Cook Islands China deal riles allies as West’s grip loosens
Katy Watson Pacific correspondent Getty Images The remote and resource-rich Cook Islands has antagonised old allies over a deal with China The Cook Islands may be small but the ambitions of its leader are mighty. A range of deals Prime Minister Mark Brown signed with China without consulting the public or New Zealand – an […]
Is Northern Ireland ready for 1 January?
John Campbell BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor Getty/ktsimage The Brexit transition period ends on 31 December, which will mean big changes to Northern Ireland’s economic relationship with the rest of the UK. However, there are still many unanswered questions. What is changing? At 23:00 GMT on 31 December, England, Scotland and Wales will […]
Mussel row ‘a threat’ to Welsh protected status seafood
BBC On sale – but for how long will Conwy mussels be on the menu? Mussel gatherers in a Welsh town have claimed red-tape is threatening to wipe out their cottage industry. Conwy mussels’ status is protected like some of the best food and wine, such as Champagne or Italian prosciutto ham. But the town’s […]
Brighton bus company questions council’s net-zero ambitions
Hsin-Yi Lo BBC News, South East The Big Lemon The council has confirmed it is awarding the contract to a rival company called Compass Travel Ltd A bus company has questioned Brighton & Hove City Council after it ditched its electric buses in favour of a diesel fleet on its supported services for the next […]
Seabirds following of fishing boats studied in Scotland
PA Seabirds in the study were found to spend from 10 minutes to more than seven hours with fishing boats Scientists have studied seabirds’ following of fishing boats in Scotland to develop a system for the analysis of foraging trips by animals. The researchers applied their modelling framework to GPS tracked fulmars that hunt for […]
Two killed after small planes collide midair in Arizona
At least two people have died after two small planes collided midair near an airport in Arizona, police said. A Cessna 172S and a Lancair 360 MK II, both fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft, had two passengers each aboard when they collided at Marana Regional Airport, north-west of Tucson, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. The […]
Can we teach robots ethics?
Getty Images We are not used to the idea of machines making ethical decisions, but the day when they will routinely do this – by themselves – is fast approaching. So how, asks the BBC’s David Edmonds, will we teach them to do the right thing? The car arrives at your home bang on schedule […]
Machete recovered after group fight in Nottingham
Laura Hammond & Miya Chahal BBC News, Nottingham BBC A cordon was in place on Hockley on Thursday A machete has been recovered by police following reports of a fight involving a group of youths in Nottingham. Armed officers were called to Lower Parliament Street at about 11:40 GMT on Thursday, Nottinghamshire Police said. A […]
How Bite Beauty is building an all-natural lipstick business
Karen Grant, a beauty industry analyst at market research firm The NPD Group, says Sephora is a “great incubator” for small businesses. Bite’s launch was master class in getting it right, she says, praising the sleek and edgy product design. Bite’s success did not come without hurdles, however, says Ms Langmuir. The Canadian beauty entrepreneur, […]
Google ending AI arms ban incredibly concerning, campaigners say
Lucy Hooker & Chris Vallance Business & technology reporters Getty Images Experts say AI-assisted weapons have been used in the Ukraine war Google’s parent company lifting a longstanding ban on artificial intelligence (AI) being used for developing weapons and surveillance tools is “incredibly concerning”, a leading human rights group has said. Alphabet has rewritten its […]