Author: BBC

Nine water firms have been prevented from using customer money to pay for bonuses under new regulatory powers.The watchdog Ofwat said that any “undeserved” bonuses were now being borne by owners and lenders to the company rather than paid by customers.Three firms – Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water – were directly blocked from using customer money to pay bonuses collectively worth £1.6m.The remaining six firms voluntarily decided to use shareholder money to fund boss bonuses.David Black, chief executive of Ofwat, said that water firms “need to do more to rebuild public trust.”He said that by stopping…

ReutersThe US Department of Justice is proposing a host of remedies to prevent Google from maintaining its internet search monopolyThe US Department of Justice (DOJ) has demanded Google sells off Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser.It is one of a series of remedies proposed by the DOJ in a court filing late on Wednesday aimed at stopping the tech giant from maintaining its monopoly in online search.Government lawyers also recommended that District Judge Amit Mehta force the firm to stop entering into contracts with companies – including Apple and Samsung – that make its search engine the default on…

Getty ImagesAn ambitious plan to map all 37 trillion cells in the human body is transforming understanding of how our bodies work, scientists report.The received wisdom said we were built from around 200 types of cell – such as heart muscle or nerve cells.Instead the Human Cell Atlas project has revealed there are thousands of cell types, with some appearing to be culprits in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis.In a flurry of announcements, the formation of the human skeleton and the early immune system have also been mapped out in detail.The novel insight is akin to…

Getty ImagesSession guitarist Vic Flick, known for playing the guitar riff in the James Bond theme tune, has diedThe musician best known for playing the guitar riff in the James Bond theme tune has died.Vic Flick, who was the lead guitarist on the famous track, is said to have been paid £6 to rearrange and record Monty Norman’s theme tune for Dr No, the first James Bond film.Flick’s son, Kevin, announced on social media that his father had died aged 87 after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.Born in Surrey in 1937, Flick worked with the likes of The Beatles,…

A major container shipping company has announced it will no longer use the Port of Felixstowe from next year.Maersk said its operations at the Suffolk port would cease from February following a review of its network.The firm said it had concluded that the London Gateway on the Thames estuary in Essex was “the most optimal port to serve our customers” in the UK.It said it expected to share further details “over the next couple of weeks”.In a statement on its website, Maersk said: “This change will affect the Asia-Europe trades under the scope of the Gemini co-operation. “The previously announced…

Sir Keir Starmer has said he has “no plans” to join the Bluesky social media platform.There has been a rising wave of popularity for the app – an alternative to Elon Musk’s X – in recent weeks.Bluesky has at times been the most downloaded app on both the US and UK Apple Stores, with many social media users leaving X in the wake of the US election.But the prime minister told reporters that “at the moment” there are no plans to establish official UK government accounts or a personal one in his name.Some politicians have already set up Bluesky accounts…

A senior coroner has warned that more babies could die unless “action is taken”, following the deaths of three infants who had received contaminated feed while being cared for in hospital.Three-month-old Aviva Otte died in January 2014 after being given contaminated feed at St Thomas’ Hospital, south London.In June that year, one-month-old Oscar Barker and nine-day-old Yousef Al-Kharboush died after a similar, but separate contamination incident.Following an inquest, Dr Julian Morris said he was concerned that St Thomas’ Hospital was not legally required to report the first incident and called for a change in the law.All three babies, who had…

Getty ImagesSam Fender’s new album People Watching will be out in February 2025Sam Fender has has opened up about how the death of a “very close” friend and mentor inspired his latest single. The singer said People Watching is about Annie Orwin, who he described as “a surrogate mother in a lot of ways”.He told BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders the song was inspired by walks to and from the care home where Annie died last year.Sam said Annie “always used to complain about me not ever mentioning her” but hopes he has “repaid her” with the single.”I hope she’s…

Getty ImagesThe National Farmers Union has accused the government of “betrayal” over changes to inheritance tax as thousands of farmers prepare to gather in London for a rally.Its president Tom Bradshaw told the BBC the measures announced in the Budget were “completely unjust”.From April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the tax at 20%, half the usual rate.Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “We’ve had to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay a little bit more”. He added “the vast majority of farmers will pay nothing” even after the…

George MatthewGeorge Matthew moved into cocoa production to keep his farm goingIf it hadn’t been for the squirrels, George Matthew’s attempt to become a cocoa bean producer might have failed.His farming career began in the 1970s when he inherited a rubber plantation in the the southern Indian state of Kerala , which he managed alongside his career as a doctor. It was a bad time to inherit a rubber plantation, falling rubber prices meant it kept losing money. So, 10 years ago Dr Matthew decided to experiment with cocoa trees, hoping they would generate some funds to support the rest…