Water companies have been given the green light to increase bills for customers by an extra £3.4bn in coming years to meet increased pressures on infrastructure and the environment. Nearly a third of the extra funding provisionally approved for 13 water companies in England and Wales is earmarked for making sure water services are maintained. The rest will be used to meet rising demand from housebuilding and data centres and to address pollutants known as forever chemicals. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the proposal was real money out of family budgets at a time when they are struggling with the cost of living, and an environmental group described the decision as an insult. The regulator, Ofwat, said the extra spending would enable the firms to support growth and better environmental outcomes, and ensure important upgrades were not delayed.

You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. The glamorous MAGA frontrunners Trump's inner circle is whispering about who could replace Karoline Leavitt including a VERY peculiar option WNBA chiefs make decision on trans athlete debate as league slams'bad-faith efforts' to'marginalize others' amid explosive controversy As new'Godzilla' weight loss drug retatrutide rolls out, first users report'genuinely unbearable' side effect: 'My soul left my body' Devastating full horror of Perez Hilton's knife livestream unravels: Friends reveal tragic life-long disfigurement... what star is admitting from hospital bed... and why he may now be locked up for YEARS Iran responds to Trump's claim the US has'total control' of Strait of Hormuz: 'Under the management of the Islamic Republic' Insiders reveal painful real reason behind Karoline Leavitt's decision to QUIT'thankless' White House... and Trump's pleading messages Read Lindsay Clancy's horrifying private messages sent just weeks before she killed her three young children: 'I don't care' Lakers fans left furious over new owner's connection to the president after bombshell $12.5billion sale: 'How long until Trump is involved?' Twins who were orphaned by boy racers win $33 million payout as aunt who adopted them hails'justice' Humiliating string of events that mean JD Vance has now beaten Rubio to become Trump's 2028 heir... and decisive moment he was crowned: MARK HALPERIN Inside the secret group chat of JD and Usha Vance's ex-law school friends as her REAL personality is revealed Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding guest Graham Norton makes shady remark as he dishes on star-studded nuptials Why Brad Pitt is REALLY back on the booze... a decades-long problem, Alcoholics Anonymous, and his children turning on him - and the pact he's hoping will stop him relapsing I'm approaching 40 and I've only ever had one true friend. Now, I've finally found a bond with another mother - and I know I'm going to mess it up. Female squatter used terrifyingly easy trick to take over couple's apartment Boy, 17, asked ChatGPT for'murder my family' fantasies.. then killed his mom and brother, 14, at $1m Massachusetts home, cops say Your yellow lawn is NOT dead!

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Zero hours crackdown could cost firms up to £2.9bn a year Businesses could face costs of up to £2.9bn a year because of a crackdown on zero hours contracts, according to the government's own analysis. Labour's employment reforms are set to cut the number of hours staff can work before they must be offered guaranteed time. Official analysis released on Wednesday showed it could cost employers between £350m and £2.9bn, based on the eventual threshold of hours the policy impacts. Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said the reforms would ensure workers are fairly paid but business groups said the cost to employers was disproportionate compared to how much it would help workers. Government analysis said there were potential trade-offs that include more administrative costs and less flexibility for companies, including making it harder for employers to respond to changes in demand.

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You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. WNBA chiefs make decision on trans athlete debate as league slams'bad-faith efforts' to'marginalize others' amid explosive controversy Twins who were orphaned by boy racers win $33 million payout as aunt who adopted them hails'justice' As new'Godzilla' weight loss drug retatrutide rolls out, first users report'genuinely unbearable' side effect: 'My soul left my body' Devastating full horror of Perez Hilton's knife livestream unravels: Friends reveal tragic life-long disfigurement... what star is admitting from hospital bed... and why he may now be locked up for YEARS Insiders reveal painful real reason behind Karoline Leavitt's decision to QUIT'thankless' White House... and Trump's pleading messages Read Lindsay Clancy's horrifying private messages sent just weeks before she killed her three young children: 'I don't care' Boy, 17, asked ChatGPT for'murder my family' fantasies.. then killed his mom and brother, 14, at $1m Massachusetts home, cops say Female squatter used terrifyingly easy trick to take over couple's apartment Humiliating string of events that mean JD Vance has now beaten Rubio to become Trump's 2028 heir... and decisive moment he was crowned: MARK HALPERIN Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding guest Graham Norton makes shady remark as he dishes on star-studded nuptials Why Brad Pitt is REALLY back on the booze... a decades-long problem, Alcoholics Anonymous, and his children turning on him - and the pact he's hoping will stop him relapsing I'm approaching 40 and I've only ever had one true friend. Now, I've finally found a bond with another mother - and I know I'm going to mess it up. Inside the secret group chat of JD and Usha Vance's ex-law school friends as her REAL personality is revealed'I feel like I'm going to go blind': Britons complain of agonising eye pain after staring DIRECTLY at the solar eclipse without glasses Last night, millions of Britons across the country watched in awe as the sun vanished during the best solar eclipse in a generation. However, with eclipse glasses in short supply, not everyone followed experts' advice to avoid looking at the sun without glasses.

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You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. WNBA chiefs make decision on trans athlete debate as league slams'bad-faith efforts' to'marginalize others' amid explosive controversy Twins who were orphaned by boy racers win $33 million payout as aunt who adopted them hails'justice' As new'Godzilla' weight loss drug retatrutide rolls out, first users report'genuinely unbearable' side effect: 'My soul left my body' Devastating full horror of Perez Hilton's knife livestream unravels: Friends reveal tragic life-long disfigurement... what star is admitting from hospital bed... and why he may now be locked up for YEARS Insiders reveal painful real reason behind Karoline Leavitt's decision to QUIT'thankless' White House... and Trump's pleading messages Read Lindsay Clancy's horrifying private messages sent just weeks before she killed her three young children: 'I don't care' Boy, 17, asked ChatGPT for'murder my family' fantasies.. then killed his mom and brother, 14, at $1m Massachusetts home, cops say Female squatter used terrifyingly easy trick to take over couple's apartment Humiliating string of events that mean JD Vance has now beaten Rubio to become Trump's 2028 heir... and decisive moment he was crowned: MARK HALPERIN Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding guest Graham Norton makes shady remark as he dishes on star-studded nuptials Why Brad Pitt is REALLY back on the booze... a decades-long problem, Alcoholics Anonymous, and his children turning on him - and the pact he's hoping will stop him relapsing I'm approaching 40 and I've only ever had one true friend. Now, I've finally found a bond with another mother - and I know I'm going to mess it up. Inside the secret group chat of JD and Usha Vance's ex-law school friends as her REAL personality is revealed'They knew something was happening': Videos show birds thrown into state of confusion during dramatic solar eclipse Birds across the country were thrown into a state of confusion as the sun disappeared behind the moon during yesterday's solar eclipse. Bizarre videos shared online show large flocks flying chaotically through the air as the sky began to darken.

An added boost from summer sun and sports fixtures for some businesses helped the UK economy to grow by 0.4% between April and June, according to official data. But the figure - in line with economists' expectations - is below the 0.6% expansion recorded in the first three months of this year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said growth had remained relatively robust, with services sector propelling growth in the second quarter while manufacturing also grew. The economy is now 1.2% bigger than a year ago, but economists warn growth is likely to slow in the second half of the year. Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said.

Twitch has been criticised by users after it emerged the popular streaming platform allowed their content to be used to train Amazon's artificial intelligence (AI) models. Amazon owns Twitch and a setting allowing the US tech giant to take data generated by creators and audiences to train AI is turned on by default. Users can now opt out of that, Twitch said on Wednesday, but the announcement sparked a backlash with some users questioning why it was allowed in the first place. Twitch's chief product officer Mike Minton, said it's respecting users by letting them opt out but on why data was collected by default, he admitted: If it's opt-in, nobody would opt-in. Users who remain opted in could have any of their channel content used for training, Minton said during a livestream, adding that the data collected will not be re-sold to other companies.