Author: BBC

The public, environment groups and investors are being asked for their views about how the water sector can be changed by a body set up by the UK government.The head of a new independent commission will invite ideas on how to fix England and Wales’ troubled water industry. Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England, will launch his call for evidence in Manchester on Thursday morning.There has been growing public anger about water company performance amid massive sewage leaks and soaring bills, and the commission is looking for views on reform.Environment Secretary Steve Reed has…

Instagram is reportedly considering launching its short-form video feature, Reels, as a separate app as the future of Chinese-owned TikTok remains uncertain in the US.The social media platform’s boss Adam Mosseri told staff about the potential move this week, according to technology industry–focused business publication The Information, which cited a person who heard the remarks.Instagram’s parent company Meta did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.In January, US President Donald Trump granted TikTok a 75-day extension to comply with a law signed by then-President Joe Biden that requires a sale or ban of the platform.At the time, he…

Paul Glynn & Ian YoungsCulture reporterGetty ImagesUS actor John Lithgow has said he is “excited” to be playing Dumbledore in the forthcoming Harry Potter TV series, adding that the role is “going to define me for the last chapter of my life”.The makers of the new show are currently assembling their cast, and while no official announcements have been made yet, the veteran Oscar-nominated star appears to have confirmed he will play the Hogwarts headmaster.Lithgow is known for starring in sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun, with other roles ranging from voicing Lord Farquaad in Shrek to playing Winston Churchill…

Debbie JacksonBBC Scotland NewsWeronika SomervilleWeronika Somerville lost all her childhood memories after brain surgery when she was 14 years oldWhen 14-year-old Weronika Somerville woke up from brain surgery to remove a tumour, she didn’t recognise the people in her hospital room. They were her parents.On the way to a post-op scan, a medic started to talk to her. He realised she had no idea who he was – despite the fact he was the surgeon who had carried out her procedure.Weronika had suffered a rare complication – unusual retrograde amnesia. She couldn’t recall events or people from her past life.Her…

BBCThere are plans to build a gigafactory Coventry AirportTalks have taken place with a battery firm about the possibility of building a gigafactory in Coventry.Manufacturing firm Volklec has announced it will begin producing batteries at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre and hopes to ultimately build a £1bn gigafactory in the next five years.Although no final decision has been made about the location, talks have taken place with the city council about it being built at neighbouring Coventry Airport.Plans for a gigafactory – producing batteries for electric vehicles – at the airport site have been talked about for the best part…

Tom EspinerBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesShares in electric car maker Tesla have slumped more than 9% after EU and UK sales fell by almost half in January.The drop in Tesla shares took the company’s valuation back below $1trn for the first time since November 2024.Tesla has been facing stiff competition in the European market from Chinese and other manufacturers.In addition, Tesla owner Elon Musk has been making controversial political waves on both sides of the Atlantic, an analyst said.Tesla sales in January bucked European electric car sale trends, which grew by more than a third in the month, according to…

Tom RichardsonBBC NewsbeatUbisoftAssassin’s Creed Shadows is seen as a pivotal release for UbisoftThe makers of Assassin’s Creed Shadows – the forthcoming entry in one of video gaming’s biggest franchises – have confirmed footage leaked online is real.Some players managed to get their hands on the game – due to be released on 20 March – ahead of its official release.Developer Ubisoft said gameplay videos shared online “did not represent the final quality of the game”.In a statement posted online, the company said it was “still working on patches” and urged fans not to share spoilers.Shadows will be the first Assassin’s…

Elen Wyn says she suffered with pain before her diagnosis which she was told were “just period pains”The Traitors contestant Elen Wyn has said she was laughed at by a GP and told she had a low pain threshold during her 10-year wait for an endometriosis diagnosis. Elen, from Anglesey, said she suffered with pain that felt like “barbed wire around her stomach” before her diagnosis, which she was told was “just period pains”.She added GPs needed to treat women’s health with greater sensitivity and called for better funding from the Welsh government. The Welsh government said it was spending…

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentGetty ImagesEnergy bills for a typical household will rise by more than £100 a year in April under regulator Ofgem’s new cap – a higher than expected increase adding pressure on people’s finances.The 6.4% increase means a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will see their annual bill rise by £111 a year, or £9.25 a month, taking the total bill to £1,849 a year.The cap, which is set every three months and puts a limit on the amount suppliers can charge for each unit of energy, affects the bills of 22 million…

Singapore’s biggest bank says it expects to cut 4,000 roles over the next three years as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on more work currently done by humans.”The reduction in workforce will come from natural attrition as temporary and contract roles roll off over the next few years,” a DBS spokesperson told the BBC.Permanent staff are not expected to be affected by the cuts. The bank’s outgoing chief executive Piyush Gupta also said it expects to create around 1,000 new AI-related jobs.It makes DBS one of the first major banks to offer details on how AI will affect its operations.The company…