Bonuses banned for 10 English water bosses over sewage pollution

Bonuses for 10 water company executives in England, including the boss of Thames Water, will be banned with immediate effect over serious sewage pollution, as part of new powers brought in by the Labour government.The top executives of six water companies who have overseen the most serious pollution events will not receive performance rewards this year, the environment said.The companies – Thames Water, Anglian Water, Southern Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water – are responsible for the most serious category of sewage pollution into rivers and seas, all of which are, or have been, under criminal investigation by the Environment Agency.Under powers in Labour’s Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, the regulator, Ofwat, is now able to ban bonuses for water executives where a company fails to meet key standards on environmental and financial performance, or is convicted of a criminal offence.In the past 10 years, executives at the nine main water and sewerage companies have been paid £112m in bonuses while sewage pollution increased to a record last year of 2,487 events

Wise goes to the US. Will its founder’s supercharged voting rights follow? | Nils Pratley

Back in 2021, the arrival on the London stock market of Wise, a rapidly expanding money transfer company, generated a feelgood factor at a useful moment.It came a month after overhyped Deliveroo flopped on debut. And, since Wise was a pure fintech business, as opposed to a pizza delivery outfit with an app, there was reason to think the UK might be getting its act together in the sector that politicians swoon over. Shoreditch’s finest, and its Estonian founders, would show the way in UK fintech. Wise sported a £9bn valuation

Amazon promises fake reviews crackdown after investigation by UK watchdog

Amazon has promised to do a better job policing fake reviews and to crack down on sellers using them to boost product ratings after an investigation by the UK competition watchdog.Ending the scourge of fake reviews is a priority for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) due to the influence they have over consumers.About 90% of UK shoppers rely on reviews, with an estimated £23bn a year of spending influenced by crowd-sourced information. Since April, fake reviews have been explicitly banned.Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s chief executive, said the undertakings secured from Amazon meant shoppers could now “make decisions with greater confidence”

Tesla share plunge amid Trump feud wipes $152bn off Elon Musk’s company

Tesla’s shares dropped by about 14.2% on Thursday at market close, wiping roughly $152bn off the value of the company as a feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump erupted into public view. The former political allies traded threats and insults through posts on their respective social media platforms throughout the afternoon as the company’s price fell.Trump suggested on Truth Social that he could cut Musk’s government subsidies and contracts, of which both Tesla and SpaceX have been immense beneficiaries. Musk meanwhile threatened to decommission the SpaceX spacecraft that Nasa relies on for transport missions, called for Trump’s impeachment, derided the president’s signature tariffs and accused him of being affiliated with the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

Indiana Pacers v Oklahoma City Thunder: NBA finals Game 1 – live buildup

Adam SilverThe NBA’s commissioner is giving his pre-Finals presser. He mentioned the league in Africa the league helped set up in order to develop the game and talent, which is a work in progress but is a clear location for growth. “Five years from now over 40% of the youth in the world will live in Africa,” said Silver.Silver also spoke of the possibility of starting a European league that would “serve their fans better”. I am not sure what that means, the set up for European basketball is pretty good – are the NBA going to try and upend that decades old system? We’ll have to wait and see

Aaron Rodgers reportedly ending time in wilderness by signing with Pittsburgh Steelers

The NFL’s most nagging storyline appears to be at an end with multiple sources reporting that Aaron Rodgers is ready to sign a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.ESPN and the NFL Network reported the news on Thursday afternoon, appearing to end a months-long saga.The 41-year-old Rodgers parted ways with the New York Jets earlier this year, and has been linked for some time with the Steelers, who are without an established starter at quarterback. But Rodgers had given mixed signals about whether he wants to continue his career.“I’m in a different phase of my life,” Rodgers said in April