Author: BBC

Thames Water has been fined £122.7m for breaching of rules over sewage spills and shareholder payouts.The penalty is the biggest ever issued by the water industry regulator Ofwat, which said the company had “let down its customers and failed to protect the environment”.The watchdog confirmed the fines would be paid by the company and its investors, and not by customers who were hit with water bill increases last month.Thames Water said the company took its “responsibility towards the environment very seriously”, and added it was continuing its search for new investment as it struggles under a £20bn debt pile.The penalties…

PDD Holdings, the Chinese owner of online shopping platform Temu, has reported a near 50% drop in profit as US President Donald Trump’s trade policies added to its struggles in its home country.US-listed shares of the e-commerce giant fell by more than 13% on Tuesday, after the firm said its profits for the first three months of the year fell to 14.74bn yuan ($2.05bn , £1.5bn).Earlier this month, the Trump administration ended the so-called “de minimis” exemption that allowed parcels worth less than $800 (£593) enter the US without being hit with import duties.In China, PDD has been locked in…

Andrew DawkinsBBC News, West MidlandsMarc BrennerBeverley Knight (left) and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu are starring in Marie & Rosetta at Wolverhampton Grand TheatreBeverley Knight has said she is planning to record more music after performing in her hometown theatre.For the first time in 40 years, the artist is treading the boards in Wolverhampton this week for a production of Marie & Rosetta.The work features music celebrating the legacy of gospel and blues singer Rosetta Tharpe in the development of rock ‘n’ roll.Knight said “expect to hear some really bluesy vocals going down, some really earthy sounding stuff” in the music she would…

BBCTracey MeechanTracey Meechan’s pain from an ovarian cyst is so severe she can’t bend over – she relies on her children to help her put her shoes and socks on.Every day the 41-year-old wakes up and wonders if any new symptoms are going to appear.She has been on an “urgent” NHS waiting list for surgery for 100 weeks and now feels “forgotten”.As the latest NHS Scotland waiting times data is due to be published, Mrs Meechan told BBC Scotland News that the wait for treatment has affected every part of her life.’It’s a drudge’She said: “I can’t live my life…

Higher beef and fresh produce prices pushed UK food inflation to rise for the fourth month in a row to its highest level in a year.Food price increased 2.8% in the year to May, up from 2.6% in April, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents supermarkets and other retailers.Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said shops were passing on the costs of higher minimum wages and increased employer National Insurance contributions.Nick Allen, of the British Meat Processors Association, told the BBC the price of beef had risen to “record levels” due to strong demand…

Devina GuptaBusiness reporterMansukh PrajapatiAn earthquake changed the life of Mansukh PrajapatiFor Mansukh Prajapati, childhood in the western Indian city of Morbi began before sunrise, with a six-mile walk to collect clay for their family business.”My father was a potter,” he recalls.Often he would wake up to the rhythmic sound of his father at work at his potter’s wheel.”My mother and I would get up at four in the morning and walk for miles every day to get clay.”Used for storing water, clay pots were a common item in Indian households in the 1970s.But the income from making pots was meagre…

Ian YoungsCulture reporterReutersSir Salman lost the sight in one eye and sustained other serious injuries in the attackAuthor Sir Salman Rushdie has said he is “pleased” the man who tried to kill him in a knife attack in 2022 has received the maximum possible prison sentence.Hadi Matar, 27, was jailed for 25 years earlier this month for attempted murder after repeatedly stabbing Sir Salman on a New York lecture stage.”I was pleased that he got the maximum available, and I hope he uses it to reflect upon his deeds,” Sir Salman told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.The attack left the…

Ruth CleggHealth and wellbeing reporterCara HallinanCara is stockpiling ahead of the ban and says she is hoping to buy enough disposable vapes to last her through the summer Cara Hallinan says she and many of her friends are feeling very nervous about the looming disposable vape ban.In fact, she says: “I’m not sure what we are going to do.”The 25-year-old took up vaping five years ago.One of her friends gave her a puff on theirs and that was it, she could finally wean herself off cigarettes.Cara says it was cherry fizz flavoured vapes which helped her quit her 20-a-day smoking…

Helen Drew & Jess WarrenBBC NewsBBCTower Hamlets Council estimates the grant will help about 7,000 students About 7,000 families in east London are set to benefit from a council’s universal school uniform grant.The £150 will be available to children who are entering their first year of primary or secondary school, if their families have a household income of £50,350 or less.Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, said it would “go some way” to support children in the borough, while Mohi, a local parent, said school uniform costs were a “matter of worry” for himself and his family.It comes as the…

Two humanoid robots traded punches while fans watched on, in a competition held in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday.The fight was part of the China Media Group World Robot Competition and featured robots developed by Unitree Robotics.The event included both fighting demonstrations and matches, marking a world-first combat sports event featuring humanoid robots.