Smart motorway deaths: Coffins protest planned
PA Media Claire Mercer, from Rotherham, has campaigned against the use of smart motorways since her husband’s death Campaigners are set to carry 38 coffins across London to the Department for Transport headquarters to demand smart motorways are scrapped. The protest has been organised by Claire Mercer, widow of Jason Mercer, who was killed on […]
UK job vacancies at record high as wages pick up
Getty Images Job vacancies have hit a record high as the UK’s labour market continues to “rebound robustly”, according to the latest official figures. The number of vacancies hit 953,000 in the three months to July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in the three months to June, […]
What now for Aung San Suu Kyi?
Getty Images Aung San Suu Kyi remains hugely popular in Myanmar, but has lost favour in the West How would you describe Myanmar’s military leadership? Few people, speaking freely, would reach for labels of affection. But in 2018, a year after the world watched the horrific expulsion and mass murder of the Rohingya people – […]
Is social media bad for you? The evidence and the unknowns
Getty Images In some cases, social media may enhance well-being (Credit: Getty Images) What the science suggests so far about the impact of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on your mental well-being. #LikeMinded A special series about social media and well-being This month, BBC Future is exploring social media’s impact on mental health […]
Philippines sees a pandemic boom in child sex abuse
BBC Eric and his sister Maria, pictured here, are survivors of years of sexual abuse Seven-year-old Eric giggles, showing off a broad toothless grin, as he talks about space travel in the shade of a garden, surrounded by lush, thick forest, a few hours north of the Philippines’ capital Manila. Eric dreams of flying a […]
Is the new passport really blue or black?
BBC The new passport (left) is a return to the “iconic blue” of the old one, the Home Office says Is the new UK passport blue? Or is the colour really closer to black? The Home Office has issued pictures of the post-Brexit passport, describing it as a return to the “iconic blue” used for […]
The little-known nut that may save at-risk rainforests
Nth Wonder Are kenari nuts about to shoot up in popularity around the world? Food scientist Marcello Giannuzzi asks an intriguing question. “What do Italy and the Indonesian rainforests have in common?” he says. “Gelato,” he quickly answers himself with a smile. While few of us would make a connection between Italian ice cream, and […]
Matthew Mott: Australia’s Meg Lanning on what England can expect from new one-day coach
On an early English summer’s day in 1994, Matthew Mott turned up for a home game at Porthill Park Cricket Club clutching a brown cardboard box. He’d arrived at the North Staffordshire club a month or so before as a quiet, fresh-faced Queenslander looking to enhance his fledgling cricket aspirations with a stint as an […]
Where do midterm elections leave Biden?
Getty Images Joe Biden’s Democrats face a tough battle to keep control of Congress A day after midterm Election Day with no definitive answer about which party will control Congress, President Joe Biden hailed a “good night” but he has immense challenges ahead. Republicans appear to have won or are leading in enough races to […]
Trailer has fans guessing over Cillian Murphy’s fate
Getty Images Will Oscar-winning star Cillian Murphy reprise his 28 Days Later role? It’s been quite the wait, but the highly-anticipated follow-up to horror films 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007) is out next summer, with fans getting their first taste of what’s in store, from the trailer for 28 Years Later. […]