Author: BBC

BBCAlex Barry says he sometimes has to run a rural pub and hotel single-handedly Closing entire floors of hotel rooms and offering a £500 reward for new staff are just some of the ways hospitality owners in rural areas say they have had to cope with a “recruitment crisis”.Hotel and restaurant owners said despite things easing in recent months, they still regularly struggled to find enough staff, resulting in reduced opening hours or even the temporary closure of some services.Alex Barry, 21, who manages the Red Lion pub and hotel in Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, said he sometimes faced working an entire…

BBCBillionaire Elon Musk has hailed Twitter as a bastion for freedom of expression ever since he acquired the social media site two years ago. But over the course of 2024, X, as it is now called, has evolved from what felt like a communal town square into a polarised hub where views and posts seem even more controversial. ​​Certain profiles that have shared misleading takes on politics and the news, some of which have been accused of triggering hate, have recently shot to prominence.All of this matters because X might not have as many users as some other major social…

BBC/ G&S TV Productions Ltd./Tom JacksonNessa got down on one knee and asked Smithy to marry her in the 2019 Christmas specialWarning: Contains spoilers.The final episode of Gavin and Stacey is finally here, with millions of fans tuning in to find out whether Smithy said yes.The hit BBC sitcom ended on an incredible cliffhanger in 2019 when Nessa, played by Ruth Jones, got down on one knee in front of Smithy, played by James Corden, and asked him to marry her.But what happened next? Did he say yes?After months of waiting, Gavin and Stacey fans can finally find out, and…

Twenty big cats – including a Bengal tiger and four cougars – have died of bird flu over the past several weeks at an animal sanctuary in the state of Washington. “This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals,” the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington wrote in a post on Facebook. The devastating viral infection, carried by wild birds, spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can also be contracted by mammals that ingest birds or other products.The sanctuary is under quarantine and is closed to the…

Honda and Nissan plan to merge as the two Japanese firms seek to fight back against competition from the Chinese car industry.Joining forces would create one of the world’s biggest car producers alongside Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford.The potentially multibillion dollar deal to combat “the rise of Chinese power” was a key driver behind the plan, said Honda’s chief executive Toshihiro Mibe.Mr Mibe said a plan to “fight back” needs to be in place by 2030, or they risk being “beaten” by rivals.The merger, which would include Mitsubishi – of which Nissan is the biggest shareholder – would allow…

BBCOn a cold day in November, hundreds of people flocked to an arena in Coventry, which has previously hosted gigs by Oasis, Rihanna, and Harry Styles, for an event of a very different kind.The 500 people who turned out – some from as far afield as Mongolia and Canada – were taking part in an activity less known for drawing in crowds: the Rubik’s UK Championship in “speedcubing,” or racing to solve puzzle cubes at terrific speed.Rows of tables were laid out in the arena and 15 events took place over three days. Some involved solving the puzzle one-handed, others…

Liam Payne’s girlfriend has shared a message about experiencing sadness and grief during the Christmas holidays following the singer’s death earlier this year.Payne died in October after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31.Kate Cassidy – who had been in a relationship with the One Direction star since 2022 – said: “As the holidays are here, I realise it is a time for happiness and joy, but it is also a time of sadness and grief for so many.”In an Instagram stories post, she said she was sending love to those “carrying…

PA MediaA recruitment drive for Scotland’s first ever Patient Safety Commissioner has failed for a second time. MSPs passed a law creating the new independent public advocate for NHS patients in September last year.The first round of interviews for the £89,685-a-year role in April failed to produce a suitable candidate and then last month a second round of interviews saw the preferred person then turn the job down.Campaigners have described the latest delay as “incredibly frustrating”. A spokesperson for the Scottish Parliament, which is handling the recruitment process, said the job would be re-advertised in 2025 after a review of…

EPAAmerican Airlines has resumed flights after suspending its services for around an hour on Tuesday due to a technical issue that impacted the systems needed to release its planes.The nationwide halt was cancelled just before 13:00 GMT, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).The disruption came during one of the busiest travel days of the year as passengers made journeys on Christmas Eve.In a statement, the airline said a “vendor technology issue” had caused the issue and it was “all hands on deck” to minimise further disruption.”We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience this morning,” the airline said.”It’s…

Getty ImagesSome Morrisons customers encountered further delays with their Christmas orders more than 24 hours after after the supermarket experienced what it called “systems issues” on Monday. One customer told the BBC she was left waiting for about £200 worth of groceries, another said he struggled to get answers from the firm about his Christmas shop.It follows chaotic scenes at the UK’s fifth biggest supermarket on 23 December – the biggest grocery shopping day of the year – which saw deliveries cancelled and discounts not applied.Morrisons has apologised and says deliveries are back to normal but it has yet to…