their most recent peak three years ago.

Disposable vapes to be banned for children's health, government says

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Rishi Sunak announces the plan saying "we must act" to tackle a rise in vaping among children.

Post Office scandal explained: What the Horizon saga is all about

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Hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongly convicted based on evidence from faulty IT software.

Cuddly toy sellers chase an unlikely audience: 'Kidults'

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Toy and games sales fell last year as family finances were stretched but one group is bucking the trend.

Growing skincare use by children is dangerous, say dermatologists

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Dermatologists say products with ingredients potentially harmful to children are growing popular.

Over four million illegal vapes seized at border

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BBC finds number of illegal vapes arriving in the UK last year quadrupled as new rules to be announced.

Former Fujitsu UK CEO quits government role

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Michael Keegan, who is married to Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, resigns from the Cabinet Office.

Mining giants told to pay $9.7bn over Brazil dam disaster

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The 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam in Brazil caused a giant mudslide that killed 19 people.

BT customers unknowingly charged for Xbox Game Pass

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Customers tell the BBC of "worrying" fees added to their monthly bills without their consent.

UK halts trade negotiations with Canada over hormones in beef ban

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Talks aimed at extending a rolled-over EU-era deal broke down over Britain's ban on hormone-treated meat.

Palworld: Pokémon Company to investigate copying claims

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The people behind Pikachu and friends finally comment on the wildly successful "Pokémon with guns".

Asda to go cashless at 82 more supermarket forecourts

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More sites are to be converted to card-only, unmanned operations with staff redeployed to stores.

Hinted tax cuts will be difficult in weak economy - IFS

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Tax cuts pledges in election campaigns may have to be rolled back amid economic issues, a report warns.

Boeing 737 Max 9 cleared to fly after mid-air incident

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The planes were grounded after an incident during an Alaska Airlines flight on 5 January.

SK-II skincare sales hurt by anti-Japan sentiment in China

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Consumers shunned the skincare brand after Tokyo released treated water from Fukushima nuclear plant.

Drip pricing: Hidden fees for online customers set to be banned

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Hidden charges for online shoppers are set to be banned as part of plans to make prices more transparent.

Santander ups mortgage rates despite fierce competition

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The bank's small increase comes as other major lenders are cutting rates amid fierce competition.

Netflix sign-ups surge by most since pandemic

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The gains follow its password-sharing crackdown and the launch of a cheaper plan with adverts.

Tencent's Riot Games cuts 11% of global workforce

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Riot Games is the latest to cut jobs in the gaming industry after Amazon, ByteDance and Epic Games.

United Airlines to lose money over Boeing groundings

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United Airlines is the biggest operator of Boeing 737 Max 9 airplanes.

Bailiff referrals rise by 20% over council debts

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A BBC investigation finds Birmingham council tops the list with a 500% increase between 2022 and 2023.

ExxonMobil sues investors to block climate petition

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Follow This and Arjuna Capital have called on Exxon to accelerate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Airports to miss deadline for installing scanners

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Some will not have all the tech, which will end the 100ml limit on liquids, ready by 1 June.

Start-ups frustrated by HMRC's 'slowness and lack of communication'

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Delays and a lack of communication from the tax authority are holding back new businesses, a group says.

I'm working but homeless and bottom of the housing list

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A working father finds himself "sofa surfing" amid social housing shortages in Scotland's biggest city.

Tesco tech hitch leaves deliveries in 'shambles'

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It is thought thousands of customers were left without their orders due to technical problems.

Supermarket favourites victims of shrinkflation, consumer group Which? says

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From tea bags to crisps, supermarket staples are getting smaller, consumer group Which? says.

Red Sea 'scary' for ships' crews, says captain

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The captain of a vessel in the Red Sea shares his concerns about the Houthi attacks on shipping.

Ofcom could allow Royal Mail to end Saturday post

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Royal Mail has previously said it wants to deliver five days a week, from Monday to Friday only.

Fujitsu: MPs seek details on public sector contracts with IT firm

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Committee looks to uncover how much money was handed out after Post Office scandal was uncovered.

US stocks surge to record high as market rebounds

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Investors have been cheered by hopes that the US central bank's campaign of raising interest rates is over.

British Gas boss Chris O'Shea: 'I can't justify my pay of £4.5m'

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Chris O'Shea, chief executive of Centrica, says he does not set his own pay but it is impossible to justify.

Retail sales fall at sharpest rate since Covid

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Sales during December tumbled by 3.2% as shoppers stocked up earlier in Black Friday discounts.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt hints at further tax cuts

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The chancellor says that tax cuts would help the economy be more dynamic and grow faster.

Energy standing charges review prompts huge response

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Ofgem said 20,000 people had been in touch about the daily fees before consultation closes later on Friday.

Sheryl Sandberg to step down from Meta board

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The ex-COO of Facebook is credited with turning the company into a profit powerhouse.

Train ticket machines charging double online price

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Which? has said the best value fares are either unavailable or hidden among myriad of options on many machines.

Unseen images of code breaking computer that helped win WW2

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Intelligence agency GCHQ say pictures of Colossus a reminder of the UK ingenuity that helped defeat Hitler.

Post Office scandal: The ordinary lives devastated by a faulty IT system

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Victims felt alone yet hundreds were enduring similar experiences. Here we look at some of their stories.