Lockdown bites poor as France eases grip
BBC Madame Ouattara, whose husband lost his job in the lockdown, is among those queuing at a Montmartre food bank in Paris Behind a faded door, in a side-street near Montmartre, a long straggly queue is starting to form. In Paris under lockdown, hotels and restaurants may be deserted but food banks are getting busier. […]
Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads
WATCH: On patrol with an indigenous leader trying to protect the Amazon from land grabbers Parts of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered. The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples. Some of the plots listed via Facebook’s classified ads service are as large […]
Gregg Wallace apologises for ‘middle-class women’ comment
BBC/Shine TV MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace has apologised for suggesting allegations against him came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”. The TV host had said on Sunday there had been “13 complaints” from “over 4,000 contestants” he had worked with in 20 years on the BBC cookery show. In a new […]
We will have summer tourist season, promises EU
Getty Images Safety is a key element of the EU’s proposals – police had to evacuate crowds from the steps of the Sacré-Cœur in Paris on Tuesday A gradual lifting of borders has been proposed by the EU’s executive in an attempt to kick-start a tourist industry hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. “Our message […]
Peaky Blinders ‘may have inspired’ choices
Caryn Mandabach/Tiger Aspect/BBC Names like Ada and Arthur have increased in popularity, possibly due to Peaky Blinders TV drama Peaky Blinders may have inspired some of the most popular baby names in England and Wales, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. Arthur entered the top 10 for boys for the first time since […]
Madness to perform at Eden Project in 2025
Pop and ska band Madness will play at the Eden Project in Cornwall next year, organisers have confirmed. Eden Sessions bosses said the band, which has had 15 singles in the UK top 10, was due to take to the stage on Saturday 12 July. The band is the third act to be announced for […]
UK travel quarantine rules ‘not worth it’, says Theresa Villiers
Getty Images UK airports have seen a sharp fall in custom Quarantine for new arrivals in the UK has not been worth it, an ex-transport minister has said, after details of how few fines had been issued emerged. So far, no UK police force has confirmed issuing any fines for people breaking the rules – […]
Kickstarter replies to complaints from seven years ago
Getty Images Crowdfunding website Kickstarter has surprised some of its users by replying to complaints they made seven years ago. Many focused on a book which attracted huge numbers of complaints about encouraging sexual assault. Users who received responses to long-expired projects from 2013 took to Twitter to congratulate the company on its response times. […]
Wolverhampton Literature Festival line up announced
Wolverhampton Literature Festival Journalist and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptist is among those due to appear at the festival Wolverhampton Literature Festival has announced the full programme for its 2025 event. The ninth annual festival will run from 31 January to 2 February at venues across the city. Chris Burden, the council’s cabinet member for city development, […]
Bird flu prevention zone set to come in at midnight
PA Biosecurity rules have been tightened in Northern Ireland in an attempt to stop an outbreak of bird flu in commercial flocks. Now officials have announced that an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone will take effect from midnight. It brings Northern Ireland into line with the rest of Great Britain. The poultry industry is big business […]