Business

Image copyright Getty Images Water firms in England and Wales will have to cut the average bill by £50 over the next five years, under plans published by the industry regulator. Water regulator Ofwat is also forcing firms to invest millions of pounds, aimed at improving their performance. The regulator also wants water firms to […]

Image copyright Zola The chief executive of Hallmark Cards has apologized for its decision to withdraw television advertisements featuring same-sex couples. The company’s cable network pulled the ads for wedding registry and planning site Zola under pressure from the conservative group One Million Moms. The decision drew criticism on social media and calls for a

Image copyright Zuru Image caption Nick runs the business with his brother and sister The BBC’s weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world. This week we speak to Nick Mowbray, the co-founder and co-chief executive of toymaker Zuru. A few years into trying to build a toy business in China,

Image copyright Getty Images Boris Johnson promised his government would “unleash” the potential of British business, once he has fullfilled his core campaign promise to “get Brexit done”. But for business leaders, many of whom lobbied against Brexit, the pledge means that they will soon have to adapt to a more distant relationship with the

Image copyright Getty Images Beware of buying Christmas tree lights from online marketplaces – you could be purchasing a fire hazard, says consumer group Which? Six out of 13 sets of lights bought by Which? from online marketplace sellers failed a safety test. Two of them got so hot during testing that they began to

Image caption Anglian Water said 12,000 properties in Bedfordshire were without water at one point Up to 5,000 homes in Bedfordshire have been left without water since Friday evening due to a faulty valve. About 12,000 properties in Leighton Buzzard, Toddington, Hockliffe and surrounding areas were affected. The valve was fixed on Saturday evening but

Image copyright Kiara Worth/IISD Image caption Some of the difficult issues proved impossible to resolve in Madrid The longest United Nations climate talks on record have finally ended in Madrid with a compromise deal. Exhausted delegates reached agreement on the key question of increasing the global response to curbing carbon. All countries will need to

Ozil, a former Germany international, has been at Arsenal since 2013 China’s state broadcaster CCTV has removed Sunday’s Arsenal-Manchester City game from its schedule after comments made by Gunners midfielder Mesut Ozil, state media has reported. Ozil posted on social media about the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. Arsenal distanced the club from the

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption British Steel’s main operation is in Scunthorpe The firm due to take over British Steel has said it is confident it will win approval for the deal in the new year. The statement by China’s Jingye comes after a newspaper report suggested the rescue bid could collapse. Jingye said

A village butcher’s shop that has been running since 1910 has announced it is closing its doors. A.E. Pears and Son in Long Clawson, Leicestershire, has been run by three generations of the same family but the current owner, Mick, says the internet has taken away a lot of his trade. The shop, which originally