Author: BBC

Some Marks & Spencer stores have been left with empty shelves as the retailer continues to struggle with a cyber attack affecting its operations.Over the Easter weekend, customers reported problems using contactless pay and Click & Collect, and online orders have been paused on the company’s website and app since Friday.It is not clear how widespread the empty shelves are but the retailer confirmed “pockets of limited availability in some stores”.The BBC understands M&S’s operations will take until the end of the week before beginning to return to normal.Although issues with contactless pay, Click & Collect and gift cards have…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterBBCThe review was commissioned in the wake of allegations against Huw EdwardsA small number of BBC stars and managers “behave unacceptably” at work, and bosses often fail to tackle them, a report into the broadcaster has found.The review, commissioned by the BBC’s board in the wake of the Huw Edwards scandal, concluded there is not a widespread “toxic” culture, but that there is “a minority of people” whose bad behaviour “is not addressed”.In response, the BBC said it would introduce reforms, and its chairman Samir Shah said he would draw “a line in the sand”.He told presenters: “After…

EPAA leading health think tank says urgent and emergency care in England is performing “far worse” than before the pandemic.The Health Foundation argues that the NHS was “in distress” this winter with A&E waiting times reaching a record high.The group says it would be wrong just to blame relatively high levels of flu.The government is due to publish an urgent and emergency care plan soon. The Department for Health and Social Care said that hospitals were “feeling the strain” but that it was taking “decisive action” to prevent winter crises.The Health Foundation report on the recent winter says that the…

BBCLaw student Kardo Mina says sometimes he swaps meals for coffeeUniversity students have described struggling to afford to eat meals due to rising living costs.Kardo Mina, a final year law student at Swansea University who also works part time, said he sometimes swapped meals for cups of coffee because doing so was “more financially viable”.A recent survey of students in Wales by the National Union of Students (NUS) Cymru found that 58% said they had skipped meals due to difficulties paying rent and housing costs.Swansea University said it recognised the financial and academic pressures faced by students and was committed…

Rayhan DemytrieBBC South Caucasus correspondentBBCYoung Armenians, such as nine-year-old Slavik, are attending technology classesIn Armenia tech education starts early.In a typical three-storey state school in the suburbs of Yerevan, the Armenian capital, nine-year old Slavik is demonstrating his invention – a box with three LED lights.”He has learned how to control it, and the programming language. You can see the code is written by him,” says Maria, the 21-year-old tech coach leading the class.Next to them, 14-year-old Eric and Narek are showing their smart greenhouse model that monitors temperature and controls fans automatically through a mobile app.Other children are enthusiastically…

Thomas MackintoshBBC News, LondonActor Jack Lowden has said he likes the idea of “breaking down barriers” by being a ginger Mr Darcy in a new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.The 34-year-old joked on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that “it is one of the great last barriers to break down”.In a wide-ranging interview alongside fellow British actor Martin Freeman, 53, he discussed being trained by an ex-MI6 officer and their upcoming West End play.On his role in Netflix’s six-part adaptation of Austen’s classic novel, Lowden said he might draw on inspiration from some actors who have previously…

That Time of the Month with Naga Munchetty, Dr Nighat Arif & Dr Christine Ekechi

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentGetty ImagesAll major UK lenders are now offering fixed mortgage deals with an interest rate of less than 4%, but brokers say further cuts are not guaranteed.A mini price war has broken out between mortgage providers, although many of the lowest-rate deals still require borrowers to provide a hefty deposit and a substantial fee.More frequent cuts in interest rates by the Bank of England are expected this year, amid global economic turmoil.However, lenders are already reflecting those predicted cuts in their latest deals, suggesting borrowers could be taking a risk by relying on ongoing drops in…

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also calling for stronger protection from the dangers of social media, saying “enough is not being done”.They unveiled a temporary memorial in New York City dedicated to children who have died due to the harms of the internet. “We want to make sure that things are changed so that… no more kids are lost to social media,” Prince Harry told BBC Breakfast. The NSPCC children’s charity argues that the law still doesn’t provide enough protection for private messaging apps. It says that the end-to-end encrypted services which they offer “continue to pose an…

BBCGregg Wallace has said he needs “space to heal” after stating in an interview that allegations against him of inappropriate sexual comments were “not all true”.A BBC News investigation revealed allegations of inappropriate sexual comments by 13 people who had worked with Wallace across a range of shows, over a 17-year-period.He told the Daily Mail “they’re not all true”, and said he had felt “under attack” and had contemplated suicide.In an Instagram post after the interview was published, the former MasterChef presenter said he knew there would be “a lot of noise” following the Mail interview but he “won’t be…