US temporarily bans drones in parts of New Jersey and New York
US aviation authorities have banned the use of drones in 22 infrastructure sites in New Jersey and another 29 in New York state for 30 days after a spike in drone sightings in the eastern US. The measures allow the government to use “deadly force” against unmanned aircraft if they pose an “imminent security threat”. […]
Flies, rats and hush money
BBC / Jon Parker Lee George and Mandy are among the residents who refused to sign an NDA agreement and can speak about the Runcorn incinerator “We have been inundated with flies, rats, smell, noise. It’s just been horrendous,” says Mandy Royle, who lives in the closest home to the UK’s biggest waste incinerator at […]
Mark Zuckerberg dines with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Getty Images Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has visited Donald Trump at his resort in Mar-a-Lago, further evidence of the apparent thawing in their once frosty relations. The president-elect already has a close, high-profile relationship with another of the leading figures in tech, X owner Elon Musk. Historically, though, there has been no such closeness between […]
Birmingham Michelin-starred Purnell’s restaurant closes
Claire Lishman PR Glynn Purnell said he was proud of his restaurant A Michelin-starred restaurant in Birmingham, which became famous for its contemporary seasonal food, has closed. Glynn Purnell, who opened Purnell’s in July 2007, said he was “heartbroken”, but also proud of what he achieved. The restaurant earned its Michelin star in 2008 and […]
What are they and how are they graded?
Getty Images The government has confirmed it will scrap more than 200 vocational qualifications, including BTecs. BTec qualifications are A-level equivalents, aimed at people interested in working in a particular industry, such as engineering, hospitality or childcare. What are BTec Firsts and BTec Nationals? A BTec, which stands for the Business and Technology Education Council, […]
Hornsea restaurant charging upfront due to ‘dine and dash’
A restaurant owner in East Yorkshire is asking customers to pay for meals upfront after a spate of “dine and dash” incidents. The phrase refers to customers who leave without paying for their food and drink. Racha Nassif, from Cloud 9 in Hornsea, said they decided to charge people upfront after five or six incidents. […]
Contactless passengers able to apply for refunds
Transport for London (TfL) customers who use a contactless card or a mobile device to pay for journeys can now claim refunds for delays, after the online service was disabled following a cyber attack in September. Customers can also access their journey history online for the first time in three months. It comes as systems […]
Sub-standard farm site plans ‘more Blackpool than Eiffel Tower’
An entrepreneur’s plan for a farm site has been rejected by councillors, one of whom claimed the standard of proposed work had gone from “an Eiffel Tower to a Blackpool Tower”. Ribble Valley councillors feared the plan for Higher College Farm on Lower Road, Longridge, in Lancashire, looked too “industrial” for a rural setting and, […]
Cornwall farmers use alternative to wrapping hay bales in plastic
A group of farmers is wrapping up hay bales with an old-fashioned twine to test it as an alternative to plastic string and plastic netting. The twine, made from the sisal plant, was commonly used by farmers until it was replaced by plastic alternatives in the 1970s. Stuart Oates, from Rosuick Organic Farm in Cornwall, […]
Wiltshire Police hit 999 target for the first time
Listen to new call operator, Shannon Hibbert, on BBC Sounds Wiltshire Police has hit the national target for 999 answer rates for the first time. Each month the force takes an average of 8,000 emergency calls. In November, it answered more than 90% of them in under 10 seconds, which is the national target. This […]