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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 12:15 18 May 2026
 
* Cruise ship hit by hantavirus outbreak docks in Rotterdam
[0 hours old]: The ship's crew are expected to self-isolate after arriving at the Dutch port, their final destination.

* HS2 failings blamed on high-speed focus and political pressure
[1 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
[108 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
[1282 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 companies linked to payments for small-boat crossings, BBC finds
[6 hours old]: Smugglers are directing migrants to pay using a network of British businesses, secret filming reveals.

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

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

* Parents could face bigger fines for child's crimes under youth justice shake-up
[0 hours old]: In the most extreme cases, parents could face jail if they fail to take action to address their child's behaviour.

* At least six Americans exposed to Ebola during DR Congo outbreak
[0 hours old]: One of the six Americans believed to have been exposed is experiencing symptoms, according to media reports.

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

- Rai first Englishman to win US PGA Championship since 1919
[12 hours old]: England's Aaron Rai wins the first major title of his career with a magnificent final-round 65 in the US PGA Championship at Aronimink.

* New BBC boss warns 'tough choices are unavoidable' as he starts role
[0 hours old]: Ex-Google executive Matt Brittin says the BBC has "never been more needed" but faces "very real challenges".

- Watch: Moment two fighter jets collide mid-air at US air show
[10 hours old]: Four crew members safely ejected from US Navy jets and are in a stable condition after the collision.

* Israeli forces boarding 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.

* 'Calm, humble, one of the nicest people you'll meet': Childhood coach on golf superstar Rai
[1 hours old]: Darren Prosser says he is lost for words after the golf star makes history and wins the US PGA.

- 'This may be the last time you hear my voice': Political executions surge in Iran since start of war
[12 hours old]: Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, the UN says it’s verified the execution of at least 32 political prisoners.

- Inside the 'kill-zone' on Ukraine's front line, where new weapons have transformed war
[12 hours old]: Machines are increasingly replacing humans on the front line, but troops are still vital for defending territory.

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

- She escaped child marriage ‘to a pervert’. Now she’s a divisive first lady
[12 hours old]: The private world of one of Africa's most powerful political women is revealed in a BBC World Service exclusive.

* Tube strike set to go ahead after failed talks
[0 hours old]: Another wave of industrial action is due to take place on London Underground from 12:00 on Tuesday.

- Escaped tiger shot by German police after attacking man
[3 hours old]: The tiger escaped a facility owned by local trainer Carmen Zander, also known as Germany's "Tiger Queen", according to local media reports.

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



* Trump warns 'clock is ticking' for Iran as peace progress stalls
[1 hours old]: On Monday Iran said it had responded to the latest US proposal and that exchanges with Washington were continuing.

- More than 100 maternity staff sue NHS over gas exposure
[4 hours old]: Staff say they suffered from symptoms including fatigue, anxiety, headaches and "brain fog".

- Waste carrier licences to be tightened as part of illegal dumping crackdown
[10 hours old]: The proposed changes come after a cow named Beau Vine got approved for a waste removal licence.

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

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

* 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.

* England call up ex-'Baby Bok' Janse van Rensburg
[0 hours old]: Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg could make his England debut this summer.

* BBC Sport announces World Cup coverage plans
[0 hours old]: BBC Sport announces its plans for the 2026 Fifa World Cup next month including coverage of all 104 matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

- England pass Six Nations stress test, but rivals will return
[13 hours old]: England have established a stranglehold on the women's Test game, but France, defeated in Sunday's Grand Slam decider, are potentially their most dangerous rival

- Oil prices rise after Trump warns Iran over stalled peace talks
[3 hours old]: Energy markets have been on a wild ride as the key Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively closed.

- Instant AI answers can trivialise human intelligence, warns Royal Observatory
[1 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'
[5 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 ...

. BBC News app
[9189 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?
[22 hours old]: Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have said they want the UK to rejoin the EU.

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

. A cross-cultural rom-com about an assisted marriage
[155 hours old]: Her best friend's journey into marriage, challenges Zoe's own attitude toward relationships

. Robert paid £726 to skip the driving test waiting list. New laws mean others won't be able to
[35 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
[59 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
[20 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
[65 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
[68 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
[69 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
[70 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
[61 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
[63 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
[78 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
[78 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
[84 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
[76 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
[83 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
[94 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
[97 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
[93 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
[102 hours old]: Quantexa, a financial data platform, won the £175m contract to spot fraud and tax return errors.

. Woman in bank row over depositing £900 HMRC cheque
[91 hours old]: Annabel Yates says she faces a 94 mile round trip to bank a cheque because of changes at Lloyds.

. Trump's Fed chair pick Kevin Warsh confirmed by US Senate
[111 hours old]: Kevin Warsh was confirmed by the narrowest margin since the role required a Senate confirmation vote.

. CIA chief visits Cuba as energy crisis worsens
[65 hours old]: The reported visit to Havana came after the US renewed an offer of aid to ease the effects of its oil blockade.

. Inside the secretive and lucrative world of orchid breeding
[84 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
[126 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
[108 hours old]: The likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google are all putting cartoon characters centre stage.

. Not so dusty: How tech is changing woodworking
[155 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
[179 hours old]: While hackers used to sneak into computer systems, intimidation of staff is now more common.

. How Sir David Attenborough built 'Green Hollywood'
[221 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
[218 hours old]: Molecules that can capture heat could be a useful technology to decarbonise heating.

. Gulf economies face long-term hit from Iran conflict
[276 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
[323 hours old]: Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.

. Will AI lead to more accurate opinion polls?
[420 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'
[25 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'
[26 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?
[28 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'
[77 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
[92 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
[348 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
[708 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
[1228 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
[1427 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?
[68 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
[97 hours old]: West Midlands Police brings Operation Fearless to Handsworth.

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

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

. Business Daily
[108 hours old]: As Trump meets Xi how is the relationship between the world's two biggest economies?