Obstacles to peace seem larger than ever after six months of war
BBC Six months after the Hamas attacks on Israel, war, disease, starvation and death ravage Palestinians in Gaza. Israel is deeply divided, as its prime minister struggles to keep his promise of total victory. The United States, Israel’s most essential ally, has turned against the way it is fighting the war. With Iran vowing vengeance […]
Cambridge organist Anna Lapwood appointed MBE
Richard Ansett/BBC Anna Lapwood has been awarded an MBE for services to music A renowned organist and conductor who has challenged sexism in her industry says it is a “huge privilege” to be appointed MBE for services to music. Anna Lapwood, 28, the director of music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, said her inclusion on the […]
Female artists lead nominations for the first time
BBC This year’s nominees include (clockwise from top left): Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Kano, Stormzy, Laura Marling, Michael Kiwanuka and Georgia For the first time in its 29-year history, female artists and female-fronted bands have outnumbered men on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize. Among the nominees for album of the year are Charli XCX’s […]
Meet the all-female patrol guarding Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest
Ana Maria Buitron The Yuturi Warmi, an Ecuadorian patrol group, has vowed to protect their community’s land in the Amazon Rainforest from the pollution of extractive industries – and their efforts appear to be working. It is the break of dawn in the Serena community, in the middle of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Along the Jatunyacu […]
Call for more action on ‘pernicious’ romance fraud
Getty Images The police and tech firms must do more to help victims of romance scams, the UK’s new anti-fraud champion has said. Conservative MP Simon Fell told the BBC romance fraud could be “really traumatic” for victims. He said it was about more than people having money taken from them, with some defrauding others […]
Pablo Picasso work sells for $100m
Reuters Femme Assise Pres d’Une Fenetre (Marie-Therese) is Picasso’s fifth work to sell for more than $100m A painting by Pablo Picasso has sold for more than $100m – marking the fifth work by the Spanish artist to sell for a nine-figure sum. Woman Sitting Near a Window (Marie-Therese) sold for $103.4m (£73.5m) on Thursday […]
Starmer calls for Labour unity after rebellion in Gaza vote
UK Parliament Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants Labour to be “as united as we can” after a series of frontbench resignations over the Israel-Gaza war. He said he was focused on “alleviating the situation on the ground” in Gaza, not “party management”. But he added: “I want us to move forward as united […]
The woman who saved a million birds
Bateson family archive Emily Williamson started the Society for the Protection of Birds after an all-male organisation ignored her letters Emily Williamson was many things in her life – a philanthropist, a bird lover, an activist and “proof that one person can make a difference”. It was 1889 and a fashion craze, which involved adorning […]
What does trans mean and what is the Cass Review?
Getty Images The rights of transgender or trans people – and whether they affect the rights of women – are often in the spotlight. This has led to legal disputes, protests and discussions about free speech. In a landmark independent review of gender identity services for under-18s, a leading clinician said children were being let […]
What movies can teach us about life in space
(Warner Bros) According to Hollywood hit Interstellar, we might be able to travel to distant planets via wormholes. But what else can movies tells us about life in space? Our space columnist finds out. From exploding eyeballs and noisy explosions to midichlorians and inertial dampeners, science fiction is often derided for getting the science horribly […]