Author: BBC

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentGetty ImagesMillions of motorists could be in line for compensation payouts if they were mis-sold finance agreements when buying a car.Investigations are ongoing into activities by dealers and lenders – some of which have now been banned – which could eventually lead to an industry-wide payout scheme to consumers.A Supreme Court ruling on 1 August may extend compensation to a wider group of people, prompting huge debate among consumers and policymakers.What’s the scandal about?The vast majority of new cars, and many second-hand ones, are bought with finance agreements.About two million are sold this way each year,…

Ned Davies, Shayan Sardarizadeh & Matt MurphyBBC VerifyGetty ImagesSocial media companies ​​are blocking wide-ranging content – including posts about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza – in an attempt to comply with the UK’s new Online Safety Act, BBC Verify has found.The new legislation, which came into effect last Friday, imposes fines on social media companies and other websites which fail to protect under-18s from pornography, posts promoting self-harm, and other harmful content. In serious cases, services could be blocked in the UK.But BBC Verify found a range of public interest content, including parliamentary debates on grooming gangs, has been…

Jess Glynne has said she feels “sick” that the White House has used the viral Jet2holiday advert featuring her song as the audio to a video promoting deportations. The White House posted a clip on X on Wednesday showing handcuffed people being escorted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) onto a GlobalX flight. Jet2’s advert featuring Glynne’s 2015 single Hold my Hand, and a cheery voiceover saying “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” – which has become a meme – is played over the video. Zoe Lister, the advert’s voiceover actress, told the BBC she would “never condone my voiceover being…

A major supplier of healthcare equipment to people who are being discharged from hospital or need support in their own homes, is on the brink of going bust.NRS Healthcare, which works with the NHS and about 40 councils in England and Northern Ireland, is expected to run out of cash by the end of the week, the BBC understands.The government said it was working with local authorities to minimise “any potential disruption” and find alternative suppliers. In a letter, sent to the government early in July and seen by the BBC, councils warned of “a devastating impact” and “risk to…

Victoria Bourne & Rachel ClunBBC NewsReutersPassengers have been urged to check flight information with their airlines after an air traffic control issue caused disruption to all UK airports on Wednesday.Some passengers have reported delays, and one travel expert told the BBC the disruption could last for days.Airlines are demanding answers after more than 150 flights were cancelled on Wednesday and thousands more were grounded. NATS, which has apologised, said it had taken 20 minutes to resolve the issue by switching to a back-up system, and systems were fully operational within an hour.Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said departures at airports across…

Social media giant Meta Platforms says its profits soared and it is pumping billions of dollars more into artificial intelligence (AI) projects.The firm – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – says revenue for the three months to the end of June rose 22% from the same period last year to $47.5bn (£35.86bn), while profits jumped by 36% to $18.3bn.At the same time expenses are also rising – up 12% to $27bn – as the company ploughs money into fulfilling chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s AI ambitions, and its spending is expected to keep rising.Meta says the cost of building infrastructure,…

Ian Youngs & Annabel RackhamCulture reporterGetty ImagesHuda Kattan’s Huda Beauty brand is stocked in a number of major UK chainsTikTok has removed a video by businesswoman and beauty influencer Huda Kattan in which she promoted conspiracy theories about Israel.The Iraqi-American entrepreneur, who is founder and CEO of the popular Huda Beauty brand, said in a video posted on Sunday that Israel was responsible for “every world war” including World War One and World War Two, as well as the September 11 and 7 October attacks.The American Jewish Committee said she was “using her massive platform to spread vile antisemitic conspiracy…

BBCDr Shivam Sharma, right, feels let down by the health secretaryThe five-day doctor strike in England has ended, but it is clear this dispute – 12 walkouts and counting – is far from over. “We’ve been let down by Wes Streeting,” says Dr Shivam Sharma, who joined one of the last picket lines of the walkout before it finished at 07:00 on Wednesday. When Labour came to power they quickly managed to make a deal with the British Medical Association (BMA), handing them extra money and promises of improvements to working conditions.Doctors took that as a sign that the journey…

Adidas has warned that US tariffs will cost the German sportswear giant a further €200m (£173m) and confirmed that it will raise prices for American customers. Nearly half of the company’s products are made in Asian countries which recently agreed trade deals with the US. Announcing its latest results, Adidas chief executive Bjorn Gulden said the tariffs “will directly increase the cost of our products for the US”.He admitted that the company still does not know what the impact will be on customer demand “should all these tariffs cause major inflation”.The two largest source countries for Adidas goods are Vietnam,…

Messaging has been turned off on the women’s dating safety app Tea, following a hack which has exposed thousands of members’ images, posts and comments. In a new statement the company said: “As part of our ongoing investigation into the cybersecurity incident involving the Tea App, we have recently learned that some direct messages (DMs) were accessed as part of the initial incident.”The hack of the app, which allows women to do background checks on men and anonymously share “red flag” behaviour, was revealed over the weekend.It’s a US-based women-only app with 1.6 million users, who have been told to…