First minister backs mentor scheme
Reuters Ms Sturgeon announced her plans at a community enterprise in Portobello First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has marked International Women’s Day by launching a search for a young woman to mentor. It will be the second time Ms Sturgeon has acted as a mentor for the First Mentor initiative. Applicants between the ages of 18 […]
The Rock says people should feel free to sing in cinema
Getty Images Dwayne Johnson has said fans should feel free to sing in the cinema, as he attended the UK premiere of Moana 2. “Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part,” the US star, aka The Rock, told BBC News on the red carpet. Auli’i Cravalho and Johnson are reprising their roles as […]
Two different pregnancies in power
AFP Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after an election rally in Rawalpindi in 2007 Now that New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has hit world headlines by becoming only the second elected head of government to give birth in office, attention has naturally been drawn to the first such leader – Pakistan’s late two-time Prime Minister […]
Modern take on Victorian photography on display in Devon
Abigail Tinnion The photographs were exposed twice to create the idea of ghostly apparitions. A new exhibition of photographs is going on display in Plymouth inspired by Devon folklore and using a technique from the Victorian era. Magic Mirror asked participants to share their creativity to create the images, much like the creation of folk […]
Abused Pelicot family torn apart in public
Reuters Gisèle Pelicot has attended almost all the trial since it began in September At the epicentre of this devastating family drama is Gisèle Pelicot, a diminutive 72-year-old woman, drugged by her former husband and abused for a decade by dozens of strangers he had recruited online. Watching her entering the court in Avignon and […]
Welsh Rugby Union appoints Andrew Williams as final independent board member
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has appointed ex-tech company boss Andrew Williams as its final independent non-executive director. Williams was among the longest-serving chief executives in the FTSE 100 until he retired as head of Halma plc in March after 18 years. The WRU vowed to modernise its board following a series of controversies. “This […]
NRA sues as Florida enacts gun-control law
Reuters The National Rifle Association (NRA) is suing Florida after it passed a gun control law in the wake of a school shooting that left 17 people dead. Governor Rick Scott, a staunch ally of the gun lobby, enacted the bill, which the NRA says violates the constitution. The law raises the legal age for […]
Musk says his new AI chatbot has ‘a little humour’
Getty Images Elon Musk has launched an AI chatbot called Grok on his social media site X, formerly Twitter, but so far it is only available to selected users. “In some important respects, it is the best that currently exists,” he posted on X, before its release. Mr Musk boasted that Grok “loves sarcasm” and […]
What happened when a Canadian city stopped evicting homeless camps
BBC Encampment residents like Andrew Goodsell say Halifax’s skyrocketing rent has made housing unaffordable for many As cities across North America grapple with homelessness, one Canadian city has taken a different approach by regulating tent encampments instead of banning them, as it tries to tackle what one official calls the issue “of the decade”. Andrew […]
Winter Games start amid Covid and boycotts
BBC Keen ice skater Yiyi (right) won’t be able to attend any of the events – no tickets will be sold to the general public The most divided Olympic Games in decades gets under way in China on Friday as Beijing becomes the only city to host both the Summer and now the Winter Games. […]