Severn Trent boss defends multi-million pay packet

The boss of Severn Trent has defended her multi-million pound pay package despite sewage spills by the company rising by a third in 2023.

Liv Garfield was awarded £3.2m in pay, bonuses and shares last year, while over the past four years she has earned nearly £13m.

Severn Trent was responsible for more than 60,000 sewage spills last year which Ms Garfield told the BBC Today programme "doesn't make me feel good".

Weather: The air stream brings African dust – Which areas will be affected
Temperatures up to 29 degrees – Where rain and thunderstorms are expected

African dust returns, bringing prolonged heat. Today, Friday, the western and southern parts of Greece are affected.

The warm air masses from Africa will impact more regions over the next few days, at least until the middle of next week, when temperatures will slowly begin to decline.
The areas that will be most affected are the central and southern parts of the country.

In western Greece, the hottest day is expected to be Monday, with temperatures in western Sterea and western Peloponnese reaching locally 34 to 35 degrees.

In eastern Greece, the hottest days are expected to be Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures in eastern Sterea, eastern Peloponnese, and Crete locally reaching 32 to 35 degrees.

'Hero plumber' has citizen award rescinded

The man once dubbed the country's "kindest plumber” has had his British Citizen Award rescinded following a BBC investigation.

James Anderson, from Burnley, was given the accolade in 2023 for his work providing boilers and plumbing services for free.

The BBC revealed on Thursday that Mr Anderson's firm, Depher, a social enterprise, faked stories of helping people as it raised millions in donations.

A spokeswoman from the British Citizen Awards said information which had come to light about Mr Anderson's actions did not "align with our values".

The BBC found Depher used vulnerable people's photos without consent and claimed Mr Anderson had prevented an elderly woman from killing herself, but in fact she had died years earlier.

Mr Anderson denied some of the BBC's allegations but admitted: "I've made mistakes."

Social media stories made him a viral sensation during the UK’s cost-of-living crisis and the company brought in at least £2m in donations, according to a BBC analysis of his company accounts.

Among the donors were, reportedly, celebrities such as the singer Lily Allen and actor Hugh Grant, who gave £75,000.

Greece Updates Rules to Accelerate Absorption of EU Funding

Greek Economy & Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said this week that rules would be revised to accelerate the absorption of EU funding.

The changes concern a bill covering the country’s 12.2-billion-euro Public Investment Development Program and aim to allow dozens of projects funded by national or EU resources to move forward.

Additionally, Hatzidakis told a press conference this week that changes include better scheduling of works, the timely securement of funding, and the further reduction of red tape.

For the first time, the ministry will be setting up a mechanism that will ensure the funded projects are managed effectively and maintained, and a separate project financing account to cover natural disasters.