‘Johannes Kepler’ space freighter heads to station
Europe’s space freighter, Johannes Kepler, external, has been blasted into orbit by an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. The robotic truck is heading to the space station with new supplies of food, air, fuel, and experiments, as well as other equipment. Kepler weighed just over 20 tonnes at launch, making it the biggest payload […]
Five ways Paul Dacre’s Daily Mail left its mark on Britain
Getty Images Paul Dacre is stepping down as editor of the Daily Mail, after 26 years at the helm of the UK’s second-biggest daily paid-for newspaper. Often controversial, always campaigning, the paper has millions of loyal readers, and more than a few in the corridors of Westminster. So how has Paul Dacre, as one of […]
Snow chaos: Heathrow boss gives up bonus as delays ease
British Airways says it has cancelled 2,000 flights and diverted 40 fully-laden planes to other airports around the UK and Europe over the past six days, one of its busiest periods of the year. It hopes to operate a full long-haul departure schedule from Heathrow on Thursday and Christmas Eve and is using larger planes […]
IBM abandons ‘biased’ facial recognition tech
Getty Images A US government study suggested facial recognition algorithms were less accurate at identifying African-American faces Tech giant IBM is to stop offering facial recognition software for “mass surveillance or racial profiling”. The announcement comes as the US faces calls for police reform following the killing of a black man, George Floyd. In a […]
Where are the women in Hollywood?
(Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images) While a number of high-profile producer credits may suggest otherwise, the situation for women working in Hollywood is dire – and getting worse, says Tom Brook. You could be led to believe that women in Hollywood have never had it so good. After all, the just-released mystery thriller Gone Girl – with […]
In Vietnam digital systems are helping farmers
Quang Doan Hong There are about 600 pigs on Quang Doan Hong’s farm Quang Doan Hong is a busy person. The accountant, who lives with his family in Hưng Yên, Vietnam, also owns a farm with about 600 pigs. He’s had to learn quickly about pig health, from which vaccines are effective to when to […]
How everyday clothing is becoming more luxurious
Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images/ Uniqlo (Credit: Serenity Strull/ BBC/ Getty Images/ Uniqlo) Influential designer and creative director Clare Waight Keller on her move from Givenchy to Uniqlo, “re-defining what luxury is today” – and how Seoul street style is predicting what we wear. Last week, Clare Waight Keller flew from London to Tokyo, grabbed […]
Qatar’s investment to feed its growing population
With a rapidly-growing population and more than 90% of its food needs met through imports, the state of Qatar has begun investing heavily in improving its food security. While working to improve and maintain relationships with its providers, Qatar is also setting several challenges for its own agricultural industry to help address the imbalance. Stephanie […]
Pakistan court suspends former PM’s corruption sentence
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Imran Khan has been in Attock jail since being handed a three-year sentence earlier this month (file photo) Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has had his three-year sentence for corruption suspended, but it is unclear if he will be freed from jail. The Islamabad High Court gave him bail until his appeal over […]
A pick of what’s coming up
Getty Images Many of us have felt a more pressing need to find our own corner of heaven over the last two years, and some have found theirs between the covers of a book. Despite the fragility of the wider economy, £1.1bn has been spent on 128 million books in the UK since mid-March, when […]