Author: BBC

The US owner of the Boots pharmacy chain is being taken over by a private equity firm in a $10bn (£7.8bn) deal.The price being paid for Walgreens Boots Alliance is a fraction of what the company was worth a decade ago, reflecting its struggles with growing debt and shoppers going online for cheaper products. There have been reports that the Boots chain could be sold off seperately by its new owner, US private equity firm Sycamore Partners.Walgreens chief executive Tim Wentworth said the firm was navigating the “challenges of a rapidly evolving pharmacy industry and an increasingly complex and competitive…

A SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after it was launched from Texas on Thursday, grounding flights and triggering warnings about falling spaceship debris. SpaceX confirmed the un-crewed ship had suffered “a rapid unscheduled disassembly” during its ascent into space, and lost contact with the ground. The massive SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever created, spun out of control shortly after its launch. No injuries or damage have been reported but images from those in Caribbean Sea island nations show fiery debris raining from the sky.This was the eighth mission to test the rocket, and its second consecutive failure.The 123m (403ft) spaceship…

Mark SavageMusic CorrespondentGetty ImagesOlivia Rodrigo will become the second-youngest act to headline the Pyramid StageUS pop star Olivia Rodrigo and British band The 1975 will headline the Glastonbury festival this summer, organisers have announced.They will be joined by five-time Brit Award winner Charli XCX – who will top the bill on the festival’s second stage on Saturday 28 June.There will also be debut Glastonbury performances by Alanis Morisette, Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, Lola Young and US rap phenomenon Doechii, who will headline the West Holts stage. Returning favourites include Wolf Alice, Wet Leg, Fatboy Slim, Loyle Carner and Scissor Sisters.Rock…

A patient from Telford who needed a lifesaving treatment developed from blood plasma has thanked donors.Over the past three years, thousands of litres of blood from donors across England has been stored and now it has been turned into immunoglobulin, which helps the body’s immune response.It marks the first time in 25 years the NHS is able to make the substance from national donations, rather than relying on imports.Sophie Meredith, who developed thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) said without a plasma exchange, she was unlikely to have survived.”I am so grateful to everyone who donates blood,” she said. “You are not…

Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondentBBCPaul and Kate say the cost of buying a home is already tough to deal withHome buyers are scrambling to complete purchases by the end of the month or face paying thousands of pounds extra in stamp duty.First-time buyers in particular could be hit when stamp duty thresholds in England and Northern Ireland change on 1 April. One couple said they felt like they were “in a race, and our prize is £11,000”.Lenders say a significant swathe of the country will be drawn into paying the tax, but the government says it is helping more people…

Annabelle LiangBusiness reporterGetty ImagesUS prosecutors have charged 12 Chinese nationals for being part of an alleged hacking scheme, which sold data of US-based dissidents to the Chinese government.The “state-sponsored” operation also targeted government agencies including the Treasury, according to the Justice Department (DOJ).Hackers also allegedly targeted an American religious organisation, and a newspaper in Hong Kong, the statement added.China has not responded to these specific allegations, but have strongly denied other accusations in the past. In December, the Treasury Department reported a “major” breach by Chinese -sponsored hackers, saying they were able to access employee workstations and some unclassified documents.…

Steven McIntoshEntertainment reporterGetty ImagesLiam Payne, pictured with girlfriend Kate Cassidy in 2022, died last October after falling from a balconyLiam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy has said she finds it “really hard” to accept he’s gone, almost five months after his death.The One Direction singer died last October at the age of 31, after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.In an emotional interview on ITV’s Lorraine, Cassidy said she sometimes finds it “hard to get out of bed” and still refers to him in the present tense.”It’s hard for me to refer to him in the past tense, and when…

Nicola Hughes hid a covert camera in a radio in her mother’s bedroom at the care home.Mona McAlindenBBC Scotland newsA woman secretly filmed her mother’s mistreatment in a care home after concerns she raised about her care were ignored.Nicola Hughes, who is a registered nurse, hid a covert camera in a radio in her mother’s bedroom at Barrogil House in Fife.The footage revealed staff roughly handling Janette Ritchie and shouting at her. One carer was filmed holding bedclothes over her head and saying “Rest in Peace”.Five people were dismissed last year after the care home was made aware of the…

The chancellor has earmarked several billion pounds in draft spending cuts to welfare and other government departments ahead of the Spring Statement.The Treasury will put the proposed cuts to the government’s official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), on Wednesday amid expectations the chancellor’s financial buffer has been wiped out.Sources said “the world has changed” since Rachel Reeves’s Budget last October, when the OBR indicated she had £9.9bn available to spend against her self-imposed borrowing rules.The OBR’s forecast is likely to see that disappear because of global factors such as trade tariffs, as well as higher inflation and borrowing…

Apple is taking legal action to try to overturn a demand made by the UK government to view its customers’ private data if required.The BBC understands that the US technology giant has appealed to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent court with the power to investigate claims against the Security Service.It is the latest development in an unprecedented row between one of the world’s biggest tech firms and the UK government over data privacy.In January, Apple was issued with a secret order by the Home Office to share encrypted data belonging to Apple users around the world with UK law…