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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 16:15 12 Nov 2025
 
. Learner driver failed theory test 128 times, report says
[25 hours old]: The theory test was introduced almost 30 years ago to test a learner's knowledge of road rules.

. Named on a napkin: EasyJet celebrates 30 years
[58 hours old]: We take a look at the history and impact of the budget airline based at Luton Airport.

. 'This is the big one' - tech firms bet on electrifying rail
[304 hours old]: Railway operators have new options for electric trains including getting rid of locomotives altogether.

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and in other news ...

* Starmer says he 'never authorised' attacks on ministers after leadership row
[0 hours old]: Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the prime minister of running a "toxic" Downing Street.

- Henry Zeffman: Efforts to shore up Starmer's leadership may have backfired
[2 hours old]: Briefings aimed at seeing off leadership plots may have left the PM more vulnerable, some in Labour fear.

- Italy investigates claims that tourists paid to shoot at civilians in Bosnian war
[2 hours old]: Italians and others are alleged to have paid large sums to fire at Bosnians risking their lives in besieged Sarajevo.

- Youth detention guard 'possibly most prolific sex offender in British history'
[2 hours old]: An inquiry catalogues missed opportunities to stop abuse at Medomsley Detention Centre.

* Driving test rules to change in bid to stop bots booking slots
[1 hours old]: The Transport Secretary has announced new measures to tackle the continuing backlog of driving tests.

- New consoles used to come out every five years – so where's the PlayStation 6?
[6 hours old]: On the fifth anniversary of the PlayStation 5, the firm says its focus remains on its current console.

- Thousands of NHS England staff to lose jobs after Treasury approves £1bn pay-off deal
[7 hours old]: The compromise deal would allow the NHS to overspend this year.

- Police 're-examining' Southport killer's parents
[3 hours old]: Merseyside Police is looking into comments made by Axel Rudakubana's parents during the public inquiry.

- Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian warehouse and land as West Bank attacks surge
[5 hours old]: Several Palestinians were also injured when settlers launched arson attacks targeting an industrial area, a Bedouin village, and farmland east of Tulkarm.

- I'm A Celebrity changes rules for bushtucker trials
[4 hours old]: Individual contestants cannot be voted to do every bushtucker trial for numerous days in a row.

- Why the shake-up of school inspections risks causing new problems
[12 hours old]: Ofsted's new 'traffic light' rating system comes into force this week - does this mark meaningful change or, as one expert puts it, 'high level tinkering'?

* Fifty-year mortgages and ,000 cheques: What's behind Trump's affordability drive?
[0 hours old]: The US president is increasingly focusing on affordability amid growing public pessimism on the economy.

- Northern Lights set to dazzle UK once again tonight - here's how to see them
[5 hours old]: The Northern Lights have been shining over the UK and there is another chance to see them Wednesday as Elizabeth Rizzini and Helen Willetts explain.


- Why Scotland's teachers want 90 minutes back
[9 hours old]: Scotland's teachers are preparing to vote on industrial action over workload and time spent in front of pupils.

- Global girl group Katseye have received 'thousands' of death threats
[15 hours old]: The band, nominated for best new act at the Grammys, discuss the "jarring" hatred they've received.

- PM says BBC must 'put house in order' over mistakes
[2 hours old]: Sir Keir Starmer says it "must uphold the highest standards" but supports "a strong, independent BBC".

* Danish man given suspended sentence for sharing nude film scenes on Reddit
[1 hours old]: Police said the man shared 347 clips of naked actors on the social media site, which were viewed 4.2 million times.

* Trump urges Israel's president to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu
[0 hours old]: President Herzog's office says he holds Trump "in the highest regard", but that anyone seeking a pardon has to submit a formal request.

- Witness in Harry privacy case says earlier statement forged
[3 hours old]: Gavin Burrows says an alleged confession dated 2021 was "prepared by others without my knowledge".

- Sabrina Carpenter to lead musical Alice in Wonderland film, reports say
[3 hours old]: It will be the first time the US pop star will lead a major studio movie.

- Plans to demolish Netflix's Dept Q police headquarters
[2 hours old]: Argyle House starred as the police headquarters in the Netflix series, but it could be demolished for a new development.

- Reform politician faces suspension over WhatsApp racial slur
[2 hours old]: Laura Anne Jones used a racial slur to describe Chinese people, in August 2023, in a WhatsApp chat.

- Former defender Edwards' return to Wolves - a gamble all round?
[2 hours old]: Wolves finally have their man. But how big a gamble have the Premier League side made in appointing Rob Edwards?


* 'We want a Grand Slam, England want our scalp'
[1 hours old]: New Zealand boss Scott Robertson wants to turn "expectation to joy" as he and his All Blacks side zero in on a first Grand Slam tour since 2010.

- Stokes defends England criticism from 'has-beens'
[7 hours old]: Captain Ben Stokes dismisses criticism of England's limited Ashes preparation from "has-beens".

* 'Salary cap would be legally challenged by clubs'
[1 hours old]: A Premier League proposal to introduce a controversial salary cap "cannot be imposed unilaterally", says Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Maheta Molango.

* 'Faster, stronger' Rees-Zammit wants Wales start
[0 hours old]: Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit says he back from American football with more pace, power and strength.

- England enlist Raducanu to help beat All Blacks
[4 hours old]: England enlist the help of British number one tennis player Emma Raducanu to beat the All Blacks on Saturday.

- Could a stopped clock end time-wasting in football?
[7 hours old]: Would a game of two halves of 30 minutes, with the watch stopped when the ball is out, really improve football?

- Ryanair scraps printed boarding passes to go fully digital
[2 hours old]: The airline is only accepting digital boarding passes from Wednesday.

* AI will slash headcount by two-thirds - retail boss
[0 hours old]: Buy It Direct boss Nick Glynne said increased taxes on business in the UK had sped up the process.

- Thousands of NHS staff to lose jobs after Treasury approves £1bn pay-off deal
[7 hours old]: The compromise deal would allow the NHS to overspend this year.

- Two popular gay dating platforms removed from Apple app store in China
[13 hours old]: The removal of Blued and Finka has raised concerns amongst the LGBT community in the country.

- Jet2 to offer flights from Gatwick for first time
[6 hours old]: Flight destinations include Spain, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Malta, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

* Will Starbucks staff strikes hit turnaround plans?
[0 hours old]: The coffee giant is returning to its roots to boost sales but labour tensions could derail the strategy.

- Government to rethink rejection of Waspi compensation
[6 hours old]: Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden says that the rethink does not mean that payouts will necessarily follow.

- Lib Dems call for 5% VAT cut for pubs and restaurants
[5 hours old]: The party also wants to axe the renewables levy from bills, funded by a windfall tax on big banks.

* Families in Wales 'struggle' as cost pressures persist
[0 hours old]: New report says parents of under 18s are among the groups most affected by cost of living pressures.

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and in other older news ...

. How an Afghan child bride became one of Europe's top bodybuilders
[17 hours old]: Roya Karimi is getting ready to compete in the world bodybuilding championships, 15 years after fleeing Afghanistan.

. BBC News app
[4706 hours old]: Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests

. Americanswers on 5 Live! Why is Donald Trump threatening to sue the BBC for billion?
[44 hours old]: And how will the U.S. government shutdown end?

. Will We See Trump v BBC In Court?
[22 hours old]: How likely is it that President Trump’s threat to sue the BBC will end up in court?

. Aliens are invading in this sci-fi Spielberg epic
[596 hours old]: Roy Neary has an encounter with an alien spacecraft and becomes consumed with the desire to see it again

. The remarkable story of an everlasting Hollywood icon
[58 hours old]: The epic story of a Hollywood star whose life and talent blazed like no other.

. Building society pledges to keep branches open
[16 hours old]: It says its current network of 696 branches will remain until at least 2030.

. UK toy sales up as 'kidults' buy Lego and Pokémon
[16 hours old]: Sales have risen by 6% so far this year, analysts say, after a string of post-pandemic falls.

. Two meals for : Why China's youth are not spending
[17 hours old]: Economic uncertainty is encouraging some young people to cut back on their spending.

. Andrew shuts down Pitch@Palace business
[23 hours old]: The closure of the former prince's start-up competition Pitch@Palace marks his step away from public life

. UK unemployment rate rises to 5% as jobs market weakens
[23 hours old]: Latest official data ahead of the Budget later this month shows it is the highest rate since 2021.

. India's start-ups fire up public markets amid valuation concerns
[16 hours old]: Start-up fundraising has raised uncomfortable questions about valuations, but signals a maturing ecosystem.

. Vinted users outraged by sizing changes
[24 hours old]: The popular second-hand shopping app has changed how sizes are categorised.

. Cryptoqueen who fled China for London mansion jailed over £5bn Bitcoin stash
[24 hours old]: Qian Zhimin bought cryptocurrency using funds stolen from thousands of Chinese pensioners, say police.


. Lloyds' use of staff bank data during pay talks 'concerning'
[25 hours old]: The bank looked at anonymised information about spending habits, saving rates and salary increases.

. Strikes at helicopter manufacturer to go ahead
[26 hours old]: Aerospace workers at the home of British helicopters will strike after rejecting the latest deal.

. Battle over Chinese chip maker rocks global car industry
[40 hours old]: In an extraordinary move, the Dutch government seized control of Nexperia, triggering anger in Beijing.

. Reeves suggests benefit limits on larger families to be lifted
[46 hours old]: The chancellor tells the BBC children in bigger families should not be "penalised" by the welfare system.

. Post Office Horizon IT contract extended for another year
[50 hours old]: It is paying £41m to the Japanese-owned company Fujitsu to use the Horizon system until March 2027.

. Guinness maker appoints former Tesco boss to stem flagging sales
[50 hours old]: It is hoped the former Tesco boss can reignite sales at the biggest drinks-maker in the world, Diageo.

. Heathrow should be expanded without moving M25, says BA boss
[51 hours old]: British Airways CEO Sean Doyle tells an aviation conference he would prefer to see a shorter runway.

. How does London's housing crisis affect the UK economy?
[58 hours old]: A "localised housing crisis" has become a "national problem", according to economic experts.

. The Kenyan start-up aiming to electrify African transport
[40 hours old]: From fleets of e-bikes to individual riders, eWaka aims to sell across Africa's delivery market.

. Fire-blocking chemicals promise safer buildings
[136 hours old]: New treatments promise to make buildings fire-resistant without using older, toxic chemicals.

. Will quantum be bigger than AI?
[160 hours old]: The highly complex technology is increasingly being tipped to transform computing.

. The start-up creating science kits for young Africans
[208 hours old]: Stemaide's goal is to bring tech skills to young Africans and prepare them for future jobs.

. Businesses are running out of pennies in the US
[282 hours old]: Find a penny, pick it up, then what? Now the US has stopped making pennies, a shortage has emerged and created confusion.

. The US bet big with Argentina bailout - is it paying off?
[304 hours old]: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called the Argentine peso "undervalued". But not many people agree.

. Should K-beauty products have to come from South Korea?
[328 hours old]: Sales of Korean skincare treatments continue to soar, but some are now made by overseas companies.

. The South African start-up bringing tech to townships
[376 hours old]: Entrepreneur Talifhani Banks has bought a modern delivery system to smaller firms in South Africa.

. These robots can clean, exercise - and care for you in old age. Would you trust them to?
[376 hours old]: It sounds like something from a sci-fi film - but some scientists believe this clever new tech could help alleviate strains on the UK care system

. Why the 5G symbol on your phone doesn't mean you have 5G
[374 hours old]: New research shows that 40% of the time a phone displays the 5G symbol, it is actually using a 4G connection.

. The striking Swedish workers taking on carmaker Tesla
[400 hours old]: The industrial action against the company's operation in Sweden has reached its second anniversary.

. Can the plastic recycling industry be saved?
[473 hours old]: Plastic recycling plants in Europe are being shut as they struggle to find a business model

. How the outsourcing sector became South Africa's newest goldmine
[497 hours old]: South African firms that do remote work for North American and European businesses growing strongly.

. Protests and food poisonings test Indonesian president's first year in office
[569 hours old]: Prabowo Subianto's promises of dynamic economic growth and social change have faced major challenges.

. How good is the battery in a used electric vehicle?
[641 hours old]: Companies are offering tech they say can accurately test the health of batteries in used EVs.

. Netherlands' renewables drive putting pressure on its power grid
[665 hours old]: Homes asked to use less electricity as network is overloaded by the rush to wind and solar power.

. Why AI is being trained in rural India
[652 hours old]: Smaller Indian towns are becoming centres for training and correcting artificial intelligence models.

. The £5.30 orange juice that tells the story of why supermarket prices are sky high
[513 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
[699 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

. Trump's state visit is mired with potential pitfalls despite careful planning
[1385 hours old]: Months of preparations have gone into this state visit - but the Lord Mandelson question is not the only concern troubling insiders.

. The UK car industry is at a tipping point - can it be saved?
[2201 hours old]: Tariffs, Brexit, pandemic havoc... All of this caused short-term disruption - but the impact concealed a deeper problem for the UK automotive industry

. Trump's global tariffs 'victory' may well come at a high price
[2489 hours old]: The US president considers it a win - but if this all triggers a foundational realignment, the results may not break in his favour

. The savings account offering a 50% bonus - with a catch
[119 hours old]: Martin Lewis explains Help to Save, which is open to some people on universal credit.

. Former shop worker has 'nightmares' over abuse at work
[189 hours old]: A former retail worker from Dundee backs a campaign asking shoppers to treat staff with respect.

. US and China's different reports of their trade meeting
[318 hours old]: Donald Trump says the US can sign a trade deal with China "pretty soon" following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea