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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 11:15 21 Dec 2025
 
. Red post box sent to Antarctic - on King's orders
[170 hours old]: The King sends a Royal Mail post box to the remote station, where letters are seen as a "real lift".

. First batch of Epstein files released
[30 hours old]: Victims express disappointment over heavily redacted Epstein documents

. Millions head off for Christmas on busiest day of festive getaway
[42 hours old]: Road, rail and air travellers are being advised to allow extra time for travel and check their routes.

. Insurers told to make policies easier to understand
[72 hours old]: The demand follows a "super-complaint" about the home and travel insurance sectors.

. Pay freeze for Father Christmas but elves fare better
[93 hours old]: Some seasonal workers have seen pay rises this year but Santas may have to tighten their belts.

. A 45% school bus fare hike is too much, says dad
[52 hours old]: Ambi Ambituuni now expects to pay more than £300 a term for his daughter's bus journeys.


and in other news ...

- Australian PM announces intelligence review as country mourns Bondi attack
[1 hours old]: Anthony Albanese says the country must be in a position to respond to "the rapidly changing security environment".

- Why British Jews are experiencing their biggest change in 60 years
[11 hours old]: There have been shifts in how secure many British Jews feel - and how connected they feel to the rest of the community.

- Survivors 'nervous and sceptical' about release of remaining Epstein files
[3 hours old]: US lawmakers who pushed for the documents to be made public have criticised the initial release as incomplete.

- US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela's coast
[10 hours old]: The move comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

- Booze, beach, beaten – how England lost the Ashes
[5 hours old]: BBC Sport chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt reveals the inside story of England's Ashes defeat in Australia on and off the pitch.

- This billionaire tested China's limits. It cost him his freedom
[12 hours old]: Lai, who is facing life in prison, always said he owed Hong Kong, a city that had given him "everything".

- Weight-loss jabs: What happens when you stop?
[10 hours old]: You may have lost the weight you wanted to lose - but now you've stopped the jabs, how easy is it to keep it off?

- The 'winners and losers' in Universal UK's plan to rival Disneyland Paris
[10 hours old]: Within its first 20 years, Universal is expecting more annual visitors than any park gets in Europe.

- The best albums and songs of 2025
[11 hours old]: From Pulp's unexpected comeback to Rosalía's experimental pop, here's the best music of the year.

- Why retro Christmas decorations are cool again
[9 hours old]: People are embracing excess and nostalgia again with huge demand for bold designs from the past, experts say.

- This is the first Christmas without my wife - enjoying life with our boys is how I'll honour her
[9 hours old]: Dad-of-two Andrew, 42, shares what he has learned about grief since his wife's sudden death.

* Trail hunting to be banned as part of new animal welfare strategy
[0 hours old]: The government says the practice is being used as a "smokescreen" for the hunting of wild animals.

* More than 800 migrants cross Channel in December record
[0 hours old]: The 803 arrivals - a record for a December day - brings the total number this year to 41,455.

- 'A good meal and a good poo': Kate Winslet describes how she dealt with media intrusion
[11 hours old]: The actor and director recalls being followed by paparazzi, having her phone tapped, and people looking through her bins after she shot to fame.

- How Israel's grassroots hostage families group became a powerful international force
[5 hours old]: With just one hostage left in Gaza, members of the forum reflect on its influence in Israel and abroad.

- Strictly winners crowned in glitzy live final
[12 hours old]: The winner of this year's contest is announced as Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly host the final for the last time.

- Boy, 11, who lost legs after abuse takes families to Lapland
[3 hours old]: Tony Hudgell was joined by 26 families, including 61 children, on the "trip of a lifetime".

* Gunmen kill nine in South Africa tavern attack
[0 hours old]: A further 10 people were injured in Bekkersdal after the perpetrators opened fire and "continued to shoot randomly".

- Top and bottom at Christmas - what does it mean?
[12 hours old]: As we approach the halfway point of the season, what do the ghosts of Christmas past tell us about the Premier League title race and relegation battle?

- England beaten to lose another Ashes in Australia
[4 hours old]: England's Bazball regime is in tatters as yet another Ashes series in Australia is lost at the earliest possible opportunity.

- Kings or kingmakers? Villa entering decisive run
[1 hours old]: Aston Villa have won nine straight matches to emerge as title contenders despite a poor start to the season. Could 2026 be their year?

- New Zealand openers break Test records against WI
[1 hours old]: New Zealand's Tom Latham and Devon Conway become the first openers in Test history to score centuries in both innings as the Kiwis set the West Indies a record 462-run chase for victory.

- England unable to hold out as Australia retain the Ashes
[6 hours old]: Australia beat England by 82 runs to take a 3-0 series lead and retain the Ashes urn on day five of the third Test in Adelaide.

- Isak injury in chaotic Liverpool win gives Slot more problems
[12 hours old]: Liverpool stretch their unbeaten run to six games but Alexander Isak's injury while scoring overshadows win at Tottenham.

* Concerns over Winter Olympics skiing snow levels
[0 hours old]: The president of the International Ski Federation raises concerns over snow levels for the skiing and snowboarding events at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

- Supply 'too reliant' on one asset, says water firm boss
[15 hours old]: South East Water wants to expand output capacity after Tunbridge Wells issues, says David Hinton.

- Postcode glitch freezes pensioners out of winter heating benefit
[2 hours old]: Customers living in a specific Glasgow postcode were unable to apply for the Warm Home Discount.

- Takeaway owner delivers 1,000 gifts to children
[3 hours old]: Arfan Mohammed, the owner of Sizzlers Fastfood, delivers 1,000 Christmas gifts to local children.


and in other older news ...

. I started dancing at the age of 60 - I'm 102 and still going
[52 hours old]: Inspired to dance like Fred Astaire, Josie in York says she took up tap and ballet when she was 60.

. How two girls called Hollie became best friends after transplants
[101 hours old]: The girls from Daventry and Bangor had lung transplants in the same week in the same hospital.

. Couple win £1m lottery jackpot for second time
[113 hours old]: Already millionaires, Richard Davies and Faye Stevenson-Davies scoop another seven-figure Lotto jackpot.

. BBC News app
[5637 hours old]: Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests

. The Best Bits of Newscast's Podcast-a-Thon (Part One)
[20 hours old]: Danny Robins, Armando Iannucci and Alexander from The Traitors!

. London's West End bucks Christmas shopping trends
[27 hours old]: While UK high streets saw a drop in footfall on Black Friday, the West End saw a rise in shoppers.

. Removed Ben & Jerry's chair says Magnum aimed to 'smear' her
[38 hours old]: Anuradha Mittal was ejected from the board of the ice cream maker this week.

. Tourists to face €2 fee to get near Rome's Trevi Fountain
[39 hours old]: Visitors who don't live in Rome will have to pay to view the Baroque monument up close from February.

. Will tech trump tradition at bakers and biscuit makers?
[59 hours old]: Introducing robots and automation to the food industry involves extra hurdles.

. £100 contactless card limit to be lifted
[43 hours old]: Card providers can decide whether to offer unlimited payments on contactless cards.

. Retail sales fall as Black Friday deals fail to lure shoppers
[47 hours old]: Supermarket sales fell for the fourth month in a row, while discounts did not lift Black Friday spending in November, figures suggest.

. What's pushing up the cost of Christmas dinner this year?
[59 hours old]: A typical turkey dinner will cost about £32.45 this year, according to research done for the BBC.

. Will the US TikTok deal make it safer but less relevant?
[45 hours old]: The key to the app's success - its algorithm - is to be retrained on US data. Will that make US TikTok blander?

. WH Smith probed by regulator over accounting error
[48 hours old]: The retailer says it plans to claw back bonuses awarded to executives at its North America business as a result of the mistakes.

. AI likely to displace jobs, says Bank of England governor
[53 hours old]: Andrew Bailey says workers need to be trained to move into jobs that use AI, but adds it might not lead to mass unemployment.

. French court rejects Shein website suspension over childlike sex dolls
[43 hours old]: The fast-fashion giant welcomed the judgement and said its priority remains protecting French consumers.

. TikTok owner signs deal to avoid US ban
[52 hours old]: The deals would end years of efforts by Washington to force ByteDance to sell its US operations.

. Michelle Mone-linked PPE firm liquidated and unlikely to repay £148m
[48 hours old]: The firm led by Baroness Mone's husband Douglas Barrowman breached a contract to supply surgical gowns during the Covid pandemic.

. Faisal Islam: Will pre-Christmas interest rate cut be enough to boost UK economy next year?
[65 hours old]: The Bank of England is hoping the interest rate cut will inject some much-needed momentum into the economy.

. Japan hikes interest rate to highest level since 1995 as inflation bites
[56 hours old]: It comes as new PM Sanae Takaichi is keen for inflation to fall but also needs low government borrowing costs.

. UK names Christian Turner as ambassador to US, replacing Peter Mandelson
[56 hours old]: Turner has spent a nearly 30-year career working across Whitehall and the Foreign Office.

. BP names new boss as current CEO leaves after less than two years
[71 hours old]: BP has appointed Meg O'Neill as its chief executive, making her the first female boss of a major oil giant.

. Trump Media to merge with fusion energy firm in bn deal
[65 hours old]: The company behind President Trump's Truth Social platform makes a surprising move into the energy sector.

. HR exec in viral Coldplay clip speaks of abuse, threats and trying to find a new job
[63 hours old]: Kristin Cabot says she was bombarded with abusive and threatening messages after being filmed with her boss on the 'kiss-cam'.

. Interest rates cut to 3.75% but further reductions to be 'closer call'
[67 hours old]: The decision to lower borrowing costs was widely expected, after inflation slowed in the year to November.

. Price increases in the US ease unexpectedly in November
[68 hours old]: Prices rose 2.7% over the 12 months to November, according to the latest figures from the consumer price index (CPI).

. Facebook tests £9.99 monthly subscription for sharing more than two links
[71 hours old]: Meta is encouraging users to verify themselves to unlock more features or engagement with their posts.

. Starmer tells Abramovich to 'pay up now' or face court
[89 hours old]: The Prime Minister said Roman Abramovich should make good on his pledge that money from the sale of Chelsea FC would go to benefit Ukrainians

. Should more be done to tackle 'ghost jobs', vacancies that don't exist?
[83 hours old]: Companies are advertising vacancies that have already been filled or might not have ever existed.

. Why this month's inflation figure may be good news for you
[93 hours old]: The rate of inflation, which charts the rising cost of living, has slowed - driven partly by essentials.

. Meet the biggest heat pumps in the world
[131 hours old]: Across Europe huge heat pumps are being installed that can heat tens of thousands of homes.

. Spain's commitment to renewable energy may be in doubt
[155 hours old]: The current government is politically weakened and the opposition wants more use of fossil fuels.

. 'It's amazing' – the wonder material very few can make
[227 hours old]: Just a handful of companies can make cadmium zinc telluride, a material with powerful properties.

. Japan is facing a dementia crisis – can technology help?
[322 hours old]: Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan's population.

. Can Japan get more female business leaders?
[323 hours old]: The country lags behind when it comes to women in leadership positions.

. Sold 30 items on Vinted? Don't panic if you get a message about tax
[347 hours old]: Here's what you need to know about tax rules if you're selling items online.

. What are freeze-dried sweets and why are they popular?
[283 hours old]: Big confectionery makers are rolling out freeze-dried sweets after they become an online sensation.

. How family firms can best plan for succession
[419 hours old]: The Murdochs had a much-reported inheritance battle, but smoother transitions are possible.

. 'Carspreading' is on the rise - and not everyone is happy about it
[66 hours old]: In the UK and across Europe, cars are becoming longer, wider and heavier.

. Why time is running out for Germany's green hydrogen industry
[467 hours old]: Firms are ready to make the equipment needed for green hydrogen, but demand has not picked up yet.

. OBR head's resignation leaves potential landmines for Reeves
[466 hours old]: Chancellor's next mission to find a respected and credible economist to run the OBR will require careful balance

. Greek sheep and goat cull raises fears of feta cheese shortage
[491 hours old]: Livestock is being culled across the country due to an infectious disease outbreak.

. Budget 2025: What's the best and worst that could happen for Labour?
[524 hours old]: Three days in, after a tax U-turn and partial climbdown on workers' rights, Laura Kuenssberg looks at what impact Budget week might have.

. Has Britain's budget watchdog become too all-powerful?
[635 hours old]: Ahead of this week's Budget, some have accused the Office for Budget Responsibility of being a "straitjacket on growth"

. The curious case of why Poundland is struggling during a cost-of-living crisis
[723 hours old]: Why - in an age where so many of us are feeling the financial pinch - are some budget shops on UK high streets having such a tough time?

. The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
[1444 hours old]: Butter, chocolate, coffee and milk have all seen prices rocket. Tracing back through the story of one particular supermarket staple begins to explain why

. How Milei's 'Thatcherite' economics divided his nation - but won over Trump
[1631 hours old]: Ahead of Milei's visit to the White House - amid protests and anger on the streets back at home - Ione Wells unravels the paradox that Argentina's president has created

. Who are the winners and losers of the interest rate cut?
[69 hours old]: The Bank of England has cut interest rates from 4% to 3.75% - the lowest level since February 2023.

. Inflation is at its Lowest for Eight Months
[94 hours old]: Lower prices for food and clothing meant inflation fell by more than expected

. Lower Clothing and Food Prices Help Inflation Fall
[96 hours old]: The inflation rate fell to 3.2% from 3.6%, a larger fall than analysts expected


 
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