BRITAIN’S ICONIC RED PHONE BOOTHS SAVED FROM REMOVAL

Thousands of Britain’s iconic red phone booths will be protected from removal under new rules, the U.K.’s telecommunications regulator said Tuesday. The public payphones may look like relics in an age of smartphones, but regulator Ofcom said they can still be a “lifeline” for people in need. The regulator is proposing rules to prevent 5,000 payphones in areas with poor mobile coverage from being closed down. Phone company BT says more than 6,500 unused call boxes have been converted into mini community libraries, art galleries or storage units for public defibrillators.