Author: BBC

Getty ImagesTypical gas and electricity bills have risen slightly as the new energy price cap has taken effect.It follows a drop in prices at the start of July, but there are concerns that bills remain unaffordable for some.The energy price cap sets the maximum amount customers can be charged for each unit of energy, but actual bills depend on how much gas and electricity you use.What is the energy price cap and how is it changing?The energy price cap covers around 20 million households in England, Wales and Scotland and is set every three months by the energy regulator Ofgem.It…

Half of UK adults are now regularly paying for things by tapping their phone, new banking data suggests.A surge in the use of mobile payments via services such as Apple Pay or Google Pay has been recorded across different age groups, figures from trade body UK Finance show.”People are more comfortable leaving their home with just their phone,” said Adrian Buckle, its head of research.He said the “change of consumer behaviour” was clear as last year marked the first time 50% of adults used mobile payments at least once a month – up from 34% in 2023.Consumers are increasingly storing…

A sunscreen scandal in Australia is continuing to grow, with 18 products now pulled from shelves in the skin cancer hotspot over safety concerns.Analysis by a consumer advocacy group in June found several popular and expensive sunscreens did not provide the protection claimed by their makers.One product, Ultra Violette’s Lean Screen Skinscreen, is supposed to offer a skin protection factor (SPF) of 50+ but instead returned a result of SPF 4 and was voluntarily recalled in August.An investigation by the medicines regulator has now warned about 20 more sunscreens from other brands, which share the same base formula, and raised…

Stuart HarrattEast Yorkshire and LincolnshireBBCThe Lindsey Oil Refinery went into administration in JuneAlmost a third of the workers at the Lindsey Oil Refinery are to lose their jobs.The Insolvency Service said 125 employees would be made redundant at the end of October, with 255 people remaining at the site at North Killingholme, in North Lincolnshire.The refinery was taken over by the government’s official receiver in June after its owner, Prax Group, went into administration.The Unite union said the government was “responsible for the redundancies going ahead, as it could provide support to ensure the refinery is kept intact and operational”.A…

Osmond ChiaBusiness reporter, Singapore andLiv McMahonTechnology reporterMetropolitan PoliceZhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, was convicted on MondayA Chinese national has been convicted of playing a key role in what is believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in the world, worth more than £5bn ($6.7bn).Zhimin Qian, also known as Yadi Zhang, pleaded guilty on Monday at Southwark Crown Court, London of illegally acquiring and possessing the cryptocurrency.Between 2014 and 2017, she led a large-scale scam in China by cheating more than 128,000 victims and storing the stolen funds in bitcoin assets, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.The…

Nick TriggleHealth correspondentGetty ImagesAn NHS online hospital service will be launched in England within two years to help cut waiting times, the prime minister is set to announce. Sir Keir Starmer will tell the Labour Party annual conference a “new world is coming” as he sets out plans for the digital service.NHS Online will have its own dedicated doctors who will take charge of patients who choose to use the service.The idea is that assessments, check-ups with consultants and follow-up appointments will all be done online.Health Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Breakfast he was “really excited” about a new virtual…

Becky MortonPolitical reporterPA MediaYoung people who have been out of a job or education for 18 months will be offered a guaranteed paid work placement, Rachel Reeves is set to announce.Those who do not to take up the offer could face being stripped of their benefits.In her speech to Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, the chancellor will promise “nothing less than the abolition of long-term youth unemployment”. Reeves is also expected to make the case for a society founded on “contribution”, where “hard work is matched by fair reward”.In an interview with the BBC, Reeves defended Labour’s record after 15…

Joe TidyCyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceBBCCyber correspondent Joe Tidy was offered a deal by criminals to help hack the BBCLike many things in the shadowy world of cyber-crime, an insider threat is something very few people have experience of.Even fewer people want to talk about it.But I was given a unique and worrying experience of how hackers can leverage insiders when I myself was recently propositioned by a criminal gang.”If you are interested, we can offer you 15% of any ransom payment if you give us access to your PC.”That was the message I received out of the blue from…

Nick TriggleHealth correspondentBBCThree years ago, a fashion editor friend returned from Milan Fashion Week bursting with a story to tell.Most fashion editors stayed at the same hotel, she explained, and each bedroom had its own mini fridge. After checking out, en route to the airport, a stylist in her party cried out that he’d left “an important package” in his fridge and telephoned the hotel, pleading with them not to throw it away.”Turns out he’d forgotten his Ozempic,” my editor friend whispered. We were baffled. Ozempic?Back then, Ozempic was not part of the common lexicon. But quietly, in certain circles,…

The government will underwrite a £1.5bn loan guarantee to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in a bid to support its suppliers as a cyber-attack continues to halt production at the car maker. Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the loan, from a commercial bank, would protect jobs in the West Midlands, Merseyside and across the UK.The manufacturer has been forced to suspend production for weeks after being targeted by hackers at the end of August. There have been growing concerns some suppliers, mostly small businesses, could go bust due to the prolonged shutdown.About 30,000 people are directly employed at the company’s UK…