The island where people eat puffins
Getty Images The seabirds’ cute appearance is a big lure for tourists. But for inhabitants of a remote corner of Iceland, the taste of puffin is a reminder of home, writes Ros Jones. You need a strong stomach to take the boat to the Arctic island of Grimsey. When you board the ferry at Dalvik […]
How Moon missions changed the modern world
Nasa The Apollo programme took humanity to the Moon but also changed the face of technology back here on Earth. Astronaut Mike Massimino was six years old when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their first steps on the Moon in 1969. “That’s what inspired me to go into space,” Massimino says. “I remember thinking […]
Victims ‘stuck in limbo for years’
Getty Images Suspected trafficking or modern slavery victims are being put at risk by delays in the system designed to protect them, a BBC investigation has found. Government documents obtained by Radio 4’s File on 4 show 2,200 people waiting more than a year for a decision on their status in the UK. Memos reveal […]
Porton Down experts assist Lincolnshire mustard gas clear up
Lincolnshire Police Lincolnshire Police said 140 mustard gas canisters have been unearthed from two sites near Woodhall Spa Top military research specialists have been called in to help with a major decontamination operation after 150 mustard gas canisters were uncovered. Porton Down specialists were brought in after the discovery near Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire on 1 […]
Dame Sarah Storey ‘gutted’ to be out of Dancing on Ice
ITV plc The swimmer-turned-cyclist had hit the ice rink after winning Paralympic gold again in Paris Dame Sarah Storey has said she is “absolutely gutted” to have to pull out of the upcoming series of Dancing on Ice after fracturing her ankle falling over in training. Britain’s most successful Paralympian posted on social media on […]
Private firms bid to run Isle of Man government-owned abattoir
Isle of Man Meat Plant Last year the government spent more than £2m to refurbish the plant Private firms are bidding to run a government-owned abattoir to make it less reliant on grants. The Tromode plant on the Isle of Man is run by a co-operative of farmers and has been in operation since 1934. […]
Riding the virtual Trans-Siberian
With a virtual reality train trip available, people never have to leave home to cross Siberia. But are they missing out on the best part of the trip? Not doing anything for six days? How about taking the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Vladivostok for free? That is what a Google/Russian Railways project has begun […]
Chinese social media giant Weibo’s shares fall in Hong Kong debut
Chesnot Social media giant Weibo has made its Hong Kong stock market debut as Chinese technology firms come under intense pressure at home and abroad. Weibo’s shares lost more than 7% in the first day of trading. The firm joins other major Chinese technology companies, including Alibaba and JD.com, which are listed in both the […]
‘Wasn’t our call’ to cancel Stereophonics Cardiff gigs
Getty Images Stereophonics have had seven UK number one albums and one UK number one single “It wasn’t our call” for Stereophonics to cancel their two gigs as coronavirus started to take hold in the UK, a sound engineer at the concerts has said. But Stereophonics’ sound engineer Dave Roden said calling off a concert […]
Inside story of Elon Musk’s space dream
SpaceX (Credit: SpaceX) The best of the week’s reads in science and technology, including Elon Musk’s ambitious space plan, and the disastrous birth of weather forecasting. When the banks tanked, the hipsters kept Britain going. The “flat white economy” of tech, marketing and media makes up 8% of British GDP – “the size of the […]