The last places on Earth with no invasive species
The sea lamprey, an invasive species in the Great Lakes, where it feeds on the blood of fish (SPL) Pockets of land and water that are free from ‘alien’ species are few and far between, finds Rachel Nuwer. Yet could we reverse the tide of these pests? When Piero Genovesi received my email, his interest […]
Report suggests ‘low friction’ Brexit border solution
Reuters A customs expert has outlined a “low friction” solution for the Irish border after Brexit, which involves a combination of technology and international best practice. He says there will need to be a customs and border solution, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. He based it on an enhanced version of the […]
Chorleywood blind girl with brain tumour presents her own show
Justin Dealey/BBC Betsy Griffin said she had always loved music from the ’50s and ’60s An 11-year-old girl who is blind and has a brain tumour said she had fulfilled her “dream” of presenting her own radio show. Betsy Griffin, from Chorleywood, Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with the tumour when she was two. Earlier this year […]
The invisible network that keeps the world running
The view arriving at Yantian Port in China (Kate Davies/Unknown Fields) One of the world’s most dazzling engineering feats is largely hidden from view. Travelling with a group called Unknown Fields, Tim Maughan stepped on board a container ship to investigate the humungous, algorithmically-controlled network that supplies most of what you own. It’s been just […]
How the country became the world’s ‘economic miracle’
Getty Images It took China less than 70 years to emerge from isolation and become one of the world’s greatest economic powers. As the country celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, we look back on how its transformation spread unprecedented wealth – and deepened inequality – across the Asian […]
Why Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man shows what’s wrong with Marvel
Alamy (Credit: Alamy) Twenty years ago, the first in the director’s web-slinger trilogy set the course for the modern superhero film – but none of its descendants have ever matched it, writes Kambole Campbell “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” Through all of Spider-Man’s variations and different authors and artists, those final […]
Fifa to stop selling in-game currency in Belgium
ELECTRONIC ARTS Gambling laws in Belgium will soon stop Fifa players in the country from buying the in-game currency Fifa Points. Game maker Electronic Arts (EA) has told players they’ll only be able to earn Fifa Points from completing in-game challenges in future. The points allow people to buy in-game packs which randomly generate items […]
The most disgusting film of 2022?
Platform After winning Cannes’ top prize for The Square, director Ruben Östlund is back with a cruise liner comedy that’s an excruciating, vomit-filled ‘assault on the super-rich’, writes Nicholas Barber. Actually, that’s not entirely fair, because although Östlund makes his points with unapologetic frankness, the Swedish writer-director’s first English-language film shows that he is still […]
‘I was kidnapped in London and trafficked for sex’
BBC Anna came to London from Romania intending to study, but first she needed to earn some money. She took temporary jobs – waitressing, cleaning, maths tutoring. Then one day in March 2011 she was snatched off the street, flown to Ireland and put through nine months of hell. Anna was nearly home. There was […]
‘People fade away without human company’
BBC/Vanessa Engle GPs in England will be able to prescribe social activities to combat loneliness as part of a new government strategy. A cooking class, a group walk or even a spot of dancing could be prescribed by GPs in England to reduce pressure on the NHS caused by loneliness. The government’s new loneliness strategy […]