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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 17:15 15 Jan 2026
 
* Serial rail fare evader faces jail over 112 unpaid tickets
[0 hours old]: Charles Brohiri pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times.

- Astronauts return to Earth after first ever medical evacuation from space station
[6 hours old]: Four astronauts who left the International Space Station (ISS) a month early due to one of the crew members falling ill have returned to Earth on Thursday.

- Boeing knew of flaw in part linked to UPS plane crash, US safety board report says
[4 hours old]: An aircraft that crashed in November had a structural flaw that had been identified by Boeing 15 years ago, investigators say.

. Why the Northern Powerhouse Rail plan will really go ahead this time
[25 hours old]: Faisal Islam says the Labour argues the difference in its plans this time is that the planning has come first.

. Reeves vows rail plan will go ahead, despite cynicism
[23 hours old]: The scheme will be delivered in phases, starting with upgrades to lines between Leeds, York, Bradford and Sheffield.



. New Birmingham-Manchester rail link to be proposed
[48 hours old]: Previous plans for a high-speed rail line between the cities were scrapped by Rishi Sunak's government.

. How the new road safety measures could affect you
[193 hours old]: The government is proposing lowering alcohol limits for drivers and regular eye tests for older motorists.

. The real impact of roadworks on the country - and why they're set to get worse
[112 hours old]: There is a fine balance between the benefits of improved infrastructure, versus the cost of disruption. Does the country have it right?

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and in other news ...

- Iran judiciary denies plan to execute detained protester Erfan Soltani
[2 hours old]: The judiciary says Soltani is not facing charges carrying the death penalty, while a rights group reports that the execution has been "postponed".

* Swiss bar employee who reportedly held sparkler unaware of dangers, family says
[0 hours old]: Cyane Panine, 24, died in the Crans Montana fire that is believed to have started when sparklers attached to champagne bottles set foam on the ceiling alight.

- Rift at top of the Taliban: BBC reveals clash of wills behind Afghan internet shutdown
[11 hours old]: The Taliban leader once warned of a split: A BBC investigation reveals how attitudes to women, the internet and religion are dividing the group at the very top.

* European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says US needs island
[1 hours old]: France says a small military contingent has arrived and more forces will be there in the coming days.

* US forces seize a sixth Venezuela-linked oil tanker in Caribbean Sea
[0 hours old]: The tanker, Veronica, was seized in a predawn operation "without incident", the US military's Southern Command says.

- Letby trust pays £1.4m damages to ex CEO
[2 hours old]: Dr Susan Gilby told the BBC she was relieved the case was over and that it "was never about the money."

- Starmer does not rule out backing social media ban for under-16s
[4 hours old]: Many Labour MPs and officials privately expect the government to follow the Australia's example and implement a ban.

- TikTok star will not repay full extradition costs
[4 hours old]: Harrison Sullivan will not have to pay the full cost of the jet that police chartered to arrest him.

- World Sports Photography Awards 2026 winner revealed
[6 hours old]: BBC Sport and the World Sport Photography Awards present a selection of the world's finest sporting images from this year's competition.

- Pitfalls loom as Trump's Gaza peace plan enters second phase
[4 hours old]: As the US announces the next of its plan to end the war, serious obstacles mean implementation will be difficult.

- She's offered to share her Nobel with Trump. But what might Machado ask for in return?
[4 hours old]: Venezuela's opposition leader will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday.

- How a British NFL trailblazer became a Super Bowl contender
[7 hours old]: After starting out in the British amateur game, Aden Durde is now two wins from the Super Bowl and could become the NFL's first British head coach.

- Amol Rajan to leave Radio 4's Today programme
[5 hours old]: The presenter will continue to host University challenge and his Radical podcast for the BBC.

- New rules to make it easier to call up reservists for war
[4 hours old]: Reservists will remain on call for an extra decade, with a lower threshold for being called up.

- 'The abuse should never have happened' - victims react as X stops Grok AI editing images of real people
[1 hours old]: Grok will no longer allow users to remove clothing from images of real people in jurisdictions where it is illegal.

* No 10 no longer has confidence in police chief
[0 hours old]: Chief Constable Craig Guildford is facing calls to resign or be sacked by senior politicians.

- Changes to flagship disability scheme don't go far enough, campaigners say
[4 hours old]: Charities say employers will still be able to certify themselves without employing "a single disabled person".

- Millions of people to see their local council elections delayed
[1 hours old]: Most wanting a delay are Labour-led but two are Tory councils and one is a Lib Dem authority.

- Eurovision Song Contest announces live tour
[6 hours old]: The show will feature some of the most memorable performers from the seven decades of the competition.

- Badenoch sacks Jenrick!
[2 hours old]: Why has Kemi Badenoch given Robert Jenrick the boot?

- Trump v China: How Oil Is Defining Great Power Politics
[11 hours old]: What is this new era of global politics and where it does it leave Europe?

- England face prop shortage as Opoku-Fordjour ruled out of Six Nations
[2 hours old]: England's front-row stocks take a hit as prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour is ruled out of the Six Nations with a shoulder injury.

- Managers' authority is being eroded - Southgate
[3 hours old]: Football managers' authority is being steadily eroded, Sir Gareth Southgate says, but the switch to head coaching still brings a "significant melting pot of problems and pressure".

- Rejections, depression & promise to his mum - Thiago's route to top
[1 hours old]: Igor Thiago's route to the Premier League has been far from straightforward - BBC Sport charts the rise of Brentford's record-breaking Brazilian striker.

- Robertson sacking marks another slip from the summit for All Blacks
[4 hours old]: Scott Robertson's sacking is just the most high-profile symptom of a deeper malaise in New Zealand rugby union.

- Robertson keen to stay at Liverpool but 'wants to play'
[5 hours old]: Liverpool's Andy Robertson on contract talks, a "stressful summer" and why he "wants to play" rather than sit on the bench.

* Spectacular Fleetwood putt to finish in Dubai
[1 hours old]: Watch this spectacular Tommy Fleetwood putt in Dubai.

- UK economy grew by 0.3% in November, beating forecasts
[6 hours old]: The economy was boosted by a rebound in car production and from the services sector.

- X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash
[1 hours old]: Grok will no longer allow users to remove clothing from images of real people in jurisdictions where it is illegal.

- Ofwat launches investigation into South East Water
[1 hours old]: Anger is high after thousands of customers in Kent and Sussex have experienced days of water chaos.

- 'My home was uninhabitable' - residents reveal 'botched' work after energy firm folds
[7 hours old]: A woman whose home flooded during works carried out by a now-folded company says she is trying to rebuild her life.

- 'We don't need a sticking plaster', say pub owners
[11 hours old]: More than 40 hospitality firms have come together to campaign against tax increases.

- Labubu toy manufacturer exploited workers, labour group claims
[11 hours old]: Investigators allege that a factory making Pop Mart products neglected staff safety and welfare.

- Food bank relaunches expanded service after flood
[11 hours old]: Kinson and West Howe Foodbank in Bournemouth now has a larger, free community service.

- Patients 'skipping GP appointments over fees'
[11 hours old]: Families increasingly cannot afford to see the GP, Guernsey Community Foundation warns.

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and in other older news ...

. Serial houseplant killer? Here's how to keep them alive
[16 hours old]: The three easiest plants to keep alive and how to make sure you keep them healthy all year round.

. BBC News app
[6243 hours old]: Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests

. Reeves doesn't rule out wider business rates support across hospitality
[23 hours old]: Chancellor says support for pubs is on its way and leaves the door open for further tweaks to business rates changes

. TGI Fridays closes 16 UK stores, with 456 job losses
[26 hours old]: The UK restaurant chain's remaining 33 restaurants will stay open after a rescue deal was reached.

. California investigates Grok over AI deepfakes
[21 hours old]: The state attorney general urges xAI to take action over the "shocking" material as Musk denies the allegations.

. No 10 welcomes reports X is addressing Grok deepfakes
[26 hours old]: The use of the AI tool to digitally undress women has sparked a backlash as well as intervention from the government and regulator.

. China announces record tn trade surplus despite Trump tariffs
[33 hours old]: Beijing reported the largest-ever trade surplus at .19tn as China diversified its trade.

. Saks files for bankruptcy. What went wrong at the luxury retailer?
[34 hours old]: Saks Global, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, leaving questions about the luxury retailer's future.

. UK secures record supply of offshore wind projects
[29 hours old]: The government says the projects will bring down bills but the Conservatives say it is locking in high wind prices.

. US approves sale of Nvidia's advanced AI chips to China
[37 hours old]: Nvidia has been caught in a tug-of-war between the US and China as the countries compete for AI dominance.

. Government drops plans for mandatory digital ID to work in UK
[26 hours old]: There will still be digital checks on those starting a new job, but people will not need to hold a digital ID.

. Income tax changes and mansion tax on £1m homes in Scottish Budget
[47 hours old]: Finance Secretary Shona Robison unveils the government's tax and spending plans for the coming financial year.

. World central bank chiefs 'stand in solidarity' with US Fed chair Powell
[50 hours old]: Eleven central banks have backed Jerome Powell after the US launched a criminal investigation into the US Fed.

. Which countries do business with Iran and what could US tariffs mean?
[52 hours old]: Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran after its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

. Monzo bank says issue affecting its mobile app resolved
[47 hours old]: A Monzo spokesperson said it had activated a back-up banking service after identifying issues affecting its app.

. Lidl to open 19 stores and create up to 640 jobs
[50 hours old]: The discount retailer says it is also investing about £43m in revamping more than 70 UK shops.

. Trump briefed on military and covert options for Iran, sources say
[54 hours old]: The US president also imposes a 25% tariff on countries that "do business" with Tehran, while Iran's foreign minister says his country is "ready for war".

. X could 'lose right to self regulate', says Starmer
[61 hours old]: It is currently illegal to share deepfakes, but the law against creating them has not yet come into force.

. Honey, I shrunk the data centres: Is small the new big?
[41 hours old]: Huge data centres are being built to handle AI computing but some experts say they aren't necessary.

. Why are more bosses sharing the top job?
[65 hours old]: More bosses are sharing the top job giving them more time for family and breaks.

. Why luxury carmakers are now building glitzy skyscrapers
[89 hours old]: Bugatti is the latest auto firm to construct an opulent apartment building for the super rich.

. 'I had no electricity for six months': US families struggle with soaring energy prices
[111 hours old]: Rising electricity costs have emerged as a key cost-of-living concern, pushing families further into debt.

. Excel: The software that's hard to quit
[161 hours old]: Companies are trying to wean staff off Excel spreadsheets to centralise control of their data.

. How tariff disruption will continue reshaping the global economy in 2026
[185 hours old]: Trump's import levies are still changing the patterns of international trade.

. How the defence sector is battling a skills crisis
[328 hours old]: Attracting younger workers into the defence industry can be challenging.

. Swedish workers trial 'friendship hour' to combat loneliness
[397 hours old]: The pilot project is even giving staff free money to help pay to do activities with their friends.

. The showers and baths keeping data centre tech cool
[569 hours old]: Finding greener ways to keep giant new data centres cool is a challenge.

. Why Croatia's capital wants to hold Europe's best Christmas market
[592 hours old]: The festive events help to put cities on the map and attract millions of tourists.

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

. Should more be done to tackle 'ghost jobs', vacancies that don't exist?
[689 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
[699 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
[737 hours old]: Across Europe huge heat pumps are being installed that can heat tens of thousands of homes.

. Shop for small businesses shuts after low sales
[24 hours old]: The businesses' co-owner says it is because of a lack of sales and high overheads.

. Charity shortlisted after helping keep homes warm
[59 hours old]: Severn Wye has been shortlisted for the Health Service Journal Partnership Award.

. 'I volunteer at the baby bank that helped me'
[59 hours old]: The Family Matters charity in Weymouth works to help parents with babies and children of pre school age.

. Budget 2025: What's the best and worst that could happen for Labour?
[1130 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?
[1241 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
[1329 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
[2050 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

. Martin Lewis on 'the most dangerous form of mainstream debt in the UK'
[146 hours old]: Martin Lewis explains how building up overdraft debt compares to credit card debt.

. The Inquiry
[177 hours old]: Can Kenya’s plan for digital outsourcing solve its jobs crisis?

. What does TikTok's deal mean for America's users?
[656 hours old]: The BBC's Asia business correspondent says it is still unclear what sort of experience TikTok users in the US will get.