Indonesia ‘may blacklist Leonardo DiCaprio over palm oil comments’
In posts on his Instagram account, Mr DiCaprio said he was working to save the Leuser ecosystem, “the last place on Earth where Sumatran orang-utans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild”. On Twitter, he posted, external a link to a petition addressed to the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, calling for the area to […]
Forty years on, miners strike divisions ‘have never gone away’
Luke Jarmyn South Scotland reporter, BBC Scotland news website Rab Wilson Rab Wilson at Barony Colliery near Auchinleck in 1983 Memories of throwing stones at “scabs”, soup kitchens, and Arthur Scargill rallies during the miners’ strike remain, for many, as fresh as ever 40 years on. For mine workers at the heart of the industrial […]
Moroccans without masks in public risk jail terms
EPA A company that normally makes bakery equipment in Morocco is now making protective masks Moroccans who venture outside their homes without wearing face masks risk prison sentences of up to three months and a fine of up to $126 (£102). The new order takes effect on Tuesday for those leaving their homes during the […]
Hollywood Bowl says minimum wage rise may lead to higher prices
The boss of Hollywood Bowl has said the firm may need to raise prices next year to cover a “quite painful” increase in the UK’s minimum wage. Chief executive Stephen Burns told the BBC the rise had meant an “unexpected hit” for the business. His comments came as the UK’s largest 10-pin bowling operator reported […]
The secret to perfect skin, or marketing hype?
Getty Images (Credit: Getty Images) Collagen supplements might make your skin more elastic – but the evidence is weak. Collagen is hugely hyped. This protein, which is important to the structure of skin and joints, has been presented as a miracle cure for everything from wrinkles to poor sleep. Production of collagen, the most abundant […]
Minimum wage should rise to £15 for all workers, says TUC
Lucy Hooker Business reporter, BBC News Getty Images The minimum wage in the UK should rise to £15 an hour “as soon as possible”, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says. This rate should apply to workers of all ages, instead of the current lower rate for under-23s, it said. Minimum wage is £9.50 an hour […]
Thames Water secures £750m cash injection
Shareholders in Thames Water have agreed to provide a further £750m in funding as the company attempts to fight the threat of government control. Thames also said it would be looking for an extra £2.5bn between 2025 and 2030. The water firm has faced criticism over sewage discharges and leaks and is struggling under a […]
Ofwat complacent over Thames Water affair
Reuters Ofwat has been accused of being “complacent” over the Thames Water affair, which has seen it lose its chief executive and face collapse over its massive debts. The company is fighting for survival and has until early next year to stave off temporary nationalisation. MP Sir Robert Goodwill said the regulator had questions to […]
Growing anger in Iran over cost of chicken as sanctions bite
One popular cartoon shows a chicken fitted with security cameras and a sign saying “burglar alarm in operation”. Another shows some surprised looking airline pilots watching a chicken sail by their cockpit window, propelled into the stratosphere by soaring prices. But it is clear from the phone calls the BBC Persian service has received over […]
The last legal sex workers in Tunisia
BBC For decades state-regulated brothels have existed in Tunisia. They remain legal, but pressure from women’s rights activists and religious conservatives has forced nearly all of them to close, as Shereen El Feki reports. “I wake up at seven in the morning. I wash my face, I do my make-up. I go into the hall, […]