MPs call for consultation to ban real fur
Getty Images This model is wearing a fake fur jacket – now sales of real fur could be banned A ban on sales of real fur should be considered, a committee of MPs has recommended. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee investigation into the issue came after some real fur was found wrongly […]
NI hotels and bars reopen their doors
BBC News NI explains what customers can expect as pubs and restaurants reopen Northern Ireland’s hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes have reopened, after months of closure during the coronavirus lockdown. Pubs and bars must serve food and operate on a table service basis; those pubs that do not serve food will be allowed to sell […]
Nasa’s Orion capsule on target for splashdown
“Earthrise”: Orion saw our planet climbing above the Moon’s horizon The US space agency Nasa is all set to bring home its Orion capsule. The spaceship, which has been on a three-week journey around the Moon, is targeting a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California. Uncrewed for this test flight, the capsule is expected […]
Freed men arrive home to tears of joy in Bangkok
Thomas Mackintosh BBC News Watch: Moment Thai hostages reunite with families after 15 months Five Thai farm workers released by Hamas in Gaza last month have arrived home in Bangkok, after spending nearly 500 days in captivity. Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao and Surasak Lamnao had all been working in southern Israel […]
Some supermarket food prices ‘should fall’ soon
Michael Race Business reporter, BBC News Getty Images The cost of a food shop “should start” to come down in the next few months, the body which represents UK supermarkets has claimed. Supermarkets will start passing on cost savings for milk and other dairy goods due to cuts in wholesale prices, the British Retail Consortium […]
New heights but no high
David Silverberg Business reporter Margaret MacKenzie Margaret MacKenzie (left) is looking to grow a lot more hemp When Margaret MacKenzie heard that President Trump had legalised the cultivation of hemp across the US just before Christmas, she immediately thought: “Oh boy, here we go! Things are going to move very fast.” The Colorado farmer tends […]
It’s going to be hell after lockdown
BBC “Starting up, it’s going to be hell,” says Mark Selby, chief executive and co-founder of Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca. “A lot of people are going be nervous about coming out. We’ve all got to do our jobs in making people feel confident, making them feel safe, but also giving them that experience that hospitality […]
India no longer world’s fastest-growing economy
Getty Images Narendra Modi (L) has some worrying economic concerns as he starts a second term India’s economy has grown at its slowest pace in almost five years, according to the latest data released by the government. The new numbers are a cause of concern for PM Narendra Modi, who started his second term on […]
Political and business leaders react to EU proposals
Getty Images Political and business leaders in Northern Ireland, and further afield, have been giving their reaction to the EU’s plan to reduce post-Brexit checks on goods arriving into Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. The proposals include scrapping checks on most food products being shipped to, and remaining in, Northern Ireland from […]
Warrenpoint Port set for £9.5m carbon dioxide terminal
John Campbell BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor Albert Bridge/Geograph The new facility is being developed at Warrenpoint harbour A Japanese firm is to build a £9.5m carbon dioxide (CO2) import terminal at Warrenpoint Port. The new facility, to be developed by Nippon Gases, will store liquid CO2 for industry across the island of […]