Pub alcohol ban sees barrels of beer poured away
Matthew Horwood / Getty Images City centre streets were deserted after the ban closed pubs and restaurants Barrels of beer are being poured down drains as Wales’ hospitality industry prepared for the alcohol ban to come into force. Businesses said it was “a devastating hammer blow” after going to lengths to keep customers safe. They […]
AI cameras trial by Essex Police will detect phone offences
Henry Godfrey – Evans BBC News, Essex Devon County Council The cameras will likely be mounted on the relocatable trailers in Essex – as demonstrated in this image State-of-the art cameras designed to identify drivers not wearing seatbelts and using mobile phones will be trialled by police in Essex. The high-definition AI (artificial technology) has […]
Business review of 2020: Covid-19 and Trump
Martin Webber Business editor, BBC World Service Getty Images For those still travelling to work, 2020 was the year wearing face masks became compulsory for many The Covid-19 pandemic has not only generated a year of economic dislocation but it is also set to prompt radical long-term changes to how we live and work. In […]
Law firm restricts AI after ‘significant’ staff use
An international law firm has blocked general access to several artificial intelligence (AI) tools after it found a “significant increase in usage” by its staff. In an email seen by the BBC, a senior director of Hill Dickinson, which employs more than a thousand people across the world, warned staff of the use of AI […]
EU leaders disagree over rescue package
EPA A protesting Nissan worker in Barcelona: “We demand a real future” EU leaders have failed to agree on a €750bn (£676bn; $840bn) recovery fund for the coronavirus crisis, but Germany called the talks “constructive”. Chancellor Angela Merkel said “the bridges we still have to build are big, that’s true, but it was a discussion […]
Bar and restaurant owners react to measures
PA Media The NI Executive has announced that delivery and takeaway-only services will be allowed from food establishments from Friday, with shorter periods for selling alcohol at off-licences and supermarkets. Hotels could be set to close their doors for four weeks from 18:00 BST on Friday, in line with pubs and restaurants. That news has […]
Bedford house fire victim thanks charity for support
BBC Calara Joseph and her four children “lost everything” after a fire destroyed their house in Bedford A woman whose home was destroyed in a fire said she and her four children “would have been on the street” without help from a community group. Calara Joseph said her family was “left with nothing” after the […]
Waitrose bans sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s
Alamy The ban by Waitrose follows concerns over the impact of sugar and caffeine on children Waitrose is to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children aged under 16. The supermarket said customers buying drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre would be asked to prove their age from 5 March. […]
NI’s younger workers hit hardest by pandemic
John Campbell BBC News NI Economics & Business Editor Connor Lilley says his move from bar manager to trainee welder has been good Younger age groups have been the hardest hit by job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland, official figures suggest. While some people have gained and lost jobs, between November 2019 […]
India bans tourism at holy Jain site after protests
Getty Images There have been countrywide protests against the decision Sammed Shikharji is located in an environmentally sensitive area atop Jharkhand state’s highest mountain. The government has asked the state to ban activities that “defile the site”, like consumption of alcohol and non-vegetarian food. The Jain community is a religious minority comprising around 4.5 million […]