BBC Business News

Ministers spend £100m on Brexit consultant contracts (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:59:19 GMT)
Since the EU referendum the government has agreed £104m of Brexit consultancy and other contracts.

Kraft Heinz shares fall as appetites wane (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:59:52 GMT)
The food giant's stock hits a record low after it writes down the value of key brands.

US and China extend trade talks (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:57:49 GMT)
US President Donald Trump says a deal is "more likely" than not.

Nike app for self-tying shoe comes undone (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:49:24 GMT)
The Google Android app that controls the new Adapt BB fails to sync with wearers' feet.

Royal Mail 'sorry' for raising stamp price above cap (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:27:53 GMT)
A hike in the cost of second-class stamps puts the postal service in breach of Ofcom rules.

BMW and Daimler invest €1bn in new car venture (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:17:54 GMT)
The German carmakers combine to develop next-generation pay-per-use and autonomous services.

Trans Mountain pipeline gets energy regulator support (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 19:56:44 GMT)
Canada's energy regulator says the project's economic benefits justify the environmental impacts.

Cathedral City maker Dairy Crest to be bought by Saputo (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 11:33:14 GMT)
Dairy Crest, whose brands also include Country Life, agrees to be taken over by Canadian firm Saputo.

Provident Financial gets £1.3bn bid from rival NSF (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:05:28 GMT)
The troubled sub-prime lender receives a takeover offer from rival Non-Standard Finance.

Energy firm Solarplicity banned from taking on new customers (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 14:21:20 GMT)
The regulator warns Solarplicity could lose its licence if it fails to improve its customer service.

SFO drops investigations into Rolls-Royce and GSK (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 16:50:47 GMT)
Fraud body says there was either insufficient evidence or it was not in the public interest to continue.

Honda: Delegation to lobby firm's Japan HQ against closure (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:03:30 GMT)
Swindon Borough Council and Honda workers debate idea to send delegation to Japan to lobby against factory closure.

Flybe signs Virgin deal despite criticism (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 11:13:28 GMT)
Airline agrees £2.8m deal with a Virgin Atlantic-led group despite shareholder opposition.

5G networks: Trump says US shouldn't block technology (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 03:29:53 GMT)
The comments come as the US has pressured its allies to exclude China's Huawei from their 5G networks.

AT&T and Hasbro pull YouTube ads over abuse claims (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 23:42:56 GMT)
Hasbro and Nestle also cut ties over fears paedophiles are leaving comments next to videos of children.

Australia seeks clarification on China coal import 'block' (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 03:16:45 GMT)
Canberra is seeking "urgent" clarification about reports that a key Chinese port has blocked imports.

What's wrong with gas hobs? (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:22:52 GMT)
We answer your gas hob questions, following recent recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change.

Brexit: Japan trade deal will not be ready by deadline (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:54:02 GMT)
The UK won't be able to roll over an EU trade deal with Japan in time for a no-deal Brexit, Liam Fox has said.

Record UK government surplus in January (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:44:16 GMT)
Analysts say the bumper surplus could give the chancellor extra money for the Spring Statement.

Web watchdog warns over knee-jerk regulation of social networks (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:11:47 GMT)
Internet Watch Foundation says regulation of social networks could have "unintended consequences".

City centres 'could become ghost towns' (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:38:50 GMT)
Shop closures will become the norm unless the government supports struggling retailers, MPs say.

Netflix: Is streaming killing the cinema industry? (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:31:22 GMT)
As ever more people sign up to streaming services, are fewer going to the movies?

A quick history of the British car industry (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:44:42 GMT)
A quick history of the British car industry, by economist Dan Coffey.

How shampoo became a million dollar idea (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:07:09 GMT)
The BBC's Aaron Heslehurst explains how shampoo became a million dollar idea.

UK must keep no-deal 'on the table' (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:43:33 GMT)
Trade Secretary Liam Fox has rejected calls to rule out a no-deal Brexit, saying it would put Britain's withdrawal from the EU at risk.

Are we stockpiling in case of a no-deal Brexit? (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:38:04 GMT)
How many of us are stockpiling groceries, in case of a no-deal Brexit?

Huawei founder: 'No way US can crush us' (Mon, 18 Feb 2019 22:04:23 GMT)
Ren Zhengfei described the arrest of his daughter Meng Wanzhou, the company's chief financial officer, as politically motivated.

'People use storage for life events' (Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:04:18 GMT)
"We have to be mindful of the moments in life our customers are in," says storage boss Anthony Paine.

Female mechanic helps women learn about cars (Tue, 19 Feb 2019 00:45:19 GMT)
Mechanic Louise Baker has set up a service in Birmingham aimed at women.

Gender pay gap grows at hundreds of big firms (Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:03:56 GMT)
The pay gap has widened at one in four firms that have revealed their figures ahead of the deadline.

BBC Entertainment & Arts News

R Kelly: Singer charged with sexual offences in Chicago (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:25:27 GMT)
Singer R Kelly faces multiple counts of sexual abuse, including against minors, US media report.

Jussie Smollett suspended from Empire TV show (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 22:02:28 GMT)
Producers for the hit show took the decision after Jussie Smollet was accused of faking an assault.

Shatterhand: Next James Bond film's working title revealed? (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 16:59:19 GMT)
The 25th official James Bond film - and Daniel Craig's last - is due to begin shooting in April.

From Gormley to Rodin: The famous artworks hidden in plain sight (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:47:27 GMT)
As the UK's sculpture collection is catalogued online, we list five artworks in public places.

Oscars 2019: How Richard E Grant took over role from Chris O'Dowd (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 08:57:04 GMT)
Chris O'Dowd very nearly played a role made famous by Richard E Grant.

Michael Jackson estate sues HBO for $100m over Leaving Neverland film (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:13:16 GMT)
The singer's family claim that a new film about his alleged sexual abuse breached an old contract.

#MeToo Oscars: Why aren't there more female directors? (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 01:44:50 GMT)
One year after #MeToo came to the Oscars red carpet, there are no female nominees for best director.

Actress Leah Bracknell's cancer 'nightmare' (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 15:03:59 GMT)
Ex-Emmerdale actress Leah Bracknell says fighting lung cancer is like being "trapped in a cage".

Rapman pays tribute to Cadet in new song after car crash tragedy (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:37:42 GMT)
Rapman releases Letter to Cadet, two weeks after he died in a car crash on his way to a gig.

University Challenge: What's behind Freddy Leo's rapid buzzing? (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 09:17:05 GMT)
Viewers have been left baffled by Oxford University student's unusual buzzing technique and incredible knowledge.

Rev Richard Coles hails mental health unit (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:37:36 GMT)
Pop star-turned-vicar the Reverend Richard Coles had clinical depression at the age of 17.

Peter Tork: Tributes to Monkees musician who has died aged 77 (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 20:37:03 GMT)
Peter Tork, a member of one of the first boy bands, The Monkees, dies at the age of 77.

Paige WWE biopic produced by The Rock in Norwich premiere (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 21:34:07 GMT)
Paige was born into a wrestling family and became WWE's youngest female champion.

Freddy Leo's best University Challenge buzzes (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:02:13 GMT)
Described as the "Cristiano Ronaldo" of University Challenge, Freddy Leo's knowledge and speedy buzzing set him apart.

First Man: How we made the visual effects (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:15:52 GMT)
The film First Man has been Oscar nominated in the best visual effects category.

Brit Awards 2019: the highlights (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 01:18:24 GMT)
The highlights from the 2019 Brit Awards.

Come From Away: Beverley Bass inspires new musical set on 9/11 (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 00:18:48 GMT)
Beverley Bass was ordered to divert a trans-Atlantic flight during the events of 9/11.

Brit Awards 2019: What's Hugh Jackman doing there? (Wed, 20 Feb 2019 18:40:45 GMT)
Actor Hugh Jackman on the power of saying yes and his advice for Whoopi Goldberg who may host the Oscars.

The other 'Oscars' – in Oscar week (Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:54:02 GMT)
Melissa McCarthy and Glenn Close were just two of the stars being honoured at the Oscar Wilde Awards.

Oscars 2019: What this short speech winner did with his jet ski (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 08:44:20 GMT)
Mark Bridges memorably won a prize for having the shortest speech last year, but what happened next?

A look at the films vying for best picture at the Academy Awards 2019 (Wed, 20 Feb 2019 01:31:56 GMT)
Eight films are up for best picture at this year's Oscar ceremony: we've cut them down to a bite-size 30 seconds.

Inbetweeners creators writing BBC Premier League show (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 17:55:33 GMT)
It is the first show Iain Morris and Damon Beesley have written together since The Inbetweeners.

Netflix axes Marvel shows Jessica Jones and The Punisher (Mon, 18 Feb 2019 17:59:30 GMT)
The news follows the cancellations of Daredevil, Iron Fist and Luke Cage.

The controversial genius of Karl Lagerfeld (Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:39:45 GMT)
The Chanel and Fendi designer, who died on Tuesday, remained a polarising figure in the fashion world.

Oscars 2019: 17 quirky facts about this year's Academy Awards (Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:57:53 GMT)
Store these for your next pub quiz.

Who gets to vote for the Oscars? (Thu, 21 Feb 2019 04:55:49 GMT)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has had a recruitment drive in an attempt to diversify its ranks.

Pop music's growing gender gap revealed in the collaboration age (Tue, 19 Feb 2019 05:13:08 GMT)
Three times as many male as female pop stars appeared on last year's biggest hit singles.

Karl Lagerfeld: The life of a design icon in pictures (Tue, 19 Feb 2019 17:45:39 GMT)
German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85.

Carrie, cereal and four more unusual inspirations for musicals (Tue, 19 Feb 2019 17:39:19 GMT)
A musical inspired by 9/11 has opened in London, but it's not the strangest subject to be given a musical makeover.