Jay-Z asks court to dismiss rape lawsuit over inconsistencies
A lawyer for rapper Jay-Z has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him, along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, after inconsistencies emerged in her allegation. An Alabama woman, named in the legal action by the pseudonym Jane Doe, has accused the musicians of drugging and attacking her […]
‘Covidiots’ criticised on Tui quarantine flight
Getty Images Nearly 200 passengers on a flight back from the Greek island of Zante have been told to self-isolate A flight from Zante which left nearly 200 people facing two weeks’ self-isolation was a “debacle” and a “free-for-all”, passengers say. One traveller said the Tui flight was full of “covidiots” and “inept crew who […]
Leeds Dock put on the market for £32m by Allied London
Stephen Craven/Geograph Leeds Dock was previously known as Clarence Dock A major waterside development in Leeds has been put on the market for offers over £32m. In 2012, property firm Allied London bought a 150-year-lease to Leeds Dock, then known as Clarence Dock, when most of the site’s retail units were empty. The company owns […]
Farmers raise ‘deep concerns’ over Australia trade deal
Getty Images Scottish farmers have expressed “deep concerns” over a trade deal agreed between the UK and Australia. Downing Street said the pact meant British products such as Scotch whisky would be cheaper to sell to Australia. But industry body NFU Scotland warned the free trade agreement would ultimately give Australia “unfettered access” to UK […]
Over 300,000 salmon escaped fish farms in 2016
Scottish Salmon Company More than 300,000 salmon escaped from Scottish fish farms during last year, according to the annual official survey of aquaculture firms. The Scottish Fish Farm Production Survey 2016 showed a 5.2% drop in total weight of salmon harvested, to 162,800 tonnes. The year before, production fell 4.7%. Much of this was due […]
Tech Tent: Alexa speaks louder
BBC Stream or download the latest Tech Tent podcast Listen to previous episodes on the BBC website Listen live every Friday at 15:00 BST on the BBC World Service We were promised jetpacks, we ended up with 140 characters. That’s the cynical take on how Silicon Valley’s dreams of life-changing innovations ended up producing something […]
China’s VPN developers face crackdown
EPA China recently launched a crackdown on the use of software which allows users to get around its heavy internet censorship. And now app developers are finding themselves under growing pressure. The three plain-clothes policemen tracked him down using a web address. They came to his house and demanded to see his computer. They told […]
The food and fuel of the future?
Adrienne Murray The cold water around the Faroe Islands is good for seaweed cultivation Sunshine has given way to wind and rain, as the motorboat chugs through a fjord in the Faroe Islands. “Its a bit windy here,” says Olavur Gregarsen. “We’ll see how far we can get to the harvesting boat.” We soon reach […]
Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek in Disney+ reboot
Fox Malcolm in the Middle characters from left to right: Reese (Justin Berfield), Malcolm (Frankie Muniz), Dewey (Erik Per Sullivan), mom Lois (Jane Kaczmarek), dad Hal (Bryan Cranston) and Francis (Christopher Kennedy Masterson) Life might be unfair but for Malcolm in the Middle fans things are looking up – the TV sitcom is making a […]
US bans Malaysian palm oil producer over forced labour
Getty Images US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has blocked the import of palm oil made by a Malaysian producer over forced labour concerns. CBP cited physical and sexual abuse, debt bondage and abusive conditions as reasons for blocking FGV Holdings. Shipments from the company and its subsidiaries will be held at US entry ports. […]