Tech

A large cargo ship which ran aground in a Devon harbour has been refloated.

Rob Parsons, Teignmouth harbour master, said the ship was refloated at about 18:00 BST and had been berthed alongside the harbour wall.

The vessel from Amsterdam, which was carrying animal feed, had become stuck at about 06:00 and was refloated on the evening tide.

Mr Parsons said there had been no injuries on the boat which would be surveyed for damage.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident and was "making initial inquiries".

An ice cream parlour owner says he was struggling to make a profit due to the rising costs of ingredients, including chocolate going up by more than 240% in two years.

Ben Govier, who runs Dylan's Ice Cream in Haslemere, Surrey, says since 2023 the cost of the chocolate sprinkles he buys has also increased by 203% and the cost of cocoa powder has risen by more than 140%.

Mr Govier, who started selling ice cream in 2008, said he only had to increase his prices by 20p in his first ten years in business – but has now introduced a 50p increase.

"March and April have been really good. We have never been this busy. But we didn't make any money. It was insane," he said.

Mr Govier added: "The ice cream is more expensive to make [and] everyone obviously knows the electricity bills are mad."

He said he increased his prices after the business "absorbed as much of this as possible for as long we could".

He explained that the cost of milk powder had also gone up by 55% in two years and regular sprinkles cost 83% more.

In a post on the business' social media page, Mr Govier said: "The cost of everything we buy at the moment – packaging, energy, staffing and especially ingredients – is absolutely unbelievable."

He said if the cost of ingredients continued to rise he would have to think about staying closed during the winter.

People are being urged to take care on Dartmoor at the weekend due to heightened fire danger.

The Fire Severity Index showed the risk of fire rising from "high" to "very high" on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people are set to converge on Dartmoor later to take part in the 63rd Ten Tors challenge.

Fire crews and rangers battled a blaze spanning 1,232 acres of central Dartmoor last weekend.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority said the index also showed large swathes of the moor would also be on "high" alert on Sunday.

Simon Lee, Dartmoor National Park's head ranger, said: "We're asking everyone to stay safe and respect Dartmoor.

"Leaving barbecues at home, disposing of glass bottles and cigarettes responsibly and taking all litter home are simple actions but will help prevent the risk of a fire breaking out."

The authority reminded visitors on the moor to respect by-laws by not lighting open fires and follow all advisory notices and warning signs.

It said robust contingency plans were in place for Ten Tors – including "weather monitoring and preparation and all routes avoiding rare bird nesting areas".

A road safety scheme where drivers report other motorists' bad driving by submitting dashcam footage has proved "incredibly effective", a police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

Last year, Operation Snap received more than 16,200 video clips of careless, dangerous or reckless driving, which had a "remarkable" success rate for prosecution of nearly 85%.

Those who were found guilty faced instant bans, warning letters, fines, penalty points, and court appearances in the most serious cases.

West Midlands PCC Simon Foster is now investing £165,000 to expand the scheme, and people have been urged to keep submitting footage.

Mr Foster said: "Preventing and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads is a top priority.

"Operation Snap is proving to be an incredibly effective tool in holding careless, dangerous and reckless drivers to account."

He said the funding was to send "a clear message" that careless, reckless and dangerous driving will not be tolerated across the West Midlands police area, covering Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Wolverhampton.

Ch Supt Andrew Parsons, who leads the Operation Snap team, said the funding would "significantly increase our capacity to review and process the footage submitted by the public".

Funds will see the force expand the team's officers and resources to increase the efficiency of processing footage, enhance the quality of investigations and carry out increased enforcement.

The government has been urged to take action after research found more than half of London's short-term holiday let properties are being rented out unlawfully.

A report by Central London Forward, a partnership of inner city boroughs, revealed more than 50% of the 117,000 short-term lets listed across the capital in 2024 were booked for more than 90 days a year, in breach of regulations.

Westminster City Council leader Adam Hug said: "This concentration has a profound effect on our local communities."

A government spokesman said: "We will introduce a short-term let registration scheme to reap the benefits of a thriving tourist economy while protecting the spirit of our communities."

'Waste and noise complaints'

Landlords cannot legally rent out their homes in the capital for more than 90 nights a year under regulations.

They are only allowed to let their homes out for more than 90 nights a year, on short-term lets, if they receive planning permission from the council.

Speaking at the Centre for London think tank's annual housing summit on Wednesday, Mr Hug said his borough was "at the epicentre of the problem", with short-term lets concentrated in "the West End, Bayswater, Lancaster Gate and parts of Pimlico".

He added: "It can hollow out long-term residents, making neighbours subject to significant noise disruption, fly-tipped waste linked to short-term let properties.

"But it also impacts the council services which have to pick up the waste, respond to the noise complaints and deal with pressure in the local housing market, as we see private rents rise year on year."

Central London Forward's report, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), found the number of short-term lets in London has risen over the last decade.

In 2015, there were fewer than 30,000 short-term lets in London, which more than doubled throughout 2016 to 60,000, peaking at over 100,000 in 2019.

The numbers of short-term lets then "fell dramatically" in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, before making a "steady recovery," the report added.

'Completely inadequate'

The report calls on ministers to force short-term let rental websites "to share individualised, unit-level data with local authorities and the government" and to introduce a mandatory national registration scheme for the sector.

"At the moment, it isn't possible for local authorities to effectively, at scale, enforce the existing regulations," said Mr Hug.

He added that holiday let websites will often "mask where the properties are, putting it on a street a couple of roads away, and not being clear what building it's in".

The Labour councillor added: "It means that hard-pressed planning enforcement teams are really struggling to build the evidence base to get the court to enforce the 90-day rule.

"In order to better regulate the market, and to empower local authorities, we really do need national government to step up."

The report was endorsed by Tom Copley, Sir Sadiq Khan's deputy mayor for housing, who said with 65,000 homeless households in London living in temporary accommodation, "we need to bring those properties back into use as long-term rented properties, or long-term properties for people to buy and live in as owner-occupiers".

A government spokesman told the LDRS the short-term let sector has seen rapid growth in recent years.

They said: "This can bring economic benefits to the economy and tourism industry, but we know that having excessive concentrations of short-term lets in an area can drive up housing costs and harm local communities.

"That's why we have abolished the furnished holiday lets tax regime so that landlords are no longer incentivised by the tax system to rent homes as holiday lets.

"We continue to consider further action."

Four new bus routes will start operating in Leicestershire this summer.

Operator Arriva has said four routes will begin in June and July on behalf of Leicestershire County Council.

From 2 June, the LC14 from Hinckley to Fosse Park and LC16 from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to Loughborough, via Shepshed, will run from Monday to Saturday.

And from 14 July, the LC12 weekday service from Witherley to Measham, via Market Bosworth, and the Monday to Saturday LC15 route from Coalville to Leicester, via Markfield and Anstey, will launch.

Volunteers are celebrating after breaking their own record for tree planting in a single season.

Each year, Stroud Valleys Project (SVP) in Gloucestershire plants trees to support national and regional environmental targets.

Founded in 1988, SVP works with communities and organisations throughout the district to improve green spaces and protect habitats.

In the 2022/23 season, the team planted 6,000 trees and hedgerow plants. The following year, they increased that number to 8,500 but between November 2024 and March 2025, they managed 19,139 trees.

"We're incredibly proud of all the trees we've planted throughout Stroud and the surrounding towns and villages," said Clare Mahdiyone, SVP's CEO.

"Not only have we exceeded our target, we think it's fair to say we absolutely smashed it."

She credited project officer Stuart Roweth for helping the team reach their ambitious goal.

Voters heading to the polls next week on the Isle of Man will, for the first time, be able to choose where in their constituency to cast their ballot.

Polling stations will be open from 08:00 until 20:00 BST on Thursday in five local authority general elections – Castletown, Douglas South, Patrick, Peel, and Ramsey North.

Following the successful trial of an app developed by the Government Technology Service at the 2021 House of Keys general election in Douglas South, people will be able to vote at any polling station in their constituency.

The software is used to check voters in at polling stations. A live link into the electoral register will ensure that voters can only cast one ballot.

'Accessibility needs'

In addition to offering convenience for voters, the elections team said the move would "allow voters with additional needs to identify a venue that best suits their accessibility needs".

Those with additional accessibility requirements have been advised to check the facilities of their polling station online or contact their deputy returning officer for advice.

There are 21 local authorities on the island and elections take place every four years.

All registered voters within the five contested local authorities or districts will receive a polling card by post.

This will detail their designated polling station as well as alternatives within the constituency.

Voters have been advised that while they do not need to bring their polling cards to vote, those who have not received one should contact their deputy returning officer.

The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 17:00 on Wednesday.

People are heading to the polls to pick the next president of Gabon, where for the first time in decades a Bongo family member is not on the ballot.

Former President Ali Bongo was forced from power 19 months ago by coup mastermind Gen Brice Oligui Nguema, who in turn has changed the constitution to allow him to run in Saturday's election.

A total of eight candidates are in the running to become president, with only one woman in the race – Gninga Chaning Zenaba.

Other presidential challengers include former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-by-Nze, who served under the Bongo regime, as well as two stalwarts of the former ruling PDG party, Stéphane Germain Iloko and Alain Simplice Boungouères.

Election results could start being announced on Sunday, but officials can continue the count into next week.

Close to one million people are expected to vote in Gabon and its diaspora.

• Who is Gen Brice Oligui Nguema?
• Why Gabon's coup leader is bucking a trend by embracing democracy

The small oil- and timber-rich central African nation is home to just 2.5 million people. Despite its resources, about 35% of the population still live below the poverty line of $2 (£1.50) a day.

During the two-week campaign period, most of the candidates prioritised reacing voters in the interior while rallies in the capital, Libreville, were limited.

Yet large numbers of posters and billboards for Oligui Nguema dominate Libreville's streets, with very few of his rivals' adverts visible.

"I will vote for the builder Oligui Nguema," reads a campaign message on the top of taxi driver Landry Obame-Mezui's vehicle, who likes the junta leader because he "came in with a new way of doing things – action before speeches".

But critics of Oligui Nguema say he has presided over an unfair transitional and electoral process, ushering in a new constitution and electoral code designed to favour his own candidacy in the election, despite his promise to hand over power to civilians.

An upper age limit was also introduced, making one of Oligui Nguema's most popular opposition rivals Albert Ondo Ossa ineligible.

Go "back to the barracks," was the jibe from the man seen as Oligui Nguema's closest rival in the vote, Bilie-by-Nze. He considers himself the change the country needs, but his closeness to the ousted regime still attracts criticism from some.

After 55 successive years under President Omar Bongo and his son Ali Bongo, Gabonese people have told the BBC that all they have wanted is an end to the embezzlement, cronyism, indebtedness and unemployment they have endured.

"Our expectation is to have a new Gabon that is well-governed, well-managed, where there is social justice, equity and equal chances," said registered voter Noel Kounta. "We want a developed and prosperous Gabon".

"I would like the [next] president to focus more on jobs," said 30-year-old pharmacist Shonnys Akoulatele, who also said she was underpaid in her current profession.

"The unemployment rate is so high, so they should at least show some compassion towards this issue, especially in the private sector."

Polls are set to close at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) on Saturday.

More BBC stories on Gabon:

• Why does France have military bases in Africa?
• Self-medicating gorillas may hold new drugs clues
• Gabon's predators on the pitch: Inside a paedophile football scandal

The Times leads on an interview with the prime minister, with the headline "Starmer hails Brexit reset". According to the paper, Starmer will announce his EU youth mobility plans when he welcomes European leaders to London on Monday, as part of a wider deal with the bloc.

The Conservatives and Reform UK have warned the scheme, under which young people could move for up to two years, would bring a return of free movement. The prime minister has told the paper that isn't the case.

In an interview with the Guardian, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves suggests the government is looking for closer ties with the European Union. It's headline reads: "UK on path to deeper EU relationship." Reeves is quoted as saying Monday's UK-EU summit would not be a one-off.

Prime Minister Starmer is prepared to make a U-turn on his plans to cut winter fuel payments, according to the Daily Express, which has "Finally some sense" in its headline.

The Daily Mirror also welcomes "new hope on winter fuel". It says the prime minister has refused to rule out making more people eligible for the allowance.

Parking fines could "rocket" to more than £120, according to the Daily Mail. The paper says ministers are reviewing the cap on tickets issued by councils in England and Wales, in what it calls a "major blow for millions of hard-pressed motorists".

The Financial Times says the pharmaceutical firm, Novo Nordisk, has fired its chief executive. Shares in the company – which makes the obesity drug, Ozempic – have halved in the past year, according to the paper. Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told the FT that he didn't regret his decisions as head of the company.

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