Police raids over horse meat for export investigation
Getty Images Gardaí (Irish police) investigating suspected horse meat fraud have searched premises across five counties in the Republic of Ireland. They said farms, houses and a commercial building were raided. It is part of an investigation into suspected “tampering with identification passports and microchips of horses presented for slaughter”. RTÉ has reported that detectives […]
The extinct Olympic sport that was the ‘dullest’ of all time
Dave Parrington (Credit: Dave Parrington) In the plunge for distance, any form of exertion was strictly forbidden. William Dickey teeters on the edge of the diving block, contemplating the placid waters of the lake below. He’s a future swimming champion – an elite sportsperson and member of the New York Athletic Club. Only, he doesn’t […]
Tourist boom threatens ancient forests
Xiqing Wang/ BBC Sinkholes in China’s Guangxi province have become a tourist attraction The couple stands on the edge of the sheer limestone cliff. More than 100 metres (328ft) beneath them is a lost world of ancient forests, plants and animals. All they can see is leafy tree tops and hear is the echoes of […]
Scottish retailers report positive start to year
Getty Images Scottish retailers have enjoyed a positive start to the year, according to a regular survey. The SRC-KPMG retail sales monitor found total sales rose year-on-year by 1.3% in January. Adjusted for deflation, the increase was 1.7%. Food sales were particularly strong, rising by 2.7%, with Hogmanay and Burns Night celebrations falling within the […]
Global cyber agencies warn about scammers
Cyber-security experts and agencies around the world are warning people about a wave of opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the IT outage. Although there is no evidence that the CrowdStrike outage was caused by malicious activity, some bad actors are attempting to take advantage. Cyber agencies in the UK and Australia are warning people to […]
Why are British travellers struggling to get home?
Getty Images Around the world there are thousands of Britons desperate to get home. And yet many are stranded. Airports have been closed and borders shut. Cities have been placed in lockdown. Many are trapped in hotels, often with money and food running out. They are sitting on the phone calling airlines or tour operators, […]
Drenched in blood – how Bangladesh protests turned deadly
Reuters An injured protester last week in Dhaka – hospitals struggled to cope with the number of people shot by security forces Anti-government protests have sparked nationwide clashes in Bangladesh between police and university students. At least 150 people have been killed – and some of those caught up in the bloodshed have described to […]
A fashion shoot that went viral and turned Indian slum children into celebrities
Innovation for Change The fashion show was put together by children who live in a slum in Lucknow A video of a fashion shoot in India has gone viral and unexpectedly turned a group of underprivileged school children into local celebrities. The footage shows the children, most of them girls between the ages of 12 […]
After days of escalation, what will Russia’s Putin do next?
Reuters “What will Vladimir Putin do next?” It’s a question I’ve been asked a lot this week. Understandably so. After all, this was the week the Kremlin leader lowered the threshold for the use of Russian nuclear weapons. It was the week the US and UK crossed (another) Putin red line, allowing Ukraine to fire […]
Free shots and beer buckets in party town
Social Media/Handout Holly Bowles, left, was confirmed to have died on Friday, a day after British lawyer Simone White and Australian Bianca Jones For Australian friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, it was their first big trip venturing out to explore the world. Like so many 19-year-olds, they were drawn to the romance of backpacking […]