Truckers’ rest area improvements welcomed by MPs
Google Scunthorpe Truck Stop is among 39 roadside areas in England receiving funding from the Department for Transport’s scheme MPs have welcomed a government cash injection for better facilities to make life more comfortable for lorry drivers visiting northern Lincolnshire. Grimsby, Immingham and Scunthorpe are among 39 roadside areas in England receiving funding from an […]
Covid, climate and cost of living
Daniel Davies BBC Wales political correspondent Thinkstock After years of austerity, the Welsh government’s budget for running services is growing. But Mark Drakeford and his ministers do not have a free hand. Protecting people, services and businesses from Covid will be a priority and, as things stand, emergency pandemic funding is due to end next […]
Ryanair post first loss since 2014 amid fare cuts
Reuters Ryanair posted a net loss of €19.6m (£17.2m) for the last three months of the year, its first quarterly loss since March 2014. The airline carried 32.7 million passengers compared with 30.4 million for the same period a year earlier as revenue rose 9% to €1.53bn. But the airline said “excess winter capacity in […]
Lorraine Kelly, tax law and how celebrities build public personas
Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporter Shutterstock “Lorraine Kelly is one of the most ruthless people you’ll meet in the business,” joked Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain last week. “Don’t be fooled by that halo. To warm herself up for her show, she literally murders kittens and puppies.” Morgan’s joke, which he made the day after […]
EU re-approves NI water protection plans
Conor Macauley BBC NI Agriculture & Environment Correspondent Getty Images Just over a third of 450 rivers in Northern Ireland are classified as having a status of good or better. The EU has given its re-approval for plans to protect water quality in Northern Ireland. It has accepted measures put forward by officials to prevent […]
When this closes, your books disappear too
Dave Lee North America technology reporter Getty Images When you buy an eBook, you typically don’t actually end up owning the book at all There’s bad news for users of Microsoft’s eBook store: the company is closing it down, and, with it, any books bought through the service will no longer be readable. To soften […]
Why the UAE is probing space agriculture
Russell Hotten Business reporter, BBC News, Dubai Airshow Dubai Media Office The UAE’s Mars domes being built in the desert seek to replicate living on the Red Planet One thing you can’t accuse the United Arab Emirates of lacking is vision. First they unveiled plans to launch a Mars probe. Then it was an ambition […]
Welsh Labour ‘to back Remain’ if Corbyn becomes PM
BBC Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK will leave the EU on 31 October “come what may” The Welsh Government would campaign for Remain in any future EU referendum, even under a Labour-led UK government, the first minister has said. Mr Corbyn’s plan to stop no-deal Brexit involves defeating Boris Johnson’s government in a […]
Corbyn meets opposition MPs to discuss plan to stop no deal
Sir Keir said Tuesday’s meeting was about finding “a unified approach” Jeremy Corbyn has met other opposition party leaders to discuss ways of averting a no-deal Brexit. The Labour leader had outlined a plan to become caretaker PM after defeating the government in a no-confidence vote. But in his invitation letter, he pledged to discuss […]
Why phones that secretly listen to us are a myth
Joe Tidy Cyber security reporter, BBC News Getty Images Many people believe that their conversations are being listened to for advertisement targeting A mobile security company has carried out a research investigation to address the popular conspiracy theory that tech giants are listening to conversations. The internet is awash with posts and videos on social […]