emma simpson, bbc news.production company have been sued by three former dancers over allegations of sexual harassment and the creation of a hostile work environment. the lawsuit also dusted several racial and religious harassment claims over several incidents between 2021 and 2023. the dancers also say that lizzo, known as an advocate for body positive images, criticised dancers recent weight gain and eventually fired them for recording a meeting. that is all we have for you on asia business report. i am monica miller. goodbye for now. bbc news — bringing you different stories from across the uk. # when i take my sugar to tea # all the boys arejealous of me... # the blaze family are absolutely potty about teapots. they've spent a quarter of a million pounds on the biggest collection in the uk, everything from politicians to pop culture and some wild and wacky creations. i've got a favourite, which is a harley davidson teapot, that was made, and i saw the man make it and i saw how hard it was for him to make

emma simpson, bbc news.lly, american singer lizzo and her production company have been sued by three former dancers over allegations of sexual harassment and the creation of a hostile work environment. the lawsuit also listed several racial and religious harassment claims over several incidents between 2021 and 2023. the dancers also say that lizzo, known as an advocate for body positive images, criticized dancers recent weight gain and eventually fired them for recording a meeting. that's all we have for you on asia business report. i'm monica miller. bye for now. voice-over: bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the uk. safe and sound asleep. these puppies are lucky to be here. their mum was a stray, rescued from the streets, heavily pregnant, clearly traumatised. when she arrived with us, she was so nervous to the point where she did not walk for the first week. she wouldn't stand. she was so nervous, she wouldn't go anywhere, particularly with men but with everyone, basically. staff at the

emma simpson, bbc news. in this edition of ceo secrets, tasty snacks at the ministry of diskettes.ook.- tasty snacks at the ministry of diskettes. take a look. what is amazinu diskettes. take a look. what is amazing about _ diskettes. take a look. what is amazing about biscuits, - diskettes. take a look. what is amazing about biscuits, i - diskettes. take a look. what is amazing about biscuits, i think| amazing about biscuits, i think of them is a blank canvas on which you can create any beautiful design. they are artists and it is a design business. my secret success is to remember to put a marketing lens on everything. whether that be hiring people, designing products or even raising money. ithink designing products or even raising money. i think that what sometimes happens, the marketing tends to get bolted on again. it's really sad when rate products on their markets because they are not sufficiently discoverable. i was writing a press release in my head when i was designing the product and it was definitely here that really launched biscuiteers and made it a brand people were

emma simpson, bbc news. into force today around how much we pay for alcohol, because drinks are now subject to tax based on how strong they are. duty on a pint of 4.5% strength beer is up by 4p if you're buying it in a shop, though the tax will not increase in pubs. a bottle of wine that's 12% alcohol now comes with an extra [illp in tax. and a bottle of scotch, which is at least 40% alcohol, is costing an extra 81p. our west of england correspondent, danjohnson, reports from dorset. overall, taxes are going up, but by different amounts in different places. and the cost of a pint at the pub is supposed to stay level to draw more drinkers in. the general person who drinks a nice pint deserves to have a lesser spend. and they say they're supporting the pubs? i hope it will. i hope it'll encourage people to come because pubs like this need it. do you think it's a good idea? no. why? i think there's already too much tax on wine. you've got a choice, haven't you? don't drink or pay the money. from a health point

emma simpson, bbc news.il chains, is heading towards administration. the business, which employs 12,000 people, has around 400 stores across britain. it says it's facing mounting cash pressures, and has taken the difficult decision to seek administrators as it tries to secure a rescue deal. our top story this afternoon... the bank of england has increased its base rate to 5.25% as it continues to fight inflation. and i am in glasgow as the world cycling championships get under way. it is lunchtime, the athletes here are hungry for medals and thirsty for speed. coming up on bbc news, nfl legend tom brady is the latest high—profile sports star to become involved with english football. he's the new minority owner of birmingham city, who say brady will lend them his time and expertise. they were some of the most unforgettable scenes in the early days of the war in ukraine — the sight of people trying to flee their homeland by train from lviv. millions became refugees, with families torn apart because ukraine's m

emma simpson, bbc news.dcare worker has been charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences, including 136 counts of rape. the man's alleged victims, more than 90, were all young girls. police say they were alerted when they found material on the dark web, that they could trace back to a childcare centre. 0ur correspondent — phil mercer — gave us this update from sydney — a little earlier. well, these are deeply disturbing, disturbing allegations. it goes without saying, given that this is an individual who's charged with more than 1,600 child abuse offences against alleged victims numbering more than 90. investigators here in australia say that this man, 45 years of age, was responsible for abusing young girls at childcare centres, mostly here in australia, but some overseas, between 2007 and 2022. they allege that he was preying on girls for a 15 year period and investigators say that this is one of the worst cases of child abuse they've ever seen. now we do understand that certain images were detected

our business correspondent emma simpson has the details. two grapes. grapes, grapes. they used to charge a £1 a bowl. it's £1.50 now, although some items are coming down. they's still customers who come along and say, "really"? because they haven't noticed, we actually bought some of our prices down or we try as much as possible. like with the onions, they used to be £5, but they're down to £4.50. so it's slowly, but they still think it's quite steep. that's because money's tight. it's very hard. even both of us, me and my husband working, it's hard. i do feel a bit optimistic now that maybe things will ease, - but they need to come down, notiust go up _ let'sjust come down. well, that's not likely to happen any time soon. but let's look at the bigger picture. food inflation was on a downward trend up until two years ago, but you can see here how prices then started to creep up. and this was happening before the invasion of ukraine. it wasn't until last summer, though, when food inflation really started to soar, heading to record breaking levels. on this survey, the r

thank you, emma simpson, there.eace activists managed to scale the prime minister's house in his yorkshire constituency. they hung black fabric from the roof in protest at government plans to issue new licences for oil and gas exploration in the north sea. rishi sunak and his family are abroad on holiday and police said no protesters had entered the property. five people were later arrested. fiona trott reports. walking onto what should be one of the most protected properties in britain. wearing harnesses and hard hats, the protesters then climbed onto the roof. the bbc doesn't normally use footage from campaign groups, but we are showing you this to explain why there is so much concern about what happened at the prime minister's family home. i think the home of the prime minister should be secure. i think everyone would accept that. we know the risks and dangers. i'm not saying that these protesters had in mind violent intent, but that doesn't matter. what does matter is this — somehow, before eight o'clock this mo

emma simpson, bbc news. subject to duty based on how strong they are. that means the price of wine and spirits will go up, but some weak beers and sparkling wine will be slightly cheaper. ben king has this report. the bristol distilling company is known for its gin, and it's branching out to vodka, too. but these are some of the strongest drinks on the market and, under the new rules, the stronger the drink, the more tax you pay. the more tax you pay — yet another rising cost they will have to pass on. around 80p per bottle, so a significant rise for sure. i think when you combine that with all the other increases in costs that we've seen recently, then it leaves producers in a position where most are going to have to pass that increase on to their customers. so, yeah, it'll definitely have an effect. alcohol taxes are being reorganised to tax drinks according to their strength. and, after a freeze for nearly three years, alcohol taxes as a whole rise with inflation — up 10.1%. result — a complex brew of pri

emma simpson, bbc news.ng will now be taxed according to how strong they are. dan johnson reports. 0verall, taxes are going up, but by different amounts in different places. and the cost of a pint at the pub is supposed to stay level to draw more drinkers in. the general person who drinks a nice pint deserves to have a lesser spend. and they say they're supporting the pubs? i hope it will. i hope it'll encourage people to come because pubs like this need it. do you think it's a good idea? no. why? i think there's already too much tax on wine. you've got a choice, haven't you? don't drink or pay the money. from a health point of view, it's got to be right. does it feel like it's helping you? potentially. but at the moment, everything's going up. so obviously it might have a knock on effect later on. but at the moment, we're not seeing that change at the moment. this is the biggest shake up of alcohol taxes in a fairfew years. and the government says this system is more sensible and fairer, too, because it say

emma simpson, bbc news.nwhile big changes on how much we pay for alcohol come into force today — with drinks now subject to duty based on how strong they are. that means the price of wine and spirits will go up. but some weak beers and sparkling wine will be slightly cheaper. ben king has this report. the bristol distilling company is known for its gin, and it's branching out to vodka too. but these are some of the strongest drinks on the market and, under the new rules, the stronger the drink, the more tax you pay. yet another rising cost they will have to pass on. around 80p per bottle, so a significant rise for sure. i think when you combine that with all the other increases in costs that we've seen recently, then it leaves producers in a position where most are going to have to pass tha increase on to their customers. so, yeah, it'll definitely have an effect. alcohol taxes are being reorganised to tax drinks according to their strength. and, after a freeze for nearly three years, alcohol taxes as a whol

emma simpson, bbc news, slough.— police have launched a murder investigation after the - police have launched a murder investigation after the body i police have launched a murder investigation after the body of| police have launched a murder. investigation after the body of a ten-vear-old _ investigation after the body of a ten—year—old girl— investigation after the body of a ten—year—old girl was _ investigation after the body of a i ten—year—old girl was discovered in surrev _ ten-year-old girl was discovered in surre . ' . , ., surrey. officers were called to the address in woking _ surrey. officers were called to the address in woking just _ surrey. officers were called to the l address in woking just before three o'clock this morning. the family were informed and are now being supported by specialist officers. an investigation is under way and police say there is no risk to the wider public. the uk's biggest mortgage lender, the halifax, is about to cut the costs on some of its fixed rate deals. tomorrow, they

our business correspondent, emma simpson, is here. more about the story behind these figures. i tell us more about the story behind these figures-_ tell us more about the story behind these figures-— tell us more about the story behind these figures-— these figures. i think it's fair to sa this these figures. i think it's fair to say this unseasonal _ these figures. i think it's fair to say this unseasonal wet - these figures. i think it's fair to l say this unseasonal wet weather really hasn't been great for the high street. it has put a dampener on spending. all types of clothing and footwear, perhaps not surprisingly, sales fell as shoppers stayed away. and the retailers have had to do more promotions to try and get us to part with our cash and that growth rate you mentioned of course is well below the rate of inflation so that means the amount of products sold, a big drop year—on—year. but of course it's also worth pointing out that these figures are year—on—year so last july was a scorcher, and that was good for retail. so it mak

emma simpson reports.ke to loved their wilko. all of my household goods, cleaning, washing powder, towels, iam in there all the time. it sells a bit of everything, what you need. so it is a shame. having it here is really| important because it is something and it is a reason why. people come to this part of the high street. but wilko has been struggling. a lot of what has happened wilko has been self—inflicted. theyjust failed to give shoppers exactly what they wanted in a time of great competition in the sector. with other great retailers. they have not had products on the shelf, they have had huge supply issues, shoppers have gone somewhere else, their online business hasn't picked up and they've literally run out of money. wilko started as a single hardware store in 1930. what you need is wilko! over the years, it's expanded its products, a family owned business with 400 shops today. and here is another problem, these days, wilko has just got too many shots on high street shops on high street locations

emma simpson has more.n a cost of living crisis, when people are on the hunt for deals? here in slough, everyone we spoke to loved their wilko. mil here in slough, everyone we spoke to loved their wilko.— loved their wilko. all of my household _ loved their wilko. all of my household goods, - loved their wilko. all of my| household goods, cleaning, loved their wilko. all of my - household goods, cleaning, washing powder, towels, iam in household goods, cleaning, washing powder, towels, i am in there all the time. it powder, towels, i am in there all the time. , , ., , ., the time. it sells a bit of everything. _ the time. it sells a bit of everything, what - the time. it sells a bit of everything, what you - the time. it sells a bit of i everything, what you need. the time. it sells a bit of - everything, what you need. so it the time. it sells a bit of _ everything, what you need. so it is a shame _ everything, what you need. so it is a shame. �* . , a shame. are having it here is really important _ a sham

let's talk to our business correspondent emma simpson. bring us up—to—date with what happened., . ~ happened. three weeks since wilko colla sed, happened. three weeks since wilko collapsed. one _ happened. three weeks since wilko collapsed, one of _ happened. three weeks since wilko collapsed, one of the _ happened. three weeks since wilko collapsed, one of the uk's - happened. three weeks since wilko collapsed, one of the uk's biggest. collapsed, one of the uk's biggest discount retailers. the clock is now ticking. at the end of last week, completely from left field, there was a bit from the company to a private equity firm led by a former metals and mining banker with no apparent retail experience, coming in with a £90 million offer to take the entire business, the 400 stores, and guarantee all the jobs for two years. so, pwc started discussions and doing background checks, and at the end of the day, after the checks, it concluded it was not viable. in other words, there was no proof that it had the necessary funds. so, what happens now? the best and only hope now for wilko i

emma simpson, bbc news.mer us president donald trump is due to appear at a court in washington dc later, after he was criminally charged with plotting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. the indictment says the former president knew he was lying when he claimed there was voter fraud. mr trump says the case is timed to interfere with next year's presidential bid. the uk's head of counter—terrorism policing has told the bbc that about 20% of those arrested for terror—related offences last year were under the age of 18. three years earlier, that figure stood at just 4%. the met police assistant commissioner mattjukes put the rise down to the pandemic and the availability of extremist content online. gwent police gwe nt police are gwent police are reviewing a leaflet sent out _ gwent police are reviewing a leaflet sent out by an mp about traveller sites _ sent out by an mp about traveller sites in _ sent out by an mp about traveller sites in his— sent out by an mp about traveller sites in h

with more, here's emma simpson. summer is turning into a wash out.on't shopping. irate including these mums, but they won't sho inc. ~ ., including these mums, but they won't sho...in_. .,., including these mums, but they won't sho--in~.~ .,. including these mums, but they won't shouina. shopping. we went to a baby class, otherwise we _ shopping. we went to a baby class, otherwise we would _ shopping. we went to a baby class, otherwise we would be _ shopping. we went to a baby class, otherwise we would be at _ shopping. we went to a baby class, otherwise we would be at home. i shopping. we went to a baby class, | otherwise we would be at home. just come back from holiday and when i left it _ come back from holiday and when i left it is_ come back from holiday and when i left it is summer and now it is not. it is really— left it is summer and now it is not. it is really sad.— it is really sad. around the corner, this boutique _ it is really sad. around the corner, this boutique had _ it is really sad. around the corner, this boutique had to _ it is re

let's talk to our business correspondent emma simpson — what hope for wilko now?ot for the entire company. a canadian businessman who is the owner of hmv, he is edging closer to clinching an agreement. i understand he wants to take on the majority of the stores, maybe as many as 300, which could save thousands ofjobs but he is not interested in hq other distribution centres. as things stand tonight this is the best and only hope now to save wilko but nothing is guaranteed in any of this and as you say there was an earlier offer, that fell through. there were growing doubts about its credibility and in the end of the administrators said it simply wasn't viable. he couldn't prove it have the necessary funds in time. in the meantime, 269 jobs are going to be going next week at its support centre. more redundancies to come at its two distribution centres, so the clock really is now ticking for a final outcome here. at least 4,000 people in england and wales are affected by the most urgent form of spinal cancer every year. it's one of the most common secondary cancers

with more, here's emma simpson. summer is turning into a washer.ding these mums but hard shopping for that were going to baby because but otherwise would be at home. , , _, because but otherwise would be at home. , ., ., home. just come back from holiday and when i — home. just come back from holiday and when i left _ home. just come back from holiday and when i left it _ home. just come back from holiday and when i left it was _ home. just come back from holiday and when i left it was summer - home. just come back from holiday and when i left it was summer and | and when i left it was summer and now it's _ and when i left it was summer and now it's not — and when i left it was summer and now it's not. and it's really sad. around — now it's not. and it's really sad. around the _ now it's not. and it's really sad. around the corner this boutique had to go on sale earlier than normal because bigger retailers started to cut prices to pull shoppers in. it’s cut prices to pull shoppers in. it's been the cut prices to pull shoppers in. it�*s been the mos

simpson who grant remember hugh grant's mugshot . grant's mugshot. >> you're listening to gb news radio . radio. >> welcome back to the common sense crusade with me, emmae, and on your wireless on the 16th of august. violent muslim mobs in pakistan attacked christians, their homes and churches . and two after two and churches. and two after two christians were accused of blasphemy. reports suggest that 90 homes have since been attacked and 21 churches damaged . 10,000 christians are believed to have hidden in the fields to escape the onslaught. here to tell us more about what is happening on the ground is lizzie francis, the head of global religious freedom at adf .thank global religious freedom at adf . thank you so much forjoining us today. lizzie so could you begin by telling us what exactly is happening on the ground and how do things stand? because the reporting on this has actually been quite fuzzy , aside from the been quite fuzzy, aside from the good work the adf is doing. >> well, thank you for the opportunity to share about it. as you mentioned, ten days ago in pakistan there was accused of blasphemy . so it is accused of blasphemy. so it is