Author: BBC

NatWest is to buy the main banking business of Sainsbury’s as the supermarket chain withdraws from the sector.Under the deal, NatWest will take on the credit cards, loans and savings accounts of Sainsbury’s Bank.However, it is not buying the Sainsbury’s Bank brand, or its cash machines, insurance or travel money businesses.Customers will see no immediate change as a result of the deal, the two companies said.Sainsbury’s will seek to redeploy employees at risk of losing their jobs as part of a consultation process.The supermarket had said in Januray that it planned to wind down its banking division as it continues…

This Morning presenter Cat Deeley has apologised to viewers after she joked about having a seizure on Monday’s show.Deeley drew criticism after co-host Ben Shephard asked if she was all right after she began dancing on the ITV programme, and she responded: “I’m fine, I’m just having a seizure.”The Epilepsy Society charity wrote on X: “Seizures are no laughing matter for people with #epilepsy @catdeeley. Please do better and educate yourselves about this difficult and poorly understood condition, @thismorning.”On Tuesday, Deeley said during the start of the show: “I just wanted to apologise to anyone who was offended yesterday when…

30 minutes agoBy Laura Bicker, @BBCLBicker, China Correspondent, BBC NewsReutersThe welcome hug on the tarmac at 03:00, the honour guard of mounted soldiers, the huge portraits of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin hanging side by side in the centre of Pyongyang – all of this was designed to worry the West.Mr Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang since 2000 was a chance for Russia and North Korea to flaunt their friendship. And flaunt it they did, with Mr Kim declaring his “full support” for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Seoul, Tokyo, Washington and Brussels will see great peril in those words and in the stage-managed…

3 days agoBy Guy Hedgecoe, BBC News, in central SpainGuy HedgecoeSpain has invested heavily in wind farms, such as the one at Sierra del RomeralThe patchwork plains of Castilla-La Mancha, in central Spain, were once known for their windmills.But now it is wind turbines, their modern-day equivalent, which are much more visible on the region’s skyline.The 28 vast turbines of the Sierra del Romeral windfarm, perched on hills not far from the historic city of Toledo, look out over this landscape.Operated by Spanish firm Iberdrola, they are part of a trend that has accelerated Spain’s renewable energy output over the past half-decade,…

Secret documents show a scramble to safeguard critical public services from the potential collapse of tech giant Atos, which works with billions of pounds worth of government contracts.Files seen by the BBC show work has been underway with consultants since January, aiming to limit “severe implications” to essential services by lining up alternative IT providers.The UK government outsources IT services, including for NHS records and disability benefits, to the French IT giant’s UK arm, which admitted being more than £3bn in debt in April and is now undergoing financial restructuring.The risk-assessments, first reported by i news, show the Cabinet Office…

Joey Barton has apologised to Jeremy Vine and agreed to pay him £75,000 in damages for making defamatory comments on social media.A High Court judge ruled last month that comments former footballer Mr Barton made about BBC presenter Mr Vine on X were defamatory.Mr Barton said in a statement on Tuesday that he apologised “for the distress” suffered by Mr Vine, who sued him for libel and harassment over 14 online posts. He said he had agreed to pay the damages and legal costs to resolve the claims.In the statement shared on X, Mr Barton wrote: “Between 8 and 12…

57 minutes agoBy Jemma Crew, BBC NewsEPAMr Putin gifted Mr Kim – a car enthusiast – a Russian-made Aurus car during his visitA Russian-made limousine, tea set and artwork are among the gifts exchanged by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.Mr Putin was welcomed to North Korea with a lavish ceremony marking his first visit to the country in almost a quarter of a century.He was met with smiles and hugs from leader Mr Kim, while stallions, balloons and huge posters of the two leaders adorned the surrounding buildings in Pyongyang, with a tea party and gala concert…

1 day agoBy Mitchell Labiak, Business reporterGetty imagesOne of the rainiest springs on record boosted warm soup sales while denting those for sun cream, new figures suggest.The wet weather caused the slowest monthly increase in grocery sales in two years as people were “put off from popping to the shops”, according to research firm Kantar.The cost of living also played a role in the decreased spending, with nearly a quarter of households surveyed by the company saying they were still struggling.However, Kantar also recorded a big jump in financially “comfortable” households because of slowing price rises and predicted a boost in spending…

1 hour agoBy Joe Tidy, @joetidy, Cyber correspondent, BBC World ServiceBBCThe hackers’ logo as it appears on their darknet websiteThe cyber-criminals responsible for causing major disruption at London hospitals say they are “sorry” for all the harm caused but are “not to blame”.The ransomware gang spoke to the BBC on encrypted chat service qTox attempting to justify the attack as a form of political protest.Qilin, which has a well established record of attempting to extort money, claims in this instance it carried out a cyber-attack as revenge for the UK government’s actions in an undisclosed war.Experts are sceptical, however, with Jen Ellis, from…

18 hours agoBy Tom Richardson, BBC NewsbeatNintendo”It’s dangerous to go alone!” – Nintendo heroine Zelda will be going solo in Echoes of Wisdom Nintendo has announced that Princess Zelda is to star in her own game.For the past 40 years she’s lent her name to one of the Japanese gaming giant’s most popular series.But the Legend of Zelda series has cast players as Hylian hero Link. That’s all about to change with Echoes of Wisdom, the new title revealed at the company’s Nintendo Direct preview stream.During a short trailer fans saw Link being swallowed by a supernatural portal, leaving the princess behind.The…