Author: BBC

About half a million people have been left without their Child Benefit payment, after a technical issue at HMRC.HMRC says it is working to resolve the batch processing issue, which meant that around 30% of Monday’s scheduled payments did not go through.Many parents took to social media to complain about the missing payment with some saying they have been left unable to buy food or pay for their child’s bus fare.HMRC is asking customers not to contact them, saying more information will be provided via social media as soon as it is available.The UK’s tax authority, which administers Child Benefit…

Donald Trump has joined TikTok, despite attempting to ban it on national security grounds during his presidency.In 2020 he signed a presidential executive order attempting to ban the platform for its links to China, which was ultimately blocked by US courts.He has since criticised recent attempts to curtail it, saying this would empower Facebook-owner Meta.Mr Trump, who has amassed more than 3.6 million followers since launching his account on Saturday, said he will use “every tool available to speak directly with the American people”.President Joe Biden is also using the platform to campaign for re-election in November, but he has…

1 hour agoScarlett Hutton & Riyah Collins,BBC NewsbeatBBC/TwofourLailah Muscat says she struggled having to date multiple women for the reality show Warning: This article contains spoilers.For hot, young singles looking for love, chances are there’s a reality dating show to help them in their search for the one.ITV’s Love Island returns to our screens on Monday, just after an explosive finale drew BBC Three’s I Kissed A Girl to a close.But for Lailah Muscat, it was only when the cameras stopped rolling that her relationship story could start.During Sunday’s I Kissed a Girl reunion, she and fellow contestant Meg Homer…

43 minutes agoBernd Debusmann Jr,BBC News, WashingtonGetty ImagesHunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the federal charges in DelawareWith the strike of a judge’s gavel in Delaware, Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, will become the first child of a sitting president to be a criminal defendant. Prosecutors allege that the younger Biden, 54, lied about his drug use on application forms when he purchased a handgun in 2018. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the three federal counts, in a case that will get under way on Monday…

Singer Colin Gibb, the longest-standing member of pop band Black Lace, has died at the age of 70. The group were best known for their 1984 novelty hit Agadoo, which reached number two in the UK.Black Lace also represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979, finishing in seventh place with the song Mary Ann.Gibb’s bandmate Dene Michael confirmed his death to the BBC, describing it as “awful news”.Michael also posted a tribute on Twitter with a picture of himself and Gibb, writing: “Rest in peace my friend, God bless you x.”In a Facebook post, Gibb’s wife Sue…

China has accused UK’s Secret Intelligence Service MI6 of recruiting Chinese state employees as spies.In a post on its official WeChat channel, China’s Ministry of State Security said MI6 operatives turned a Chinese man identified only by his surname Wang and his wife surnamed Zhou against Beijing.Both worked in “core confidential” departments in a Chinese state agency. The ministry alleged that MI6 started cultivating Mr Wang when he went to the UK for his studies in 2015, under a Sino-British exchange programme.The operatives took “special care” of him in the UK, such as by inviting him to dinners and tours…

MrBeast has cemented himself as the biggest thing on YouTube by overtaking T-Series in a long-running battle for the most subscribers.Indian music label T-Series, which uploads trailers and music videos, held the record for the largest YouTube channel for five years, before it was toppled on Sunday.MrBeast, real name Jimmy Donaldson, was already the individual with the largest following.But the 26-year-old has now made history on the platform with a seemingly unassailable 269 million subscribers, dethroning T-Series and putting him head and shoulders above everything else.Across nearly 800 videos MrBeast has made a name for himself with massive stunts -…

41 minutes agoMark Savage,Music correspondentGetty ImagesSting will play with his newly-formed trio Sting 3.0The Pet Shop Boys and Sting have been announced as the headliners of BBC Radio 2 in the Park in Preston this September.The festival will also see performances from the Manic Street Preachers, Sugababes, Craig David, Snow Patrol, Travis and Sister Sledge.The event will take place in Preston’s Moor Park on the weekend of 7 and 8 September, with tickets on sale from 08:15 on Tuesday, 4 June.Getty ImagesPet Shop Boys have added songs from their new album, Nonetheless, to their ongoing Greatest Hits tourIt is the…

3 hours agoBBC Eye Investigations, Panorama team and The Missing Cryptoqueen podcast,BBC World Service and BBC NewsShutterstockRuja Ignatova has not been seen since she took a flight from Sofia to Athens in October 2017Now we have gone on her trail to try to discover her fate. BBC Eye Investigations and Panorama have looked at her close ties to a suspected Bulgarian organised crime boss and allegations she was brutally murdered. Did Ms Ignatova enjoy the stolen billions or was she killed by the very people paid to protect her?Oxford University graduate Ruja Ignatova was born in Bulgaria and raised in…

Getty ImagesPatients are sometimes cared for in corridors because of a lack of hospital beds Caring for patients in hospital corridors has become “normal”, despite being unsafe and unacceptable for patients, says a report from the Royal College of Nursing.At its annual conference starting on Monday, RCN boss Prof Nicola Ranger will say corridor care is “a national emergency for patient safety”.The Conservatives said the NHS budget had increased by a third since 2010 and more community diagnostic centres had opened to ease the pressure on A&E.Labour said nurses were sounding the alarm because of 14 years of Conservative neglect,…