This article was written by

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has stopped giving donations to Bill Gates’ charitable foundation weeks after the Microsoft co-founder detailed his links to the dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buffett “irrevocably” committed in 2006 to donate shares in his firm, Berkshire Hathaway, each year to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as it was then known “throughout my lifetime”.

But on Thursday, the Gates Foundation was left off the list of firms that will receive billions of dollars worth of stock.

The stock will instead be split between four foundations involving members of the Buffett family. The 95-year-old said he will dispose of his remaining stock over the next eight years.

“Of course, mortality is unpredictable,” said Buffett. “But my remaining shares will be donated to the four foundations one way or the other by 31 December, 2034.”

Gates’ association with Epstein was revealed when the US Department of Justice released files in January.

Buffett did not mention Gates or Epstein by name in his statement regarding his donations.

But in March, he told CNBC, external that he had not spoken to Gates “since the whole thing was unveiled”.

He added: “I don’t want to be in a position where I know things… to be called as a witness.”

The Gates Foundation has been contacted for comment.

In June, Gates appeared before the US House Oversight Committee to answer questions about his relationship with Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

In a transcript of his testimony, Gates said that he had been introduced to Epstein in 2011 on the premise that he could raise billions of dollars for global health – a key focus of the foundation.

“I recall being aware that Epstein had faced prior legal issues, but I did not fully understand the extent of the crimes he committed,” Gates said.

Three years earlier, Epstein had pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.

Gates told the committee: “I should never have met with Epstein in the first place. Based on what I know now, I understand that even if he had delivered the donors he promised, it would not have justified associating with him.”

Buffett was an enthusiastic supporter of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stating in 2006 he “greatly” admired what it was accomplishing and promised to make yearly donations.

In 2010, Bill and Melinda Gates and Buffett started the Giving Pledge, which aimed to get extraordinarily wealthy people to give away the majority of their fortune during their lifetime or in their will.

Bill and Melinda Gates divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

Melinda French Gates resigned in 2024 from the foundation she co-founded and said that she would donate $1bn to help women’s rights in the US.

Best Buy issued a recall on two models of Insignia gas range stoves after a report that the stoves can be activated by accidental contact with knobs, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. 

The Chinese-manufactured Insignia Front Control Gas Ranges received the recall on Thursday. The recall affected 3,820 units sold in the U.S. 

The recall affects two models of the Insignia Front Control Gas Ranges: the models NS-RGFGSS1 and NS-RGFCGS2. 

“The recalled ranges are stainless steel with five front-knobs on the oven with the ‘Insignia’ label on the bottom of the oven door,” the recall reads.

BEST BUY’S MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM: HOW TO LEVEL UP YOUR TECH SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Consumers are advised to stop using the product immediately and visit Best Buy’s website to receive a free set of gas knob covers.

“Consumers are cautioned to keep children and pets away from the knobs, to check the range knobs to ensure they are off before leaving home or going to bed, and not to leave objects on the range when the range is not in use,” according to the Safety Commission.

MILLIONS OF PRESCRIPTION EYE DROPS RECALLED NATIONWIDE OVER CONTAMINATION CONCERNS

Despite the recall, no injuries have been reported from use of the Insignia ovens.

Best Buy has been selling the in-house Insignia ovens since 2020, and they can retail from anywhere between $280 and $1,470.

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
BBY	BEST BUY CO. INC.	81.65	-1.15	-1.39%

FOX Business contacted Best Buy for comment. 

The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday proposed allowing mutual funds, insurance companies and pension funds to retain a standing approval to acquire higher stakes in the same bank without seeking fresh regulatory clearance each time their holdings fall below the 5% threshold.

The move is aimed at easing the regulatory compliance for large institutional investors already having significant holding in a bank. Significant investor is the one which has at any point of time a minimum 5% holding.

The one-time approval would remain valid unless revoked, the central bank said in a draft amendments on acquisition and holding of shares or voting rights, inviting public comments by August 4, 2026. The draft covers regulations for commercial banks, small finance banks, payments banks and local area banks.

Once approved, the directions would come into effect immediately, RBI said.

The one-time approval can be used by existing significant investors for further acquiring up to 10% of the paid-up share capital or voting rights in a bank, the RBI said.

The decision was taken following representations received from asset management companies “in order to simplify approval process for subsequent acquisitions of major shareholding in a banking company by mutual funds, insurance companies and pension funds,” the regulator said.

One of America’s most popular fast-food chains is under scrutiny as federal and state health officials investigate whether Taco Bell locations may be connected to a rapidly growing cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Federal and state health agencies are investigating whether Taco Bell locations may have contributed to a widespread outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite, according to two anonymous sources familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Washington Post.

In recent days, multiple local and national news outlets reported that signs appeared at Detroit-area Taco Bell restaurants notifying customers that the locations could not serve lettuce, cilantro onions, pico de gallo or guacamole because of “a national recall.”

TACO BELL RAMPS UP VOICE A.I. USE ACROSS NEARLY 900 DRIVE-THRUS

Neither Taco Bell, its parent company Yum! Brands, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, nor the Department of Health and Human Services immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The FDA has not announced a recall involving Taco Bell, and its website does not include any public notice mentioning Taco Bell in connection with the outbreak.

Cyclosporiasis cases are rising across America, with more than 2,600 cases reported in Michigan. This is the largest outbreak of its kind in Michigan’s history and one of the country’s largest in years, according to the Associated Press.

A press release from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Monday: “While the investigation is ongoing, current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak, although other food items cannot be completely ruled out. No specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been identified as the source.”

The parasitic infection can cause weeks of watery, “explosive” diarrhea. The source of the outbreak has not been identified, and no deaths have been reported.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky. Yum! Brands also owns KFC, Pizza Hut and The Habit Burger & Grill.

Taco Bell operates more than 8,700 locations worldwide, according to its website, and serves more than 40 million customers each week in the United States.

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

Fox News’ Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.