Pesticides linked to bee deaths found in most honey samples
Simon Rowell Three quarters of the honey samples in this study showed traces of neonicotinoids A new study has found traces of neonicotinoid chemicals in 75% of honey samples from across the world. The scientists say that the levels of the widely used pesticide are far below the maximum permitted levels in food for humans. […]
The tactics behind President Xi Jinping’s red-carpet welcome
Getty Images With pomp and splendour, China has welcomed Africans leaders to Beijing this week for a summit to strengthen ties at a time of increasing political and economic turmoil around the world. “It appeals to their vanities,” Macharia Munene, a Kenya-based professor of international relations tells the BBC, referring to the red carpet welcome […]
Poppies and a cathedral in colour
BBC There are more than 3,000 markers at the Field of Remembrance at Lydiard Park, Swindon With Remembrance Sunday approaching, Wiltshire – which has thousands of military personnel and the huge Salisbury Plain training area – has seen lots of poppies on display. Every year the Royal British Legion opens a Field of Remembrance at […]
How rude service inspired a multi-million euro firm
Ossi Ahola Heikki Vaananen (left), pictured here with co-founder Ville Levaniemi, was inspired by the bad customer service he received in his local computer shop when he was 15 The BBC’s weekly The Boss series profiles different business leaders from around the world. This week we speak to Heikki Vaananen and Ville Levaniemi, founders of […]
On an Italian island, fishermen guard a musical secret. Could it change how we fish?
Getty Images Sicily’s mysterious ocean songs contain secret messages about ancient fishing practices – with ramifications for today’s ecology. Until a few years ago, a mysterious ritual happened on the Egadi (Aegadian) islands off the east coast of Sicily every spring. A tight-knit community of fishermen, following a traditional leader known as a rais, would […]
‘A tech firm stole our voices
BBC Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage have filed a class action lawsuit against Lovo The notion that artificial intelligence could one day take our jobs is a message many of us will have heard in recent years. But, for Paul Skye Lehrman, that warning has been particularly personal, chilling and unexpected: he heard his […]
Horror films are taking over Bollywood
T Series via X Horror films have emerged as some of the highest-earning genres in Bollywood this year Malevolent spirits, spooky zombies and vengeful witches are making a comeback to Bollywood this year, with horror films emerging as some of the biggest earners of 2024. The BBC looks at how these modest-budget films are earning […]
Sunak defends emergency jobs scheme
Chancellor Rishi Sunak: “It’s not for me to… make pronouncements on what job is viable or not” Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said it is “impossible” to predict how many jobs the government’s new wage subsidy scheme will save. The scheme, set to replace furlough, will see the government top up the pay of people unable […]
Sheffield libraries at ‘heart of community’ a decade after cuts
When Sheffield City Council announced plans to cut the budget for its library service and shut more than a dozen sites there was a public outcry. More than 10,000 people signed a petition opposing the plan before, eventually, a plan was agreed for the council to retain 11 sites as well as the Central Library […]
Strictly’s Chris McCausland praised for ‘poignant’ dance imitating blindness
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Chris McCausland has been praised for performing a dance imitating his experience with blindness. McCausland and his dance partner Dianne Buswell closed Saturday’s show with their couple’s choice to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon. The performance saw the comedian place his hands over Buswell’s eyes as the […]