Author: BBC

GettyCo-operative Bank customers have reacted angrily after a glitch meant payments were taken twice from some small business accounts. Customers took to social media to complain, with some asking whether the bank had been hacked and one claiming he was “£5k down”.Co-op Bank said it was aware of a small number of business account holders affected and was working to correct the issue.”We apologise for any inconvenience caused and are supporting customers during this period.”‘I’m now massively overdrawn’According to its website, Co-op bank has about 3.1 million retail customers and 96,000 small business customers.The lender said that “duplicate, historical transactions”…

One of France’s best-loved singer-songwriters, Françoise Hardy, has died at the age of 80.”Mum is gone,” her son, Thomas Dutronc, who is also a musician, wrote on social media.Hardy burst on to the music scene in 1962 and became a cultural icon who inspired the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. Known for her melancholy ballads, she symbolised France’s Yé-yé (yeah yeah) pop movement, so-called because of its nod to English music. Her most famous songs included All the Girls and Boys (Tous les garçons et les filles), It Hurts to Say Goodbye (Comment te dire adieu) and My…

Former Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has won an appeal against his rape convictions and has been ordered to stand trial for a fourth time in the same case.The 36-year-old was found guilty of sexual assault by a jury last year and sentenced to spend at least three years in jail.He has consistently denied he attacked the woman – who cannot legally be named – in her bedroom, arguing the pair had consensual sex.Prosecutors are now weighing up whether to drop the charges against him, they said in a statement.Mr Hayne was one of the most high-profile athletes in…

The UK economy failed to grow in April after particularly wet weather affected spending.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded no growth for the month, which was in line with economists’ expectations.The sluggishness comes after the UK economy recorded its fastest growth in two years from January to March, exiting the recession it fell into in the final half of last year.The economy is a key battleground for the main political parties in the run-up to the general election on 4 July. Source link

Sophie Raworth has stepped down from hosting the BBC’s TV debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.The presenter has asked not to present The Prime Ministerial Debate on 26 June, due to fracturing her ankle.Mishal Husain, who hosted last week’s BBC debate between seven of the biggest parties in Great Britain, will now take her place.The event will be the last televised debate between the prime minister and the Labour leader before the general election on 4 July.Raworth said: “The injury I picked up at the London marathon has now been diagnosed as a fracture in my ankle. “I…

Denmark has recalled several spicy ramen noodle products by South Korean company Samyang, claiming that the capsaicin levels in them could poison consumers.Three fiery flavours of the Samyang instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.Denmark’s food agency issued the recall and warning on Tuesday, urging consumers to abandon the product.It’s unknown if any specific incidents have prompted the Danish authorities into taking action.The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said it had assessed the levels of capsaicin in a single packet to be “so high that they…

US video game retailer GameStop says it has raised more than $2bn (£1.57bn) in its second share sale in a month after a rally led by the investment influencer Keith Gill, known as Roaring Kitty.The announcement comes just days after Mr Gill’s first YouTube livestream in three years.The company’s shares jumped by almost 23% on Tuesday and have doubled in the last six months.GameStop’s popularity among retail investors during the pandemic helped coin the idea of meme stocks – those that gain popularity through sites like Reddit.Stocks that often became popular were ones that had been heavily bet against by…

Elon Musk has unexpectedly asked a California court to withdraw a legal case against OpenAI and its boss Sam Altman, which accused them of abandoning the firm’s founding mission of developing artificial intelligence (AI) for humanity’s benefit.The filing submitted by the multi-billionaire’s lawyers asked for the months-old case to be dropped without offering any reason for the move.It came just a day before the court was expected to hear the ChatGPT-developer’s bid to have the case dismissed.BBC News has contacted Mr Musk’s lawyer and OpenAI for comment.The latest filing asked for the case’s dismissal “without prejudice”, meaning Mr Musk could…

3 hours agoBy Manish Pandey, BBC NewsbeatLiam Daniel/NetflixSeason three has seen a change in status for Will and Alice MondrichThis article contains minor spoilers for series 3 of Bridgerton.The majestic world of Bridgerton has thrust a number of budding couples into the limelight over its three seasons.Daphne Bridgerton and the Duke of Hastings, Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton and, now, Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.While Penelope and Colin’s love story is the focus of season three, there’s another couple who’ve been there from the start: Will and Alice Mondrich.Theirs is a rare, established relationship in the Bridgerton world, and the two are…

Competitive eating star Joey “Jaws” Chestnut has been told he cannot join America’s premiere hot dog contest after striking a deal with a vegan brand. His removal from next month’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York came after he agreed sponsorship from Impossible Foods, a vegan hot dog maker in competition with the Nathan’s brand.”We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Major League Eating (MLE) said on Tuesday.MLE added that…