Long-Bailey against abortion after 24 weeks on disability grounds
PA Media Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey has said she disagrees with the law allowing abortion after 24 weeks on the grounds of disability. The MP – who officially launches her campaign later – said it was her personal view, not a policy position. Her spokesman said she “unequivocally supports a woman’s right to choose”. […]
Google cancels all-staff diversity meeting
Google Google has cancelled an all-staff meeting to discuss a controversial memo about diversity written by former engineer James Damore. It is reported that some staff members were concerned about being singled out online if they were identified while they spoke out during the meeting. The firm said it would “find a better way” to […]
What the voice inside your head says about you
BBC/ Getty Images One of Hurlburt’s five categories of inner experiences, sensory awareness, describes processing your thoughts as though they are tactile sensations (Credit: BBC/ Getty Images) We tend to assume that our internal monologue “speaks” in words – but it turns out that, for many of us, it’s much more complicated. What were you […]
Xi Jinping ‘most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong’
Xi to delegates: Is anyone against me? China’s ruling Communist Party has voted to enshrine Xi Jinping’s name and ideology in its constitution, elevating him to the level of founder Mao Zedong. The unanimous vote to incorporate “Xi Jinping Thought” happened at the end of the Communist Party congress, China’s most important political meeting. Mr […]
Scotland’s Papers: Toilet inventor snubbed
BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC BBC A “desperate” toilet inventor lost his life savings after his hi-tech “pong-free” loo was rejected by patent chiefs, writes The Scottish Sun. The paper reveals how Don Aitchison from Argyll spent £100,000 on the 20-year design project and even remortgaged his home to fund […]
What is the future of religion?
Getty Images Belief in “Big Gods” allowed the formation of societies made up of strangers (Credit: Getty Images) Throughout history, people’s faith and their attachments to religious institutions have transformed, argues Sumit Paul-Choudhury. So what’s next? Before Mohammed, before Jesus, before Buddha, there was Zoroaster. Some 3,500 years ago, in Bronze Age Iran, he had […]
MPs on all sides accuse Boris Johnson of Afghanistan failures
PM Boris Johnson says British troops should be “proud of their achievements” in Afghanistan Boris Johnson has faced a barrage of criticism from MPs over the UK’s role in Afghanistan, in an emergency House of Commons debate on the crisis. His predecessor as PM Theresa May said it was “incomprehensible” the UK was not doing […]
Lockdown, what lockdown? Sweden’s unusual response to coronavirus
Socialisers in Sweden: “I think we should be out for as long as we can” While swathes of Europe’s population endure lockdown conditions in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, one country stands almost alone in allowing life to go on much closer to normal. After a long winter, it’s just become warm enough to […]
The endurance of Japan’s simple street snack
Supawat Bursuk/Getty Images A favourite in Japan since the 1600s, yaki-imo’s moist, chewy texture and burnt caramel scent still inspire nostalgia (Credit: Supawat Bursuk/Getty Images) Eaten right off the coals, yaki-imo (roasted sweet potatoes) are a beloved centuries-old food, whether they’re served by old-fashioned street vendors or modern “imo” girls and boys. “Yaki-imo…” The forlorn […]
The marvel of China’s multi-generational rice terraces
Chaiyun Damkaew/Getty Images (Credit: Chaiyun Damkaew/Getty Images) Hacked from mountains in south-western China, the sprawling Honghe Hani Rice Terraces stack up over more than 160sq km to create one of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth. It is often said that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made object visible from space. It’s […]