Shoppers stuck at home shun new clothes in 2020
Getty Images Shoppers bought far fewer clothes last year as lockdowns meant people had less opportunity to socialise and go out. While shops have reported demand for certain clothing such as pyjamas and loungewear has risen, demand for going-out items has fallen sharply. And despite a pick-up in December, clothing sales remain lower than before […]
Young farmers and mental health: ‘We feel so isolated’
Levi Jouavel Newsbeat reporter Kelsey Ann Williamson Kelsey lost her partner in 2019 “He didn’t get help as early on as he should have. By the time he did it was too late.” Kelsey Ann Williamson, 23, is speaking about her late partner. They both worked in the farming industry but he took his own […]
Conservatives head for German election victory but far-right AfD set for second place, exit polls say
There’s a lot at stake in these electionspublished at 13:04 Greenwich Mean Time 13:04 GMT There’s a few reasons why this election is so significant to Germany. It comes in the wake of a series of deadly attacks across the country, in Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Afschaffenburg. Then, 10 days before the election, a mother […]
Cutting methane gas ‘crucial for climate fight’
Justin Rowlatt Chief environment correspondent Science Photo Library Methane gas bubbles trapped in a frozen Alaskan lake Reducing emissions of methane gas is vital for tackling climate change in the short-term, a major UN report says. Methane is produced when living things decompose; it’s also in natural gas. It persists for just a short time […]
NI’s hotels and bars can reopen from 3 July
Armagh City Hotel The plan will see pubs, along with hotels and cafes, open sooner than originally anticipated Northern Ireland’s hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes can reopen from 3 July, the Stormont Executive has confirmed. Self-catering accommodation such as caravans can also open from 26 June. First Minister Arlene Foster said the moves will only […]
‘I just want to see how big it was and it’s huge’
Kate Scotter and Mariam Issimdar BBC News, East BBC People gathered at the port and on the beach at Felixstowe to see the Ever Given arrive A huge container ship that disrupted global trade when it got wedged in the Suez Canal has arrived at its berth in Felixstowe. It was welcomed in by dozens […]
Arrests after activists bring Ashton-under-Lyne slaughterhouse to standstill
BBC Activists locked their arms in concrete blocks outside the Tulip plant A meat-processing plant has been brought to a standstill by animal liberation protesters. Activists blocked the entrance to the Tulip factory in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, in protest at the slaughter of pigs at the site. Smash Speciesism is urging the company to change […]
Nia Griffith urges Labour anti-Semitism apology
Nia Griffith said there was “absolutely” a need to apologise Nia Griffith, Labour’s defence spokeswoman, said the party’s handling of the issue “is a shame on us”. She told a BBC Wales election debate the party had not been effective as it should have been in dealing with it. Earlier, Mr Corbyn declined to apologise. […]
Uber sells self-driving cars to focus on profits
Reuters Uber’s self-driving car programme met with setbacks after a deadly crash in Arizona in 2018 Uber is selling its driverless car subsidiary to start-up Aurora Technologies, abandoning a unit that Uber’s founder once hailed as critical to the future of the firm. Aurora, founded in 2017, said the deal will help it “accelerate” its […]
Elephant at Warsaw Zoo to test cannabis-extract oil
Warsaw Zoo Fredzia has been selected to be the first animal at the zoo to be given the hemp oil This year has been a difficult time for Fredzia, a young female African elephant at Warsaw Zoo in the Polish capital. The zoo’s four elephants became three in March, following the death of Erna, the […]