20 m. ago Homeowner is ordered to tear down £180k bungalow he built in in his back garden without planning permission because he 'thought it was fine'

Mark Jones, 55, replaced an old garage in his back garden with a two-bedroom 'granny flat', hooking up the electricity, water and internet to his house in March 2019.

Economics

20 m. ago Foreign Office issues warning for visitors to Spain, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office has issued warnings about extreme heat in four countries

Events

34 m. ago Tesla’s EU sales slump continues; Eurostar services disrupted after ‘cable theft’ – business live

Six trains between London and Paris cancelled after theft of cables at Lille leave passengers strandedThe price of the world’s first malaria vaccine for children in endemic countries will be reduced by more than half, to less than $5, according to the drugmakers GSK and Bharat Biotech.The vaccine, called Mosquirix or RTS,S, was developed by GSK and the non-profit health organisation PATH, and was the first malaria vaccine to be recommended by the World Health Organization in October 2021. It is one of two malaria shots recommended by the WHO.“As an epidemiologist working in malaria vaccine development and delivery, I have seen the impact malaria vaccines are already having on children in high-burden regions of Africa. As a result of the collaboration between the research community in implementing endemic countries, industry, NGOs and multilateral organisations, the world’s first malaria vaccine is helping to reduce all-cause mortality and hospitalisations of severe malaria among chi...

Economics

35 m. ago Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick airports given 'needs improvement' rating over disabled passenger assistance

Aviation regulator warns of “huge challenge” amid “dramatic” rise in demand

Politics

37 m. ago Foreign Office issues new travel advice for Brits heading to Spain, Greece and Turkey

The heatwave in Europe has led to the UK's Foreign Office issuing new travel advice for Brits heading to Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus as the mercury climbs above 40C

Politics

46 m. ago The rules of age gap relationships? Here’s what we can learn from famous men | Arwa Mahdawi

There has been much discussion this week about the romance between actor Anna Camp, 42, and her 24-year-old girlfriend – which is a bit surprising, given the many more egregious examplesHere’s a maths problem for you. If actor Anna Camp (42) has a new girlfriend called Jade Whipkey (24), meaning there’s an 18-year age gap between them, is this a) disgusting; b) perfectly fine; c) something I have no desire to think about?If you answered c), then I’m afraid large sections of the internet disagree with you. There has been heated debate about the propriety of the Camp-Whipkey romance ever since the two went public – so much so that Camp recently spoke out on the matter. Continue reading...

Politics

61 m. ago Second study finds Uber used opaque algorithm to dramatically boost profits

US academics say computer code systematically raised fares at expense of drivers and passengersA second major academic institution has accused Uber of using opaque computer code to dramatically increase its profits at the expense of the ride-hailing app’s drivers and passengers.Research by academics at New York’s Columbia Business School concluded that the Silicon Valley company had implemented “algorithmic price discrimination” that had raised “rider fares and cut driver pay on billions of trips, systematically, selectively, and opaquely”. Continue reading...

Events

68 m. ago Entire cabin crew suspended after lost iPhone's signal uncovered shocking find

An entire aircraft cabin crew has been suspended following the discovery of a passenger's lost iPhone which was tracked to their accommodation by the 'Find My iPhone' feature

Events

83 m. ago Eurostar chaos in London and Paris leaves Bits stranded in France after two people are hit by trains

Cancellations began last night with no services running between London St Pancras and Gare du Nord in Paris, leaving some passengers stranded for more than seven hours.

Events

93 m. ago Inside the revolting story of the infamous ‘poop cruise’: ‘Complete media bloodbath’

The story of the 2013 Carnival Triumph cruise, which descended into chaos after the toilets gave up in the middle of the sea, has been turned into a wild Netflix documentaryElevator pitches don’t get much more captivating, and possibly revolting, than “poop cruise” – a modern day Gilligan’s Island tale that’s almost too good to be true.For those who may have missed the headlines in 2013: a two-day transit from Galveston, Texas, to Cozumel, Mexico turned disastrous when an engine room fire struck the Carnival Triumph and stranded its 4,100-odd passengers and crew in the Gulf of Mexico. The fire devastated the Triumph’s electrical nerve center and crippled the auxiliary systems aboard the ship, from the wifi to the toilets – which literally backed up into cabins and spilled into the hallways. After three days adrift, the Triumph was towed to Mobile, Alabama – but not before the limits of socially conditioned behavior approached a breaking point. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago Killing machines: how Russia and Ukraine’s race to perfect deadly pilotless drones could harm us all

Cheap, scaleable and highly autonomous, these weapons are developing quickly – and experts say they should prompt a global rethink about securityOn a fine day in early June, Ukrainian soldiers launched their latest killer robot. With a click on a screen, the unattractively named Gogol-M, a fixed-wing aerial drone with a 20-foot wingspan, took off from an undisclosed location and soared into a wide blue sky.This “mothership” travelled 200km into Russia before releasing two attack drones hanging off its wings. Able to evade radar by flying at a low altitude, the smaller drones autonomously scanned the ground below to find a suitable target, and then locked on for the kill. Continue reading...

Events

1 hour ago Holidaymakers increasingly alarmed about summer heatwaves in southern Europe

Spain, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Italy all seen as at risk of being too hot to bear within the next five years

Events

1 hour ago Holidaymakers to Turkey, Spain, Greece and Cyprus in Foreign Office warning

Those heading to the popular hotspots have been told to be aware and to take care.

Events

2 h. ago 12,000 UK passengers stranded as staff strike at major European airports

Travel experts have warned the major delays seen today will be repeated

Events

2 h. ago Eurostar chaos as passengers are told to cancel their journeys and face waits of up to seven hours

The international rail network has been hit by delays and cancellations after two people died on the tracks and cables were stolen

Events

2 h. ago Three UK airports told they must make improvements in damning report

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has rated the UK's busiest airport, Heathrow, as needing improvement in how it assists passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility

Politics

3 h. ago Entire cabin crew suspended after passenger uses iPhone feature and makes shock discovery

"It's about the safety of all passengers in the future"

Events

3 h. ago Major delays to Eurostar trains as passengers warned to cancel or postpone journeys

A cable theft has prompted huge disruption with the operator admitting the service is in ‘chaos’

Events

4 h. ago BREAKING: Eurostar delay chaos as London to Paris trains cancelled leaving passengers stranded

Trains running between London St Pancras International and Gare Du Nord in Paris were delayed or cancelled altogether for hours in both directions following the shocking incident

Events

4 h. ago Eurostar delay chaos as London to Paris trains cancelled leaving passengers stranded

Trains between London and Paris were delayed or cancelled altogether following the shocking incident - with the operator warning disruption was set to continue into this morning

Events