Author: BBC

2 hours agoDaniel Thomas,Business reporterVictoria ArthurVictoria Arthur and two of her children When Victoria Arthur’s Child Benefit was not paid on Monday, her immediate concern was that she would not be able to afford nappies and milk for her four month-old daughter. Like many, the mum-of-three from Romford relies on the £238 she gets each month to pay for essentials for her kids. But a payment processing error at HMRC has meant that almost 580,000 claimants did not receive their money as planned, sparking panic for many families. Unable to reach the tax agency and with nothing in her bank…

Instagram is testing adverts that users cannot skip past.The social media platform currently allows people to swipe or scroll past adverts that appear in its main feed of images and videos, as well as in its Stories and Reels feeds.But it is now trialling a feature called “ad break”, which users say they can not flick past as usual.Images shared online show a timer, which counts down to zero before normal functionality can resume.”Sometimes you may need to view an ad before you can keep browsing,” the Meta-owned platform tells those who click for more information.Instagram has confirmed to the…

38 minutes agoRiyah Collins,BBC NewsbeatITVJoey Essex has previously appeared on multiple reality and dating TV showsJoey Essex has become the first celebrity to enter the Love Island villa on the ITV reality dating show.In a cliffhanger during Monday’s first episode, the 33-year-old was introduced as the series’ first bombshell.Fans were divided by the revelation – some called it iconic while others argued the dating show should be for “normal people” and not celebs.But in an interview with The Sun newspaper, Joey claimed he had applied of his own accord and hadn’t been approached by the show’s producers. Several major betting…

MICHAELA STACHE/AFPWater levels in Passau have risen close to 10m (32ft) and the Danube has burst its banksFlood waters are continuing to rise in parts of southern Germany, and are now spreading down the Danube to Austria and Hungary.Five people are now known to have died since heavy rain led to rivers bursting their banks in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.One of the victims was a woman who died when her car left the road and became submerged west of Munich. A Bavarian firefighter is missing.Although the Germand DWD weather service has declared an end to the torrential rain that has hit…

A taster of an upcoming musical spoofing the disastrous Willy Wonka experience is to premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe. The event in February became infamous after angry families discovered they had spent up to £35 to attend a sparsely decorated warehouse in Glasgow and called the police. Now a stage reading of the upcoming Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody will have its world premiere at the Pleasance King Dome on 9 August.It has been created by US producer Richard Kraft, who previously produced and directed a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los…

12 minutes agoAnthony Zurcher,North America correspondentGetty ImagesAs jury selection in Hunter Biden’s gun possession trial began on Monday, his father released a statement that illustrated the fine line he is trying to walk in the midst of his re-election campaign.“I am the president, but I am also a dad,” said Joe Biden.His statement goes on to express support for his son, who could face up to 25 years in prison for allegedly lying about his drug addiction when filling out background documents for a 2018 handgun purchase.“As president, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases,” he continues. “But…

Japan’s transport ministry raided the headquarters of motor giant Toyota on Tuesday, as a scandal over faulty safety data escalated. The world’s largest carmaker has apologised for providing incorrect or manipulated data for safety certification tests.The scandal has shaken up the Japanese car industry, with rivals Honda, Mazda and Suzuki also admitting to submitting faulty data.Toyota sold more than 11 million passenger vehicles in 2023.It has said the findings do not affect the safety of vehicles already on the road.The company has suspended the production of three car models – the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross.It has also…

Getty ImagesTaylor Swift will be playing three nights in EdinburghThousands of fans across Scotland will descend on Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium later this week to see Taylor Swift.Performing three sold out shows on 7, 8, and 9 June, the singer will undoubtedly bring in the crowds.With many people expected to travel via car, City of Edinburgh Council has announced a number of road closures in preparation for the event.The area around Scottish Gas Murrayfield will be particularly busy, so restrictions will be in place to ensure residents and concertgoers alike are safe.Getty ImagesAn estimated 220,000 fans will attend the concerts over…

China says its lunar probe has successfully taken off from the far side of the moon to begin its journey back to Earth carrying the first-ever samples collected from that region.State media says a module of the Chang’e-6 craft, named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, successfully lifted off about 07:38 on Tuesday (23:38 GMT Monday) to begin the journey back.The craft had landed on Sunday close to the moon’s south pole in a world-first feat celebrated by the international science community.China is the only country to have landed on the far side of the moon, having also done…

Meme stock favourite GameStop is rising again, after a social media post seemingly from the investor known as “Roaring Kitty” claimed a sizeable stake in the video game retailer.Shares in the firm opened for trade on Monday priced above $40 apiece, up more than 70% from Friday, before later retreating a bit. The surge followed a screenshot shared by the Reddit account tied to Keith Gill, claiming he owned 5 million GameStop shares – nearly 2% of the firm’s stock – a holding worth more than $100m (£78m). The post was one of a series in recent weeks that follow…