Birmingham director celebrates Nativity! 15 years on
The Birmingham-born writer and director of the Christmas musical comedy film, Nativity! has said it is “amazing” how many people still know and love it. It has been 15 years since the release of the film, largely shot in Coventry, which follows a primary school teacher who lies about Hollywood bigwigs coming to watch his […]
Afghanistan bank boss warns sector near collapse
WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP A Taliban fighter walks in front of people waiting outside a bank in Kabul Afghanistan’s banking system is near to collapse, the boss of one of the nation’s biggest lenders has told the BBC. Syed Moosa Kaleem Al-Falahi, the Chief Executive of the Islamic Bank of Afghanistan, said the country’s financial industry is […]
Kate Green appointed as shadow education secretary
UK Parliament Kate Green has been a Labour MP since 2010 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Kate Green as his new shadow education secretary. He said he was “delighted” to appoint Ms Green, who has campaigned against educational inequalities. Ms Green, a Labour MP since 2010, said it was a “privilege” to have […]
Will this be the happiest place in the world?
Getty Images All smiles? (Credit: Getty Images) Here’s why this country is upping its bid to become the cheeriest nation. Can the state engineer a happy country? We seek to create a society where our people’s happiness is paramount, by sustaining an environment in which they can truly flourish Getty Images A water taxi in […]
The Wombats to headline Liverpool’s On the Waterfront festival
The Wombats said they were “so excited” to be announced as headliners for the opening night of the On The Waterfront festival “back where it all began”. The Liverpool trio will headline the four-day festival at the city’s Pier Head on 19 June in what is being billed as the band’s “biggest hometown show to […]
Food and farming sector makes post-Brexit demands
Getty Images The food and farming industry wants assurances from the government that it will still be able to recruit enough staff from the EU after Brexit. The demand came as part of a manifesto drawn up by more than 100 organisations across the industry and sent to the PM. It urges the government to […]
Jo Swinson will not contest Lib Dem leadership
PA A Lib Dem MP tipped to become the party’s next leader has ruled herself out of the race. Jo Swinson, who regained her East Dunbartonshire seat at the general election, had been the bookies’ favourite to replace Tim Farron. But she said she would seek to become deputy leader instead. Mr Farron quit last […]
Help young women to pursue STEM careers, MPs told
Georgijevic / Getty Images Studies show woman are less likely to pursue STEM careers than men, although some are bucking the trend Young women must be given more help to follow careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), MPs have heard. Emma Morgan, 18, and Victoria Searle, 24, shared experiences of work and study […]
A new island of hope rising from the Indian Ocean
Hassan Mohamed The new, artificial island of Hulhumalé was built using millions of cubic metres of sand pumped from the seabed (Credit: Hassan Mohamed) The modern island of Hulhumale is taking shape 8km off the north-east coast of Malé island in the Maldives in direct response to the threat posed by inexorably rising sea levels. […]
‘Day the world stood still’ and ‘holidays in chaos’
The cybersecurity bug that caused IT outages around the world on Friday dominates the front pages. The Daily Express asks, “How on earth did a digital pandemic paralyse the world?”, while the Daily Mirror dubs it “the day the world stood still”. The Daily Telegraph carries a warning from insurance comparison site MoneySupermarket that “hundreds” […]