Online ‘crackdown’ and election prediction
AFP Mrs May is due to make a statement to Parliament ahead of an expected debate on Thursday on the next steps for Brexit The Guardian reports that Theresa May hopes to convince the Commons to give her another fortnight’s grace to keep pushing for changes to her Brexit withdrawal agreement – in spite of […]
BBC celebrates success at Midlands TV awards
BBC Nicola Goodwin from BBC Midlands won the Breakthrough on Screen Unscripted award Journalists, artists and programme-makers celebrated success at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Midlands Awards on Friday. Steven Knight’s BBC drama This Town, filmed in Birmingham and Coventry, took home three awards from the ceremony at ICC Birmingham. Meanwhile BBC journalists Navtej Johal […]
Just 20 firms behind more than half of single-use plastic waste
Getty Images Traditionally, the biggest use of plastics is in packaging and it tends to be used just once before being thrown away Just 20 companies are the source of more than half of all the single-use plastic items thrown away globally. That’s the conclusion of analysis of the corporate network behind plastic production. The […]
Tech preview of the show’s coolest new products
WATCH: First look at an electric virtual reality suit that shocks gamers that will be at CES 2018 All aboard the (self-driving) bus – next stop, CES: Las Vegas’ annual gigantic tech fest. About 4,000 companies – many of them start-ups – are arriving in town this weekend. Over the coming days, they will reveal […]
A 36-year-old Jeff Bezos on Amazon
Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) Amazon was once Jeff Bezos’s “famously unprofitable company”, as the former CEO said in an exclusive 2000 BBC Newsnight interview. Nearly 25 years on, the ubiquitous company has become one of a handful of companies in the world valued at over $2 trillion. On 8 June 2000, the BBC presenter […]
Zayn Malik pays tribute in Liam Payne’s hometown of Wolverhampton
Getty Images Malik is paying tribute to former bandmate Liam Payne every night on stage during his tour Singer Zayn Malik has paid tribute on stage to Liam Payne in his former One Direction bandmate’s hometown of Wolverhampton. According to videos on social media Malik, who is on tour, said he hoped the late star […]
Anger grows for stranded crew on forgotten cruises
Getty Images The cruise ship industry suspended its operations in mid-March due to the pandemic When Caio Saldanha and his fiancée Jessica Furlan arrived in the US in early March, they were looking forward to a new life working on board a lavish cruise ship. Working on Celebrity Cruise’s Celebrity Infinity was supposed to be […]
Influencers and followers need more protection, say MPs
Getty Images MPs are calling for more protection for social media influencers and the children who follow them. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee says the growth of online culture has rapidly outpaced current employment and advertising regulations. Their report details how some child influencers are at risk of exploitation. They also warn […]
Sea sponges offer lifeline to women in Zanzibar
Lauraclara Cosmas Sea sponge farming is offering a lifeline to single mothers and divorced women in Zanzibar (Credit: Lauraclara Cosmas) As ocean temperatures rise, single mothers and divorced women in Zanzibar switch from seaweed to sea sponge farming to stay afloat. As a gentle morning breeze blows across the Zanzibar shore, Hindu Simai Rajabu walks […]
Meta breaches law by charging for ad-free social media, EU says
The European Commission says Facebook owner Meta’s “pay or consent” advertising model is in breach of its laws. Under the tech giant’s new service in the EU, users must either consent to receiving personalised ads or pay €12.99 (£11) a month to remove them. The Commission has told Meta it has taken “the preliminary view” […]