Author: BBC

Getty ImagesA TikTok creator wears a badge in support of the platformThe US Supreme Court has agreed to hear last-ditch legal arguments from TikTok as to why it should not be banned or sold in the US.The US government is taking action against the app because of what it says are its links to the Chinese state – links which TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have denied.The Supreme Court justices did not act on a request by TikTok for an emergency injunction against the law, but will instead allow TikTok and ByteDance to make their case on 10 January…

“What I go through is not normal, but it is normalised,” says Emily “It felt like being stabbed, I’d be on my hands and knees in pain.”Emily Handstock, 25 has struggled with period pain for 10 years and has documented the agony she has gone through on TikTok.”I was admitted to hospital and the morphine barely touched the sides,” she said.She wants other women and girls to take part in severe period pain research which could help shape education and healthcare and improve the lives of women in the future.Emily, who lives in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has felt the…

BBCTom Grennan said it would “mean everything” if he scored a Christmas number oneSinger Tom Grennan has called on fans of his beloved Coventry City to help him in his bid for Christmas number one.The Sky Blues supporter’s track It Can’t Be Christmas is currently in a three-way battle with Wham’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You.As part of his pursuit of the top spot, Grennan recently got “Christmas no.1 2024 is…” tattooed on his leg, which he said he would complete with whichever song came out on top.But he told BBC CWR it…

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended a decision to reject compensation for women hit by changes to the state pension age after a backlash.She said “the vast majority” of women knew the changes were coming, and “as Chancellor I have to account for every penny of taxpayers money spent”.However, politicians have called for the government to backtrack on the decision, with Labour MP Brian Leishman saying he was “appalled”.Campaigners say that 3.6 million women born in the 1950s were not properly informed of the rise in state pension age to bring them into line with men.”We’re certainly not giving up the…

Amazon workers in the US could go on strike ahead of Christmas, after members of the Teamsters union voted to support industrial action.The workers say the online retail giant has refused to recognise their union and ignored a 15 December deadline to hold talks over their contract.Amazon’s facilities in Southern California, New York and Illinois could be affected, according to a Teamsters statement.”The corporate elitists who run Amazon are leaving workers with no choice,” said Teamsters General President Sean M O’Brien. “Amazon must be held accountable to workers and consumers alike. If workers are forced onto the picket line, Amazon…

Family HandoutJessica Powell died after staff did not adequately supervise and secure her therapy roomAn inquest has found a woman, who died while trying to abscond from a psychiatric ward, did not intend to take her own life.Jessica Powell, from Yeovil, Somerset, became trapped in a therapy room window in an apparent attempt to escape from Summerlands Hospital in August 2020.A jury investigating the death of the 20-year-old ruled that staff failed to adequately supervise and secure the room.Jane Yeandle, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s service group director for mental health, said: “We are very sorry that she died as a…

Bluey, the puppy and star of the Bafta-winning children’s TV show, is hitting the big screen in her first feature film. It will arrive in cinemas in 2027 and will then stream on Disney+, ABC iView and ABC Kids in Australia.BBC Studios, the BBC’s commercial arm, is teaming up with Disney for the project.Bluey is a blue heeler dog, who lives with her mum, dad and little sister, Bingo. She turns everyday events in her life into adventures. The show’s creator, Joe Brumm, said: “I’ve always thought Bluey deserved a theatrical movie. I want this to be an experiential event…

Watch: Merope Mills discusses the early success of Martha’s Rule schemeAlmost one out of every eight phone calls made under the Martha’s Rule scheme has led to a potentially life-saving change of treatment, NHS England has revealed.The scheme allows rapidly deteriorating patients and their families who feel their concerns are being ignored to dial a phone number at the hospital and request an urgent review from a critical-care outreach team.Merope Mills began campaigning for the scheme after an inquest found a change of care plan could have prevented her 13-year-old daughter Martha’s death from sepsis in 2021.And on Tuesday, she…

Zakir Hussain, one of the world’s greatest tabla players, has died at the age of 73.The Indian classical music icon died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement.Hussain was a four-time Grammy award winner and has received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.Through his performances, he transformed the tabla into a globally loved solo instrument that was the star of the show.The tabla – a pair of drums used in Indian classical music – was historically viewed as an accompaniment to the main performance.As news of Hussain’s…

PA MediaThe sale of Royal Mail’s parent company to a Czech billionaire has been approved by the government. The £3.6bn takeover by Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group has been given the go-ahead after agreeing “legally binding” undertakings.The government will retain a so-called “golden share” that will require it to approve any major changes to Royal Mail’s ownership, HQ location and tax residency.The new owners will also have to maintain the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service Obligation (USO), which currently means it has to deliver letters six days per week, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday.Mr Kretinsky told the BBC earlier this…