Author: BBC

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…

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta is launching paid subscriptions for users who do not want to see adverts in the UK.The company said it would start notifying users in the coming weeks to let them choose whether to subscribe to its platforms if they wish to use them without seeing ads.EU users of its platforms can already pay a fee starting from €5.99 (£5) a month to see no ads – but subscriptions will start from £2.99 a month for UK users.”It will give people in the UK a clear choice about whether their data is used for personalised advertising,…

Jenny ReesWales health correspondentBBCLana Boocock says her symptoms were dismissed by various doctors for yearsWhen Lana Boocock gave birth to her first child, the labour lasted for a gruelling 85 hours.Her baby then needed to spend time in neonatal intensive care.Ms Boocock, now a mum-of-two, said difficulties giving birth to both of her children became easier to understand when she was later diagnosed with adenomyosis, a condition which is believed to affect more than one in 10 women.Pregnant women with adenomyosis are at a greater risk of complications during labour, according to consultant gynaecologist Anthony Griffiths, but the risks are…

Luxury department store Harrods has warned customers their personal data may have been taken in an IT systems breach.It said information like names and contact details of some online customers was taken from the systems of a third-party provider.Harrods described the breach in an email sent to customers on Friday evening as an “isolated incident”, and that no passwords or payment details were taken.It said in a statement: “The third party has confirmed this is an isolated incident which has been contained, and we are working closely with them to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken. We have…

Joe TidyCyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceGetty ImagesHackers holding pictures and private data of thousands of nursery children and their families to ransom say they will publish more information online unless they are paid.Criminals calling themselves Radiant hacked the Kido nursery chain and posted profiles of 10 children online on Thursday and a further 10 on Friday.They have also published the private data of dozens of employees including names, addresses, national insurance numbers and contact details.Kido has not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment. But it is working with the authorities and the Met Police is investigating.Speaking on BBC News…