Libraries in Cornwall encouraging children to read
BBC The National Literacy Trust survey found 35% of eight to 18 year olds said they enjoy reading in their free time Libraries in Cornwall are hosting storytelling sessions for children as a literacy charity said it had recorded its lowest ever number of young people that choose to read for pleasure. The National Literacy […]
Putin threatens Kyiv decision-makers after striking energy grid
Getty Images People hid in a Kyiv subway during Russia’s latest attack Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to attack decision-making centres in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with the country’s new ballistic missile, Oreshnik. Putin was speaking during a visit to Kazakhstan, hours after Russia launched a “Comprehensive” strike on Ukraine’s energy grid overnight, […]
Confusion and fear in refugee camps
AFP Hundreds of refugees protested against the repatriation programme on Thursday No Rohingya refugees voluntarily chose to return to Myanmar from camps in Bangladesh on the first day of a planned repatriation programme. Under a joint deal between the two countries, authorities had wanted to move some 2,000 Rohingya on Thursday. But the UN and […]
How Google is sticking to – and soaring past – its DEI goals
Klawe Rzeczy Melonie Parker, chief diversity officer at Google, talks to the BBC about building better workplaces (Credit: Klawe Rzeczy) Melonie Parker, Google’s chief diversity officer, enters the BBC’s Executive Lounge to talk about “re-recruiting” top talent, and building something bigger than yourself. Commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are forward-looking investments for companies. […]
How coffee forever changed Britain
panom/Getty Images How coffee forever changed Britain (Credit: panom/Getty Images) Coffeehouses helped spread modern democracy, spur the Enlightenment and birth periodical literature. So why did King Charles II’s cronies try to ban them? This story is adapted from the In Our Time radio programme episode Coffee, produced by Simon Tillotson. Listen to more episodes of […]
Hundreds of new homes set to be approved
Sheffield City Council The housing scheme will be part of the first phase of the Attercliffe Waterside development Plans to build hundreds of new homes in Sheffield’s former steelworks heartland are set to take a step forward. The first phase of the Attercliffe Waterside development is expected to be approved by councillors later. They will […]
Bid to keep Dame Barbara Hepworth sculpture in UK
PA Dame Barbara Hepworth created the sculpture in Cornwall in the 1940s A sculpture created in Cornwall by Dame Barbara Hepworth has been given a temporary export bar to prevent it from leaving the UK. Sculpture With Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue And Red, created by Dame Barbara in St Ives during the 1940s, was […]
Trump says coronavirus crisis may last all summer
Trump tells Americans to avoid public spaces US President Donald Trump has said the nationwide coronavirus emergency could last until the end of the summer or even longer. He said Americans over the next 15 days should not gather in groups of more than 10 and avoid bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms and crowds. At […]
The scientist determined to name the last of the dead
BBC Dragana (L) is committed to finishing the gruelling task of identifying the Srebrenica massacre victims Dragana Vucetic was just out of college as a newly qualified forensic anthropologist when she was drawn into one of the darkest episodes of modern European history. The call came to help put names to the unidentified victims of […]
The ‘Flower Men’ of Saudi Arabia
ERIC LAFFORGUE/Alamy Male members of Saudi Arabia’s Qahtan tribe are known as ‘Flower Men’ for their intricately constructed floral headpieces (Credit: ERIC LAFFORGUE/Alamy) Their floral nickname comes from the fact that many Qahtani men traditionally crown their heads with intricate arrangements of herbs, flowers and grasses. It’s a perfect selfie opportunity in the most unlikely […]