Jane Austen: Six things
Reuters The new £10 note is the first Bank of England note to include a tactile feature to help visually impaired people. It is 200 years since the death of Jane Austen and while the author is known as one of the world’s greatest writers and has had her portrait unveiled on the new £10 […]
Wirral parents’ YouTube TV channel attracts 200k viewers
A mother and father who created a YouTube channel for toddlers have seen it grow an audience of over 200,000 subscribers. Christian and Amalie Hughes, of Wirral, started Toddler Fun Learning in 2012 after becoming frustrated with the current offerings available for two and three-year-olds. The channel, which has just been bought by a global […]
Israel carries out dozens of air strikes across Syria, reports say
Getty Images Syrian media reports say Israeli warplanes have carried out dozens of attacks across the country, including in the capital, Damascus. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said there were more than 100 strikes on military targets. A research centre with suspected links to chemical weapon production was among the sites hit, […]
Brides-to-be accuse Boris Johnson of drinks reception hypocrisy
Fliss Robertson Fliss Robertson, with her fiancé JP, says: “I am more than happy for Boris to stand up and have a drinks reception to celebrate the football, but only if I can do the same.” Angry brides-to-be have accused Boris Johnson of “hypocrisy” after an image, posted on his Instagram, shows him at a […]
Peloton warns ‘turnarounds are hard’ as losses rise
Getty Images Peloton, the maker of tech-connected exercise bikes, saw its losses spiral in the first three months of the year, as the popularity it enjoyed during the pandemic faded. Revenue dropped 24% compared to last year, driven by sinking demand for bikes and treadmills, the firm said. The company replaced its chief executive in […]
China and US spar over games, apps and AI
Getty Images Activision Blizzard’s treatment of a gamer has prompted protests How much are Western companies are prepared to abandon their principles in order to appease the Chinese government? In the week Apple dropped a controversial app and a games firm suspended an e-sports player for making controversial remarks about Hong Kong, Tech Tent looks […]
Ukraine war causes giant leap in global food prices, says UN
Reuters Ukraine is usually a major producer of cereals such as maize and wheat The Ukraine war led to a “giant leap” in food prices last month to another record high, the United Nations says. The war has cut off supplies from the world’s biggest exporter of sunflower oil which means the costs of alternatives […]
Very few girls took computing A-level
Getty Images The problem begins at primary school, according to the BCS A worrying statistic for the tech industry was revealed in freshly-released A-level data – only 9.8% of those completing a computing course were girls. It comes amid a storm in Silicon Valley over the number of women employed in the tech industry. Experts […]
The Great North Air Ambulance paramedic inspiring young women
A 28-year-old woman has become the youngest Great North Air Ambulance Service paramedic. Hollie Smith from Chester-le-Street joined the charity in January after nine years with the North East Ambulance Service. She has now passed the sign-off process, meaning she can deliver pre-hospital care on the helicopter or critical care car without supervision from another […]
Health department was ‘smoking ruin’ on Covid
Dominic Cummings tells MPs the deal he struck to work at Number 10 The prime minister’s former aide, Dominic Cummings, has criticised the Department of Health as “a smoking ruin in terms of procurement and PPE” at the start of the pandemic. He said that was why Boris Johnson had taken direct control of the […]