Is charm offensive a pivot or point-scoring?
PA Media The first minister stood as God Save the King was played ahead of a football match at Windsor Park Question three: If you’re a principal from whatever sector who can’t pay their school oil bill, do you care that Paul Givan spoke a few words of Irish before a céili dance at a […]
Oksana Linde and the forgotten pioneers of electronic music
Mardonio Díaz Oksana Linde (Credit: Mardonio Díaz) The recent release of an album 39 years in the making is part of a global movement shedding a light on women composers who have been overlooked, writes Allyson McCabe. When she was 17 years old, Daphne Oram was told by the famous medium Leslie Flint that she […]
Votes counted as reports suggest low turnout
Getty Images Friday’s elections have been seen as a crucial test of legitimacy and national support for Iran’s leadership – but a low turnout was expected Election officials in Iran are counting ballots after Friday’s parliamentary election, as unofficial reports suggest the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic revolution. The election was the first since […]
How gaming became a form of meditation
Everything Soothing game Everything has been described as ‘joyfully expansive’ The new ‘gentle’ video games are absorbing, beautiful and silly – and, says Kate Spicer, they can help keep us calm in a crisis. Outside my window the streets are quiet, the world is weird, the future uncertain. Conspiracy theorists are bombarding my social media […]
What can we expect from Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle?
EPA “Reshuffles go wrong more often than they go right.” So says one seasoned politician who was in the cabinet for many years, regaling the time when they refused to accept the job that was pressed upon them for two full hours by the then chief whip, who may as well have been shouting into […]
Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud
EPA Truong My Lan is accused of looting one of Vietnam’s largest banks over a period of 11 years It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen. Behind the stately yellow portico of the colonial-era courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City, […]
How many people can Earth handle?
Alamy Tokyo is the world’s most populous city, with 37 million people, 60,000 restaurants and 167 skyscapers (Credit: Alamy) Towards the end of 2022, the human population on Earth is expected to reach eight billion. To mark the occasion, BBC Future takes a look at one of the most controversial issues of our time. Are […]
Man Utd ‘drag themselves into 21st century’ but what will it cost and will they succeed?
Up until their Continental Cup League Cup final defeat by Arsenal on 14 March, Manchester City held all three major trophies in English football. They won the Women’s Super League 1 title in the last full top-flight season in 2016 and lifted last year’s FA Cup at Wembley in front of a record crowd of […]
Tumult at US colleges as two sides dig in
Watch: Rallies for Palestine, Israel create tense scene at Columbia University A debate over the war between Israel and Hamas is raging on US college campuses. In a social media age that demands people pick a side on divisive issues, is there still space for young Americans to talk to each other? Hundreds of students […]
Why your voice assistant might be sexist
Alamy From reinforcing entrenched gender roles to potentially even fuelling misogyny, choosing the right voice for a particular task can be a minefield. James Bond flings open the door of his new BMW – which comes with hidden machine guns as standard – and immediately a feminine computerised voice announces, “Welcome! Please fasten seatbelt and […]