Author: BBC

HysataPaul Barrett’s firm has developed tech to make cheaper green hydrogen“If you remember being a kid and blowing up a balloon or into a milkshake, your cheeks got sore because there is an energy penalty associated with bubble formation.”Paul Barrett, the Dublin-born chief executive of the Australian green energy firm Hysata, is explaining the plan to create the cheapest hydrogen in the world – by eliminating bubbles.The company, based at Port Kembla, an industrial hub south of Sydney, is using a familiar process known as electrolysis, which involves passing electricity through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen.But Hysata…

PA MediaA new vaccination programme aimed at protecting newborn babies and older adults against a dangerous respiratory disease is now being rolled out in Scotland. The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunisation programme begins on Monday morning, and will be offered in the other UK nations from September. RSV is common and highly infectious. It affects the breathing system and can cause severe illness in vulnerable groups, including infants and older people.It is the leading cause of emergency respiratory admissions to hospital in infants. In 2022-23, more than 1,500 infants under the age of one and more than 500 people aged…

A man was arrested for climbing the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, hours before the Olympics closing ceremony, Paris police told the BBC. The man was spotted climbing the tower at about 14:45 local time (13:45 BST) and officers immediately intervened and arrested him, police said. No more details were immediately available on the man’s motivation and nationality.Videos on social media show a shirtless man scaling the tower just above the Olympic rings that have adorned it during the summer games. In another video, the man is escorted away by police, hands cuffed behind his back, and says to a bystander:…

PA MediaThe inside view of the police sentry boxAn artwork of swimming fish painted on to a City of London Police sentry box has led to speculation it may be the latest in a new series of works from the artist Banksy.The glass-fronted box on Ludgate Hill has been transformed to look like an aquarium. The elusive street artist from Bristol has not yet confirmed he is behind the creation, but if he does, it would be his seventh new artwork to be revealed in the capital in as many days.Since Monday, stencilled silhouette images of a goat, elephants, monkeys,…

The transport secretary has voiced “serious concerns” about rail operator CrossCountry and threatened to take action if things do not improve.In a scathing letter to the train company’s interim directors on Friday, Louise Haigh said she “reluctantly” approved its request to temporarily cut down on services.CrossCountry has said the timetable reduction is necessary to address a backlog of training required by drivers, something it said had been worsened by recent industrial action.In a statement, the operator acknowledged its poor service and apologised for the inconvenience of the new timetable, saying it would lead to a more resilient service.The operator announced…

Susan Wojcicki, the former boss of YouTube and one of Google’s earliest employees, has died aged 56. Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai announced that Ms Wojcicki had passed away after two years of living with lung cancer.Mr Pichai, who is also the boss of Google’s parent company Alphabet, said on X/Twitter he was “unbelievably saddened” and Ms Wojcicki was “as core to the history of Google as anyone”.Once described as the “most important Googler you’ve never heard of”, Ms Wojcicki was present at the company’s beginnings when, in 1998, she rented out her Menlo Park garage to the search engine…

Getty ImagesSix new regional centres created to support under 18s struggling with their gender identity will open over the next two years, NHS England has confirmed.They will join two existing clinics, as part of an overhaul of gender services for children and young people.The emphasis will be on providing a more holistic approach, with a particular focus on supporting mental health and those with conditions such as autism.It follows a ban earlier this year on the routine prescription of puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria. The changes come in response to a landmark review published in April, which was…

EPAThe plane crash in Brazil’s São Paulo state is the country’s worst since 2007At least 21 bodies have been recovered from the site of a plane crash in the Brazilian state of São Paulo which killed everyone on board. Teams have been working through the night to find victims of the disaster after a twin-engine turboprop operated by airline Voepass came down in the town of Vinhedo.The number of casualties was revised up on Saturday to 62.Voepass said earlier that the ATR 72-500 was carrying 57 passengers and four crew between Cascavel in the southern state of Paraná to Guarulhos…

Araya Doheny / Getty Images for DisneyThe eighth D23 event is being held from 9 to 11 August at the Anaheim Convention Centre in California Details of new films including the title of the third instalment of Avatar, an addition to the Star Wars franchise and a sequel to Freaky Friday have been announced at a giant Disney fan event. Filmmaker James Cameron told a 12,000-strong audience that Avatar: Fire And Ash will “not be what you expect” while US actor Jon Favreau teased a new Star Wars film titled The Mandalorian And Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal.Actors Lindsay Lohan and…

BBCThe finance firm employs more than 2,000 people at its Bristol HQA final offer has been made to buy the UK’s largest investment platform.A group of private equity investors have tabled a £5.4bn offer, which the board of Hargreaves Lansdown has recommended to shareholders.The consortium is comprised of CVC, Nordic Capital and Platinum Ivy, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.Hargreaves Lansdown employs about 2,400 people, most of whom work in its flagship offices at Bristol’s harbourside. In their offer document the consortium has committed to keeping the main HQ in the city.The company’s shareholders will have the…