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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 17:35 18 May 2026
 
- Tube strikes called off by RMT union
[2 hours old]: The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union calls off a series of 24-hour strikes starting on Tuesday.

- HS2 failings blamed on high-speed focus and political pressure
[6 hours old]: A new reviews confirms the high-speed rail line's "original sins" include a technical design, changing political priorities and ballooning costs.

. Warning higher Europe air fares 'inevitable' due to Iran war
[113 hours old]: Flying by air will get more expensive as oil prices remain high, says international industry body boss.

. Prepare for turbulence - how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
[1288 hours old]: The Gulf's hub airports made long-distance travel cheaper - but now their future looks unclear.

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and in other news ...

* Married at First Sight UK brides tell BBC they were raped by on-screen husbands
[0 hours old]: Channel 4 was aware of one of the rape claims before broadcast, but the woman involved still featured in the show.

- PM insists he will not walk away as Burnham promises to change Labour
[1 hours old]: The prime minister has faced calls from his own MPs to step down and outline a timetable for his departure.

- Bodies of missing Italian divers found in Maldives
[2 hours old]: The bodies of all five Italian divers who died in the Maldives last week have now been found, officials tell the BBC.

- Prince William selling 20% of duchy property for housing and nature projects
[3 hours old]: The Duchy of Cornwall is to sell part of its 128,000 acre estate and re-invest in more housing.

- UK companies linked to payments for small boat crossings, BBC finds
[11 hours old]: Smugglers are directing migrants to pay using a network of British businesses, secret filming reveals.

- UK growth forecast upgraded by IMF but risks remain
[3 hours old]: Growth has been upgraded from 0.8% to 1% for 2026 in the influential body's latest forecast.

* Police hunt man after reports teens raped on beach
[0 hours old]: A search for a suspect is under way as police patrols are increased.

- Two men arrested over stunt at enclosure of famed monkey Punch
[1 hours old]: Two US nationals have been arrested after one jumped the fence of the monkey, who went viral online, police say.

* Gunman kills four and injures eight in Turkey, media reports say
[0 hours old]: A huge police manhunt is now under way after the shootings in southern Turkey.

- Is the UK's once favourite car coming back as an EV?
[1 hours old]: The company has announced plans to build seven new models in Europe including a small electric hatchback.

- Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt booed by graduates at mention of AI
[1 hours old]: The reaction underscores a growing anxiety among students over AI's impact on jobs and their future careers.

* Why people are so excited about Swatch's Royal Pop watch
[1 hours old]: A watch range by Swatch and Audemars Piguet is causing a frenzy as people queue for days to get their hands on one.

- In pictures: Celebrity style meets garden design at Chelsea 2026
[4 hours old]: Designers from around the world showcase their gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

- Aaron Rai's journey from talented child golfer to history-making PGA champion
[13 hours old]: England's Aaron Rai winning the US PGA Championship seals a fascinating journey to the summit of the golfing world.

* What is Ebola and why is stopping this outbreak so difficult?
[0 hours old]: An outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo involves a rare strain and is in an area affected by conflict.

* Tribute to 'fearless' soldier who died after fall from horse at royal show
[0 hours old]: Ciara Sullivan's father posted a tribute to his daughter on Facebook on Sunday.

* Judge rules gun and writings are admissible in Luigi Mangione's New York murder trial
[0 hours old]: Other items found with Mangione at a Pennsylvania McDonald's will not be allowed to be presented in court, the judge ruled.

* Police search for Yungblud stalking suspect
[1 hours old]: Theresa Foley from Sheffield is banned from contacting the rock star or going to his concerts.

* Firm fined after North Sea worker fell to death through hole in rig
[1 hours old]: Jason Thomas, 50, fell through a displaced grating on the Valaris 121 in 2023.

- Shakira wins £50m tax refund from Spanish government
[1 hours old]: The Colombian singer says the court ruling means the "narrative" that she was guilty now "crumbles".

* Israeli forces board Gaza-bound flotilla near Cyprus, activists say
[1 hours old]: Live broadcasts from the Global Sumud flotilla show commandos boarding several boats trying to breach the Gaza maritime blockade.

- Bride has two weddings in two days for grandad with dementia
[11 hours old]: Emma Noakes got to walk down the aisle with her grandad after care home staff recreated her big day.

* PGMO admits handball error on Man Utd goal v Forest
[0 hours old]: Manchester United's second goal in Sunday's Premier League win over Nottingham Forest should have been disallowed for handball, the referees' body has admitted.

- Why Rai winning his first major in Rocky's backyard feels fitting
[13 hours old]: England's Aaron Rai winning the US PGA Championship seals a fascinating journey to the summit of the golfing world.

* West Ham relegation may cost London taxpayers £2.5m
[1 hours old]: London taxpayers may have to pay an extra £2.5m if West Ham are relegated from the Premier League, because of the club's lease agreement for London Stadium.

- Former England cricket captain Smith dies aged 92
[5 hours old]: Former Warwickshire and England captain Mike Smith, known throughout the game as MJK, dies at the age of 92.

* Janse van Rensburg England call-up not right, says Care
[0 hours old]: Former England scrum-half Danny Care criticises the selection of South Africa-born Benhard Janse van Rensburg in the England training squad for this summer's Tests.

- Selfish Salah should be dropped from Anfield finale - Rooney
[11 hours old]: Mohamed Salah should be dropped from Liverpool's season finale for "selfish" criticism of the club, says Wayne Rooney.

- Jitters on oil and bond markets as US-Iran peace talks stall
[1 hours old]: Energy markets have been on a wild ride as the key Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively closed.

- Why does Amazon have no Western rivals?
[9 hours old]: The internet giant dwarfs other online retailers on both sides of the Atlantic.

* Why are people so excited about Swatch's Royal Pop watch?
[1 hours old]: A watch range by Swatch and Audemars Piguet is causing a frenzy as people queue for days to get their hands on one.

- Instant AI answers can trivialise human intelligence, warns Royal Observatory
[7 hours old]: Paddy Rodgers said the Observatory's rich history showed the power of human knowledge and the need to avoid "dependence" on AI.



- Rise in solar panel sales as people 'want to save money'
[11 hours old]: One director, who has just bought 2,000 panels, hopes to safeguard the company's future bills.

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and in other older news ...

. Are baby boomers like me the luckiest generation in history?
[17 hours old]: As young graduates criticise the terms of their student debt, Evan Davis asks whether baby boomers really were the luckiest generation

. BBC News app
[9194 hours old]: Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests

. Does Labour’s Leadership Race Mean A Battle Over Brexit?
[27 hours old]: Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have said they want the UK to rejoin the EU.

. Why Democrats are panicking about losing California
[73 hours old]: Has America’s largest state become ungovernable?

. Robert paid £726 to skip the driving test waiting list. New laws mean others won't be able to
[41 hours old]: The government is cracking down on third parties who use bots to buy tests and resell them at inflated prices.

. 'They took £20,000 I didn't owe': Parents hit by child maintenance errors
[65 hours old]: John Hammond is one of 30 parents who told BBC Your Voice they'd experienced problems with the CMS.

. Swatch stores close for second day after crowds
[26 hours old]: The launch of a new £335 pocket watch has drawn criticism after queues of shoppers built up again.

. British Gas pays £20m over prepayment meter force-fitting scandal
[70 hours old]: The regulator say the energy supplier breached licence conditions aimed at protecting customers in vulnerable situations.

. Beckhams become billionaires as Oasis make rich list for first time
[73 hours old]: The list is based off the paper's estimates of the minimum wealth of Britain’s 350 richest people or families.

. Heathrow rival could lead expansion, watchdog says
[74 hours old]: The aviation watchdog is considering new rules for Heathrow ahead of its possible expansion.

. X pledges quicker action on hate and terror content in the UK
[75 hours old]: Ofcom said the commitments were of particular importance after recent crimes targeting Jewish communities in the UK.

. Trump and Xi conclude 'very successful' talks but few deals confirmed
[66 hours old]: There were plenty of choreographed ceremonies but no trade breakthroughs after the two-day visit.

. UK borrowing costs rise and pound falls as leadership drama continues
[69 hours old]: Analysts say the moves have been fuelled by concerns a Burnham-led government would increase government borrowing.

. Claim, counter-claim and tech's seedy side exposed: Five things we learned in the Musk-Altman trial
[83 hours old]: As the jury deliberates, this is what we found out during the weeks-long trial with two tech titans at its heart.

. US hotel owners expected a World Cup boom - so far it hasn't happened
[83 hours old]: An industry body survey found hotels in World Cup host cities see the tournament as a "non-event".

. AI could put people off tech jobs and hurt the economy, warns Raspberry Pi boss
[89 hours old]: Eben Upton warns against claims that Artificial Intelligence will destroy vast numbers of computing roles over the coming years.

. India's Adanis agree to pay m to settle civil fraud case in the US
[82 hours old]: The US securities regulator had accused the Adanis of paying bribes and misleading investors, which they denied.

. Why Modi wants Indians to buy less gold and take fewer foreign holidays
[88 hours old]: Modi has urged Indians to save dollars as war and oil shocks strain the rupee and economy further this year.

. Faisal Islam: Six things we now know about the UK economy in charts
[99 hours old]: The UK economy is showing resilience – it’s worth diving into the data in more detail to understand why.

. UK economy sees surprise growth in March despite Iran war
[102 hours old]: The economy grew by 0.3% in the month, official figures show, confounding analysts' forecasts of a small contraction.

. Honda makes its first annual loss in 70 years
[99 hours old]: The firm will now pivot away from scrapping its target for all of its vehicles to be electric by 2040.

. HMRC to use AI from British tech firm to spot fraud and tax return errors
[107 hours old]: Quantexa, a financial data platform, won the £175m contract to spot fraud and tax return errors.

. Inside the secretive and lucrative world of orchid breeding
[89 hours old]: It can take a decade to bring a new orchid to market, so breeders keep their hi-tech processes secret.

. Smart glasses are 'an invasion of privacy' - Meta's are selling better than ever
[131 hours old]: The biggest tech firms are set to sell millions of smart glasses despite growing privacy concerns.

. Big tech bets on new mascots in bid to seem more cuddly
[113 hours old]: The likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google are all putting cartoon characters centre stage.

. Not so dusty: How tech is changing woodworking
[161 hours old]: Woodworking shops have been transformed by tech to make tools safer and more precise.

. Cyber-crime increasingly coming with threats of physical violence
[185 hours old]: While hackers used to sneak into computer systems, intimidation of staff is now more common.

. How Sir David Attenborough built 'Green Hollywood'
[226 hours old]: The city is responsible for 80% of the world's natural history TV shows.

. How sunburn inspired a new way to store energy
[224 hours old]: Molecules that can capture heat could be a useful technology to decarbonise heating.

. Gulf economies face long-term hit from Iran conflict
[281 hours old]: Commentators say it will take years or even decades to repair the damage.

. Robots move in as waste firms struggle to find staff
[329 hours old]: Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.

. Will AI lead to more accurate opinion polls?
[425 hours old]: It's cheaper and faster to collect people's opinions using AI, but will it make polls more accurate?

. 'Vicious circle of rising costs is fuelling crisis for traders'
[30 hours old]: "Dried apricots 12 months ago were £35 for a 12kg box, now they're £100 a box," says cheesemonger.

. 'We need working-class voices to enrich culture'
[31 hours old]: Northumberland journalist Kate Pasola says there is a need to break down socioeconomic barriers.

. How can the PM improve the lives of Londoners?
[33 hours old]: The BBC Politics London show asks three bodies which policies could improve Londoners' lives.

. 'Not having a proper funeral left me with painful memories'
[83 hours old]: Ed Cullen says his mum had an unattended cremation which saved money but was "devastating" for him.

. Cost of living concerns in St Helier Central
[98 hours old]: The BBC has heard concerns about poverty and cost of living from St Helier Central voters.

. The threat to summer holidays looming from jet fuel shortages
[353 hours old]: What impact might shortages have on our summer holidays - and what could be done about it?

. Scammers are becoming ever more sophisticated - this is what the fightback looks like
[713 hours old]: Scams have exploded over the last few years. Can countries and companies come together to turn the tables on the scammers?

. The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
[1234 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

. Sir John Curtice: Why Labour's Brexit focus has shifted from Leavers to Remainers
[1432 hours old]: Will the pursuit of a closer relationship with the EU risk courting electoral disaster by alienating Brexit-backing voters?

. Watch: What was argued at the Musk-Altman trial?
[74 hours old]: It's the jury's turn to deliberate in the showdown over OpenAI that has pitted two of the biggest names in tech against each other.

. Major police operation targets drug and knife crime
[102 hours old]: West Midlands Police brings Operation Fearless to Handsworth.

. Changes to PIP payments
[104 hours old]: Finance expert Laura Pomfret explains to PIP payments.

. The Food Chain
[113 hours old]: How batch cooking can save time, money and food waste