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Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 12:35 19 May 2026
 
. HS2 failings blamed on high-speed focus and political pressure
[25 hours old]: A new reviews confirms the high-speed rail line's "original sins" include a technical design, changing political priorities and ballooning costs.

. Tube strikes called off by RMT union
[21 hours old]: The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union calls off a series of 24-hour strikes starting on Tuesday.

. Prepare for turbulence - how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
[1307 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 rape allegations serious, says government
[0 hours old]: A BBC Panorama investigation revealed allegations that two women had been raped during filming.

- Watch: Channel 4 boss asked if she will apologise to MAFS UK women
[2 hours old]: The broadcaster's chief executive Priya Dogra walked away from an interview when given the opportunity to say sorry.

* Victim or enabler? Epstein girlfriend who could face questions despite plea deal
[0 hours old]: Nadia Marcinko is relatively unknown but may soon be called before US legislators.


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

- Ebola may be spreading faster than first thought, WHO doctor warns
[1 hours old]: Hundreds of cases are suspected in central Africa but experts fear the actual number may be much higher.

* Wrongly jailed Malkinson says demand for legal fees is 'penny-pinching'
[0 hours old]: Andrew Malkinson, who was wrongly jailed for rape, says being asked to repay legal fees is “penny-pinching”.

- Man City set to replace Guardiola with Maresca
[3 hours old]: Enzo Maresca is set to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager before next season.

- UK unemployment rate unexpectedly rises
[3 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.

- Swinney defends food prices policy ahead of first minister vote
[2 hours old]: The SNP leader says the proposed price cap on basic foodstuffs is not intended to force a fight with the UK government.

- 'Untouchable' teen motorbike thieves mocking victims on TikTok
[11 hours old]: BBC investigation finds hundreds of videos showing self-confessed thieves posing with stolen bikes.

- Jackson Pollock painting sells for record 1m at auction
[1 hours old]: The Abstract Expressionist's Number 7A, 1948 painting is now his most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.

- Is a bank holiday heatwave on the way?
[9 hours old]: The warmest weather of the year is forecast for later this week after early rain.

* Zoe Kleinman: Why the AI industry is the real winner of the Musk-Altman trial
[0 hours old]: The trial in Oakland, California has helped lift the veil on the AI sector - and the huge egos of the men at the heart of it.

* Selling children to survive: Afghan fathers forced to make impossible choices
[1 hours old]: In Afghanistan today, a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs.

- What really holds China and Russia together
[12 hours old]: The relationship endures despite a power imbalance, with both sides recognising that it is too important to fail.

- 'I broke the curse' - the fall and rise of a teenage Grand Slam champion
[4 hours old]: When 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu stunned Serena Williams to win the US Open. It was unthinkable it would be more than 2,300 days before her next triumph.

* Could history be rewritten? Guardiola, Man City and the 115 charges
[1 hours old]: With Pep Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City at the end of this season, how do the club's 115 Premier League charges for alleged financial rule breaches potentially affect his legacy at Etihad Stadium?

- Teen suspects fatally shoot three in suspected hate crime at San Diego mosque
[4 hours old]: The alleged attackers were aged 17 and 18 and one left a note containing "generalised hate rhetoric", investigators say.

* MP failed by NHS is appointed first maternity adviser
[1 hours old]: Michelle Welsh says she will work to push for "better, safer care for mothers, babies and families".

- British ex-soldier imprisoned by Russia says he feels abandoned in occupied Ukraine
[12 hours old]: In letters sent to the BBC from prison, Hayden Davies says he has had no contact with British authorities.

* Two bodies of missing Italians recovered from inside Maldives cave
[1 hours old]: The two were among four divers located in the furthest chamber in the cave and their bodies were recovered by specialist divers.

- Junior school pupil treated for meningitis in fourth Reading case
[3 hours old]: The UKHSA says the fourth case has links with the same wider social network as the others.

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

- 'Digi-hogs' tracked in bid to slow decline in hedgehog numbers
[12 hours old]: Researchers hope the project will also help to identify barriers preventing hedgehogs from finding food and mates in the wild.


- Stewart & Curtis in Scotland World Cup squad
[1 hours old]: Ross Stewart and Findlay Curtis are named in Scotland's World Cup squad but there is no place for Lennon Miller.

* D-Day for Spygate: What's at stake and what could happen?
[1 hours old]: Southampton's place in the play-off final is at stake as they face a disciplinary hearing as they stand charged of watching a Middlesbrough training session. The result is expected to come on Tuesday.

- Five reasons why Best was a genius
[6 hours old]: George Best would have been 80 on 22 May. Take a look back on an unforgettable career and enjoy five of his most memorable goals.

- Faisal Islam: Burnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules
[13 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
[13 hours old]: Jurors spent weeks hearing about Musk's claim that Altman had "stolen a charity."

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

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

- Standard Chartered to cut thousands of roles as AI use increases
[8 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
[15 hours old]: Energy markets have been on a wild ride as the key Strait of Hormuz waterway remains effectively closed.

- Parents' anger at school buses being axed
[5 hours old]: Parents criticise the Devon school's plan to end school buses at the end of the academic year.

- The charity shop which boosted takings by moving outdoors
[6 hours old]: The shop can now make £2,000 in one day after moving to trade outdoors just one day a week.

- 'I sold it for over £1k': Why people want new Swatch
[3 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.

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and in other older news ...

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

. BBC News app
[9213 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?
[46 hours old]: Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have said they want the UK to rejoin the EU.

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

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

. UK growth forecast upgraded by IMF but risks remain
[22 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
[20 hours old]: The reaction underscores a growing anxiety among students over AI's impact on jobs and their future careers.

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

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

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

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



. 'They took £20,000 I didn't owe': Parents hit by child maintenance errors
[84 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
[45 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
[90 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
[92 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
[93 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
[94 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
[85 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
[88 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
[102 hours old]: As the jury deliberates, this is what we found out during the weeks-long trial with two tech titans at its heart.

. Why does Amazon have no Western rivals?
[28 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'
[30 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
[108 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
[150 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
[132 hours old]: The likes of Apple, Microsoft and Google are all putting cartoon characters centre stage.

. Not so dusty: How tech is changing woodworking
[180 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
[204 hours old]: While hackers used to sneak into computer systems, intimidation of staff is now more common.

. How Sir David Attenborough built 'Green Hollywood'
[245 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
[243 hours old]: Molecules that can capture heat could be a useful technology to decarbonise heating.

. Gulf economies face long-term hit from Iran conflict
[300 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
[348 hours old]: Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.

. Will AI lead to more accurate opinion polls?
[444 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'
[50 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'
[50 hours old]: Northumberland journalist Kate Pasola says there is a need to break down socioeconomic barriers.

. The threat to summer holidays looming from jet fuel shortages
[372 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
[732 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
[1253 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
[1451 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': Swatch launch sparks 'chaotic' scenes
[19 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
[46 hours old]: How Thailand and Vietnam are seeing rapid growth in EV sales and manufacturing

. Watch: What was argued at the Musk-Altman trial?
[93 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.