King and Queen reveal their official Christmas card for 2024
King Charles and Queen Camilla have chosen a photograph of themselves taken in the garden of Buckingham Palace for their official Christmas card. The photograph – taken in April – shows the smiling couple standing side-by-side on what appears to be a sunny day. The greeting inside reads “Wishing you a very happy Christmas and […]
The miraculous return of Indian fishermen lost at sea
Alamy The fishermen sailed in a wooden boat from Thengapattanam harbour in Tamil Nadu When Edison Davis and Augustine Nemus set out to fish from India’s southern coast on 27 November, they promised their families they would be home for Christmas. Then, there was no word from them for weeks. The two men were part […]
Renewable Heat Incentive scheme: What is it?
Charles McQuillan After 114 days of oral evidence, scores of witnesses and 1.2m documents, the report into the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI) in Northern Ireland is being published. The fall-out from the scheme led to the collapse of Northern Ireland’s government. It was not restored for three years. BBC News NI takes a look […]
Contactless card limit will rise to £100
Getty Images The limit on a single payment using contactless card technology will rise to £100 later this year, the Treasury has confirmed. The pandemic has accelerated a move away from cash, with shoppers often being encouraged to use contactless in many stores for public health reasons. It has been less than a year since […]
Holiday bookings ‘explode’ as travel restrictions ease
Reuters Travel companies say holiday bookings have “exploded” after the government announced current restrictions will be eased. Ministers said from 6 July, blanket restrictions on non-essential overseas travel will be relaxed in the UK. Holidaymakers will be allowed to travel to certain European countries without having to spend 14 days in quarantine upon their return. […]
Minister Fergus Ewing seeks farm funding guarantee
Getty Images Scotland’s rural economy secretary has written to the UK government urging it to confirm it will cover all of the agricultural funding currently provided under the EU after Brexit. Fergus Ewing has asked Secretary of State Michael Gove for clarification. Mr Ewing said farmers are facing uncertainty because of the lack of guarantees. […]
Virgin Media data breach affects 900,000 people
Getty Images A Virgin Media database containing the personal details of 900,000 people was left unsecured and accessible online for 10 months, the company has admitted. The information was accessed “on at least one occasion” by an unknown user. The database, which was for marketing purposes, contained phone numbers, home and email addresses. It did […]
Landslide-hit A83 remains closed after flooding
Bear Scotland Work to remove thousands of tonnes of debris from the A83 in Argyll and Bute is under way An update on when the A83 in Argyll and Bute will fully reopen is expected on Wednesday. Road management operator Bear Scotland said about 12,000 tonnes of material had been removed from the road which […]
Instagram demands date of birth from new members
Reuters Instagram will ask new members to provide their date of birth when setting up an account, as it plans more “age-appropriate experiences”. The photo-sharing network already requires people to be at least 13 years old to create an account. Asking for a date of birth would help the company to avoid targeting ads for […]
‘I booked The Killers as a favour to play in a room above a pub’
Chris Steele The Killers at the Bivouac club in 2003. “They weren’t as glamorous then,” a musician who toured with them recalls They’ve headlined Glastonbury twice, performed all over the globe and had several number one albums. But on a foggy Friday evening in November 2003, The Killers found themselves playing a small club above […]