Author: BBC

Tom EspinerBusiness reporter, BBC NewsGetty ImagesRetail sales rebounded in June as the hot weather boosted fuel and supermarket sales, according to official data.Sales volumes were up by 0.9% in the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.People bought more drinks at supermarkets and summer clothes, while fuel sales were up as consumers “ventured out and about in the sunshine”, the ONS said.The rise comes after sales fell by 2.8% in May, which was more than the ONS had previously estimated.After May’s drop, a rebound in June had been expected, but the increase was lower than many economists had forecast.Ruth…

Suzanne BearneTechnology ReporterFermentalgThere are hundreds of thousands of microalgae speciesFrench firm Fermentalg has been all over the planet in its search for useful microalgae.”One of our lucky scientists got to go and climb the volcanoes in the Caribbean for example, and I have to restrain myself from collecting more every time I go home to New Zealand,” says Hywel Griffiths, chief scientific officer at Fermentalg.There are hundreds of thousands of species of microalgae – microscopic organisms, which mostly live in water. They are essential to the aquatic food chain and also produce half the oxygen we breathe.Some are already used…

Steven McIntoshEntertainment reporterReutersHulk Hogan, one of America’s best-known wrestling stars, has died at the age of 71, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has confirmed.The star, born Terry Gene Bollea and known for his flowing blond hair and moustache, died at his home in Florida on Thursday.Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but shot to fame after signing for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), as it was then known, in 1983.He was one of the most prominent characters as the popularity of wrestling exploded, and later became well-known for his reality show, Hogan Knows Best, which aired on VH1 from…

Getty ImagesThe researchers hope their findings could shape future public health guidelinesWalking 7,000 steps a day can be enough to boost your brainpower and help protect against a range of different diseases, a major study suggests.It may be a more realistic target than 10,000 steps, which is often seen as the benchmark to reach.The research, published in the Lancet Public Health, found that the figure was linked with a reduced risk of serious health issues, including cancer, dementia and heart disease.The findings could encourage more people to track their steps as a practical way to improve their health, the researchers…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the UK to sign a free trade deal expected to lead to a multi-billion pound boost in exports.UK cars and whisky will be cheaper to export to India and Indian textiles and jewellery cheaper to export to the UK under the agreement, which also commits to a new India-UK plan to tackle illegal migration. Opponents have warned the deal could undercut British workers due to an extended exemption on national insurance contributions (Nics), from one to three years.But UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said this was “completely wrong” and Indian workers on temporary…

The creators of South Park – Trey Parker and Matt Stone – have struck a deal for the long-running satirical cartoon to stream on Paramount+.Under the five-year deal, Paramount+ will show all 26 previous seasons of the cartoon and debut 50 new episodes starting this week.The move comes after a months-long bidding war a between major streaming platforms.In recent days, Paramount and its CBS network have faced criticism over the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which the firm says “is purely a financial decision”.The deal is worth $1.5bn (£1.1bn), according to the Los Angeles Times.New episodes will…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterBBC”Let the madness begin”: A plaque bearing one of Ozzy Osbourne’s famous quotes was placed among the floral tributesJust two-and-a-half weeks ago, disciples of the “prince of darkness” flocked to Birmingham for Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig. Now they have come back to mourn following his death – laying pint glasses and whisky bottles among the flowers and candles.Messages at the impromptu shrines to Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham tell the story of how deeply his impact was felt, and how far it spread.Some conveyed the pride of his home city (“Birmingham forever Ozzy – you rock!”), while others came…

Getty ImagesThe pop star has joined with Endometriosis UK to share her story and help raise awarenessPop star Ella Henderson has revealed she has endometriosis and has partnered with a charity to raise awareness of the condition.In a video message on her Instagram account, the multi-platinum selling artist said the last few years had been “a little bit of a rollercoaster” because of her symptoms but she had finally been diagnosed in January.”I’ve really been struggling, not only with stomach bloating, physical pain but also with my mental health on the basis that I thought at one point this was…

Watch: ‘I just signed the largest trade deal in history’ says Trump on Japanese tariffsPresident Donald Trump says the US has agreed to a “massive” trade deal with Japan, one of the country’s largest trading partners.Japan has agreed to invest $550bn (£407bn) in the US while its goods sold to America would be taxed at 15% when they reach the country – below the 25% tariff Trump had threatened.Trump said on social media that Japan would open its economy to US goods, including cars, trucks, rice and certain agricultural products.Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba welcomed the announcement, saying it was…

Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.”Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue…