“Forbidden” song haunts South Korea’s Suneung students
A brief yearly silence has once again enveloped South Korea, as half a million students across the country sit for the most important test of their lives. Planes were grounded, construction work halted, and car honking discouraged as the Suneung, an eight-hour university placement exam billed as one of the toughest in the world, kicked […]
Man seen rescuing trapped children in Valencia floods
A man is now being dubbed a “local hero” after a video of him smashing a door to take four children to safety went viral on social media. Daniel Burguet was trapped inside the Whitby English language school in Paiporta, Valencia with the children, one of whom was his 11-year-old daughter, unable to reach a […]
Covid and ethics reshape Thailand’s tourism industry
BBC Kwanmueang and his mahout Lek have returned to their home town as the tourism industry changes As he ambles in for his annual health check, Kwanmueang’s size takes your breath away. Nearly three metres high at the shoulder, weighing at least four tonnes, and with spectacular tusks that curve together until they almost touch, […]
Watch industry’s glamour show opens amid sales recovery
Stefan Schmidlin Last year’s Baselworld attracted 135,000 visitors and 4,400 journalists We may live in increasingly digital times, but there is still a part of the globe where analogue rules. Welcome to Baselworld, the biggest watch and jewellery show on the planet. For the next six days, almost 800 exhibitors will be displaying their latest […]
Anne Frank and the cult of the diary
(Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy) From Samuel Pepys to Bridget Jones, the private journal combines the mundane with the confessional. Lucy Scholes reveals why the diary still fascinates readers. It’s a story so well-known it doesn’t need much elaboration. On 6 July 1942, just a month after Anne Frank received the diary that’s since become […]
Guernsey Energy new repair technique aims to minimise disruption
Guernsey Energy The technique, called STASS, was used for the first time in the Channel Islands Guernsey Energy has trialled a new technique to recondition gas pipes while carrying out recent network maintenance work in Vauvert. The technique, called STASS (System Two Assess Survey and Seal), uses a sealant to internally repair joints on metallic […]
Glastonbury Festival 2025 first tickets to go on sale
The first chance to buy tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2025 will take place later, with coach packages going on sale at 18:00 GMT. The festival will take place from 25 to 29 June 2025 at Worthy Farm, Somerset, before a fallow year in 2026. Coach tickets will be available to buy at 18:00 GMT on […]
Moment police officer rescues man trapped in submerged car
Bodycam footage released by the Phoenix Police Department has shown the dramatic moment an officer smashed the sunroof of a submerged vehicle to rescue a man trapped inside. The US man told officers that he “accidentally stepped on the gas too hard” before driving the vehicle into a pool. The Phoenix Police Department confirmed no […]
Tier 2 restrictions in Yorkshire explained
LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images West Yorkshire and York have been placed under tier two – high alert restrictions Restrictions have been introduced in West Yorkshire and York after both were placed into the “high” category on the Covid-19 three-tier scale. Tighter restrictions were initially in place in Leeds, Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale for several weeks, but […]
Co-leader Sian Berry quits over transgender rights row
PA Media Green Party co-leader Sian Berry has announced she will stand down this autumn, blaming “inconsistency” among party figures over transgender rights. Ms Berry, who backs the party’s policy of “self-determination of gender”, said others had sent “mixed messages”. She joins Jonathan Bartley in choosing not to run again for co-leader. The Green Party […]