Clean Air Plan proposes tougher limits
Steffan Messenger BBC Wales Environment Correspondent Getty Images As many as 1,400 people in Wales are thought to die from illnesses caused by air pollution each year Tougher limits on levels of air pollution are proposed to tackle a problem thought to contribute to as many as 1,400 deaths a year in Wales. It is […]
Is England’s café culture set for a boost?
Rebecca Wearn Business reporter, BBC News Supplied Leaf Group will be one of hundreds of cafe companies around the UK that has expanded outdoor seating in time for the reopening of hospitality Natalie Haywood’s fondest memory of 2020 is sitting outside in the blazing evening sunshine, eating pizza with her little girl on Liverpool’s Castle […]
Soft drink sugar tax starts, but will it work?
Nick Triggle Health correspondent Getty Images The “ground-breaking” sugar tax on soft drinks has come into force in the UK. From Friday manufacturers have to pay a levy on the high-sugar drinks they sell. Ministers and campaigners believe it has already proved to be a success with many firms reducing sugar content ahead of the […]
More staff hired in shrinking pub industry
ViewApart Food is helping boost employment in pubs and is pulling in the customers Pubs are employing more people than 10 years ago, despite almost a quarter of them having closed over the same period, official figures show. According to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this could be because an increasing number […]
What is Nicola Sturgeon’s report card?
Getty Images Nicola Sturgeon often said that education was a top priority for her Nicola Sturgeon has been Scotland’s first minister for more than eight years, the longest anyone has stayed in the post. As her time at the top of Scottish politics comes to an end, BBC Scotland correspondents look at how she has […]
Pubs warn of impact of Covid cancellations
Elephant and Castle The Elephant and Castle pub fears it might not be around for another Christmas As concerns surrounding the latest Covid variant have grown in recent days, the hospitality industry is beginning to feel the impact. We asked three pubs and restaurants how they are being affected. ‘People don’t realise the impact’ Chris […]
Blackpool soup kitchen inundated with ‘desperate’ families
Mark Butcher says people are “in desperate need of food” A charity set up to help the homeless said it has been inundated with people from all walks of life due to the “devastating” impact of Covid-19. Amazing Graze Soup Kitchen in Blackpool has provided 400 meals a week, as well as food parcels, during […]
Greggs to close all stores to prevent spread
Getty Images Greggs said its vegan sausage roll had helped boost sales Greggs has become the latest food retailer to say it will close its shops temporarily to help fight coronavirus. The bakery chain, which has more than 2,050 outlets, said all shops would shut on Tuesday night to help maintain social distancing. McDonalds, Nando’s, […]
Cuba allows small and medium-sized private businesses
Getty Images Many private businesses work in Cuba’s tourist industry which has been hit hard by the pandemic Cuba’s communist government has legalised small and medium-sized private businesses in the wake of mass anti-government protests last month. Under the new rules, enterprises with up to 100 employees will be allowed. President President Miguel Díaz-Canel said […]
Can Nigeria’s new tin mine heal ancient wounds?
BBC Farmers and herders now work together in the new mine Environmental changes have caused tensions between settled farmers and nomadic herders in Nigeria to flare into ethnic conflict. But could working together to serve the demands of modern consumers heal ancient ethnic rifts, asks BBC World Service correspondent Stephanie Hegarty. As the sun sets […]