Author: BBC

Joe TidyCyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceBBCSue had her digital life hijacked by scammersData breaches are getting so common that it can be hard to know how to react when it happens to you. It’s often easy to shrug it off, but there’s a risk.Being a victim of a data breach increases your chances of being targeted by criminals and scammers.Sue told the BBC how scammers went after her. We found her details had been leaked online.She was a victim of what’s known as a Sim swap attack – where scammers trick a network operator into thinking they’re the account holder…

Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of former US President John F Kennedy, moved many Americans over the weekend with her emotional essay about being diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after giving birth to her second child. In the New Yorker, the 35-year-old stunned readers, writing that she was battling acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer, and had less than a year to live. Doctors and researchers say the essay helped raise awareness about the deadly illness and critical need for more funding and research to tackle treatment-resistant cancers. “It’s such an obviously moving and courageous essay,” said Vijay Sankaran, a…

Kate Whannel,Political reporterandNick Eardley and Harry Farley,Political correspondentsReutersRachel Reeves has urged Labour MPs to unite behind her Budget as she vowed to stay on as chancellor in the years ahead.Speaking to a meeting of Labour’s Parliamentary Party on Monday evening, Reeves warned MPs they must “stick together” if they wanted to win the next election. The Budget, which is expected to contain tax rises, will be delivered on Wednesday following weeks of speculation.Reeves said she thought Labour MPs would like 90-95% of her spending plan but warned they would have to accept the tougher measures as well saying: “It’s a…

Online marketplace Vinted says it has removed sexually explicit adverts, after a mum reported seeing a video depicting what she believed to be a pornographic scene while browsing for clothes. Kirsty Hopley, 44, from Carlisle, said she was searching the app for a dressing gown when the ad popped up.She was sitting next to her teenage daughter at the time.Ms Hopley reported the content to Vinted and later contacted Ofcom.She told BBC News the video, which started playing automatically, showed a “sickening” graphic and violent sexual encounter. The law and criminology teacher said she had installed content filters on her…

Michelle RobertsDigital health editorGetty ImagesFormer prime minister Lord Cameron has revealed he is being treated for prostate cancer.It is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 55,000 new cases every year.What is prostate cancer?The prostate is a gland that is about the size of a walnut which sits just below the bladder within the pelvis.It surrounds the urethra – the tube that takes urine out of the body through the penis.Prostate cancer – abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth – often develops slowly.There may be no signs or symptoms for years and some people never develop any…

Osmond ChiaBusiness reporterGetty ImagesHinkley Point C in Somerset is under constructionThe UK has become the “most expensive place in the world” to build nuclear power plants, according to a government review which criticises “overly complex” bureaucracy around the sector.The report, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calls for a “one-stop shop” for nuclear decisions. A “radical reset” of the rules around nuclear power could save Britain “tens of billions” in costs and reverse the industry’s “decline” in recent years, the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce said.It comes as the UK government looks to build a new generation of nuclear…

Getty ImagesTwitch is the latest platform to be included in Australia’s teen social media banTwitch, a streaming platform popular with gamers, has been added to Australia’s teen social media ban that starts next month.It joins other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat that must ensure under-16s cannot open accounts and that existing ones are closed from 10 December.Australia’s internet regulator overseeing the ban said Twitch – owned by Amazon -had been included as its main purpose was “online social interaction” where users were encouraged to chat to each other about posted content.A Twitch spokesperson said Australians under 16…

Sarah McCubbinSarah McCubbin said taking part in the singing sessions was “a game-changer”A woman says a singing class was a life-saver in improving her breathing and has boosted her overall wellbeing. Sarah McCubbin, 53, from Amesbury in Wiltshire, has asthma and suffered a type 2 respiratory failure, which causes dangerously low blood oxygen levels, three years ago.She is one of hundreds of people who have found joining a singing session has improved her lung health and overall wellbeing, a report has revealed.Ms McCubbin said after a few months she noticed she could say whole sentences without having to take a…

Rail fares in England next year are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.The freeze until March 2027 will apply to regulated fares, which includes season tickets and off-peak returns.The most recent fare rise, in March 2025, was 4.6%. Rail fares traditionally have gone up in January, based on the July rate of the retail price index (RPI) + 1% – although this formula has not always been followed.The announcement comes days before the chancellor sets out the government’s financial plans in the Budget on Wednesday, with Rachel Reeves indicating that cutting the…

Two teenagers accused of being involved in hacking Transport for London’s computers have both pleaded not guilty to computer hacking charges during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court.Thalha Jubair 19, from East London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall in the West Midlands spoke only to confirm their names and enter pleas at the brief hearing.They are both charged with conspiring to commit unauthorised acts against Transport for London (TfL) under the Computer Misuse Act.In addition, Mr Flowers is accused of attempting to hack computer systems belonging to California-based Sutter Health and another US company, SSM Healthcare Corporation.Mr Jubair has…