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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 08:15 20 May 2026
 
- Taiwan Travelogue, a love letter to food and adventure, wins International Booker Prize
[9 hours old]: The story of romance, food and colonialism is the first book translated from Mandarin Chinese to win the prestigious award.

. HS2 could cost up to £102.7bn and trains will be slower than first planned
[16 hours old]: The new cost range and train speed are being announced as a "reset" of the delayed, over-budget and vastly scaled-back project is carried out.

- Faisal Islam: Why a full HS2 line could still be built despite the latest fiasco
[12 hours old]: The Transport Secretary has said the high-speed rail line will not be completed until 2039.

. Prepare for turbulence - how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
[1326 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 ...

* UK loosens Russian oil sanctions as fuel prices rise
[0 hours old]: The waiver reflects increasing supply concerns over certain fuels due to the effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

- Twenty-two years in the making - how Arsenal celebrated title win
[9 hours old]: Arsenal have had to wait 22 years to celebrate a title win, and both the club's players and fans made sure to savour every second of it on Tuesday night.

- UK should set maximum working temperature rules, advisers say
[7 hours old]: Successive governments have failed to prepare the UK for extreme heat, the climate watchdog says.

- Boss of Sarah Ferguson-linked firm used royal links to threaten worker with jail
[2 hours old]: In a recording obtained by the BBC, the worker was threatened with jail for allegedly hacking emails at lifestyle app vVoosh.

* Was Married at First Sight UK an 'accident waiting to happen'?
[1 hours old]: Channel 4 has wider questions to answer after allegations made by three women who took part in the show.

- 'Ghost brokers' targeting 16 to 25 year-olds with fake car insurance online
[1 hours old]: The finance watchdog warns bogus brokers are selling fake car insurance through social media.

- Trump-backed challenger defeats Republican rebel Massie in primary
[5 hours old]: The Kentucky race has been viewed as a key test of President Trump's grip on the Republican Party.

- Dozens of romance scammers arrested after specialist fraud squad investigation
[7 hours old]: The specialist team of financial crime experts is working "in the shadows" to hunt down scammers online.

- Deputy British ambassador to US abruptly leaves post
[1 hours old]: Until his sudden departure, James Roscoe held one the most senior, high-profile roles in the British diplomatic service

- Trump endorses Paxton in Texas, gambling on a challenger with baggage in a crucial race
[7 hours old]: Trump's move dismayed Senate Republicans, many of whom have served with the Texan for decades.

- Boats, fire and a TikTok song - inside Arsenal's title win
[10 hours old]: The inside story of how Mikel Arteta turned Arsenal from 'nearly men' into Premier League winners.

- The Papers: 'Cap prices on staple foods' and 'Strictly's triple twist'
[3 hours old]: The Treasury asks grocers to cap food costs and Strictly confirms a new hosting trio - the stories leading Wednesday's papers.

- Trump's Greenland envoy faces uphill battle on mission to make 'friends'
[3 hours old]: Jeff Landry's visit to the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, has touched a nerve among some Greenlanders.

- Disabled man 'rotting' on a hospital ward - despite being fit to go home
[15 hours old]: Ravi Mehta says his care could be terminated if he self-discharged. His NHS care board says its decisions have not been driven by costs.

- Adverts for sexual assault DNA self-swab kits banned as misleading
[7 hours old]: The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled Enough's online posts contained unproven claims.

- Supermarkets urged to limit food prices by government
[8 hours old]: Any price caps would be voluntary apply to key groceries such as eggs, bread, and milk, the BBC understands.

- British couple on new hunger strike in Iranian jail, family say
[1 hours old]: Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, have each spent several days refusing food, their family says.

- Lebanon says 19 killed in Israeli air strikes
[7 hours old]: Ten people were killed in a single strike on a house, including three children and three women, Lebanon's health ministry says.

- Man who murdered teen TikTok star in Pakistan gets death sentence
[5 hours old]: Sana Yousaf's murder highlights a pattern of violence against women in Pakistan, activists say.

- Surrey Police investigating child sex abuse allegations after Epstein files release
[14 hours old]: The force said no arrests have been made in relation to the offences dating back to the 1980s and 1990s.

- The £100Bn HS2 Debacle
[12 hours old]: HS2 could now cost over £100bn, but government vows to deliver project “to completion”.

* A just or harsh punishment? Reaction to Southampton expulsion
[1 hours old]: Southampton will be playing in the Championship next season after they were expelled from the play-offs following their admission that they spied on three league rivals this season.

- The crucial split-second call that could deny Spurs safety
[8 hours old]: A controversial split-second call leaves Tottenham are left fighting for Premier League survival and dignity to avoid the ultimate humiliation on the last day of the season, says chief football writer Phil McNulty.

- Title despair & Guardiola going - 24 hours of pain for Man City
[8 hours old]: Manchester City's world fell apart in the space of 24 hours after surrendering the Premier League title and the bombshell news of manager Pep Guardiola's impending departure.

- Arsenal win Premier League as Man City held at Bournemouth
[9 hours old]: Arsenal are crowned champions of the Premier League for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City are held to a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, a result which secures European football for the home side for the first time in their history.

- The questions for England to answer during World Cup preparation
[1 hours old]: Fitness, selection and form are some of the questions England must answer with six games to go before the T20 World Cup begins.

- China confirms it will buy 200 Boeing jets after Trump-Xi summit
[2 hours old]: The two sides will also work towards an extension to the tariffs truce they agreed in October, China's Commerce Ministry said.

- Google to release first smart glasses since Google Glass flop
[10 hours old]: The glasses will go on sale sometime in autumn and allow Google's artificial intelligence product to interact with a user.

- NS&I to begin contacting victims of lost funds scandal
[13 hours old]: Over 30,000 estates could not be accessed due to an error identifying all of a late customer's NS&I products.

- Adverts for DNA self-swab kits banned as misleading
[7 hours old]: The Advertising Standards Authority has ruled Enough's online posts contained unproven claims.

- Son of Mango boss arrested over father's fatal fall from cliff
[15 hours old]: Isak, 71, died in December 2024 after falling from a ravine while walking in the Montserrat mountains near Barcelona.

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and in other older news ...

. BBC News app
[9233 hours old]: Top stories, breaking news, live reporting, and follow news topics that match your interests

. Americanswers... on 5 Live! Has Zohran Mamdani achieved a miracle in New York?
[36 hours old]: The new mayor says he’s rescued NYC from its budget crisis

. Robo-top: The machines that could make your next t-shirt
[32 hours old]: Most clothes are made in Asia, but new machines could bring some of that work back to the West.

. Petrol hits highest price since start of Iran war
[16 hours old]: The average price of unleaded has risen to 158.52p a litre, according to the RAC, who warn that it could rise further in the coming weeks.

. What's happening to UK petrol and diesel prices?
[16 hours old]: Motoring group RAC warns pump prices could keep rising if there is no resolution to the Iran war.

. Swatch boss says crowds are 'good news' after watch launch sparks chaos
[17 hours old]: Nick Hayek Jr says the pocket watch launch saw "overcrowding like hell" at a small number of its UK stores.

. UK unemployment rate unexpectedly rises
[23 hours old]: The number of UK job vacancies also fell to its lowest level in five years as the initial impact of the Iran war on businesses starts to be seen.

. Elon Musk has lost yet another legal battle. Why he'll still keep fighting
[22 hours old]: Musk has lost his high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI, but is not likely to change his aggressive style.

. Faisal Islam: Burnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules
[33 hours old]: Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is looking to manage the markets as well as the Makerfield byelection

. Musk loses OpenAI court battle after jury finds he waited too long to sue
[33 hours old]: Jurors spent weeks hearing about Musk's claim that Altman had "stolen a charity."

. Starbucks Korea sacks CEO over controversial 'Tank Day' promotion
[25 hours old]: Starbucks withdrew the campaign for its drink tumblers after many said it referenced a bloody crackdown.

. New High Street crime unit to target gangs fronting shops after BBC investigation
[19 hours old]: It follows BBC News exposing drug gangs, money laundering, immigration crime, and ghost directors linked to shop fronts.

. Standard Chartered to cut thousands of roles as AI use increases
[28 hours old]: The UK-headquartered banking giant aims to move some of the effected workers to other roles in the business.

. Oil price slumps as Trump says he called off Iran attacks
[34 hours old]: Energy markets have been on a wild ride as the key Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively closed.

. PlayStation Plus to raise monthly subscription fee
[36 hours old]: The video game firm says the increase is due to "ongoing market conditions".

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

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

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

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

. Inside the secretive and lucrative world of orchid breeding
[128 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
[170 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
[152 hours old]: The likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google are all putting cartoon characters centre stage.

. Not so dusty: How tech is changing woodworking
[199 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
[223 hours old]: While hackers used to sneak into computer systems, intimidation of staff is now more common.

. How Sir David Attenborough built 'Green Hollywood'
[265 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
[262 hours old]: Molecules that can capture heat could be a useful technology to decarbonise heating.

. Gulf economies face long-term hit from Iran conflict
[320 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
[367 hours old]: Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.

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

. St Brelade concerns of empty shops and cost of living
[16 hours old]: People say they are frustrated families have to turn to food banks in a "rich island like Jersey".

. The threat to summer holidays looming from jet fuel shortages
[392 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
[752 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
[1272 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
[1471 hours old]: Will the pursuit of a closer relationship with the EU risk courting electoral disaster by alienating Brexit-backing voters?

. 'I sold it for over £1k': Why people want new Swatch
[22 hours old]: The launch of an exclusive pocket watch has sparked a frenzy that forced stores worldwide to close and in some cases saw police officers and security deal with huge unruly crowds.

. 'I sold it for over £1k': Swatch launch sparks 'chaotic' scenes
[38 hours old]: Some shoppers have been trying to resell a new line of watches priced at £335 each for up to £16,000.

. The Climate Question
[66 hours old]: How Thailand and Vietnam are seeing rapid growth in EV sales and manufacturing