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A US tech company announced that it has launched an investigation after a big screen embrace at a Coldplay concert - rumoured to involve two of its employees, including its CEO - went viral.

In the clip, which initially appeared on a giant screen at the Boston concert, two people are seen with their arms wrapped around each other.

When their faces appear for thousands to see, the man and woman abruptly duck and hide from the camera.

Reports that both are executives at the company Astronomer and rumours of an affair sparked by the band leader's comment, then spread online, but the information remains unverified by the company.

The video of the pair swaying to music, then quickly trying to hide exploded on the internet after the concert on Wednesday night.

Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, after seeing the pair hide, said to the crowd: "Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy."

The initial video posted to TikTok received millions of views. It was then shared across platforms, turned into memes and made fun of on television programs.

Two days after the internet became inundated with chatter about the embrace, Astronomer put out its own statement announcing an investigation into the matter, without specifying the video.

"Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding," the statement read. "Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability. The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly."

The man in the video is rumoured in multiple reports to be Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who has been with the company since July 2023. Mr Byron himself has not confirmed his identity in the video. The woman was identified online as Kristin Cabot, the company's chief people officer, who has been with Astronomer since November 2024.

She has not confirmed her identity either. The BBC has been unable to confirm the identities of the people in the video.

The Astronomer statement added that Mr Byron had not released a personal statement, and that reports otherwise were incorrect. It also said no other employees were in the video.

Fake statements from Mr Byron went viral on Thursday.

Romance scam victim travels 700km 'to marry French beauty queen'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2ezl21p4jeo, today

A Belgian man has travelled 760km (472 miles) to meet a French beauty queen he had been led to believe would be his future wife, only to realise he had been a victim of online romance fraud.

Michel, 76, turned up at the home of Sophie Vouzelaud in France but was met by the model's husband.

He told Ms Vouzelaud's husband, Fabien, he had paid €30,000 ($35,000) to the scammers and thought he had been in a romantic relationship for several weeks.

"I am an imbecile," the man said to the couple as he contemplated taking the long journey back.

Michel's misadventure became known after a video of his unfortunate encounter with the couple was shared online by Fabien.

For weeks, the Belgian - a widower of four years - had been communicating on WhatsApp with who he thought was Ms Vouzelaud, former Miss Limousin and first runner-up to Miss France in 2007.

He turned up outside the couple's property in Saint-Julien, some 420km (270 miles) south of Paris, on 9 July and according to Fabien said: "I am the future husband of Sophie Vouzelaud", to which he retorted: "Well, I'm the current one."

Ms Vouzelaud, 38, then tried to explain to him that he had been swindled and the couple urged him to go to the police to file a complaint. It is not clear if he has done so.

Romance fraud is when someone is conned into sending money to a criminal who convinces them they are in a genuine relationship.

How to avoid romance scams

* Be suspicious of any requests for money from someone you have never met in person, particularly if you have only recently met online

* Speak to your family or friends to get advice

* Profile photos may not be genuine, so do your research first. Performing a reverse image search using a search engine can help you find photos that have been stolen from somewhere else

* Reassure your loved one you are there for them and it is not their fault

* Improve your own understanding about romance scams

* Remember to look after yourself, too - supporting someone through romance fraud can be tough

El Salvador and US negotiate prisoner swap with Venezuela

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gd4ye41ymo, today

El Salvador is repatriating dozens of detained Venezuelans in exchange for US nationals held in Venezuela, the governments of the US and El Salvador announced on Friday.

The central American country sent approximately 250 prisoners incarcerated in its notorious Cecot (Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism) prison in return for the release of 10 US nationals from Venezuela.

The planeload of migrants deported from the US to El Salvador is scheduled to arrive in Maiquetía, Venezuela later on Friday.

Relations between Salvadorean leader Bukele and US President Donald Trump have warmed significantly in recent months, especially as Bukele has agreed to detain deported US migrants.

A senior administration official told reporters on Friday that, with the release, there are currently no longer any US nationals being held by the government of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

"Today, we have handed over all the Venezuelan nationals detained in our country, accused of being part of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TDA)," Bukele said in a post on X.

He said the exchange was done in return "for a considerable number of Venezuelan political prisoners" as well as the US citizens.

In a separate post, US Secretary of State Marc Rubio confirmed the exchange and thanked Bukele and American officials.

The Venezuelans had originally been deported by the US under the Trump administration to El Salvador earlier this year, under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which gives a US president power to detain and deport natives or citizens of "enemy" nations without usual processes.

A senior Trump administration official told reporters on Friday that El Salvador made the "independent decision" to release the Venezuelan prisoners - which it considers to be gang members - for humanitarian reasons.

The exchange of Venezuelans for Americans facilitated by El Salvador highlights the strong relationship between Trump and Bukele - the self-styled "world's coolest dictator".

"This deal would not have been possible without President Bukele," the administration official said. "We extend our deep, deep gratitude."

The Salvadoran leader visited Trump in the White House in April, where the pair appeared friendly as they spoke to reporters, often laughing and cracking jokes together.

Bukele has backed the deportation of migrants from the United States to El Salvador's Cecot maximum security jail.

Trump said at the time that Bukele is "really helping out" the US out by facilitating these detentions, as the Salvadoran president responded that his country is "very eager to help".

Around the same time, Bukele first proposed swapping Venezuelan deportees for "political prisoners", including family members of Venezuelan opposition figures, journalists and activists detained in a government electoral crackdown in 2024.

"The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud," he wrote to Maduro on X.

"However, I propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and surrender of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you hold."

The senior administration official said that while the deal only pertained to US nationals kept in Venezuela, the Trump administration is still actively working on the release of "dozens" of political prisoners held by the Maduro government.

Three killed in explosion at Los Angeles police training facility

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62891d4p50o, today

Three police officers were killed in an explosion at a County Sheriff's Department training facility in East Los Angeles, officials say.

The explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training on Friday morning at around 07:30 local time (15:30 BST), according to first responders.

Confirming the deaths in a post on X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a "horrific incident" and said that federal agents have been deployed on the scene and are "working to learn more".

It was unclear what caused the explosion or if there were any more victims.

The explosion occurred in a parking lot of the Special Enforcement Bureau at the facility, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department (LASD) told BBC's US partner CBS News.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed about the explosion and he is "closely monitoring the situation", his office said in a statement on X.

Newsom's office added that state assistance has also been offered to help respond to the incident.

Kathryn Barger, Chief of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, wrote in a statement that she is "closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected".

"My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff's Department during this difficult time," she said.

Court orders Bolsonaro to wear ankle tag and puts him under curfew

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2nkvypqx3o, today

A court has ordered Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro to wear an ankle tag and put him under curfew over fears he might abscond while standing trial.

He governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022 and is accused of plotting a coup to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023. He denies any wrongdoing.

It follows US President Donald Trump's attempts to quash the case, which he has called a "witch hunt", by threatening steep tariffs on Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro said the court restrictions amounted to "supreme humiliation" and that he had never considered leaving Brazil.

On Friday, police raided his home and political headquarters on orders from the Supreme Court.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes also ordered that Bolsonaro be banned from social media and barred from communicating with his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been lobbying for him in the US, and foreign ambassadors, diplomats or embassies.

The ex-president will be placed under 24-hour surveillance and have to comply with a nighttime curfew.

Judge Moraes said Bolsonaro was acting deliberately and illegally, together with his son Eduardo, to have sanctions imposed on Brazilian public officials.

In a statement, Bolsonaro's lawyers expressed "surprise and outrage" at the court's decision, adding that the former president had "always complied with the court's orders".

According to the Federal Police, Bolsonaro has attempted to hinder the trial and undertaken actions that constitute coercion, obstruction of justice and an attack on national sovereignty.

Last week, the US president threatened a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods from 1 August, directly citing Brazil's treatment of Bolsonaro.

Lula hit back, saying he would match any tariffs imposed on Brazil by the US. In a post on X, the president said Brazil was a "sovereign country with independent institutions" and "no one is above the law".

On Thursday, Trump posted a letter on Truth Social that he had sent to Bolsonaro in which he said the criminal case amounted to political persecution and that his tariff threat was aimed at exerting pressure on Brazilian authorities to drop the charges.

The US president has compared the prosecution to legal cases he himself faced between his two presidential terms.

Bolsonaro is standing trial along with seven accused over events which culminated in the storming of government buildings by his supporters a week after Lula's inauguration in January 2023.

The eight defendants are accused of five charges: attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an armed criminal organisation, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage.

If found guilty, Bolsonaro, 70, could face decades behind bars.

The former president has consistently denied the charges against him, calling them "grave and baseless" and claiming to be the victim of "political persecution" aimed at preventing him running for president again in 2026.

Speaking in court in June, Bolsonaro said a coup was an "abominable thing" and there had "never been talk of a coup" between him and his military commanders.

He narrowly lost the presidential election to his left-wing rival Lula in 2022.

Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged defeat. Many of his supporters spent weeks camped outside army barracks in an attempt to convince the military to prevent Lula from being sworn in.

A week after Lula's inauguration, on 8 January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and the presidential palace in what federal investigators say was an attempted coup.

Bolsonaro was in the US at the time and has always denied any links to the rioters.

A federal investigation into the riots and the events leading up to them was launched. Investigators subsequently said they had found evidence of a "criminal organisation" which had "acted in a coordinated manner" to keep then-President Bolsonaro in power.

Their 884-page report, which was unsealed in November 2024, alleged that "then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organisation aiming to launch a coup d'etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law".

Brazil's Attorney General Paulo Gonet went further in his report published in February, accusing Bolsonaro of not just being aware of but leading the criminal organisation that he says sought to overthrow Lula.

'There were bodies everywhere': Druze residents describe 'bloodbath' in Syrian city Suweida

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y76e9p1gno, today

Over the last five days, Rima says she has witnessed "barbaric" scenes.

The 45-year-old Druze woman has lived in the southern Syrian city of Suweida her whole life, and never thought her once-peaceful hometown would become the scene of a bloodbath.

"There were bodies everywhere outside our building," she told the BBC in a phone interview, using a pseudonym out of fear for her safety.

Rima said she huddled inside her home, bracing for the unimaginable, as gunmen - government forces and foreign fighters - moved through her neighbourhood earlier this week, going door-to-door looking for their next victim.

"One of the worst feelings ever is to keep waiting for people to come into your house and decide whether we should live or die," she recalled, her voice still trembling with fear.

The violence has left Rima and her neighbours feeling abandoned and afraid in their own homes, as bullets and shells sounded off outside.

Long-running tensions between Druze and Bedouin tribes in Suweida erupted into deadly sectarian clashes on Sunday, following the abduction of a Druze merchant on the highway to the capital, Damascus.

As the fighting spread to other parts of the southern province, the government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa - who led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime by Islamist-led rebels in December - announced that it would deploy the interior and defence ministry's forces to "restore stability".

Since the fall of Assad, some local Druze leaders have rejected the presence of the security forces in Suweida city. When government forces were deployed on Tuesday, the fighting escalated.

Soon, the government's forces were being accused of attacking both Druze fighters and civilians, which prompted the Israeli military to intervene with a series of air strikes that it said were intended to protect the Druze.

As Rima watched this play out, the lack of internet and power made it difficult to keep up with the unfolding events. All she knew for sure was what she could see from her window: slaughtered bodies and burned buildings.

Syrian state media have also cited authorities and Bedouin tribes as saying that "outlaw groups" carried out "massacres" and other crimes against Bedouin fighters and civilians.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, has said it has documented the killing of at least 594 people since Sunday, including 154 Druze civilians, of whom 83 were summarily killed by government forces, and three members of Bedouin tribes who were summarily killed by Druze fighters.

Nayef, a Druze man whose name we have also changed, was also confronted with horrific scenes in Suweida.

"We are collecting bodies from the streets. We found bodies left outside houses, next to houses for two or three days," he told the BBC in a phone interview.

Despite being a government employee, Nayef lashed out in disbelief at what he saw as the government forces' brutality inside the city.

"They stormed neighbourhoods, selecting the houses that look wealthy. They looted these houses and then torched them. They sprayed unarmed civilians with bullets."

Videos circulating on social media appeared to support Nayef's allegations.

Footage shared on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon shows at least half-a-dozen men dressed in camouflage firing live rounds at a group of residents, who are kneeling on the sidewalk.

The UN human rights office said it had documented the killing of at least 13 people on Tuesday by armed men affiliated with the government who deliberately opened fire at a family gathering. On the same day, they reportedly summarily executed six men near their homes.

While bullets and shells rained down, Suweida residents were left wondering when help was coming.

But it never came.

Rima said she watched as security forces and foreign fighters entered her neighbourhood and later shot her neighbour in front of his mother.

"Is this the army and security forces who were supposed to come and protect us?" she asked. "People's livelihoods were stolen. Those who were killed were young and unarmed."

Other testimony we heard backed up Rima's claim. Those we spoke to said most of the fighters who entered Suweida and attacked civilians appeared to be Islamists.

One woman heard the fighters shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) in her building, calling the Druze "infidels" and "pigs", and saying they were there to kill them.

Some of these fighters posted videos of themselves online humiliating men in Suweida, including cutting or shaving off the moustaches of Druze sheikhs. The moustaches are a symbol of Druze religious identity.

The BBC has approached the Syrian government for official comments on the issue but not so far received a response.

In a televised address early on Thursday, Sharaa vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable and promised to make protecting the Druze a "priority".

"We are eager to hold accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people because they are under the protection and responsibility of the state," he said.

He went on to blame "outlaw groups", saying their leaders "rejected dialogue for many months".

For many, the promise of protection felt like déjà vu.

It resembled the message the president delivered when government forces and allied Islamist fighters carried out deadly reprisals against civilians from another religious minority, the Alawites, in response to attacks by Assad loyalists in the coastal region in March.

A committee was established to investigate those violations - but is yet to deliver any findings.

The accounts from Nayef and others bore many similarities to what happened on the coast in March.

"There's a total lack of trust with the government," Nayef said. "They are just doing a lip-service. They say nice things about freedoms, documenting violations and accountability, but they are all lies."

Many Suweida residents say this latest episode of sectarian violence will have long-lasting effects.

"If it was not for Israel's bombardment, we wouldn't be able to talk to you today," one woman told the BBC.

However, some were also critical of Israel's airstrikes and its claim that it was acting to protect the Druze.

Nayef said: "Nobody wants Israel. We are patriotic people. We were at the forefront of people to adopt patriotism. Our loyalty and patriotism should not be doubted."

Additional reporting by Samantha Granville in Beirut

Royal swan count sees numbers resurface after dip

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvjl0jv91ro, today

Swan numbers have begun to recover on the Thames, after a couple of years of worrying decline, according to an annual royal survey of swans.

A five-day search along the Thames, completed on Friday, found 115 young swans, rather than 86 last year, showing signs that the disappearance of swans could be starting to be reversed.

The traditional count is called "swan upping", but in recent years it has been more like swan downing, with numbers plunging due to avian flu and human cruelty, including reports of swans being attacked by catapults and air guns.

But the new figures released by the King's swan marker, David Barber, show a more optimistic picture, after a 45% fall over the past two years.

The tradition of swan upping sees six boats sailing from Sunbury Lock in west London to Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire, with the "swan uppers" counting, weighing and giving a health check to young swans found along the way.

The annual event has also become a popular spectacle, with crowds gathering along the riverbank in the sunshine to watch the boats go past, with their colourful flags and crews in ceremonial outfits.

The fall in swan numbers had threatened to make the classic image of swans on the Thames an increasingly rare sight.

But the swan uppers have more positive news about the swan population and will be hoping a corner has been turned - though it's still down on the 155 counted in 2022.

At the outset of the trip, Mr Barber said he was hoping that avian flu had "eased off", after a "quite disastrous" impact on the swan population.

"Fortunately, there has been a decrease in reported cases of the disease in the River Thames area in recent months," said the King's swan marker.

With a swan's feather in his cap and wearing a scarlet jacket, Mr Barber also spoke of the other risks to swans nesting on the Thames.

He said their search had found swans needing to be cleaned from pollution such as engine oil. Fishing tackle was a longstanding problem and there were attacks from dogs and vandalism from humans.

Swan upping dates back to the 12th Century and was once about counting royal property - with the monarch having ownership of unmarked mute swans swimming on open water.

But is now more about conservation and education, involving schools along the route and helping to teach young people to respect and protect swans.

In particular, Mr Barber wants to discourage young people from the mistreatment of swans - such as shooting them with catapults, which he says causes terrible suffering.

The figures so far show a more hopeful picture for swans on the Thames.

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Colombian gold miners rescued after about 18 hours trapped underground

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxeq9pe19po, today

Eighteen workers trapped for about 18 hours in a gold mine in north-western Colombia have been rescued by emergency crews, the country's government has said.

The miners became stuck on Thursday in the El Minón mine, in Colombia's Antioquia region, after equipment failure, according to AFP news agency.

After a 12-hour-long rescue operation, all the workers are in good health, Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM) said.

In a letter sent to the government, the local mayor in Remedios said the mine was apparently unlicensed.

The operation to free the miners finished at just after 03:00 local time (09:00 BST) on Friday, according to Colombia's energy minister.

Video of the rescue showed the miners' colleagues clapping and cheering as they climbed out of the mine shaft.

Yarley Erasmo Marin, a representative of a local miners' association, told the AFP news agency that a mechanical failure caused the collapse of a structure designed to prevent landslides, blocking the mine's main exit.

Oxygen had to be given to the trapped miners through hoses while they waited to be rescued, local radio station ABC reported.

The ANM said in a statement that the mining community should "refrain from illegal mining activities, which endanger the lives and safety of those involved and also impact the country's resources and the environment".

Mining accidents are not uncommon in Colombia and dozens of deaths have been recorded in recent years.

North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dr52p21mo, today

North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists.

The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's ambitions to boost tourism.

In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as an attraction for both locals and foreigners. But as of this week, a notice on North Korea's tourism website says that foreigners are "temporarily" not allowed to visit.

Last week, the first Russian tourists reportedly arrived at the resort in Wonsan - around the same time that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov met Kim in the city.

Lavrov hailed the seaside development as a "good tourist attraction", and said he hoped it would become popular among Russians, AFP reported. The two countries are set to launch direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang by the end of the month.

A Russian tour guide previously told NK News that they had planned several more trips to the resort in the coming months.

Wonsan, a city along North Korea's east coast, is home to some of the country's missile facilities and a large maritime complex. It's also where Kim spent much of his youth, among holiday villas belonging to the country's elites.

The new seaside resort has lined 4km (2.5 miles) of its beachfront with hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and a water park. It has a capacity of some 20,000 people, according to state media.

However, since the resort began construction in 2018, human rights groups have protested the alleged mistreatment of its workers. They point to reports of people being forced to work long hours to finish the massive project, under harsh conditions and inadequate compensation.

Russian ambassadors attended the resort's completion ceremony on 24 June, along with Kim and his family.

Last year, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to visit North Korea after a years-long suspension of tourism during the pandemic.

In February, North Korea also started to receive tourists from the West, including Australia, France, Germany and the UK. It abruptly halted tourism weeks later, however, without saying why.

Germany's Merz tells BBC Europe was free-riding on US

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg6v0pk964o, today

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has accepted US accusations that Europe was doing too little to fund its own defence and security, but now believes they are on the same page.

"We know we have to do more on our own and we have been free-riders in the past," he told the BBC's Today Programme, "they're asking us to do more and we are doing more."

Merz was in the UK to boost defence ties with Germany, as part of a historic friendship treaty that also aims to tackle irregular migration and promote youth exchanges.

Russia's war with Ukraine has framed the early weeks of his chancellorship, as has US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 30% import tariffs on European Union exports from 1 August.

Merz told Nick Robinson, in his first UK broadcast interview as chancellor, that he had now met Trump three times and they were on good speaking terms: "I think President Trump is on the same page; we are trying to bring this war to an end."

"We are on the phone once a week; we are co-ordinating our efforts. One issue is the war in Ukraine, and the second is our trade debates and tariffs."

Merz was a vocal supporter of Ukraine on the campaign trail, and visited Kyiv months before he took Germany's centre-right Christian Democrats to victory in elections in February.

Four days after he was sworn in early in May, he was on a train to Kyiv in a show of solidarity with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and President Emmanuel Macron of France.

"We are seeing a big threat, and the threat is Russia. And this threat is not only on Ukraine. It's on our peace, on our freedom, on the political order of Europe," he warned.

In the run-up to the German elections, US Vice-President JD Vance shocked an audience at the Munich Security Conference with a list of accusations against European allies, including the UK.

Reflecting on the remarks, Merz said the government "had to draw our consequences out of that". The message from Vance's "very open manner" had, in other words, been heard loud and clear.

Canan Atilgan of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in London which is closely affiliated to Merz's party believes that had a profound effect on the incoming chancellor: "I think in Munich he thought we lost the Americans - we have to look after ourselves - and then Zelensky in the Oval Office happened."

Even before he had been sworn in, the chancellor steered through a change in the German constitution to enable a huge rise in defence spending, saying the rule now for German defence was to do whatever it takes.

"We are not strong enough, our army is not strong enough, so that's the reason why we are spending a lot of money," he said in his BBC interview.

Together, the UK, Germany and France are working on a triangular alliance of major European powers, dubbed the E3, which Merz says will focus not just on security and foreign policy but on economic growth as well.

The chancellor said he was now "very close with Keir Starmer" and with the French president too. Macron is due to visit him in Berlin next week.

The French leader signed a wide-ranging treaty with Germany in Aachen in 2019, and last week he agreed a deeper defence pact during a state visit to the UK, so the UK-German friendship treaty completes a triangle of bilateral ties.

Sitting in the plush surroundings of the German embassy, Friedrich Merz was about to head to the Victoria and Albert Museum to sign the pact with the Prime Minister.

Merz said the bilateral treaty renewed the two allies' commitment to defend each other - which is not just part of the Nato treaty but was also previously part of their alliance when the UK was in the EU.

British and German firms already collaborate in making products such as Typhoon Eurofighter jets and Boxer armoured vehicles, and the two governments have agreed to launch joint export campaigns that Downing Street believes could attract billions of pounds.

They are also developing a missile with a range of 2,000km (1,250 miles) and the chancellor later told a press conference that Ukraine would soon receive substantial additional support in "long-range fire".

Merz, 69, is regarded as a strong believer in the transatlantic alliance and knows the US well from his years outside politics working for an American investment firm.

However, on the night of his election victory he declared that the Trump administration was "largely indifferent to the fate of Europe", a remark seen at the time as undiplomatic for a chancellor-in-waiting.

Asked if he had since changed his mind, he said he had not, as Trump was "not as clear and as committed as former US presidents were, former US administrations were".

The Americans were moving away from Europe and turning to Asia, he observed, and that was why it was important to look at greater independence from American defence.

The UK has largely escaped the turbulence surrounding US tariffs on its exports, but the European Union is facing a deadline less than two weeks away, and the threat of 30% tariffs on all its goods.

EU trade negotiator Maroš Šefčovič travelled to Washington this week in search of a deal that would spare all 27 member states from a surge in US import taxes.

Merz sees the high tariffs as unacceptable and killing Germany's export industry.

"My observation is that the president himself is seeing the challenges and that he is willing to come to an agreement. He gets it."

Another important element of the UK-German treaty is Berlin's agreement to change the law to criminalise smugglers storing small boats in Germany for use in illegal Channel crossings. The storage of boats in Germany was revealed by a BBC investigation last year.

The chancellor said his government would "do our homework immediately" and expected it would not take long to push through parliament after the summer recess.

There are also plans for a direct rail link from London to Berlin, and for British and German students to take part in exchanges, which have declined since Brexit.

Merz said he very much hoped that the first people who might see a practical difference from the friendship treaty would be students, so that the younger generation could drive relations between the two allies in the future.

Kill Russians, win points: Is Ukraine's new drone scheme gamifying war?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80p9k1r1dlo, today

The images come in every day. Thousands of them.

Men and equipment being hunted down along Ukraine's long, contested front lines. Everything filmed, logged and counted.

And now put to use too, as the Ukrainian military tries to extract every advantage it can against its much more powerful opponent.

Under a scheme first trialled last year and dubbed "Army of Drones: Bonus" (also known as "e-points"), units can earn points for each Russian soldier killed or piece of equipment destroyed.

And like a killstreak in Call of Duty, or a 1970s TV game show, points mean prizes.

"The more strategically important and large-scale the target, the more points a unit receives," reads a statement from the team at Brave 1, which brings together experts from government and the military.

"For example, destroying an enemy multiple rocket launch system earns up to 50 points; 40 points are awarded for a destroyed tank and 20 for a damaged one."

Call it the gamification of war.

Each uploaded video is now carefully analysed back in Kyiv, where points are awarded according to a constantly evolving set of military priorities.

"I think, first and foremost, it's about quality data, the mathematics of war, and understanding how to use limited resources more effectively," says the man behind the e-points scheme, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation.

But after three and a half long years of grinding, all-out war, the system has another vital use.

"It's also about motivation," Fedorov says. "When we change the point values, we can see how motivation changes."

Fedorov's office sports a huge video screen with dozens of live feeds from Ukrainian drones flying over the front lines.

Together, the feeds provide a vivid glimpse into Ukraine's drone war, in which commanders claim flying robots now account for an estimated 70% of all Russian deaths and injuries.

Since the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion, social media feeds have been full of drone videos, usually set to soundtracks of thudding heavy metal music.

The turret of a tank, exploding in a ball of flame. A lone soldier, fending off an attacking drone with a rifle or a stick.

It can make for gruesome viewing. Each video celebrating the death of an opponent. The video going fuzzy as the drone explodes.

But beyond a sense of grim satisfaction, hard-pressed front-line units now operate in the knowledge that evidence of their exploits can bring them rewards.

The BBC reached out to more than a dozen units to find out what front line soldiers make of the scheme. The responses were mixed.

"In general, my comrades and I are positive," said Volodymyr, a soldier from the 108th Territorial Defence Brigade. He asked us not to use his surname.

At a time when frontline units are burning through equipment, especially attack drones, at a ferocious rate, Volodymyr says the e-points scheme is proving useful.

"This is a way to make up for what we lose… while inflicting losses on the enemy as effectively as possible."

The 22nd Mechanised Brigade, currently fighting in the north-east of the country, has had about three months to get used to the new system.

"Once we figured out how it works, it turned out to be quite a decent system," said a soldier from the 22nd with the callsign Jack.

"Our lads are worn out, and nothing really motivates them anymore," Jack said. "But this system helps. The drones are provided through this programme, and the lads get rewarded. It's a decent motivation."

But others are less convinced.

"The fundamental issue of motivation isn't resolved by this," said a soldier who asked only to be identified by his callsign, Snake.

"Points won't stop people fleeing from the military."

A soldier who identified himself as Dymytro sent us a lengthy response in which he complained that units were spending too much time trying to claim each other's hits or would deliberately attack a Russian vehicle that had already been disabled, in order to earn more points.

For Dymytro, the whole concept seemed morally dubious.

"This system is just a result of our twisted mental habit of turning everything into profit," Dymytro complained, "even our own damned death."

But the e-points scheme is typical of the way Ukraine has fought this war: creative, out-of-the-box thinking designed to make the most of the country's innovative skills and minimise the effect of its numerical disadvantage.

Fedorov says 90-95% of fighting units are now participating, providing a steady stream of useful data.

"We've started receiving quality information and making decisions based on it," he says.

"By collecting data, we can propose changes, but the foundation is always military strategy."

In an anonymous office block in Kyiv, we met some of the analysts whose job it is to pour over the footage, verify each hit and award points to the unit responsible.

We were asked not to reveal the location or use real names.

"We have two categories: hit and destroyed," Volodia told us. "So a different amount of e-points goes to the different categories."

It turns out that encouraging a Russian soldier to surrender is worth more points than killing one – a prisoner of war can always be used in future deals over prisoner exchanges.

"If for one… killed Russian you get one point," Volodia said, "if you capture him you multiply it by 10."

Volodia's team analyses thousands of hits every day.

"The hardest part is artillery," he said, showing us a video of a drone navigating expertly through the trees and into a trench where a gun is concealed.

"The Russians are very good at hiding and digging."

As Russia's tactics have evolved, so too has the e-points system.

Moscow's increased use of small, probing units, on foot or riding motorbikes, means that the value of an individual soldier has risen, relative to a tank or other armoured vehicle.

"Whereas previously the killing of an enemy soldier earned 2 points," the Brave 1 statement read, "now it earns 6."

And enemy drone operators are always more valuable than the drones themselves.

The system of rewards is being refined too.

Until now, units have been able to convert their points into cash, which many have used, along with crowd sourcing, to purchase badly needed extra equipment.

Now the e-points system is being directly integrated into something called the Brave 1 Market, which designers describe as "the Amazon for war".

Soldiers can browse more than 1,600 products, use their accumulated points, purchase items directly from manufacturers and leave reviews, with the Ministry of Defence picking up the tab afterwards.

Brave 1 Market is designed to sit alongside traditional, cumbersome military procurement, rather than replace it. The hope is that units will have quicker access to preferred items, from drones to components and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that can evacuate wounded soldiers from dangerous frontline positions.

Points for kills. Amazon for war. To some ears, it might all sound brutal, even callous.

But this is war and Ukraine is determined to hold on. By fighting as effectively, and efficiently as it can.

What is Trump's vein condition and how serious is it?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79qgrj3p5vo, today

On Thursday, the White House announced that US President Donald Trump has a medical condition in his veins called chronic venous insufficiency.

During a regular news briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed that Trump, 79, had noticed swelling in his legs, prompting a check-up with his doctor who diagnosed him with the condition.

Trump had also been recently photographed with patches of make-up on the back of his hand. The White House has said it is unrelated to the vein condition but is instead bruising as a result of frequent handshaking.

Here are the some of the key things to know about the US president's diagnosis.

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

Trump's condition is "benign and common", particularly in individuals over the age of 70, according to a note from White House physician, Captain Sean Barbabella, released to reporters.

Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when leg veins don't allow blood to flow back up to the heart, causing it to pool in the lower limbs.

Normal blood flow from the legs back up to the heart moves against gravity, which in older people can become a difficult process.

This can be due to weakening valves in veins, something that can occur as people age.

What are the symptoms?

When blood pools in the legs due to chronic venous insufficiency, it can cause swelling like the kind seen in Trump's ankles in recent photographs.

"It can be associated with serious conditions, but in and of itself it is not a serious condition, and one that is very common," Dr Matthew Edwards, chair of the Department of Vascular Surgery at Wake Forest University, told the BBC.

"People in his age (group), I would say probably somewhere between 10 and 35% of people would have this."

Experts say other risks include being overweight, having a history of blood clots, and having jobs that require patients to be on their feet for long durations.

What did Trump's doctor say?

After noticing swelling in his legs, President Trump was evaluated by the White House Medical Unit "out of an abundance of caution", a statement from Trump's doctor, Sean Barbabella, said.

Dr Barbabella wrote that President Trump underwent a "comprehensive examination" that revealed chronic venous insufficiency, which he says is a "benign and common condition".

"Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease," he added.

Tests also showed "normal cardiac structure and function," Dr Barbabella said, adding: "No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified."

Dr Barbabella also noted bruising on the back of Trump's hand, which has been noticed in recent photographs, sometimes covered by make-up.

"This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen," he said.

The memo concluded by saying President Trump "remains in excellent health".

How could the condition affect Trump?

The US-based Society for Vascular Surgery said the condition can cause heaviness in the affected limb, as well as swelling and pain.

In some cases, chronic venous insufficiency can also cause painful cramps, spasms and leg ulcers.

Wearing custom-made, medical-grade compression stockings can help manage the condition, and experts also recommend patients elevating their legs at night and using lotion.

What has Trump said about his health?

In April, Trump underwent his first annual physical of his second presidential term.

"President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function," Dr Barbabella said in a memo at the time.

That health assessment revealed that the president takes several medications to control his cholesterol - Rosuvastatin and Ezetimibe, as well as Aspirin for cardiac prevention and Mometasone cream for a skin condition.

The US president has regularly touted his good health and once described himself as "the healthiest president that's ever lived".

After his first annual physical, Trump told reporters that "overall, I felt I was in very good shape", and added that he thought he had "a good heart, a good soul, a very good soul".

Weekly quiz: Why is Kew Garden's Palm House closing?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk650kg4m1o, yesterday

This week saw the UK government announce plans to let 16 and 17-year-olds vote, the men who cut down the famous Sycamore Gap tree sent to prison, and Donald Trump wake a BBC reporter up for a surprise interview.

But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days?

Quiz collated by Ben Fell.

Fancy testing your memory? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives.

Relentless immigration raids are changing California's way of life

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqnpwrq1l4o, today

When immigration agents came to the farm where he worked, Jaime Alanis tried to hide.

Climbing to the roof of a greenhouse, while agents rounded up and arrested dozens of his coworkers below, Mr Alanis hoped to stay out of sight.

Then he fell.

His neck was broken and skull fractured. He died later in hospital.

Meanwhile, immigration agents fired teargas at a crowd of some 500 protestors, who had gathered to stop the raids outside two legal cannabis farms. Some threw rocks, and the FBI says one fired a gun at federal agents.

Mr Alanis's death, and the violent clashes that ensued at those cannabis farms, are the latest examples of the kind of chaos that has swept across Southern California since the beginning of June, when immigration raids began to intensify in the region.

Those crackdowns sparked protests, which led to US President Donald Trump deploying the National Guard and US Marines, to protect federal officers from the demonstrators and to ensure that his mass deportations, which he had long promised, were carried out.

While many Americans support President Trump's tough immigration policies, the relentlessness of the raids in the region has also triggered a fierce backlash from neighbours and activists. Southern California is home to an estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom have been forced into hiding - too afraid to go to work, school or even the grocery store.

In so doing, the raids have altered the landscape of one of the country's most populous regions. Businesses are shuttered, cities have cancelled community events - including Fourth of July fireworks celebrations.

"Everyone's looking over their shoulders," says a "raspado" vendor in Los Angeles on a recent Sunday, where normally crowded soccer fields and picnic tables were mostly deserted. As she prepared the shaved ice with sweet strawberry syrup, she seemed wary of questions but grateful for a customer.

"It's never like this," she said.

The raids at the two cannabis farms are now being touted as the largest immigration operation since President Trump took office.

Of the 361 migrants detained during those raids, four had "extensive" criminal records, including rape, kidnapping, and attempted child molestation, media reported. Immigration officers also found 14 migrant children, who the administration claims have been "rescued from potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking".

While the administration frequently highlights the convicted rapists, murderers and drug dealers they have arrested in operations, scores of immigrants - many with no criminal convictions who have spent decades building businesses, families and homes - have been caught in the crosshairs.

"They just kidnap you," says Carlos, who didn't want his full last name used out of fear that he could be deported to his native Guatemala. He has been too afraid to go to work since his sister, Emma, was detained while selling tacos outside a Home Depot last month. "If I'm brown, if I'm Hispanic, they just come and catch you and take you."

The Trump administration says claims that people are being targeted because of their skin colour are "disgusting" and false.

Carlos says he feels a bit safer since a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to stop "indiscriminately" detaining people with "roving patrols" of federal agents. But he doesn't trust that they will stop, and he needs to go back to work.

"How am I going to pay my rent," he says. "I'm stuck inside."

Churches and immigrant rights groups have been organising food delivery for people in hiding. They have also been training people to protect immigrants out on the streets using apps, text chains and social media to alert people when federal agents are nearby.

When dozens of armed agents in camouflage descended on MacArthur Park on horseback and in armoured vehicles earlier this month, few were surprised.

Word had spread quickly of the operation – and rumours had swirled that "la migra" was coming hours before the troops arrived. Dozens of protesters swarmed in to greet the troops – including LA Mayor Karen Bass, who demanded they leave the park.

Witnesses say no arrests were made and no one was seen running to escape. By the time troops arrived – with professional looking camera crews recording the overt show of force – the only people in the park were protesters, some kids at a summer camp, and some homeless people asleep in the grass.

"It's been gut wrenching," says Betsy Bolte, who lives near the park and had showed up to protest and yell obscenities at the agents.

"It's war against the people – the heart and soul of the economy. And it's all intentional. It's part of the plan," she said, crying while showing reporters her footage.

Activists accuse the government of terrorising its own people.

"This is part of a programme of terror. From Los Angeles to the Central Coast, the Trump administration is weaponising the federal government and military against Californians," says the advocacy group CAUSE.

But not all Californians agree.

President Trump won 38% of the ballots in November. Recently, the BBC featured the story of one woman who is still devoted to the president and his mass deportation plans, even while she's locked up as an illegal immigrant.

And a lone Trump supporter showed up at the protest at the cannabis farm last week, only to be beaten and jeered at and spit on by protesters.

Perhaps ironically, the architect of many of President Trump's deportation policies, is an Angeleno himself. Senior White House aide Stephen Miller was raised in liberal Santa Monica where even as a teenager he was known on conservative radio for condemning the use of Spanish in his school.

He told Fox News this week that California's "violent" Democratic politicians who show up to protest were inciting violence against federal immigration agents.

"No city can aid and abet an invasion of this country over the will of the American people and the law enforcement officers empowered to enact the American people's wills," he said.

President Trump's "border czar" Tom Homan says Los Angeles has itself to blame because LA's sanctuary laws prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with immigration agents inside jails, where they could detain immigrant offenders outside of the public eye.

"We're going to double down, triple down on sanctuary cities," Mr Homan told reporters, adding that they do not have such overt public raids in Florida because all the sheriffs there let immigration agents into the jails to detain immigrants.

"If they don't let us arrest the bad guy in the county jail, they're going to arrest them in the community. We're going to arrest them at a work site."

In Los Angeles, the impact of the month of raids is noticeable. In parks and neighbourhoods once bustling with shoppers, foot traffic, music and street vendors, the absence of familiar sounds is eerie.

There are 88 cities in LA County and many of them have cancelled public summer events due to the ongoing immigration enforcement activity.

"Many residents have expressed fear and uncertainty, leading them to remain indoors, refrain from work, and withdraw from daily public life," the city of Huntington Park said in a statement about cancelled events. "Our priority is and will continue to be the safety and peace of mind of our community.

Now some immigrants are afraid to turn up for their scheduled hearings, because they are being detained outside court.

Pastor Ara Torosian of Cornerstone Church in West LA said the bulk of his Persian language congregants were asylum seekers. One couple with a three-year-old daughter were detained outside court when they showed up for what they thought was a "routine" hearing. Now they are in Texas at a family detention centre.

Five members of his congregation were detained in June – two of them on the street as Pastor Torosian filmed and begged the agents to stop.

"The are not criminals," he said. "They were obeying everything, not hiding anything."

Why 2025 is a scarily good year for horror movies

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93k4welkpxo, today

Lights down, armrest gripped, teeth clenched - just an average evening at the cinema for a horror film fan.

The genre is having a great year in 2025, with the top three examples - Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines and 28 Years Later - taking a total of £41.3m ($55.6m) in the UK.

That's compared with £32.1m ($43.1m) for the eight biggest horrors released last year, according to Box Office Mojo.

In North America, scary movies have accounted for 17% of ticket purchases this year - up from 11% in 2024 and 4% a decade ago, according to a report from the Reuters news agency.

"Right now it feels like we're in the renaissance of horror," Chase Sui Wonders, one of the stars of I Know What You Did Last Summer (IKWYDLS), tells BBC Newsbeat.

"Everyone's going to theatres watching horror movies."

The small screen's also helping to switch us on to new releases.

According to data provided by TikTok, there's been an rise in horror-related videos globally on the app in the past 12 months.

It said 10.7m people used the horror hashtag - an increase of 38% - while HorrorTok rose 40% to 2.6m.

The tags aren't exclusively used on movie-related content, but TikTok said it had noticed a spike in videos using them during the Cannes Film Festival in May.

While the figures for the past year could suggest a horror explosion, long-time fans argue the popularity hasn't crept up on us out of nowhere.

Ash Millman, a journalist and presenter who specialises in covering horror, says the genre's success has been more of a slow-burn than a jump-scare.

Over the last 10 years, she says, it's been gathering more critical and commercial success.

She says the success of artier efforts such as Hereditary, from studio A24, and crowd pleasers from horror specialists Blumhouse.

But Ash does admit that this year has been a particularly good one for fans.

"It's got a bit of everything for everyone," she says.

"We have sequels, then amazing new things like Sinners.

"I do think we're going to be talking about 2025 for years to come."

Ash points out that the genre has constantly been fed by producers of smaller-scale indie productions, but the number of major releases this year is notable.

"I think blockbuster horror has become a thing again," she says.

"People want to go to the cinema, they want to see it on the big screen, they want to be scared."

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, when streaming films at home increased, Hollywood has been struggling to get people back into cinemas.

Horror movies, which tend to be relatively cheap to make, seem to be bucking the trend, and IKWYDLS is the latest big studio release hoping to do the same.

Its director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson tells Newsbeat the feeling of watching with an audience is hard to replicate on your sofa.

"I think it's the collective experience of being scared," she says.

"It's so fun. Everybody wants to go to the movies with their friends and jump and scream and have a good time."

IKWYDLS is a retread of the cult 1997 slasher movie about a group of friends who agree to cover up a tragic accident, only to be pursued a year later by an anonymous killer known as the Fisherman.

The original came out in October - the traditional "spooky season" window for big horror releases.

But IKWYDLS cast member Jonah Hauer-King says he thinks the new version won't feel out of place in July.

"Counter-intuitively, though it is frightening and scary, there is something feel-good about this kind of film," he says.

"It doesn't take itself too seriously and it is a bit of a wild ride, so it feels like a summer popcorn film with the scares and with the thrills."

Jonah thinks there is also a deeper reason for the appeal of horror, too.

"I think at the moment people want to go to the cinema for a bit of escapism, forget about things and have a bit of fun," he says.

Ash agrees, and says times of "chaos and uncertainty" in the wider world tend to boost the genre.

"I think that's always a big festering ground for horror to make statements," she says.

"I feel like horror is a reflection of society but gives us a bit of control over it.

"Usually you see people kind of battling against a great evil and overcoming it in blockbuster horror, where we get a nice wrapped-up ending.

"And I think that's a really nice form of escapism and a way of kind of moving past these horrible things going on in the world."

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

UK sanctions Russian spies for malicious activity

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg6v0xzv6lo, today

A number of Russian spies have been sanctioned for conducting a "sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity" including in the UK, the Foreign Office has said.

Three military intelligence units from Russia's GRU espionage agency and 18 officers have had sanctions placed on them for "spreading chaos and disorder on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's orders".

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy linked the activity to the UK's continued support of Ukraine, and said GRU spies were "running a campaign to destabilise Europe".

Separately, the European Union placed its "strongest sanctions" yet on Russia, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called "essential and timely".

The latest EU measures, announced on Friday, included a ban on transactions related to the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline and lowering a cap on the price at which Russian oil can be bought.

The UK joined the move to lower the price cap, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves saying Europe was "turning the screw on the Kremlin's war chest".

They come as European allies hope to ratchet up the pressure on Russia to bring the three-year-long war in Ukraine to an end.

But former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Putin, said his nation's economy would survive the sanctions and that Moscow will continue striking Ukraine "with increasing force".

The EU sanctions are the 18th round of such measures since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

The UK Foreign Office said one of the intelligence units it had sanctioned - Unit 26165 - had been involved in targeting Mariupol, including a strike that hit the Ukrainian city's theatre, killing hundreds of civilians.

It said it had also placed measures on intelligence officers who placed spyware on the phone of Yulia Skripal, who with her father was targeted by suspected Russian agents in Salisbury with the nerve agent Novichok.

The Foreign Office added that Russia had targeted UK media organisations, telecoms companies, energy infrastructure and political institutions.

"The Kremlin should be in no doubt: we see what they are trying to do in the shadows and we won't tolerate it," Lammy said in a statement. "Putin's hybrid threats and aggression will never break our resolve."

People or entities that are sanctioned can face a range of restrictions, including having financial assets frozen.

European leaders are also looking for the US to place further pressure on Russia.

Earlier this week, Donald Trump threatened Russia with severe tariffs if a peace deal was not reached within 50 days. The US president has become increasingly impatient with Putin.

The Foreign Office also announced sanctions on three leaders of the "African Initiative", a social media campaign it said was founded, funded and employed by Russia to conduct disinformation operations in West Africa.

Police drop investigation into Kneecap's Glastonbury performance

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly290dk226o, today

Police who were investigating Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury will not take any further action.

Last month, a criminal investigation was launched by Avon and Somerset Police into performances by the Irish language rap trio at the music festival.

It said it had appointed a senior detective to investigate whether comments made on stage amounted to a criminal offence after reviewing footage.

On Friday, the force said detectives had sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and chosen not to take any further action against Kneecap on the grounds that there was "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence".

"Kneecap was informed of that decision earlier today (Friday 18 July)," it added.

"Enquiries continue to be carried out in relation to separate comments made on stage during Bob Vylan's performance."

The force have also been investigating English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan's performance.

Police did not specify which part of Bob Vylan's or Kneecap's sets were subject to criminal investigation.

But in an earlier statement they said they had recorded them as a public order incident.

Kneecap had faced weeks of controversy over their pro-Palestinian stance, with Sharon Osbourne calling for their US visas to be revoked over messages they displayed on stage at Coachella.

The question over whether Kneecap should even perform at Glastonbury drew comment over the weeks before the festival, with even the prime minister stepping in to say he did not think it was "appropriate".

Group member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh had appeared in court charged with a terror offence, related to allegedly displaying a flag at a gig in November in support of proscribed organisation Hezbollah.

He denies the charge.

Kneecap did perform but the BBC did not livestream their performance.

Bob Vylan, whose set was broadcast live, led the crowd at the festival in chants of "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]".

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the scenes "appalling and unacceptable", and the BBC apologised for not cutting the feed.

'Trusting The Salt Path author was our biggest mistake', family says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80p2pzgpmgo, today

A family who claim The Salt Path author Raynor Winn stole tens of thousands of pounds from their business say trusting her was their "biggest mistake".

Ros Hemmings and her daughter Debbie, from Pwllheli in Gwynedd, allege Ms Winn - who worked for their property business in the early 2000s - stole around £64,000.

It comes after an investigation by the Observer contained claims Ms Winn gave misleading information about her life story in her book The Salt Path, which has been made into a film starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

Ms Winn has called the Observer report "highly misleading" and disputed many of its claims.

The 2018 book The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, tells the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home was repossessed following a bad business deal.

But the Observer claimed Ms Winn - whose legal name is Sally Walker - and her husband, Moth Winn, had lost their home after she took out a loan to repay money she had been accused of stealing from her previous employer, Martin Hemmings.

In a statement issued earlier in July, Ms Winn stood by the book's description of how they came to lose their house saying the dispute with the Hemmings did not result in her and her husband losing their home.

Martin Hemmings, who died in 2012, was an estate agent and property surveyor from north Wales, and husband to Ros Hemmings.

Mrs Hemmings, 74, became friends with Mr Winn when they worked at the same National Trust site in the 1990s.

"I got on extremely well with him," said Mrs Hemmings. "He seemed a really nice person."

Then in 2001, Mr Winn mentioned his wife had lost her job at a hotel as a bookkeeper.

"It coincided with my husband's bookkeeper retiring so I suggested her to my husband," said Mrs Hemmings.

"She came for an interview, and she was the one. She seemed very efficient, we liked her."

But she said after that her husband noticed a change in the business.

"Within a year or so we weren't making any money," said Mrs Hemmings.

Initially they did not suspect anything.

"I did not think there was any reason for this aside from the fact that Martin was rubbish at sending out bills," said Mrs Hemmings.

But their daughter Debbie, who was aged around 29 at the time, became emotional as she remembered receiving a distressed call from her father as the financial pressure built over a number of years.

"He said: 'I just don't know what's gone wrong, I'm working every hour God gives me and there's no money,'" said Debbie Adams, now aged 46.

"About five days after that first call he rings up and goes, she [Winn] has been nicking money. I was like, 'dad come on now, no. Surely there's something gone wrong?' He said 'no, we've had a look and there's money missing'."

They claimed a meeting between Mr Hemmings and the bank manager showed £6,000 to £9,000 was missing. They said Mr Hemmings then went straight to the police and a local solicitor.

They said shortly afterwards, Ms Winn visited them at their home.

"She was crying," said Mrs Hemmings. "She had brought a cheque I think it was for £9,000. She said this is all the money I have, I've had to sell some of my mother's things to do this, can we call it quits?"

Mrs Hemmings said her husband took the money on the advice of the police who said: "It may be all you get."

But they also advised the couple to start going back through the accounts to check if anything else was missing.

She said they went back through years of the business's financial paperwork.

"It was a very upsetting thing to do and it took us weeks and weeks," said Mrs Hemmings. "But we found she had taken about £64,000."

Mrs Hemmings said a few weeks later they received a letter from a solicitor in London offering to pay the money back and legal fees which came to around £90,000.

It included an agreement not to pursue criminal charges which Mr Hemmings signed.

Mrs Hemmings said: "He was keen to do it in a way, we had no money and had nearly been basically bankrupt. She also had young children, and to have a mother in prison or facing a criminal charge, he didn't want that to happen."

In a statement released in July after the Observer article, which included allegations from Mrs Hemmings, Ms Winn acknowledged making "mistakes" earlier in her career.

She said it had been a pressured time, and although she was questioned by police, she was not charged.

"Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry," she said.

Ms Winn said the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a "non-admissions basis", because she "did not have the evidence required to support what happened".

She said: "Mr Hemmings was as keen to reach a private resolution as I was."

BBC Wales put Ms Winn's statement to Mrs Hemmings.

She responded: "I think she's just trying to put the best spin on the question.

"The mistake was that we ever employed her, and the biggest mistake my husband made, because obviously I'd recommended her in a way, was that he trusted her."

The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication, and Ms Winn has written two sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also focus on themes of nature, wild camping, homelessness and walking.

Mrs Hemmings said she had not read The Salt Path because she did not feel it would reflect her view on why the couple did the walk.

She added: "I'd have stamped on the book I think. Just to gloss over why they ran out of money to me was shocking."

Her daughter Debbie said: "I don't wish ill of them. I just wish that they would tell the truth, and the truth needs to be told."

In her statement in July, Ms Winn said: "The Salt Path is about what happened to Moth and me, after we lost our home and found ourselves homeless on the headlands of the south west.

"It's not about every event or moment in our lives, but rather about a capsule of time when our lives moved from a place of complete despair to a place of hope."

Ros and Debbie said they had no paperwork or contract from the time to back up their claims - although others, like their solicitor involved in the case, Michael Strain, have corroborated their claims as part of the Observer's investigation.

Mrs Hemmings said she was speaking out now to give "a voice" to her late husband.

"I can't forgive her for sort of destroying my husband's confidence in people, because it did," she said.

"And I think that's partly why we didn't talk about it. He was so embarrassed that this had happened to his business."

North Wales Police said they were unable to confirm or deny any details regarding Ms Winn.

When approached for comment, Ms Winn's spokesman referred BBC News to the statement Ms Winn made on 9 July.

He added: "She is very grateful for all the kind messages of support she has received from readers."

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Man who jumped from edge of space dies paragliding

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2k7094e8xo, today

Felix Baumgartner, who once broke the world record for the highest skydive by jumping from the edge of space, has died in a motorised paragliding accident in Italy.

The 56-year-old fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel while flying over the village of Porto Sant'Elpidio in the eastern Marche region.

Porto Sant'Elpidio's Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air.

The Austrian daredevil made headlines in 2012 when he broke the world record - and the sound barrier - for the highest-ever skydive, jumping from a balloon more than 39km (128,000 ft) up in the stratosphere.

Baumgartner was described as "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights" by Ciarpella, who offered the town's condolences for his death.

Fans have left their own tributes beneath one of the skydiver's final social media posts, a video of him working on the motor of his paraglider.

Another post from around 14:30 local time (13:30 BST) bore the text "too much wind" and featured a picture of a full windsock against a cloudy sky.

The extreme sportsman was known as "Fearless Felix" for his adventurous stunts.

He set one of his earliest records in 1999 for the world's lowest base jump, from the 30m (98ft) high hand of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue.

In the same year, he set the world record for the highest parachute jump from a building, when he launched himself from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Then, in 2003, he completed a flight across the English Channel wearing a specially made jumpsuit with carbon-fibre wings.

But the extreme sportsman was best known for his space leap. Speaking at a news conference after his record-breaking jump, he said: "When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble."

He added: "You don't think about breaking records anymore, you don't think about gaining scientific data - the only thing that you want is to come back alive."

Libyan war crimes suspect arrested in Germany under ICC warrant

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0qnzxq4k0o, today

A Libyan man suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity has been arrested in Germany on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, commonly known as "Al-Buti", is alleged to have been one of the most senior officials at the Mitiga Prison complex in the capital, Tripoli, where thousands of people were detained.

He is suspected of having committed, ordered or overseen crimes including murder, torture and rape.

The atrocities were allegedly committed in the detention unit near Tripoli in the five years from 2015. There is no record of him commenting on the allegations.

The ICC has issued 11 arrest warrants in connection with alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Libya since the ousting and killing of the country's long-time leader, Muammar Gaddafi, which plunged Libya into civil war.

The situation was referred to the court by the United Nations Security Council in February 2011, at the start of the protests which led to Gaddafi's ousting later that year, with the help of Nato forces.

In its referral, the Security Council condemned the "violence and use of force against civilians... the gross and systematic violation of human rights, including the repression of peaceful demonstrators".

It also expressed "deep concern at the deaths of civilians", while "rejecting unequivocally the incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population made from the highest level of the Libyan government", then under Gaddafi.

Since the overthrow of Gaddafi, after six decades in power, Libya has been split into areas controlled by various militias and is currently divided between two rival governments.

Mr Hishri was part of the Special Deterrence Force, also known as SDF/Rada, aligned to the interior ministry of the internationally recognised government based in Tripoli.

On 12 May 2025, Libya accepted the ICC's jurisdiction over its territory from 2011 to the end of 2027.

Eight other public ICC arrest warrants are still pending in connection with the violence that followed the fall of Gaddafi.

Earlier this year, Italy controversially released Osama Najim - also known as Almasri - who was allegedly the director of the Mitiga detention centre.

Amnesty International says Mitiga Prison was the scene of "horrific violations committed with total impunity".

Some of those kept in Mitiga are migrants trying to reach Europe.

Mr Najim was freed due to a legal technicality, according to sources in Italy's interior ministry.

The ICC said Mr Najim had been released by Italy "without prior notice or consultation with the Court" and issued another arrest warrant for him. He remains a fugitive.

Mr Hishri will remain in detention in Germany until arrangements are made for him to be surrendered to the ICC's custody and extradited to face justice in The Hague.

The ICC thanked "all the victims and witnesses from Libya who have stepped forward to cooperate in the investigation.

"Their strength, courage and commitment make these important developments possible," it said.

Mr Hishri's case will join others in the court's ongoing efforts to address crimes committed during Libya's conflict, though other suspects remain at large.

Trump sues Murdoch for libel over Jeffrey Epstein letter story

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23g5xpggzmo, today

President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters, over a report claiming Trump wrote a "bawdy" personal note to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein in 2003.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami, names Dow Jones, News Corp and conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, claiming the paper slandered him and violated libel laws.

Earlier, Trump had threatened that he would force Murdoch "to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper".

Trump says the note, which the paper reported he'd sent for Epstein's 50th birthday, is "fake". It comes amid a backlash from his supporters over his handling of the Epstein case files.

Trump acknowledged that he and members of his staff attempted to halt publication of the story. He said the newspaper and Murdoch "were warned directly" they would be sued if they printed the article, describing it as "false, malicious, and defamatory".

The lawsuit also names the two reporters who wrote the story, Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo.

Earlier on Friday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, writing: "I look forward to getting Rupert Murdoch to testify in my lawsuit against him and his 'pile of garbage' newspaper, the WSJ. That will be an interesting experience!!!"

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), a letter bearing Trump's name "contained several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker".

"Inside the outline of the naked woman was a typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person," the paper reports.

It reportedly contains a joking reference that "Enigmas never age" and allegedly ends with the words: "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret."

Trump denied writing the note after the article was published on Thursday, posting: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don't draw pictures."

On Friday, Trump declined to answer reporters' questions about his relationship with Epstein, and why he had not ordered the release of more documents.

Instead, he asked the Attorney General to produce documents related to secretive grand jury testimony, which could prove to be a lengthy court process. It's unclear when or if those documents will be released, or if they contain the details Trump's supporters have been demanding be released publicly.

Trump's order concerning grand jury testimony came after days of sustained pressure from some of his most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Some Trump loyalists have called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to resign after she reversed course on releasing certain documents related to Epstein.

In February, Bondi said that a "client list" belonging to Epstein was "sitting on my desk right now". Then last week, her office announced that there is no such "client list".

Chad Bianco, a Republican sheriff running for California governor, told BBC News that Trump's handling of the Epstein files was "not what I was expecting" and that "millions" of his followers are disappointed.

"We feel like we're being talked down to like stupid children."

Trump and Murdoch have a relationship that goes back decades.

The 94-year-old media tycoon's media empire, which includes Fox News, is often credited with helping propel Trump to the White House.

But the two grew more distant over the years and their relationship started to collapse following Trump's loss at the ballot box in 2020 to Joe Biden.

"We want to make Trump a non-person," Murdoch wrote in an email that emerged during court battles over Fox's role spreading misinformation in the 2020 election.

Trump's more recent victory in 2024 appeared to bring the two together again. During a February visit to the White House, Trump referred to Murdoch as "a class by himself" and "an amazing guy".

On Sunday, the two men were pictured together attending the Fifa World Cup in New Jersey.

Attorney General Bondi was also seen watching the match from the president's private box.

Meanwhile, members of Congress are pushing to pass a "discharge petition" that would force Bondi to "make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys' Offices" relating to Epstein.

The effort has brought together some of Congress's fiercest opponents, including Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are both signed on as supporters.

A furious Chinese internet takes on privilege

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7827pwlro, yesterday

This was supposed to be a breakout year for Chinese actress Nashi, with major roles in two blockbuster films and a highly anticipated TV drama.

But then in June, the 35-year-old's star crashed as a furore over her exam scores from more than a decade ago sparked a backlash online – and eventually an official investigation into her academic record.

The fallout was immediate. Her name was scrubbed from the credits of the drama, Lychees in Chang'an, and brands began cutting ties.

She joins a growing list of people facing intense scrutiny in China over their privilege, with authorities launching investigations to appease public anger.

In recent months, these viral scandals have hit two actresses, a Harvard graduate, and a doctor from a top Beijing hospital: all young women. They were accused of leveraging family connections to gain unfair advantage.

"There's privilege every year, but this year there's more than ever," says one user on Weibo. Another wrote: "I would love to see more scandals like this. They are truly eye-opening."

Frustrated with rising unemployment and a slowing economy, more and more young Chinese people feel that connections, or guanxi, pay off more than hard work, research shows.

Nashi, for instance, was accused of using her actress mother's connections to enrol in a prestigious drama school.

The programme, which her mother attended in the 1980s, was for ethnic Mongolian students like them. But then old interview clips resurfaced, in which she had said she didn't fulfil a key obligation - she went to study in Norway after graduating, instead of returning to work in Inner Mongolia as required by the programme.

Speculation grew in early June, just as millions of high school seniors sat for the gruelling university entrance exam called Gaokao – the same exam that earned Nashi a spot at the drama school in 2008.

Internet sleuths dug up the lowest scores for that year and suspected they were hers. Did she only go to the drama school because of her mum, they asked. It was a serious enough allegation that officials eventually stepped in to clarify that she had a much higher score.

But it was not enough.

The scandal that started it all

Internet scandals are hardly unique to China but they have become a much-needed outlet – for anger, questions or just disappointment - in a tightly-censored society.

Independent media is almost non-existent, leaving a lot of room for unchecked speculation and just plain rumours to spread rapidly through China's vast social media universe. And in some cases, users online have done their own investigations to verify allegations and unearth wrongdoing.

That is what happened in April when two doctors - identified only by their surnames, Mr Xiao and Ms Dong – at a top Beijing hospital found themselves caught in a national storm over an alleged love affair.

Mr Xiao's wife wrote a letter to his employer accusing him of favouring Ms Dong at work because the two were in a relationship. Among her many allegations was one that eventually cost him his job: she said he had left a sedated patient unattended on the operating table for 40 minutes to defend Ms Dong during a dispute with a nurse.

It was a shocking episode but it quickly became so much more, as attention shifted to Ms Dong. An angry internet found out that she had finished studying to be a doctor in just four years, compared to the minimum of eight years.

They accused her of cheating her way into an elite programme at China's most prestigious medical school, Peking Union Medical College, and plagiarising her graduation thesis.

So intense was the backlash that the National Health Commission investigated and confirmed the allegations. Authorities revoked Ms Dong's licence to practise medicine and her degrees, hoping that would put an end to the controversy.

Her clinical experience – which stretched across various specialties – also came under scrutiny, along with her family's political ties. But officials didn't respond to those accusations, raising further questions about a cover-up.

"There were failures at every step. There's no way they'll dig any deeper," says a young doctor in Qingdao city who did not wish to share her name.

It is not uncommon for people to use "guanxi" to help their children find jobs, she says, but what bothers her is the "deep-rooted unfairness".

Having spent 11 years to become a resident like Ms Dong, she says she and her colleagues had never heard of the programme Ms Dong graduated from: "We were all shocked when we learnt about it. Clearly, it's not meant for ordinary people like us."

This scandal particularly stung in hyper-competitive China where doctors work gruelling hours to earn a residency at top hospitals, or just to hold on to the jobs they do have.

"Why is everything so unfair," she asked, echoing the disillusionment that was widespread in the comments online.

"We work tirelessly treating patients with the utmost care - as if we were their grandchildren. Yet our life is far worse than [Ms] Dong's."

It was this discontent that also drove the outrage against Harvard graduate Yurong Luanna Jiang in June.

She drew attention after her speech at a graduation ceremony went viral the same day a US federal judge blocked US President Donald Trump's ban on foreign students at Harvard. When she shared the experience online, she spoke of a difficult childhood, spent "drifting from place to place", and how studying hard had given her everything she now had.

At first she was applauded for calling for unity in a polarised world - even some Chinese people commented saying they were touched by her words. But her social media posts soon irked the Chinese internet, which then began examining her resume and challenging her claim that hard work alone had led to her success.

Her critics did not sympathise with her challenges – they found holes in every story and when she pushed back, they doubled down.

She seemed to be yet another reminder of the narrowing opportunities that faced many young Chinese people.

Sluggish post-Covid growth has brought layoffs, salary cuts and hiring freezes. Millions of graduates are struggling to find jobs, settling for lower-paid work or quitting the race altogether.

One user on RedNote said she had been posting online in anger about these scandals only to find out hours later that a job offer she had accepted was retracted because the company had paused hiring.

"Sure enough, the things you weren't born with, you'll never have in this lifetime," she wrote.

'You know what you know'

This anger is not new. For some time now, the Chinese government has been censoring excessive displays of wealth by celebrities and influencers. But there are things that escape even their watchful eye, such as a pair of earrings.

Scandal came for actress Huang Yang Tian Tian when a suspicious internet began speculating that earrings she had recently worn cost more than ¥2.3 million ($320,000; £237,100).

They began questioning how she could afford them and discovered that her father was a civil servant-turned-businessman. Then they found out that he had worked in the local government in Ya'an, which was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2008.

The controversy blew up with more questions about the family's wealth, and insinuations that they had profited from post-quake recovery funds. Authorities denied this and said Ms Huang's earrings, made of glass, were a cheap replica of a luxury pair.

But not everyone believes them. "You know what you know," reads one Weibo comment with more than 1,000 likes. "Were the officials laughing?" another user asks.

While the Chinese Communist Party is concerned enough to launch investigations, their swift response does not seem to be enough.

"The loss of public trust didn't happen in a day or two," writes a user on RedNote. "It's the result of one investigation after another that insults our intelligence, one unresolved incident after another."

Public frustration lingers as the Party tries to grapple with increasing discontent. And its message to young people is they should "eat bitterness", a Chinese phrase for enduring hardship, in the pursuit of "national rejuvenation".

But online, one of the few places where Chinese people still speak openly, that message seems to be ringing hollow as people debate the advantages enjoyed by "the elites", often simply referred to as "they".

"They are the reason why we worked so hard for three generations and are still in misery," a top-liked comment on Weibo reads.

Another comment on RedNote, where no-one in particular is being accused, says: "We earn money one cent at a time, while they embezzle hundreds of millions - and then they teach us that hard work leads to prosperity and that labour is honourable."

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to end in May 2026

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20n4q0q9zqo, today

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026, the CBS television network announced in a surprise statement on Thursday.

The move "is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]," and "is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters," CBS said.

The announcement comes just two weeks after CBS parent company Paramount settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump stemming from a CBS interview with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris.

The move brings a close to the more than three-decade old programme, leaving the network without a late-night comedy talk show for the first time since 1993.

Host Stephen Colbert broke the news at a taping earlier on Thursday evening, triggering a chorus of boos from the live studio audience.

"I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners," Colbert said, adding: "And of course, I'm grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world."

Colbert had been informed of the decision on Wednesday night, he told the audience during his Thursday monologue.

"Yeah, I share your feeling," he said, as the crowd in the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York shouted "no" and booed.

"It's not just the end of our show, but it's the end of The Late Show on CBS. I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away," he continued. "It is a fantastic job. I wish somebody else was getting it."

The Late Show was created by CBS, the BBC's US news partner, in 1993 as a competitor to NBC. It came after a dispute between David Letterman and host Jay Leno over who should succeed Johnny Carson on the wildly-popular NBC's Tonight Show.

Colbert took over the CBS programme from David Letterman in 2015, and has become one of Trump's staunchest critics on late night TV.

Before taking over the job at The Late Show, Colbert had been the host of "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central – a programme which skewered American conservative politics and culture.

The announcement of the ending of the programme came amid talks between Paramount and Skydance Media to merge the two companies, a move that would require approval from the US federal government.

Democratic Senator Adam Schiff posted on X on Thursday that he had just finished taping an interview with Colbert, moments before the cancellation was announced.

He questioned whether the announcement was tied to the $16m (£12m) settlement the network agreed to pay to Trump, writing: "If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserved to know".

The settlement came after Trump sued CBS last October alleging the network had deceptively edited an interview that aired on its 60 Minutes news programme with his presidential election rival Kamala Harris, to "tip the scales in favour of the Democratic party".

Paramount said it would pay to settle the suit, but with the money allocated to Trump's future presidential library, not paid to him "directly or indirectly".

Colbert has been a major critic of Trump, and has hosted many Democratic politicians during his tenure as host. Last month, he held a discussion with Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist leading the race to be New York City's next mayor.

The decision to cancel the programme comes as networks struggle to attract younger viewers, amid competition from online streamers and podcasts, along with increased costs of live television.

"We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'The Late Show' franchise," CBS said in its statement.

"We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.

Rival broadcast networks, ABC and NBC, will continue to air their late-night talk shows.

ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! will continue taping in the fall, while NBC hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers have signed contracts to continue hosting The Tonight Show and Late Night until 2028, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

US passes first major national crypto legislation

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd78lvd94zyo, today

Lawmakers in the US have passed the country's first major national cryptocurrency legislation.

It is a major milestone for the once fringe industry, which has been lobbying Congress over regulation for years and poured millions into last year's election, backing candidates that included Donald Trump.

The bill sets up a regulatory regime for so-called stablecoins, a kind of cryptocurrency backed by assets seen as reliable, such as the dollar.

Trump is expected to sign the legislation into law on Friday, after the House passed the bill on Thursday, joining the Senate, which had approved the measure last month.

Known as the Genius Act, the bill is one of three pieces of cryptocurrency legislation advancing in Washington that is backed by Trump.

The president once derided crypto as a scam but his opinion shifted as he won backing from the sector and got involved in the industry as a businessman, with ties to firms such as World Liberty Financial.

Supporters of the legislation say it is aimed at providing clear rules for a growing industry, ensuring the US keeps pace with advances in payment systems. The crypto industry had been pushing for such measures in hopes it could spur more people to use digital currency and bring it more into the mainstream.

The provisions include requiring stablecoins, an alternate cryptocurrency to the likes of Bitcoin, to be backed one-for-one with US dollars, or other low-risk assets. Stablecoins are used by traders to move funds between different crypto tokens.

The use of these coins, which are viewed as less volatile, has grown rapidly in recent years.

Critics argue the bill will introduce new risks into the financial system, by legitimising stablecoins without erecting sufficient protections for consumers.

For example, they said it would deepen tech firms' participation in bank-like activities without subjecting them to similar oversight, and leave customers hanging in a convoluted bankruptcy process in the event that a stablecoin firm should fail.

They had also tried to rally opposition to the bill by arguing that voting in favour was effectively condoning Trump's business activities - including his family's promotion of their own crypto coins.

But it nevertheless drew significant support from Democrats, about half of which supported the bill, as well as the majority of Republicans.

"Some members may believe passage of this bill, even with flaws, is better than the status quo. We believe this is a fundamental misunderstanding of the risks involved with these instruments," a coalition of consumer and advocacy groups wrote in a letter to Congress this spring.

They warned that passage would "allow the proliferation of assets that consumers will wrongly perceive as safe".

Analysts had expected Congress to pass all three bills earlier this week, but unexpected hiccups led to delays.

The two other bills have passed the House and are headed to the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority. Those bills would prevent the US central bank from establishing a digital currency and set up a regulatory framework for other forms of crypto.

The advance comes as Trump is reportedly working on an presidential order that could allow retirement accounts to be invested in private assets, such as crypto, gold and private equity.

The value of Bitcoin hit a new record this week, passing $120,000 (£89,000).

But Terry Haines of Washington-based analysis firm Pangaea Policy, said he did not expect the other two bills, which are more significant, to go further.

"This is the end of crypto's wins for quite a while - and the only one," he wrote. "When the easy part, stablecoin, takes ~4 to 5 years and barely survives industry scandals, it's not much to crow about."

Spud-tacular: How India became a french fry superpower

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ced2zpvv179o, today

French fries turned around the fortunes of Jitesh Patel.

He comes from a family of farmers in Gujarat in the northwest of India. Traditionally they grew cotton, but the returns were poor.

Droughts in 2001 and 2002 made the situation worse and the Patels knew things had to change.

"We realised that we had to start growing something that does not require lot of water," Mr Patel says.

So, they experimented with potatoes. Initially they tried table potatoes; the kind available in local markets and cooked at home, but the returns weren't much better than cotton.

Spurred by the arrival of french fry makers in their state, in 2007 they started growing the varieties of potato used by the food industry. It turned out to be a winning strategy.

"Since then, no looking back," says Mr Patel.

Mr Patel is part of India's rise to potato superpower status. It is already the world's second biggest spud producer.

But it's the export market, particularly of french fries, that's really flying.

Gujarat has become India's capital of french fry production, home to huge factories churning out chips, including facilities belonging to Canadian giant McCain Foods and India's biggest maker of French Fries, HyFun Foods.

From Gujarat fries are sent all over over the world. But the most important markets at the moment are in Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia, according to Devendra K, who has been studying the potato market for many years.

In February of this year, monthly exports of Indian frozen fries broke the 20,000 tonnes barrier for the first time. In the year to February, India's fry exports totalled 181,773 tonnes, a 45% increase compared with the previous year.

The success is partly down to price.

"Indian frozen fries are noted for being competitively priced in the international market," says Devendra.

He says that in 2024, the average price of Indian fries was even cheaper than those from China.

For the french fry makers, it's boom time.

"India has emerged as a significant player and exporter due to its abundant agricultural produce, cost-effective manufacturing, and growing focus on quality standards," says Haresh Karamchandani, CEO of HyFun Foods.

HyFun has seven plants processing potatoes in Gujarat with another two coming online by 2026.

"Urbanisation, increasing disposable incomes and changing lifestyles have promoted the consumption of frozen foods, not only in the household but also in food service establishments," says Mr Karamchandani.

Meeting that demand has required decades of innovation from farmers.

Jitesh Patel studied agriculture at university and has been applying science to farming ever since.

Along with friends and family they are continuously trying to improve their potato yield.

"We are a well educated bunch of farmers, so we keep trying new methods," he says.

One of their first innovations, back in 2003, was to switch to a drip system of irrigation, rather than flooding fields with water.

To keep the soil productive the fields are rested over the summer, and fertilised with cow manure.

Their focus now is finding the perfect potato plant.

"We are in the process of experimenting with seeds and soon we will have a new variety," he says.

Jain Irrigation Systems is a large agricultural technology company. As well as selling irrigation equipment, it has teams of technicians developing seeds for agriculture, including potato plants.

They use a set of techniques known as tissue culture. It's a way of cloning plants, with desirable traits and eliminating disease.

It involves growing small pieces of plant tissue in a controlled laboratory environment to create virus-free plantlets. These plantlets can then be used to produce more seed potatoes through methods like taking cuttings.

"Potato seeds destined for future seed production undergo meticulous breeding practices under the supervision of breeders," says Vijay Singh, vice president of marketing at the company.

One issue they are tackling at the moment concerns a variety of potatoes used to make chips. Farmers found that by November the potato crop starts to go brown because of its sugar content.

"Companies like us who are into tissue culture are trying to come up with a new variety to overcome the challenges that the industry is facing," says Mr Singh.

While Indian farmers are working on improving their yields, investment is needed elsewhere in the frozen food industry.

In particular, firms need to be able to store and transport goods at sub-zero temperatures.

Modern cold storage facilities have been built, but more are needed.

"Only about 10–15% of India's cold storage facilities are suitable for storing frozen foods," says Vijay Kumar Nayak, co-founder of Indo Agri Foods, an exporter of Indian food.

"These facilities are unevenly distributed, heavily concentrated in a few states, leaving rural and remote regions severely underserved.

Transportation is a problem as well.

"There is a notable shortage of specialised refrigerated trucks and containers, making temperature-controlled transportation extremely difficult and increasing the risk of spoilage," he says.

A reliable electricity supply is also essential.

"Frequent power outages in many parts of the country increase the chances of spoilage and make running a reliable frozen food supply chain a daunting task," says Mr Nayak.

"Indian companies face intense competition in export markets from countries like China, Thailand and Brazil. These nations benefit from more advanced logistics, infrastructure, and production systems," he points out.

Back at his Gujarat farm Mr Patel is happy that the chip makers moved in.

"Gujarat has become a food processing hub. Most of the farmers, including me, have become contract farmers which gives us security and good money for our yield," he says.

Meta investors settle $8bn lawsuit with Zuckerberg over Facebook privacy

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jmledvr3o, yesterday

Mark Zuckerberg has agreed to settle a multibillion dollar lawsuit with a group of shareholders over how top executives and directors at Meta handled repeated privacy violations by Facebook.

The shareholders were seeking $8bn (£6bn) in damages. It is unclear how much they agreed to settle for.

The settlement was announced on Thursday by a lawyer for the shareholders, just before the trial was about to enter its second day in a Delaware court. Meta declined to comment on the settlement.

The Meta shareholders had alleged that Mr Zuckerberg's actions led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in which the data of millions of Facebook users was leaked and used by a political consulting firm.

The shareholders had asked the judge to order the 11 defendants named in the case to reimburse Meta for more than $8bn in fines and legal costs, which they say the company has had to pay in order to resolve claims of users' privacy breaches.

The shareholders also questioned the timing of share sales by top brass at the company.

Meta was formerly known as Facebook, and is the parent company of the social media platform, along with photo-sharing app Instagram and the messaging app WhatsApp.

The shareholder lawsuit was filed in 2018, after it was revealed that data from millions of Facebook users was accessed by Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm that worked for President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign.

Among the defendants was Jeffrey Zients, who served as Meta director for two years starting in May 2018, and was also former President Joe Biden's White House chief of staff.

In testimony on Wednesday, Mr Zients acknowledged that a $5 billion Federal Trade Commission fine was substantial, but said that the company did not agree to pay it to protect Mr Zuckerberg from legal liability.

Other defendants included Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, and Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix.

The settlement allows the defendants to avoid testifying under oath.

Former chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg had also been slated to testify.

"One thing that could have come out of a full trial is a full accounting of how Facebook came to adopt and approve any illegal practices," said Ann Lipton, a law professor at the University of Colorado.

"It's valuable for society to know how this happened and what went wrong that they were breaking the law, if they were breaking the law," Lipton added. "That kind of exposure serves a valuable social purpose. We won't get that accounting now."

Meta was not a direct party to the lawsuit but has said that its has invested billions of dollars in privacy reforms since 2019.

Prior to the settlement, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, a Delaware judge, was set to hear testimony through next week before rendering a decision.

Last year, Ms McCormick drew the ire of Tesla boss Elon Musk after she rejected his $56 billion pay package.

The electric vehicle-maker has left Delaware and reincorporated in Texas.

Netflix boss says AI effects used in show for first time

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vr4rymlw9o, today

Netflix says it has used visual effects created by generative artificial intelligence (AI) on screen for the first time in one of its original TV shows.

The streaming giant's co-CEO Ted Sarandos said AI, which produces videos and images based on prompts, was used to create a scene of a building collapsing in the Argentine science fiction show, The Eternauts.

He praised the technology as an "incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper."

The use of generative AI is controversial in the entertainment industry and has sparked fears that it will replace the work of humans.

The comments came after the company unveiled revenue of $11.08bn (£8.25bn) for the three months to the end of June,16% higher than the same time last year.

Netflix said the better-than-expected performance was boosted by the success of the third and final series of South Korean thriller Squid Game, which has so far attracted 122 million views.

Asked about Netflix's use of AI, Mr Sarandos said the technology has allowed productions with smaller budgets to use advanced visual effects.

The generative AI used in The Eternauts helped its production team to complete a sequence 10 times faster than if they had used traditional special effects tools, he said.

"The cost of it would just wouldn't have been feasible for a show in that budget."

"That sequence actually is the very first [generative] AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film. So the creators were thrilled with the result," said Mr Sarandos.

AI was among the key concerns raised during a Hollywood strike in 2023.

During the three-month walkout, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union called for tighter regulation of the use of AI.

Meta apologises after auto-translated post declares India minister 'dead'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jmx2jzylo, today

Meta has apologised after an Indian chief minister's social media post was mistranslated on some of its platforms, falsely suggesting he had died, according to Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.

On Tuesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posted a condolence message in Kannada language on Facebook and Instagram mourning the death of an actress.

But when the posts were auto-translated into English, they mistakenly said that Mr Siddaramaiah had "passed away".

On Thursday, a Meta spokesperson told PTI that the platform had "fixed an issue that briefly caused this inaccurate Kannada translation".

"We apologize that this happened," the spokesperson added.

The original post showing him paying tribute to veteran actress B Saroja Devi was wrongly translated to say he had died.

Following the error, Mr Siddaramaiah criticised Meta's auto-translate feature for Kannada, accusing it of "distorting facts' and 'misleading users". He warned that such mistranslations were especially dangerous in the context of official communication.

On Thursday, Siddaramaiah's media advisor KV Prabhakar wrote to Meta, asking it to fix the translation and temporarily suspend Kannada auto-translation until its accuracy improves. He also urged the company to work with Kannada language experts to prevent such errors.

When the BBC checked Mr Siddaramaiah's post on Friday, its English translation read:

"The multilingual star, senior actress B Sarojadevi who passed away yesterday, paid his last respects."

Meta has not commented on whether it would suspend Kannada translations until its accuracy was improved.

The deepening water shortage row between the US and Mexico

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0epzp21z47o, 5 days ago

After the thirtieth consecutive month without rain, the townsfolk of San Francisco de Conchos in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua gather to plead for divine intervention.

On the shores of Lake Toronto, the reservoir behind the state's most important dam – called La Boquilla, a priest leads local farmers on horseback and their families in prayer, the stony ground beneath their feet once part of the lakebed before the waters receded to today's critically low levels.

Among those with their heads bowed is Rafael Betance, who has voluntarily monitored La Boquilla for the state water authority for 35 years.

"This should all be underwater," he says, motioning towards the parched expanse of exposed white rocks.

"The last time the dam was full and caused a tiny overflow was 2017," Mr Betance recalls. "Since then, it's decreased year on year.

"We're currently at 26.52 metres below the high-water mark, less than 14% of its capacity."

Little wonder the local community is beseeching the heavens for rain. Still, few expect any let up from the crippling drought and sweltering 42C (107.6F) heat.

Now, a long-running dispute with Texas over the scarce resource is threatening to turn ugly.

Under the terms of a 1944 water-sharing agreement, Mexico must send 430 million cubic metres of water per year from the Rio Grande to the US.

The water is sent via a system of tributary channels into shared dams owned and operated by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which oversees and regulates water-sharing between the two neighbours.

In return, the US sends its own much larger allocation (nearly 1.85 billion cubic metres a year) from the Colorado River to supply the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali.

Mexico is in arrears and has failed to keep up with its water deliveries for much of the 21st Century.

Following pressure from Republican lawmakers in Texas, the Trump administration warned Mexico that water could be withheld from the Colorado River unless it fulfils its obligations under the 81-year-old treaty.

In April, on his Truth Social account, US President Donald Trump accused Mexico of "stealing" the water and threatened to keep escalating to "TARIFFS, and maybe even SANCTIONS" until Mexico sends Texas what it owes. Still, he gave no firm deadline by when such retaliation might happen.

For her part, the Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, acknowledged Mexico's shortfall but struck a more conciliatory tone.

Since then, Mexico has transferred an initial 75 million cubic metres of water to the US via their shared dam, Amistad, located along the border, but that is just a fraction of the roughly 1.5 billion cubic metres of Mexico's outstanding debt.

Feelings on cross-border water sharing can run dangerously high: in September 2020, two Mexican people were killed in clashes with the National Guard at La Boquilla's sluice gates as farmers tried to stop the water from being redirected.

Amid the acute drought, the prevailing view in Chihuahua is that "you can't take from what isn't there", says local expert Rafael Betance.

But that doesn't help Brian Jones to water his crops.

A fourth-generation farmer in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, for the past three years he has only been able to plant half of his farm because he doesn't have enough irrigation water.

"We've been battling Mexico as they've not been living up to their part of the deal," he says. "All we're asking for is what's rightfully ours under the treaty, nothing extra."

Mr Jones also disputes the extent of the problem in Chihuahua. He believes that in October 2022 the state received more than enough water to share, but released "exactly zero" to the US, accusing his neighbours of "hoarding water and using it to grow crops to compete with us".

Farmers on the Mexican side read the agreement differently. They say it only binds them to send water north when Mexico can satisfy its own needs, and argue that Chihuahua's ongoing drought means there's no excess available.

Beyond the water scarcity, there are also arguments over agricultural efficiency.

Walnut trees and alfalfa are two of the main crops in Chihuahua's Rio Conchos Valley, both of which require a lot of watering – walnut trees need on average 250 litres a day.

Traditionally, Mexican farmers have simply flooded their fields with water from the irrigation channel. Driving around the valley one quickly sees walnut trees sitting in shallow pools, the water flowing in from an open pipe.

The complaint from Texas is obvious: the practice is wasteful and easily avoided with more responsible and sustainable farming methods.

As Jaime Ramirez walks through his walnut groves, the former mayor of San Francisco de Conchos shows me how his modern sprinkler system ensures his walnut trees are properly watered all year round without wasting the precious resource.

"With the sprinklers, we use around 60% less than flooding the fields," he says. The system also means they can water the trees less frequently, which is particularly useful when the Rio Conchos is too low to allow local irrigation.

Mr Ramirez readily admits, though, that some of his neighbours aren't so conscientious. As a former local mayor, he urges understanding.

Some haven't adopted the sprinkler method because of the costs in setting it up, he says. He's tried to show other farmers that it works out cheaper in the long run, saving on energy and water costs.

But farmers in Texas must also understand that their counterparts in Chihuahua are facing an existential threat, Mr Ramirez insists.

"This is a desert region and the rains haven't come. If the rain doesn't come again this year, then next year there simply won't be any agriculture left. All the available water will have to be conserved as drinking water for human beings," he warns.

Many in northern Mexico believe the 1944 water-sharing treaty is no longer fit for purpose. Mr Ramirez thinks it may have been adequate for conditions eight decades ago, but it has failed to adapt with the times or properly account for population growth or the ravages of climate change.

Back across the border, Texan farmer Brian Jones says the agreement has stood the test of time and should still be honoured.

"This treaty was signed when my grandfather was farming. It's been through my grandfather, my father and now me," he says.

"Now we're seeing Mexico not comply. It's very angering to have a farm where I'm only able to plant half the ground because I don't have irrigation water."

Trump's tougher stance has given the local farmers "a pep in our step", he adds.

Meanwhile, the drought hasn't just harmed farming in Chihuahua.

With Lake Toronto's levels so low, Mr Betance says the remaining water in the reservoir is heating up with uncommon speed and creating a potential disaster for the marine life which sustains a once-thriving tourism industry.

The valley's outlook hasn't been this dire, Mr Betance says, in the entire time he's spent carefully recording the lake's ups and downs. "Praying for rain is all we have left," he reflects.

Additional reporting by Angélica Casas.

'I can't drink the water' - life next to a US data centre

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8gy7lv448o, 8 days ago

When Beverly Morris retired in 2016, she thought she had found her dream home - a peaceful stretch of rural Georgia, surrounded by trees and quiet.

Today, it's anything but.

Just 400 yards (366m) from her front porch in Mansfield, Georgia, sits a large, windowless building filled with servers, cables, and blinking lights.

It's a data centre - one of many popping up across small-town America, and around the globe, to power everything from online banking to artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.

"I can't live in my home with half of my home functioning and no water," Ms Morris says. "I can't drink the water."

She believes the construction of the centre, which is owned by Meta (the parent company of Facebook), disrupted her private well, causing an excessive build-up of sediment. Ms Morris now hauls water in buckets to flush her toilet.

She says she had to fix the plumbing in her kitchen to restore water pressure. But the water that comes of the tap still has residue in it.

"I'm afraid to drink the water, but I still cook with it, and brush my teeth with it," says Morris. "Am I worried about it? Yes."

Meta, however, says the two aren't connected.

In a statement to the BBC, Meta said that "being a good neighbour is a priority".

The company commissioned an independent groundwater study to investigate Morris's concerns. According to the report, its data centre operation did "not adversely affect groundwater conditions in the area".

While Meta disputes that it has caused the problems with Ms Morris' water, there's no doubt, in her estimation, that the company has worn out its welcome as her neighbour.

"This was my perfect spot," she says. "But it isn't anymore."

We tend to think of the cloud as something invisible - floating above us in the digital ether. But the reality is very physical.

The cloud lives in over 10,000 data centres around the world, most of them located in the US, followed by the UK and Germany.

With AI now driving a surge in online activity, that number is growing fast. And with them, more complaints from nearby residents.

The US boom is being challenged by a rise in local activism - with $64bn (£47bn) in projects delayed or blocked nationwide, according to a report from pressure group Data Center Watch.

And the concerns aren't just about construction. It's also about water usage. Keeping those servers cool requires a lot of water.

"These are very hot processors," Mark Mills of the National Center for Energy Analytics testified before Congress back in April. "It takes a lot of water to cool them down."

Many centres use evaporative cooling systems, where water absorbs heat and evaporates - similar to how sweat wicks away heat from our bodies. On hot days, a single facility can use millions of gallons.

One study estimates that AI-driven data centres could consume 1.7 trillion gallons of water globally by 2027.

Few places illustrate this tension more clearly than Georgia - one of the fastest-growing data centre markets in the US.

Its humid climate provides a natural and more cost-effective source of water for cooling data centres, making it attractive to developers. But that abundance may come at a cost.

Gordon Rogers is the executive director of Flint Riverkeeper, a non-profit advocacy group that monitors the health of Georgia's Flint River. He takes us to a creek downhill from a new construction site for a data centre being built by US firm Quality Technology Services (QTS).

George Dietz, a local volunteer, scoops up a sample of the water into a clear plastic bag. It's cloudy and brown.

"It shouldn't be that colour," he says. To him, this suggests sediment runoff - and possibly flocculants. These are chemicals used in construction to bind soil and prevent erosion, but if they escape into the water system, they can create sludge.

QTS says its data centres meet high environmental standards and bring millions in local tax revenue.

While construction is often carried out by third-party contractors, local residents are the ones left to deal with the consequences.

"They shouldn't be doing it," Mr Rogers says. "A larger wealthier property owner does not have more property rights than a smaller, less wealthy property owner."

Tech giants say they are aware of the issues and are taking action.

"Our goal is that by 2030, we'll be putting more water back into the watersheds and communities where we're operating data centres, than we're taking out," says Will Hewes, global water stewardship lead at Amazon Web Services (AWS), which runs more data centres than any other company globally.

He says AWS is investing in projects like leak repairs, rainwater harvesting, and using treated wastewater for cooling. In Virginia, the company is working with farmers to reduce nutrient pollution in Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the US.

In South Africa and India - where AWS doesn't use water for cooling - the company is still investing in water access and quality initiatives.

In the Americas, Mr Hewes says, water is only used on about 10% of the hottest days each year.

Still, the numbers add up. A single AI query - for example, a request to ChatGPT - can use about as much water as a small bottle you'd buy from the corner shop. Multiply that by billions of queries a day, and the scale becomes clear.

Prof Rajiv Garg teaches cloud computing at Emory University in Atlanta. He says these data centres aren't going away - if anything, they're becoming the backbone of modern life.

"There's no turning back," Prof Garg says.

But there is a path forward. The key, he argues, is long-term thinking: smarter cooling systems, rainwater harvesting, and more efficient infrastructure.

In the short term, data centres will create "a huge strain", he admits. But the industry is starting to shift toward sustainability.

And yet, that's little consolation to homeowners like Beverly Morris - stuck between yesterday's dream and tomorrow's infrastructure.

Data centres have become more than just an industry trend - they're now part of national policy. President Donald Trump recently vowed to build the largest AI infrastructure project in history, calling it "a future powered by American data".

Back in Georgia, the sun beats down through thick humidity - a reminder of why the state is so attractive to data centre developers.

For locals, the future of tech is already here. And it's loud, thirsty, and sometimes hard to live next to.

As AI grows, the challenge is clear: how to power tomorrow's digital world without draining the most basic resource of all - water.

Correction: This article originally said that Beverly Morris lives in Fayette County, Georgia, and has been amended to explain that she lives in Mansfield, Georgia.

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Heat pump makers are ready for a rush: Will customers come?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmvl3remg2o, 4 days ago

On the day I visit Octopus Energy's heat pump factory in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, temperatures in London reached 29C.

Some of the staff meeting me, who are usually based in the south of England, are beaming. It's wonderful to escape the heat, they say.

And who can blame them. Climate change is making the UK hotter. In order to do something about that, decarbonising our energy systems – including domestic heating – is becoming more and more urgent.

Heat pumps run on electricity, not oil or gas, and Octopus is manufacturing heat pumps of its own design right here in Northern Ireland.

"It kind of gets harder as you go up – it's like levels in a game," says Patrick Doran, one of the workers here, after I view the production line.

He's referring to how, in just under a year, he's completed training in each stage of the manufacturing process.

From fitting pipework to attaching bundles of cables, which connect up the heat pump's internal electronics. "I get to do something different every day," enthuses Doran.

The government wants to see 600,000 heat pumps going in to UK homes annually by 2028, just three years away.

While installations have quickened recently, the country remains far behind that target. Total UK heat pump sales were slightly below 100,000 in 2024.

Demand for heat pumps boomed in Europe when gas prices spiralled following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – but that enthusiasm has since cooled.

Gas has become slightly cheaper again meaning that heat pumps are finding it harder to compete against gas boilers in terms of running costs.

This factory, in a medium-sized warehouse, can churn out 600 heat pumps per month, I'm told – and this will soon double when a second production line becomes active.

And in principle, Octopus could introduce additional shifts here and make many times that number of units. If higher demand materialises.

"We can have a plug-and-play solution that works in the majority of homes in the UK," says Aimee Clark, head of commercial, as she explains why Octopus wanted to manufacture its own heat pump – which is unusual among electricity providers, to say the least.

Other heat pump makers, including Vaillant, have UK manufacturing sites. And Copeland, which makes heat pumps components, has a factory here in Northern Ireland. It supplies compressors to Octopus.

Heat pumps work by absorbing heat from the environment, usually the air. It's a way of harvesting free heat, if you like.

Ambient heat causes a refrigerant inside the heat pump to warm up and expand. A compressor squeezes that refrigerant, raising its temperature yet further.

Finally, a heat exchanger transfers this heat to water that gets pumped around your radiators, for instance.

The Octopus heat pumps sport an unusual design. They come in a dark grey plastic casing. I have to admit, to me, it looks a little bit dour – but it packs some original tech.

Mateusz Dewhurst, director of manufacturing, points out an internal metal plate the company has patented – refrigerant flows through this plate, absorbing heat from the machine's electronics and cooling them down. "That's a performance gain," says Mr Dewhurst.

He also says the heat pump's casing contains small grey insulation beads to reduce heat loss from the system. Exactly the same kind of beads that are sometimes used to insulate cavity walls in buildings, he explains.

Heat pump technology has been around since the 1800s.

Zhiwei Ma at Durham University says manufacturing these devices is relatively straightforward – he made one himself when he was a PhD student.

"It worked fine," he recalls. Companies such as Octopus are able to buy in the main components and assemble a finished product. "There's very little room to improve anything," argues Dr Ma.

Octopus would perhaps disagree. They say their design choices make a difference to overall performance, which the firm can track thanks to the many heat and pressure sensors it secretes within the device.

Heat pumps can produce multiple kilowatts of heat for every kilowatt of electricity they consume, a ratio known as their co-efficient of performance (Cop). Ensuring the Cop is as high as possible really matters in terms of keeping running costs low.

Octopus technicians can intervene should data from a heat pump's sensors indicate a severe dip in performance. And customers also get an overview of their heat pump's efficiency via a smartphone app.

Ensuring that heat pumps are installed competently is paramount, says Steven Metcalf at the University of Warwick. He and colleagues occasionally work with Mitsubishi, which has a heat pump factory in Scotland.

"It could be the difference of a Cop of 2.5 versus 4 – your bills will scale with that," he explains. "It can be a huge penalty for getting a bad install."

Public acceptance of heat pumps rests on people having confidence that switching to such a system won't turn out to be a massive headache – though it's worth saying that, in other countries such as colder Norway, heat pumps have long been embraced by locals.

Octopus says surveys of its customers suggest a majority find their heat pump costs the same or less than their old gas boiler, and provides heat that is just as comfortable if not more so.

Taxing fossil fuels harder is one way to spur demand for domestic appliances that use electricity as an alternative, says Paul Kenny, director general of the European Heat Pump Association, an industry body.

"Right now what we have is factories that are at low capacity factors, they're idle or running well below what they could be running," he says, referring to the slackening demand for heat pumps in Europe at present.

There could also be greater consistency regarding subsidies.

Despite having the highest proportion of especially-polluting oil heating systems of any UK nation, Northern Ireland is the only region within the UK or Ireland that doesn't have a widely available grant to reduce the cost of a heat pump installation.

I point out the irony, therefore, of making heat pumps here to TJ Root, Octopus's Cosy program director, after my factory tour. "It's incredibly ironic," he agrees.

Former HSBC trader has fraud conviction overturned

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20pd1y1e0eo, yesterday

A British trader who was jailed in the United States for allegedly manipulating foreign exchange rates has had his conviction overturned after a nine-year struggle for justice.

Former HSBC trader Mark Johnson, 59, has fought to establish his innocence ever since he was convicted of fraud in 2017 in connection with a large foreign exchange trade six years earlier.

He served time in jail in US federal prisons and in Wandsworth prison in the UK, exhausting avenues of appeal before being released on license in 2022.

After the US courts in 2023 overturned a law that was used to prosecute him, he launched a fresh appeal, which has now been allowed by a US appeal court, granting him a full acquittal.

Mr Johnson's US lawyer Alexandra Shapiro said: "We are delighted that justice has finally been achieved for Mark Johnson, after a nine-year ordeal. This is a case that never should have been brought."

Prosecutors at Mr Johnson's trial alleged he had conspired with a colleague to increase the price of sterling against the dollar before executing a huge foreign exchange trade for HSBC's client Cairn Energy, converting $3.5bn into pounds.

They alleged that on behalf of HSBC, Mr Johnson arranged to buy sterling in advance, inflating the currency's value so that the bank made a quick gain before executing the trade for its client at a higher price – so called 'front-running'.

Following his conviction a foreign exchange industry body, ACI Financial Markets Association, petitioned the court, protesting that purchasing a currency ahead of a large trade was a normal industry practice to manage a bank's risk, known in the industry as 'pre-hedging'.

"Mr Johnson carried out the Cairn transaction consistent with industry practice and in violation of no law or rule, and he looks forward to moving on with his life," said Ms Shapiro.

Mr Johnson, a father of five from Hampshire, was originally arrested on 19 July 2016 as he accompanied his son and a friend to JFK Airport on his way home to the UK and was later tried and convicted on 18 October 2017.

His arrest took place three days after demands in Congress for the US government to pursue the prosecution of HSBC employees who had avoided facing justice.

Those calls were prompted by a congressional report, Too Big to Jail, which revealed that the British government had secretly intervened on HSBC's behalf in 2012, when the bank face the risk of prosecution for helping a Mexican drug cartel launder £881m and for facilitating trades with US-sanctioned countries such as Iran, Libya and Sudan.

Senior executives at HSBC had urged him to accept a new role in the US in March 2016, four months before his subsequent arrest. Because he was arrested in the US, it meant that there was no need for extradition proceedings.

By contrast his alleged co-conspirator, Stuart Scott, contested extradition to the US and won his hearing. The US Department of Justice later withdrew the charges against him.

Plans for direct train to Berlin in new UK-Germany treaty

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq6m10g7e35o, yesterday

The UK and Germany have agreed a plan to create a new, direct rail link between London and Berlin as part of a wide-ranging treaty.

The Kensington Treaty also includes opening e-gates for frequent travellers between the two countries next month, as well as agreeing school exchange visits.

Friedrich Merz made his first official visit to the UK as German chancellor to sign the deal, which will also tighten laws around people smuggling gangs and strengthen defence ties.

Downing Street said the move will make it easier for German authorities to investigate and act against warehouses and storage facilities used by smugglers to conceal small boats intended for illegal Channel crossings to the UK.

The new travel arrangements come as part of plans to re-set relations around trade and business between the two countries.

A joint taskforce will be established for transport experts from both governments to examine how to establish the necessary border and security controls for direct long-distance rail passenger services.

Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said the rail link could offer an alternative to flying within the next decade.

"We're pioneering a new era of European rail connectivity and are determined to put Britain at the heart of a better-connected continent," she said.

"The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie - in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sights direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin.

"This landmark agreement - part of a new treaty the prime minister [has signed] with Chancellor Merz today - has the potential to fundamentally change how millions of people travel between our two countries, offering a faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying."

Merz met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington for the signing ceremony.

Sir Keir described the pact as "evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today" as well as a "statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together".

Commercial investments in the UK, worth more than £200m and expected to create more than 600 new jobs, have been announced, and a new UK-Germany Business Forum has been established.

Defence and security was also a key part of discussions, including support for Ukraine, and a new agreement on the joint export of co-produced military equipment has been unveiled.

Downing Street said the agreement on equipment such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets was likely to lead to billions of pounds of additional defence exports in the coming years.

On security, Merz has committed to changing the law, making facilitation of illegal migration to the UK a criminal offence, by the end of the year.

Facilitating people-smuggling is not technically illegal in Germany currently, if it is to a country outside the European Union - which, following Brexit, includes the UK.

A BBC investigation last year exposed the significant German connection to small boat crossings, with the country becoming a central location for the storage of boats and engines.

Sir Keir said: "Chancellor Merz's commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome."

The German agreement comes a week after the UK announced a new pilot returns scheme with France, during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit.

Under the "one in, one out" deal, some small boat arrivals would be returned to France in exchange for the UK accepting an equivalent number of asylum seekers with connections to the UK.

The prime minister is under pressure to tackle the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.

More than 21,000 people have made the dangerous journey so far this year - a 56% increase on the same period in 2024.

The Conservatives' shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the figures showed "the crisis in the Channel continues to spiral".

"This is just more of the same tired, headline-chasing from Keir Starmer.

"This government has clearly lost control of our borders and left the country exposed when they cancelled our returns deterrent."

Samsung boss cleared of fraud by South Korea's top court

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgj04nw19zo, yesterday

Samsung boss Lee Jae-yong has been cleared by South Korea's top court of fraud charges, concluding a years-long legal battle over his role in a 2015 merger deal.

Lee, the grandson of Samsung's founder and the de facto head of the company since 2014, had been accused of using stock and accounting fraud to try to gain control of the firm.

In its final verdict, the Supreme Court in Seoul upheld a not guilty verdict, after Lee was acquitted of all charges in two earlier trials.

The case drew widespread scrutiny of the technology giant, as the country grapples with corporate corruption scandals involving its powerful family-run conglomerates known as chaebols.

"Today, the Supreme Court has clearly confirmed through its final ruling that the merger of Samsung C&T and the accounting treatment of Samsung Biologics were lawful," said Samsung's lawyers on Thursday.

"We sincerely thank the court for its wise judgment following a thorough five-year trial process."

Prosecutors accused Lee and his advisors of inflating the value of his pharmaceutical firm, Samsung Biologics, through fraudulent accounting.

They argued that the higher value allowed him to buy a larger share of a key Samsung subsidiary in a 2015 merger deal, which secured his succession.

Prosecutors also said the merger was designed to shift control of the company from Lee's father, Lee Kun-hee. His father, who faced legal troubles of his own, suffered a heart attack in 2014 and died in 2020.

The younger Lee was first arrested in 2017 for bribing an advisor to former President Park Geun-hye to smooth his succession at Samsung.

Over the course of his legal problems, he had separate jail terms cut short - one due to a special presidential pardon when he was on parole from prison.

At the time, the government said the leader of the country's biggest company was needed to spearhead South Korea's economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2024, a district court cleared Lee of all charges linked to the merger worth around $8bn (£5.97bn) of two of its subsidiaries.

Lee was cleared again after prosecutors appealed the case in the High Court.

The legal cases over the past decade have added to Samsung's troubles as it struggled with intensifying competition.

Samsung Electronics, which has major operations making smartphones and computer chips, has been facing declining sales in recent years.

Last year during a trial, Lee acknowledged that Samsung faces major challenges.

"The reality facing [Samsung] is harder than ever, but I will overcome and take a step forward," he said.

US President Donald Trump's tariffs are another potential hurdle for Samsung, which exports a large number of products to America.

The court's decision was welcomed by the country's business community.

The Federation of Korean Industries said in a statement that the ruling will allow swift decisions at the top of Samsung, which will help the economy navigate trade turmoil with the US.

Jaguar Land Rover to cut up to 500 UK jobs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86g2d7e4pwo, yesterday

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to cut up to 500 management jobs in the UK, as the carmaker faces pressure on sales and profits from US trade tariffs.

JLR said it would launch a voluntary redundancy scheme, and that the cuts were not expected to exceed 1.5% of its British workforce. The firm described the move as "normal business practice".

Last week, the carmaker revealed a drop in sales in the three months to June caused partly by it pausing exports to the US because of tariffs and also due to the planned wind-down of older Jaguar models.

The company warned last month that US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 10% tariff on British cars exported to the US would hit its profits.

JLR said it "regularly offers eligible employees voluntary redundancy" and said the current programme was based on "the business's current and future needs".

It added that the UK-US trade deal on car imports gives it "confidence to invest £3.5bn" per year.

Car industry expert Professor David Bailey of the Birmingham Business School said the tariffs "play a big role" in the job cuts.

"It wasn't that long ago that JLR was reporting bumper profits - £2.5bn profit to the year ending in March - which was its best results in a decade," he told the BBC's Wake Up to Money programme.

The firm has also been taking on workers in preparation for producing more electric cars so the tariffs "have definitely had an impact", he said.

As part of a wave of tariff announcements made by Trump earlier this year, UK exports of UK cars and automotive parts faced an extra 25% tax, on top of an existing 2.5% levy. This led to JLR pausing shipments of its vehicles to the US.

However, the UK-US deal saw the tariff cut to 10% for a maximum of 100,000 UK cars, which matches the number of these vehicles that the UK exported last year.

Despite this, Prof Bailey said the new rate is still "a big increase" from the previous tariff of 2.5%, adding that one of its best selling cars, the Defender, is made in Slovakia and that still faces a 27.5% tariff.

Downing Street rejected "absolutely" any suggestion that JLR's job cuts were a personal embarrassment for Sir Keir Starmer, who visited the company in May and declared it was his intention to protect British jobs in the car industry.

A spokesperson for the PM said the UK-US trade deal was "jobs saved, not job done", adding that JLR was "responding to challenging global conditions" in making the cuts.

JLR is a large employer in the UK automotive sector with more than 30,000 workers.

It has sites in Solihull, Wolverhampton and Halewood on Merseyside, and builds Range Rover SUV models in the UK.

Speaking before JLR made its announcement about job cuts, Preet Kaur Gill, Labour MP for Edgbaston in Birmingham, said the UK's recent trade deal with the US had helped to preserve jobs at the company.

"In my region, Jaguar Land Rover is a really important employer. The fact that we've managed to save 12,000 jobs, bring tariffs down... this is an ongoing relationship and our commitment is to make sure we continue that," she said.

'It's cheaper to bring 100 people to Ireland': Why the Irish film industry is booming

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20250716-why-the-irish-film-industry-is-booming, yesterday

Helped by generous tax breaks, Ireland's film and TV production sector has never been stronger.

When Irish director Dearbhla Walsh started her career in Ireland in the late 1980s, opportunities for budding film-makers were limited.

"There was no work in Ireland," says Walsh, "To aspire to be a director was almost a fantasy."

Today, the picture is decidedly different. Ireland has emerged as a major force in the global film industry in recent years, both in the development of its own films and television series, as well serving as a location and production hub for international productions.

Walsh was the lead director of Apple TV+'s dark comedy Bad Sisters, one of many TV shows shot and set in the Republic of Ireland in recent years that, alongside programmes including Normal People and Bodkin, have drawn the attention of global audiences to Irish stories. This year actress Sharon Horgan received her second consecutive nomination for an Emmy Award for her portrayal as Eva Garvey in Bad Sisters.

Irish films have also gained international recognition, with both The Banshees of Inisherin and The Quiet Girl being nominated for Academy Awards in 2023. A new generation of Irish screen talent has found the spotlight, including Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal.

"I think Ireland is having a moment," says Walsh, "Irish people have a greater confidence. They're able to create from home and sell stories about Ireland."

The film and TV sector contributes more than €1bn ($1.2bn/ £845m)to the Irish economy annually and directly supports the equivalent of around 10,000 full-time jobs. That's according to a report from Screen Ireland, the development agency for the Irish film industry.

Walsh, who is currently working in Los Angeles shooting Apple TV+'s upcoming drama series Margo's Got Money Troubles starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman, has built an award-winning international career as a director.

With Bad Sisters, Walsh says she relished the opportunity to tell a story from an Irish perspective. "It was incredibly exciting for me to come home and tell a story that I really felt I understood," she says.

The growth of the Irish film industry has been attributed to three decades of sustained investment, support and training along with generous tax incentives.

The Irish government offers a standard 32% tax credit for film, TV and animation, one of the highest in the world. The way this works is that Irish film production companies can claim back 32% of their production costs against their business tax bill. In California the equivalent rate is 20%.

US actor Rob Lowe recently commented that "it's cheaper to bring 100 people to Ireland" than to film in Los Angeles. His popular American quiz show, The Floor, is actually recorded in the Irish town of Bray, 20km (12 miles) south of Dublin.

Meanwhile, lower budget Irish movies get an even higher tax break of 40%, which was introduced in May 2025.

And the Irish government has boosted Screen Ireland's annual budget by 3.3% to €40.85m (£34.41m/ $47.77m) in 2025, its highest ever level.

"Our ambition for Ireland is that it's a home for screen storytelling at the highest levels, and a leading European hub for film-making," says Désirée Finnegan, Screen Ireland CEO. "But most of all, we see it as a home for the film-makers and story makers themselves."

Irish film producer Alan Moloney, who was the executive producer of the Irish-British-Canadian movie Brooklyn (2015), says the investment by Screen Ireland been successful for two main reasons.

First, it has strategically focused on developing indigenous talent. Secondly, it has attracted international productions, such as Netflix series Wednesday, which recently became the biggest international production to ever film in Ireland.

"Now we have an industry that is competing at the highest level, and we're punching way above our weight," Moloney says.

Moloney co-founded Dublin-based production company, Big Things Films, alongside Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy in 2022. Big Things is behind the award-winning film Small Things Like These and the upcoming Netflix movie Steve, both starring Murphy.

"[Cillian and I] had both grown up through the Irish film industry," says Moloney. "Whether the industry was having this boom or not... our interests were always going to be there."

Moloney also leads a consortium of film industry and property development professionals behind a new film and TV studio planned for Dublin, set to be Ireland's largest yet.

He believes the industry has the resilience to withstand Trump's threat in May to apply a 100% import tariff against movies made in foreign countries.

"We came through Covid intact. We came through the [Hollywood writers'] strike last year intact. We'll come through this intact," Moloney says.

Ruth Treacy, producer and co-founder of Dublin-based production company Tailored Films, is similarly sanguine. "There's a big chance [the tariff threat] won't end up coming to pass," she says. "I would have said to colleagues, let's not panic, because creating more panic destabilises the industry further."

Treacy – whose company is behind new Irish thriller Bring Them Down, starring Barry Keoghan, and Oscar-nominated 2024 Trump biopic The Apprentice – adds: "Some people mentioned that maybe [Trump's tariff threat] was a backlash against The Apprentice. But, much as I'd like to think we impacted him that much, I really don't think that was on his mind."

Looking at the Irish film industry in general, Treacy says its growth has brought with it a shift in the types of content being made.

"The level of ambition changed," she says. "It stopped being about what you might describe as kitchen sink or Irish rural drama. It's not necessarily about looking inwards at ourselves, but more about looking outward at the world."

Irish horror is a now burgeoning genre, with upcoming release Fréwaka, billed as the first ever Irish-language horror film.

Irish-language productions in general have had a breakthrough, with the success of films like The Quiet Girl [An Cailín Ciúin], which was the first in the Irish language to be nominated for an Oscar.

Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile is the co-founder of Fíbín Films, the Galway-based company behind Irish-language broadcaster TG4's crime-thriller series Crá, which became the first Irish-language drama on BBC, and has been sold to multiple countries.

"There's a richness to the Irish language. But I think it's not about the language, it's the storytelling," Ó Conghaile says. "What [the Irish industry] does well is we have lots of pathos and levity in our work. We also have a distinctive Irish humour."

Irish animation is another a key growth sector within the industry, employing over 2,500 full-time professionals.

Rebecca O'Flanagan, producer at Treasure Entertainment, which is behind the Irish film Good Vibrations and TV thriller Smother, sees Ireland's cultural heritage as a key factor in the industry's success. "I don't want to go too far down the cliche of saints and scholars, but I do think that Ireland is a creative nation."

For Ó Conghaile, Irish film and TV has only scratched the surface. "I'm just excited about the stories that have yet to be told," he says.

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Busiest UK airports raise kiss-and-fly fees, says RAC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyg0ly2ld8o, yesterday

More than half of Britain's busiest airports have raised "kiss-and-fly" fees for cars dropping off passengers close to terminals, according to research from the RAC.

The motoring group found 11 out of 20 UK airports had put up prices since last July, with Gatwick, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Southampton joining Stansted in charging the top rate of £7 to park for a matter of minutes.

In contrast, at nine of the 10 busiest airports in the European Union there are no drop-off fees.

Airports UK, which represents the industry, said all hubs offer free drop-off options further from the terminals, such as "park and ride" facilities where people can leave their car and take a bus to the airport.

London Heathrow, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Liverpool all raised their prices by £1 to £6 for between 10 and 20 minutes.

The RAC also found that Cardiff airport had introduced a fee for the first time, asking £3 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, London Luton and Manchester airports are the most expensive on a cost-per-minute basis, the research showed, with drivers paying £5 to stop for five minutes.

Rod Dennis, senior policy officer at the RAC, said: "Drivers are a captive audience and that's why we think airports are so keen on these sorts of fees. But honestly, £7 for a stop that could be no more than 10 minutes does seem a little steep.

"And the fact that these costs keep going up year after year I think is going to be a huge source of frustration for anyone dropping off a friend or loved one this summer."

In the RAC's survey of European airports, hubs including Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle charged nothing. Only Schipol in the Netherlands asked for €2.50 (£2.17) to kiss-and-fly.

Karen Dee, chief executive of Airports UK, said: "Where fees are charged, this helps airports manage and reduce congestion, noise, carbon emissions and air pollution for local communities, something that they are mandated to do by the Government and local authorities.

"These charges are a part of the airport business model and help enable the provision of the widest variety of flights from the airport."

London City airport was the only one on the list which charges no fee.

A spokesperson for Gatwick, said: "The drop off charge helps to limit the number of cars and reduces congestion at the entrance to our terminals and funds a number of sustainable transport initiatives."

It added that holders of a Blue Badge, which is a parking permit for people with disabilities or health conditions affecting mobility, remain exempt from the charge.

Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow, Liverpool, and Southampton also said Blue Badge holders remain exempt from the fees.

Leeds Bradford lets Blue Badge holders use the pick-up and drop-off area for an extended time of 60 minutes for the same £7 charge.

On lifting its kiss-and-fly prices, a spokesperson for Southampton, said: "All of the funds generated through our parking facility are reinvested into the airport and play an important role in securing new routes for the region."

The BBC has contacted other airports for comment.

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Is buying with friends the answer to a tough housing market?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98wwypy3reo, yesterday

Four friends keen to get on the property ladder, but finding prices too steep, clubbed together to buy a home in London. Could this be the future of home ownership?

The two couples, now each with a baby, live together in a three-bedroom flat in north-east London.

Francesca, Graeme, Sonja and Kieran, all 34, have known each other since school and university, and lived together during the Covid pandemic until the landlord "doubled the rent overnight".

From moving in, to house renovations, to the women giving birth four months apart, how is it all working out?

Francesca, a musician, says when they all bought the flat together in 2022, she and her partner Graeme would not have been able to afford a suitable place in London on their own.

Graeme says they would have been able to afford a property in the £350,000-£400,000 price range - but by bringing all four incomes together, they could afford "a lot more". They ended up paying £650,000.

He says "apart from some estate agents being surprised", there were no massive hurdles to overcome to buy as two couples versus a sole couple.

They got a floating deed of trust, a legal document that outlines how ownership of a property is divided between joint owners.

Rise in non-traditional mortgages

The four friends are among a growing number of people with non-traditional mortgages.

Some of the UK's biggest lenders have reported trends in people co-buying with friends, siblings and parents.

Lloyds Bank said its research found half of young first-time buyers were willing to consider more non-traditional routes to be able to afford a home, while Barclays reported "a strong interest" in non-traditional mortgages this year.

Natwest head of mortgages Lloyd Cochrane said the bank was seeing "more and more customers think about different ways of getting on the housing ladder", but there was a need to raise awareness of non-traditional ways to get there.

Sales and marketing director at Fairview New Homes, Chris Hood, said that in the past two years they had seen an increase in the number of enquiries and sales from first-time buyers teaming up with friends or family members to purchase a home.

Part of the decision for Francesca, Graeme, Sonja and Kieran was that they wanted to stay close to their workplaces in London.

It helped they were already close friends and living together "so it didn't feel like such a big step", Francesca says.

"If anything, moving in just the two of us felt like a bigger step."

Kieran points out the couples have each been together for a decade, so they were "fairly confident" they would not to split up and "cause havoc".

Francesca and Sonja found another bonus, in that they spent a lot of their maternity leave together, which Sonja says "helped in a time that can be really lonely".

The two families share groceries, childcare and cooking - splitting all expenses four ways - and their two children get on "like siblings", according to all the parents.

The reaction from others has been positive, Kieran says.

"Whoever I tell about it, they always think it's a great idea and they like it," he says.

"But I do have to preface it with: 'It's not like a commune or anything. It's communal living.'"

SpareRoom, a UK-based website that specialises in flat-sharing and finding flatmates, recently conducted a survey on 6,524 flatmates and lodgers in the UK.

When asked how they planned to afford a deposit, of those who expected to buy a property, 89% said savings, 44% said they planned to team up with a partner, 25% said with financial help from friends or family, 17% said inheritance, 9% will team up with a sibling or parent, and 6% will team up with a friend.

Of the 14% who said they did not expect to be able to buy a property, almost half said it was because their family could not help with a deposit.

* The legal agreement or deed of trust

* Credit scores

* Other costs

Friends Mirko, 37, and Lorenzo, 30, moved from Italy to London more than 10 years ago to work in casinos.

After nine years, realising they had spent £160,000 on rent between them, they pooled their salaries and bought a two-bedroom flat in Woolwich for £450,000 with a deposit of £90,000.

"We thought... why, instead of paying rent, don't we pay a mortgage?," Mirko says. "We've known each other so long, we trust each other. We can do that."

He says the bank told them it was more likely to give a mortgage to friends because "couples are more likely to split up".

"The bond you can have with a friend is bigger than a bond you can have in a relationship," Mirko says.

Lorenzo adds that "with the money of a two-bedroom flat in London, you can buy a villa with a swimming pool" in big Italian cities like Rome and Milan, and their parents are proud of what they have achieved because they know how expensive London is.

Mirko says he would recommend the set-up for "no more than two people" because it is difficult to find friends who think in the same way, but "if you find the right person, I think it's the right solution".

'I see huge value'

It has been three years since Sonja, Kieran, Francesca and Graeme moved in together, and the experience, they say, has "really worked" - although Kieron says he would not recommend it to everyone.

"You have to be confident with who you're living with and be very open with your finances and your family plans - and have a timeline," he says.

Sonja says she could see such an arrangement working throughout different stages of life.

"I think there's something sad when your networks narrow. I see huge value for this type of investment in retirement as well," she says.

"Who knows what the next stage is for us - whether we'll continue to live together or separate into different homes - but I'd really like to have some element of communal living in my life."

Additional reporting by Anna O'Neill

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Why Jane Street, a US trading giant, is in trouble in India

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0zgrevl1o, yesterday

New York based trading giant Jane Street has been in the eye of a storm over the past few weeks after India's market regulator banned it from the securities market.

The regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has accused Jane Street of indulging in a "sinister scheme", alleging that its "manipulation" of India's stock market has led to small investors trading at "unfavourable and misleading prices".

Jane Street has not responded to the BBC's request for comment, but according to the Financial Times, the firm has told staff in an internal email that it was "beyond disappointed" by Sebi's order and planned to challenge it.

So what is Jane Street, and what are they accused of?

What is Jane Street?

Jane Street was founded by a small group of traders and technologists in a tiny New York office. It is a quantitative trading firm which uses mathematical models and algorithms to decide trading strategies.

The company has more than 3000 employees who trade in a broad range of asset classes across 45 countries. According to the Financial Times, the firm accounted for over 10% of North America's equity trading volume in 2023, making it a significant player on Wall Street.

What is Jane Street accused of doing?

India's stock market has two main segments. The cash market is where investors buy and sell actual shares of companies, owning a piece of the business. And the derivatives market is where traders use tools like futures and options to bet on stocks or commodities, without owning the underlying shares.

Sebi claims the suspicious trading activity by Jane Street happened on India's Bank Nifty index which tracks the performance of 12 large Indian banks.

The regulator alleges that Jane Street operated in both the cash and derivatives market through different entities.

So on a very basic level what is alleged is, one entity bought large quantities of bank shares – pushing up the price of Bank Nifty when the market opened in the morning.

Simultaneously, it's claimed, the second entity would bet on the decline in Bank Nifty's value in the derivatives market.

On the day of expiry - when the contracts are settled in the derivative market - as the trading session inched towards close of day, Jane Street, it's claimed, dumped the bank shares it bought in the cash market, causing the bank index price to plunge. This, in turn, would pay off the bet taken by its other entity in the derivatives market on a decline in prices, Sebi says.

"Such a trade is called 'marking the close' which is considered illegal even in the US," says Deepak Shenoy, CEO, Capitalmind Asset Management Pvt Ltd in Bengaluru city.

Mom and pop investors lost money because during the day they'd bought shares at higher levels, as they were pushed up because of the big volumes bought by Jane Street.

What has Sebi said?

Sebi basically said Jane Street's activities created "a false or misleading appearance of market activity" and attracted "unsuspecting" investors to trade at levels that were "artificial and temporary".

By doing this, it was enticing unsuspecting investors to trade in Bank Nifty index options at interim levels that were artificial and temporary.

On 3 July, in a lengthy order, Sebi concluded that "the integrity of the market, and the faith of millions of small investors and traders, can no longer be held hostage to the machinations of such an untrustworthy actor".

What is Jane Street's defence?

As per several global media reports, Jane Street has denied all these allegations of wrongdoing and described the trades as "basic index arbitrage" - the price differential between the price of a stock in the cash market and its corresponding derivatives contract - saying it plans to challenge SEBI's order.

What do independent experts think?

"Index arbitrage is legal and even Indian broking firms have done this for ages and used algorithms and machines to trade in the market. But what they (Jane Street) did is not index arbitrage," claims says Mr Shenoy.

"What they have done is taken a position in two different markets. And this is not arbitrage. You took X on one side and 7X on other side. You sold that X and gained from 7X. That is the problem," he explains.

"The same script would play out every week on expiry day when index contracts are settled," says Mayank Bansal, a UAE-based investor who operates in India's derivatives market . "While retail investors lost money expecting a strong finish, Jane Street would have profited by betting on a fall and we are talking of a trade of millions of dollars."

"It is not illegal to be smarter than your counterparties in a swap transaction. However if you read the allegations made in the Sebi filing, the whole thing appears to stink very badly," Alexander Gerko, CEO of XTX, a rival firm of Jane Street, wrote on his LinkedIn account.

What impact will this have on the broader markets?

According to recent data from the regulator, there are nearly 10 million retail investors in the derivatives market. In FY25 they lost 1.05 trillion rupees ($11.6bn, £8.6bn) up from 750bn rupees in FY24.

On average, each retail investor lost 110,069 rupees ($1,283; £958) last year.

While these losses cannot be attributed to Jane Street directly, Sebi says the firm made $4.3bn from India in a little over two years while small investors were bleeding.

"They've rigged the prices for their own convenience," a Mumbai-based investor, who didn't want to be named, alleged to the BBC.

"On 17 January 2024, Sebi says Jane Street had its most profitable day. I lost nearly $7,000, my worst single-day loss in a year."

The episode exposes deeper regulatory concerns say experts.

"SEBI should have acted before so many people lost their money," says Mr Bansal. "The surveillance systems must be strong enough to detect and stop manipulation in real time. Who knows how many more players are operating like this here," he says.

So, what happens next?

The Indian market regulator says Jane Street has deposited just over $560mn in an escrow account with a lien marked in favour of Sebi, requesting it to lift the temporary trading ban.

Sebi says Jane Street's request to remove the trading ban is currently "under examination".

But under Indian laws, if these allegations of market manipulation are proven, the US trader could face a fine that is up to three times this amount.

Trump discussed firing Fed boss but 'highly unlikely' he will

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4geyrdprwjo, 2 days ago

President Donald Trump has said it is "highly unlikely" he will fire the head of the US central bank, hours after asking lawmakers whether he should sack Jerome Powell.

Stock markets and the dollar slipped following reports Trump had broached the idea with Republicans on Tuesday but quickly bounced back after he downplayed the discussions.

Dismissing the chair of the Federal Reserve would be a major break with precedent.

Trump has repeatedly called on Powell to lower US interest rates in a series of highly critical outbursts, which continued on Wednesday when the president called him a "knucklehead" and claimed he was "doing a lousy job".

Speaking at the White House, the president acknowledged that he had revived discussions about firing Powell - who Trump nominated for the role during his first term - but said he was "not planning on doing anything".

Pressed on whether he was ruling out the idea, he said: "It's highly unlikely unless he has to leave for fraud."

The president's allies have joined in the attacks against Powell by accusing the central bank boss of mismanaging the renovation of Fed properties.

Last week, budget director Russell Vought called for an investigation into cost overruns on a $2bn (£1.5bn) project to renovate Fed buildings in Washington. Trump said earlier this week he thought it was "sort of" a fireable offence.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank said the recent shift in the focus of the attacks suggested the administration was building a case against Powell.

"Whether or not the president chooses to act on this case is an open question," they wrote, noting that recent developments "suggest that the risk has risen".

The Federal Reserve was established by Congress and has powers to set policy independent of the White House.

Powell's second term as Fed chair ends in May next year and he can stay on as a governor of the central bank until 2028.

Under federal law, the president can remove Fed governors before the end of their terms "for cause". The phrase typically implies serious misconduct.

Powell has repeatedly stated his intent to serve out his term as chair, denying that Trump has the power to fire him over a policy disagreement.

The Fed has also pushed back against the criticism of the renovations, updating its website with information to respond to some of the attacks.

It has said the renovations will ultimately reduce costs by allowing it to consolidate operations and blamed the increase in expenses on "unforeseen conditions" such as more asbestos than anticipated.

Trump has flirted with the idea of firing Powell since his first term, when he objected to the Fed raising rates. He has repeatedly stepped back from the plan in the face of investor concern, however, including most recently this spring.

But on Tuesday, Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, wrote on social media that the firing was "imminent". It followed posts by other Trump allies in recent weeks suggesting Powell might be stepping down or calling for him to go.

A senior White House official confirmed to the BBC that Trump had indicated to Republicans that Powell's firing could happen soon.

The White House's increasingly determined aggression against one of the most important independent institutions in the world is adding a new dimension to a fragile global financial system, which is already reeling from Trump's trade wars.

The US economy is slowing and facing stressors from the president's sweeping tariffs which economists have warned could fuel inflation.

As head of the Fed, Powell plays a key role helping to determine where the US central bank sets interest rates, a decision with implications for borrowing costs across the economy.

The key interest rate is currently hovering around 4.3% which is down from last year.

However, the Fed has not reduced it as quickly as other central banks such as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England - something Trump has highlighted.

The president is among those arguing that it should be lowered to make it easier to borrow and give the economy a boost.

Powell has said the bank, which is charged with keep inflation stable, should proceed cautiously given concerns that tariffs could raise prices.

Many economists and investors have warned that political interference in the leadership of the Fed could would risk undermining price stability and investor confidence.

Speaking to analysts earlier this week, the head of America's biggest bank warned that the Fed's independence was "absolutely critical".

Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase, said: "Playing around with the Fed can often have adverse consequences, the absolute opposite of what you might be hoping for."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that a "formal process" was under way to identify a replacement for Powell. He described Trump's criticism of Powell as "working the refs" - alluding to efforts to pressure referees in sports games.

Trump has floated Bessent as a candidate. Others in the running include Kevin Hassett, who currently leads Trump's National Economic Council, and conservative economist Kevin Warsh.

Powell was nominated to lead the Fed by Trump in 2017, replacing Barack Obama's appointee Janet Yellen.

Former President Joe Biden extended his term in 2021.

Canada curbs steel imports to shield domestic industry from Trump tariffs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5wv7rzvk0o, 2 days ago

Canada will restrict tariff-free import of cheap, foreign steel to help domestic manufacturers reeling from levies imposed by the US, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced.

Speaking at a news conference in Ontario, Carney also pledged to diversify its trading partners away from the US and prioritise the use of Canadian steel.

The announcement comes in the wake of punitive tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump - first a 25% levy on Canadian steel in March, later doubling it to 50% in June.

On Tuesday, the prime minister raised the possibility that US tariffs may remain in place even after a bilateral agreement.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Prime Minister Carney noted that imports currently accounted for nearly two-thirds of Canada's steel consumption, while over 90% of Canadian steel exports were destined for the US - a level of dependency he described as "unsustainable".

Under the new measures, the government will tighten its tariff rate quotas - from 100% to 50% of 2024 steel import volumes from countries without free trade agreements with Canada.

Any imports exceeding that limit will face a 50% tariff.

Carney also targeted China in his announcement, saying there would be an additional tariff on steel imports from non-US countries "containing steel melted and poured in China".

He added that there will be no changes to the products that are exempt under the Canada-US-Mexico free trade agreement (Cusma).

The prime minister also pledged to change the federal government's policy to require contractors to use Canadian steel.

He added that Canada's "big projects" - such as the push to build more housing and to strengthen the defence sector - will use Canadian steel.

These changes will ensure Canadians are "giving ourselves far more than any foreign government can take away", he said.

Canada's steel and aluminium industries are among the hardest hit by Donald Trump's sector specific tariffs.

Catherine Cobden, the president and CEO of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, told CBC News that there had been a 30% fall in steel production since Trump first imposed his metal tariff in March.

"This is something we should have been doing all along, but it's fantastic to see that we are making progress," Cobden said referring to Carney's announcement.

'It's just better!' Trump says Coca-Cola to change key US ingredient

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxe59zl8qzo, yesterday

President Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its drinks sold in the US.

Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its American products, but Trump's Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the ingredient's health impacts.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on social media. "I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola."

Without explicitly confirming the recipe tweak, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said they "appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm" and "more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon".

Trump said in Wednesday's post on Truth Social: "This will be a very good move by them - You'll see. It's just better!"

While Coke sold in the US is typically sweetened with corn syrup, in many other countries it is sweetened in different ways - for example, Mexico uses cane sugar.

In April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors that "we continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages".

He said the Atlanta-based company has "done this by changing recipes as well as by using our global marketing resources and distribution network to boost awareness of and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio".

But any decision to use cane sugar instead might leave a bitter aftertaste for American corn farmers.

Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode said in a statement: "Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit."

The US health secretary and his Make America Healthy Again movement have advocated for companies to remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial dyes from their products, linking them to a litany of health problems.

Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar Americans consume and reportedly plans to update nationwide dietary guidelines this summer.

Trump is a regular drinker of Diet Coke - which uses the artificial sweetener aspartame. He had a button installed in the Oval Office's Resolute desk so he can be served the soda.

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

Largest Mars rock ever found on Earth sells at auction after $4.3m bid

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5z34e3e6vo, 2 days ago

An "unbelievably rare" piece of Mars - the largest ever found on Earth - sold at a New York auction on Wednesday for a $4.3m (£3.2m) bid.

The meteorite known as NWA 16788 weighs 54lb (24.5kg) and is nearly 15in (38.1cm) long, according to Sotheby's.

It was discovered in a remote region of Niger in November 2023 and is 70% larger than the next biggest piece of Mars that has been recovered, the auction house said.

Meteorites are the remains of rock left after an asteroid or comet passes through Earth's atmosphere.

Additional taxes and fees brought the total price of the rock up to about $5.3m, Sotheby's said.

Sotheby's auction house described the meteorite, a reddish brown rock, as "unbelievably rare". Only about 400 Martian meteorites have ever been found on Earth.

"This is the largest piece of Mars on planet Earth. The odds of this getting from there to here are astronomically small," Cassandra Hatton, vice-chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby's, said in a video posted online.

"Remember that approximately 70% of Earth's surface is covered in water. So we're incredibly lucky that this landed on dry land, instead of the middle of the ocean, where we could actually find it."

It remains unclear where the meteorite will end up as information about the sale will remain private.

At the Wednesday auction, which featured more than 100 items, a Ceratosaurus skeleton from the late Jurassic period sold for $26m and the skull of a Pachycephalosaurus sold for $1.4m.

German defence tech firm to make drones in UK

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9qkxnyn2o, 2 days ago

A German defence technology company will soon begin producing drones in the UK, it has been announced.

Stark, which makes the unmanned weapon systems for Nato, is set to open a new 3,700 sq m (40,000 sq ft) factory in Swindon in Wiltshire.

The expansion is expected to create more than 100 skilled jobs and will be the company's first site outside Germany.

Local MP Will Stone said he was proud that Stark would "bring back defence manufacturing" to Swindon, which has a "proud military legacy".

Mike Armstrong, managing director of Stark UK, said both the UK and Germany were "world-leaders in new technology" and the expansion will help "define the battlefields of the future".

"We need rapid and scalable production to protect our people, defend our sovereignty and deter aggression. That means resilient supply chains which stretch across Europe," said Mr Armstrong.

Mr Armstrong said Stark, which was founded in 2024, wanted to take advantage of technological and defence expertise in the UK.

Swindon, which helped produce the Supermarine Spitfire in the Second War, will once again be part of defending Europe, he added.

The company said its flagship loitering munition system 'Virtus', which has vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities, has a strike radius of up to 100km (62 miles) and a 5kg weapons payload.

"This is the direction of travel: creating high-skilled, well-paid jobs and putting Swindon back at the heart of Britain's industrial future," said Mr Stone, the MP for Swindon North.

"This is just the start," he added.

Swindon Borough Council leader Jim Robbins said the news was a "strong endorsement of our town's growing reputation in advanced manufacturing and innovation.

He said the investment was a "major step forward" in the ambition to position the town "as a national leader in defence advanced manufacturing".

"I'm excited to see this cutting-edge UAV technology take shape right here in Swindon," he added.

The announcement comes as the UK and Germany expand their defence and security relationship, building on the Trinity House Agreement set in 2024.

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Could axing two national holidays save France from its mountain of debt?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crrq8epk7vjo, 2 days ago

Prime Minister François Bayrou has put the cat among the pigeons in promising to cut two of France's national holidays in order to rescue the country's finances.

Predictably enough, his proposal on Tuesday to axe the Easter Monday and 8 May holidays triggered howls of protest from the left and the populist right – with his own centrists and the conservative right expressing at best guarded support.

In a country with such a strong tradition of worker protest, the sudden removal of two statutory days off was never going to be an easy sell.

Essentially, men and women would be made to work two extra days a year for no increase in salary. The gain in productivity would help pull the country out of its ever-deepening hole of debt.

The French are indeed very attached to their jours fériés.

The month of May is awaited with glee every year, not just because it heralds spring – but also because of the succession of long weekends that regularly occur.

If 1 May (Workers' Day) and 8 May, marking the end of World War Two, fall on a Tuesday or Thursday, then the weekends become four-day treats because the Monday and the Friday will automatically be taken as holiday too.

On top of that there is Ascension (always a Thursday) plus Easter Monday and Whit Monday (or Pentecost).

If the Church calendar obliges, an early Easter can combine with 1 or 8 May to provide not just a pont or bridge - meaning a four-day weekend spanning a Monday or Friday, but a veritable five or six-day viaduc (viaduct).

November is another feast of feasts, with All Saints' on the first of the month and Armistice on the 11th offering relief from autumn blues. And on top of that, there are the famous "RTT" days, which many get in return for working more than the legal 35 hours a week.

But before we lapse into humorous self-satisfaction about "those incredibly lazy French and their God-given right to endless downtime", we need to bear in mind a couple of other considerations.

First, far from the popular image, the French actually have fewer national holidays than the European average.

France has 11, like Germany and the US.

Slovakia has the most, with 15, and England, Wales, and the Netherlands have the fewest, with 8.

Ireland and Denmark have 10.

Second, according to the UK's Office for National Statistics, French productivity (output per worker) is 18% higher than the UK's, So any gloating about holidays from across the Channel is misplaced.

Third, this is not the first time in recent years that France has proposed to axe national holidays. It has happened before – and worked (kind of).

In 2003, the conservative government under President Jacques Chirac wanted to do something radical after the deadly heatwave of that summer which killed 15,000 people.

So Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin decided to turn Whit Monday into a Day of Solidarity. People would work instead of taking the day off, and the money gained by employers would be paid to the government for a fund to help the elderly and disabled.

There was an outcry, and a few years later the change was watered down so that now the Day of Solidarity is voluntary. It is all highly confusing, and no-one really understands how it functions, but non-Whit Monday still generates €3bn (£2.6bn; $3.5bn) every year in receipts.

Another precedent goes back to the 1950s and Charles de Gaulle.

Newly appointed as president, in 1959 he axed the 8 May Victory in Europe holiday, saying the country could not afford it. It was reinstated in 1981 by the Socialist François Mitterrand.

Bayrou looks to scrap two holidays in bold bid to cut debt

So when on Tuesday the Greens accused Bayrou of trying to "wipe from the collective memory the eradication of Nazism", it was quite easy for minister Benjamin Haddad to retort: "Actually, it was De Gaulle who first did this, and I seem to recall he played a certain role in eradicating Nazism."

None of this means that Bayrou is any the more likely to see his proposals become real.

The truth is that the prime minister is in a position of almost total impotence – running a government with no majority in parliament, which could fall at any minute if the opposition groups so decide.

But, in an odd way, this very powerlessness has given Bayrou the freedom to say what he thinks.

If there is little likelihood of his budget proposals getting voted through the Assembly - and the chances are virtually zero - then he might as well give the French the unsugared truth.

The economic situation is dire, he said.

Every second that passes, France has €5,000 more debt.

Today it stands at €3.3tn. In these circumstances, Bayrou believes maybe we need to re-think the way we live. And work.

Does the UK video games industry have a class problem?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9jeg2nxgo, yesterday

"I'm scared for the future of games," says Chris Goodyear. "It could end up going the way that theatre has, and become a very privileged thing."

At one of the UK's largest conferences for video game developers, social class was on the agenda.

The concern raised by Chris, a producer working to highlight accessibility barriers in the industry, is one that some in the sector feel has gone unappreciated for too long.

This year, Develop:Brighton featured its first meet-up dedicated to working-class and low-income people in the UK games industry.

The event was put on by the non-profit organisation Into Games.

Its boss Declan Cassidy set the body up six years ago to try to help "underrepresented people more broadly" in the industry.

This narrowed to focus solely on social mobility, as he said they realised "there weren't really any other champions" in that area.

In 2024 Into Games released a report which found there was a "really high number of people in working-class and low-income backgrounds coming through existing game educational pathways," Declan said.

But not many of them actually completed that journey and got jobs.

"They're being failed at the last hurdle," he added.

The Into Games report highlighted barriers such as location, access to finance, reduced cultural capital and lack of networks which prevented people from lower socio-economic backgrounds from breaking into the industry.

It found that 59% of participants said they had been made to feel "othered" at some point in their career.

Will Luton, the founder of Village Studio Games, attended the event in Brighton and said he had "felt overt discrimination" due to his class.

He added he often found himself having to "mask" or "rework" the way he talked so he didn't "give away" where he was from.

Will argued that those like himself who had made it into the industry had a part to play in highlighting the problem, rather than suggesting that just because "they were in" the industry, it suddenly "wasn't an issue".

The report also suggested the gaming sector had a smaller proportion of people coming from lower socio-economic backgrounds (13%) compared to film and TV (29%) or music and visual arts (22%).

Nick Poole, head of games industry body Ukie, believed that while the talent was available, the "opportunity wasn't".

"If you're going to tell real stories, people who are young, gifted and broke need to be able to find their way into the industry," Nick said.

'Huge' benefits for studios

Declan Cassidy hopes Into Games' approach can help those from working class backgrounds across the UK find their place within a precarious sector, which in recent years has seen thousands of jobs lost across the globe.

The organisation plans to focus support on six areas - Birmingham, Brighton, Dundee, London, Manchester and Tees Valley - in the next five years.

The support will include targeting outreach in schools, paid internships and government-funded training, with the group stating that over 100 game studios have confirmed they will take on working-class talent through their programmes in 2025 and 2026.

"By 2030, our aim is to be increasing the number of people from working-class backgrounds in the UK games industry by a factor of 50%," Declan said.

The benefit could be "huge for studios," he added.

How the Space Shuttles were given better names thanks to Star Trek

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250717-the-star-trek-space-shuttle-names-that-never-were, today

The first Space Shuttle was originally going to be named Constitution. US President Gerald Ford agreed to rename it Enterprise – here's how Star Trek fans persuaded him.

It's 17 September 1976. The world's press has gathered in Palmdale, California, for the revealing of Nasa's first Space Shuttle vehicle: The Enterprise. But it wasn't always supposed to have that name.

It was a huge day for Nasa and for the US administration, as they began a new adventure in space travel. After the Moon landings, the Space Shuttle would be Nasa's project to make spaceflight routine, affordable and accessible for the future.

In the audience were presidential aides, Nasa officials, astronauts and some very special guests. Many of the cast and crew members of TV science fiction series Star Trek also came along to watch the vehicle be unveiled.

It was also quite the day for the show's fans. The US president and Nasa agreed to dedicate and name the first Space Shuttle after the flagship of Star Trek’s fleet, the Star Ship Enterprise.

"Nasa has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-orientated Star Trek group, asking that the name be given to the craft," said government aide William Gorog, in a now declassified memo to the then President, Gerald Ford.

Fans bombarded Nasa and the White House with letters about why the ship should be renamed. And it was not the first time Star Trek fans had run a campaign like this, either.

The mastermind behind the campaign was among those watching the unveiling at Palmdale. Her name is Betty Jo Trimble, otherwise known to Star Trek fans as Bjo Trimble. She has become something of an icon in the science fiction world.

Bjo became famous for her fashion shows at the World Science Fiction Convention, which was an early form of Comicon. Her fashion shows would give fans a glimpse of all kinds of outfits from the sci-fi world. But, one day, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, got in touch with her. He wanted to use the fashion shows to promote some early Star Trek costumes.

Trimble became a close friend of the show. She was invited on to set to meet the actors. She got to know Rodenberry personally. She ran her own fanzine. They would even become a crew member, when they appeared in an unnamed role in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture in 1979.

But Bjo is most famous for running the successful Save Star Trek campaign, with her husband John Trimble, which stopped NBC from cancelling the show after its first two seasons. The campaign has become one of the most famous in TV history.

"Star Trek fans could be very persuasive," admitted Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the series. (He also attended the Enterprise ceremony.)

Building the space shuttle

The Space Shuttle was a challenge that had never before been undertaken by a space programme. The idea was to create a vehicle that could leave the Earth like a rocket but then land after its mission was completed like a plane.

The challenge was famously laid down to Nasa's engineers at a meeting on April Fool's Day 1969 where Max Faget, an eccentric mechanical engineer who could always be found wearing his famous bowtie, strode into the room, pulled a balsa wood model of a "funny looking" plane from a bag and flew it across the room. Faget was the designer behind the Mercury spacecraft, and later the Apollo and Gemini aircraft for Nasa, and would play a vital part in the design of the new shuttle as engineers tried to figure out how to build the vehicle within Nasa's budget. (Hear more about the dramatic story of this pioneering spacecraft in 13 Minutes Presents: The Space Shuttle.)

Palmdale in California was the centre of the aeronautics industry. One of the biggest companies there was Rockwell International, which had built aircraft like the successful B-1 bomber, which is still in service today. Rockwell were offered the contract to the build this prototype.

In 1974, construction began and two years later, the Shuttle was finally ready to be unveiled.

Changing the name

The prototype was originally planned to be called The Constitution, to mark the centenary of the foundational document of the United States. But Star Trek fans had other ideas.

"A couple of other fans started this project, but for some reason, they could not finish it, and asked us to take it over," Bjo Trimble told the official Star Trek website in an interview in 2023. "We thought it was a good idea to make the public really aware of the space programme by using a popular name for the first shuttle."

The Trimbles, among a few others, set up another letter-writing campaign to change the name, drawing on the same techniques they had used during the Save Star Trek campaign. There were no home computers at time, so the couple hit the phones, connecting conventions, newsletters and Star Trek communities all over the world through typewriter and telephone

Eventually their letters began to work and found their way into a memo to the President. In the declassified letter Gorog suggested to President Ford that the idea might help the space programme.

After all, Nasa was launching a new ship and a new idea to the American public. It needed their attention.

Gorog summarised in the memo:

* This group comprises millions of individuals who are deeply interested in our space programme

* The name "Enterprise" is tied in with the system on which the Nation's economic structure is built.

* Use of the name would provide a substantial human interest appeal to the rollout ceremonies scheduled for this month in California, where the aeronautical industry is of vital importance.

Many agreed. James Fletcher, Nasa's chief administrator was also open to the idea. Jim Cannon, a political advisor to President Ford, agreed it seemed an "excellent name", that it would "personally gratify" one of the most dedicated constituencies in the country.

And there was naval history to the name too. During World War Two, Enterprise was an aircraft carrier that served in the Pacific while another ship with the name helped fight pirates in 1803 in the days of the American republic.

Eventually, the five Space Shuttles that followed all bore the names of famous ships of exploration that had traversed Earth's oceans: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.

President Ford responded positively to the pressure, approving a decision memo recommending the name change on 3 September 1976. A few days after the memo, the President met with Fletcher to confirm that a name change would be suitable.

It offered both a public relations win for the presidential office, Nasa and Star Trek fans.

The rollout

Back to the big unveiling day in Palmdale, the nose of Enterprise appeared from the corner of a giant aircraft hangar. It was flanked either side by white-suited technicians. It was brilliant white, with a black underside, stubby wings and a high tail fin.

As the vehicle's wheels rolled onto the tarmac, the United States Air Force band had a surprise for the gathered guests. They broke out into the Star Trek theme to massive cheers from the audience.

The vehicle would be used for the early aerial and landing tests of the Shuttle in the years that followed. These gave the astronauts and pilots who would later fly the Space Shuttles on their missions into orbit vital experience of what the vehicle could do.

Eventually, on 12 April 1981, Nasa flew STS-1, the first flight of the Space Shuttle programme. The vehicle they used, Columbia, was redesigned from the original Enterprise prototype. But the legacy of the original vehicle and the public relations campaign stuck.

Actress Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on the TV show, was hired by Nasa to help them recruit women and members of minority groups to the astronaut programme in the 1970s.

Other sci-fi fans wanted in on the action too. After Space Shuttle Enterprise was renamed, a flyer appeared in the Star Wars newsletter Falcon. Star Wars fans wanted their place in space history too. Using a similar letter writing campaign to Star Trek's, they started their own campaign. Sadly, they were unsuccessful in naming the second shuttle the Millenium Falcon, but the legacy of the links between sci-fi and the US space agency are still strong.

More like this:

• What caused the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster?

• Why astronauts get nervous on the launchpad

• The man who designs the future

Over the years many astronauts have used for Star Trek motifs on their mission badges and in group portraits. Others have spoken about how the show inspired them in the first place while many of the actors have developed strong relationships with Nasa.

In 2012, some of the same Star Trek stars who were there at that initial rollout of the space shuttle Enterprise watched as the craft made its final journey, landing at John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its way to its current home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Science Museum.

It was a fitting tribute to a spacecraft that, to use words from the opening sequence of Start Trek, had enabled humans to boldly go where no-one had gone before.

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UK's most powerful supercomputer comes online

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rpnlrj7ppo, yesterday

A supercomputer that is the most powerful in the UK has been made fully operational in Bristol.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle "flicked the switch" on the Isambard-AI machine as the government unveiled fresh artificial intelligence plans.

The computer will become part of the UK's public AI computing capacity along with a machine in Cambridge called Dawn.

The aim is to use the supercomputer for public projects such as bringing down NHS waiting lists and developing new tools to tackle climate change - although AI is notoriously energy-hungry.

In addition, the government announced that Scotland and Wales will be in line for billions of investment in so-called AI Growth Zones.

Part of the Isambard-AI computer was being used in January for a medical project to develop vaccines, but it has now been turned on entirely.

As the name suggests, a supercomputer has more processing power and can complete more tasks more quickly than a less powerful computer.

It processes data in the same binary format as regular computers but uses thousands more processing units to analyse more data at faster speeds.

'Huge advances'

Along with Dawn, the supercomputers will form the UK's "AI Research Resource" and will be available for public projects, although they won't combine computing power.

This resource, which may in future include other supercomputers, will be expanded 20-fold over the next five years, the government said.

Speaking to BBC economics editor Faisal Islam, Kyle said AI would enable "huge, unimaginable advances in the cure of disease".

"But it's also going to change the workplace. In order to benefit from that, you have to be prepared."

The government is preparing and training a million students in AI, and 7.5 million people will be trained in the broad economy in the coming months and years.

Kyle said he understood that people may be "anxious about the future" in terms of how AI would affect their jobs, but the UK was "already seeing huge improvements in productivity" due to the technology.

"AI is going to happen to Britain," he said. "What we can do, and what we have a choice over, is how it happens in Britain."

Isambard-AI uses more than 5,400 Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, with Hewlett-Packard technology, while Dawn, at the University of Cambridge, uses more than 1,000 Intel chips, along with Dell technology.

The supercomputer was built by the University of Bristol, but paid for using public money.

David Hogan, Nvidia's European vice president, said Isambard-AI was a "truly transformational machine" but that it was "just a starting point".

To support the government's plans, researchers, academics and tech bosses have been brought together to develop an AI strategy to be published in the autumn.

The group includes Google DeepMind vice president Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of the Royal Society, Alison Noble, and chairwoman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Charlotte Deane.

The UK government has claimed that more investment in and scaling up of British supercomputers will help it fulfil its plans for growth and "position the country as an AI maker rather than an AI taker".

Companies around the world are currently vying to acquire the best talent and hardware in the sector to try and cement their dominance in it.

The Bristol supercomputer recently ranked 11th in the latest list of the world's top 500 most powerful, commercially available computers.

Additional reporting by Liv McMahon

Babies made using three people's DNA are born free of hereditary disease

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8179z199vo, 2 days ago

Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say.

The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman.

The technique has been legal here for a decade but we now have the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease.

These conditions are normally passed from mother to child, starving the body of energy.

This can cause severe disability and some babies die within days of being born. Couples know they are at risk if previous children, family members or the mother has been affected.

Children born through the three-person technique inherit most of their DNA, their genetic blueprint, from their parents, but also get a tiny amount, about 0.1%, from the second woman. This is a change that is passed down the generations.

None of the families who have been through the process are speaking publicly to protect their privacy, but have issued anonymous statements through the Newcastle Fertility Centre where the procedures took place.

'Overwhelmed with gratitude'

"After years of uncertainty this treatment gave us hope - and then it gave us our baby," said the mother of a baby girl.

"We look at them now, full of life and possibility, and we're overwhelmed with gratitude."

The mother of a baby boy added: "Thanks to this incredible advancement and the support we received, our little family is complete.

"The emotional burden of mitochondrial disease has been lifted, and in its place is hope, joy, and deep gratitude."

Mitochondria are tiny structures inside nearly every one of our cells. They are the reason we breathe as they use oxygen to convert food into the form of energy our bodies use as fuel.

Defective mitochondria can leave the body with insufficient energy to keep the heart beating as well as causing brain damage, seizures, blindness, muscle weakness and organ failure.

About one in 5,000 babies are born with mitochondrial disease. The team in Newcastle anticipate there is demand for 20 to 30 babies born through the three-person method each year.

Some parents have faced the agony of having multiple children die from these diseases.

Mitochondria are passed down only from mother to child. So this pioneering fertility technique uses both parents and a woman who donates her healthy mitochondria.

The science was developed more than a decade ago at Newcastle University and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a specialist service opened within the NHS in 2017.

The eggs from both the mother and the donor are fertilised in the lab with the dad's sperm.

The embryos develop until the DNA from the sperm and egg form a pair of structures called the pro-nuclei. These contain the blueprints for building the human body, such as hair colour and height.

The pro-nuclei are removed from both embryos and the parents' DNA is put inside the embryo packed with healthy mitochondria.

The resulting child is genetically related to their parents, but should be free from mitochondrial disease.

A pair of reports, in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed 22 families have gone through the process at the Newcastle Fertility Centre.

It led to four boys and four girls, including one pair of twins, and one ongoing pregnancy.

"To see the relief and joy in the faces of the parents of these babies after such a long wait and fear of consequences, it's brilliant to be able to see these babies alive, thriving and developing normally," Prof Bobby McFarland, the director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders told the BBC.

All of the babies were born free of mitochondrial disease and met their expected developmental milestones.

There was a case of epilepsy, which cleared up by itself and one child has an abnormal heart rhythm which is being successfully treated.

These are not thought to be connected to defective mitochondria. It is not known whether this is part of the known risks of IVF, something specific to the three-person method or something that has been detected only because the health of all babies born through this technique is monitored intensely.

Another key question hanging over the approach has been whether defective mitochondria would be transferred into the healthy embryo and what the consequences could be.

The results show that in five cases the diseased mitochondria were undetectable. In the other three, between 5% and 20% of mitochondria were defective in blood and urine samples.

This is below the 80% level thought to cause disease. It will take further work to understand why this occurred and if it can be prevented.

Prof Mary Herbert, from Newcastle University and Monash University, said: "The findings give grounds for optimism. However, research to better understand the limitations of mitochondrial donation technologies, will be essential to further improve treatment outcomes."

The breakthrough gives hope to the Kitto family.

Kat's youngest daughter Poppy, 14, has the disease. Her eldest Lily, 16, may pass it onto her children.

Poppy is in a wheelchair, is non-verbal and is fed through a tube.

"It's impacted a huge part of her life," says Kat, "we have a lovely time as she is, but there are the moments where you realize how devastating mitochondrial disease is".

Despite decades of work there is still no cure for mitochondrial disease, but the chance to prevent it being passed on gives hope to Lily.

"It's the future generations like myself, or my children, or my cousins, who can have that outlook of a normal life," she says.

'Only the UK could do this'

The UK not only developed the science of three-person babies, but it also became the first country in the world to introduce laws to allow their creation after a vote in Parliament in 2015.

There was controversy as mitochondria have DNA of their own, which controls how they function.

It means the children have inherited DNA from their parents and around 0.1% from the donor woman.

Any girls born through this technique would pass this onto their own children, so it is a permanent alteration of human genetic inheritance.

This was a step too far for some when the technology was debated, raising fears it would open the doors to genetically-modified "designer" babies.

Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, from Newcastle University, told me: "I think this is the only place in the world this could have happened, there's been first class science to get us to where we are, there been legislation to allow it to move into clinical treatment, the NHS to help support it and now we've got eight children that seem to free of mitochondrial disease, what a wonderful result."

Liz Curtis, the founder of the Lily Foundation charity said: "After years of waiting, we now know that eight babies have been born using this technique, all showing no signs of mito.

"For many affected families, it's the first real hope of breaking the cycle of this inherited condition."

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Unique 1.5m year-old ice to be melted to unlock mystery

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ygwd6yj28o, today

An ice core that may be older than 1.5 million years has arrived in the UK where scientists will melt it to unlock vital information about Earth's climate.

The glassy cylinder is the planet's oldest ice and was drilled from deep inside the Antarctic ice sheet.

Frozen inside is thousands of years of new information that scientists say could "revolutionise" what we know about climate change.

BBC News went inside the -23C freezer room at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge to see the precious boxes of ice.

"This is a completely unknown period of our Earth's history," says Dr Liz Thomas, head of ice core research at the British Antarctic Survey.

Red warning lights flash above the door, and inside there is an emergency escape hatch into a tunnel in case something went wrong.

The rules say we could only go inside for 15 minutes at a time, wearing padded overalls, boots, hats and gloves.

Our camera's electronic shutter froze shut and our hair started to crackle as it turned icy.

On a worktop next to stacked boxes of ice, Dr Thomas points out the oldest cores that could be 1.5 million years old. They shine and are so clear we can see our hands through them.

For seven weeks, the team will slowly melt the hard-won ice, releasing ancient dust, volcanic ash, and even tiny marine algae called diatoms that were locked inside when water turned to ice.

These materials can tell scientists about wind patterns, temperature, and sea levels more than a million years ago.

Tubes will feed the liquid into machines in a lab next door that is one of the only places in the world that can do this science.

It was a huge multinational effort to extract the ice cores in Antarctica, at a cost of millions. The ice was chopped into 1m blocks and transported by boat and then in a cold van to Cambridge.

Engineer James Veal helped to extract the ice close to the Concordia base in eastern Antarctica.

"To hold that in my carefully gloved hands and be very careful not to drop the sections - it was an amazing feeling," he says.

Two institutions in Germany and Switzerland also have received cross-sections of the 2.8km core.

The teams could find evidence of a period of time more than 800,000 years ago when carbon dioxide concentrations may have been naturally as high or even higher than they are now, according to Dr Thomas.

This could help them understand what will happen in our future as our planet responds to warming gases trapped in our atmosphere.

"Our climate system has been through so many different changes that we really need to be able to go back in time to understand these different processes and different tipping points," she says.

The difference between today and previous eras with high greenhouse gases is that now humans have caused the rapid rise in warming gases in the last 150 years.

That is taking us into unchartered territory, but the scientists hope that the record of our planet's environmental history locked in the ice could give us some guidance.

The team will identify chemical isotopes in the liquid that could tell us the wind patterns, temperatures, and rainfall for a period of time between 800,000 and up to 1.5 million years ago or possibly more.

They will use an instrument called an inductively couple plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS) to measure over 20 elements and trace metals.

That includes rare earth elements, sea salts and marine elements, as well as indicators of past volcanic eruptions.

The work will help scientists understand a mysterious change called the Mid-Pleistocene Transition 800,000 to 1.2 million years ago when the planet's glacial cycles suddenly changed.

The transition from warmer eras to cold glacial eras, when ice covered a lot more of Earth, had been every 41,000 years but it suddenly switched to 100,000 years.

The cause of this shift is one of the "most exciting unsolved questions" in climate science, according to Dr Thomas.

The cores may have evidence of a time when sea levels were much higher than they are now and when the vast Antarctic ice sheets were smaller.

The presence of dust in the ice will help them understand how the ice sheets shrunk and contributed to sea level rise - something that is a major concern this century.

The atomic bomb marker inside your body

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230808-atomic-bomb-spike-carbon-radioactive-body-anthropocene, 2 days ago

It is 80 years since the first nuclear weapon test – codenamed Trinity – detonated above the desert in New Mexico. Today the hidden legacy of nuclear bomb tests can still be found in our cells – and is proving surprisingly useful to scientists.

It's in your teeth. Your eyes and your brain too. Scientists call it the "bomb spike" (or "bomb pulse") – and for more than half a century its signature has been present inside the human body.

On 16 July 1945, scientists of the Manhattan Project detonated the first nuclear weapon, known as the Trinity test, in New Mexico. The 18.6kt explosion lit up the sky and sent a blast of searing heat across the desert as a fireball lofted high into the sky. In the days that followed, white flakes and dust rained down on areas downwind. A now de-classified report from the time warned that radioactive particles spread over an area of more than 2,700sq miles (6,993sq km). And this test was just the start of the atomic era.

In the 1950s, there were so many nuclear bomb explosions above ground that they transformed the chemical make-up of the atmosphere – altering the carbon composition of life on Earth ever since, along with oceans, sediments, stalactites and more.

Unlike the direct radioactive fallout from the explosions, the bomb spike is not harmful. In fact, it's proven surprisingly helpful for scientists in recent years. Some have even gone so far as to describe it as the "mushroom cloud's silver lining".

Why? Evidence of the pulse is so ubiquitous that it can, among many other insights, tell forensic scientists when a person was born (or died), provide discoveries about the age of neurons in our brains, reveal the origin of poached wildlife, determine red wine vintage and even unlock the true age of centuries-old sharks (see box: "The bomb spike's multiple uses").

And now it may also help to define a new geological era. In July 2023, a group of earth scientists recommended that its presence in a Canadian lake – along with other human-made markers from the mid-20th Century – should represent the official start of the Anthropocene.

So, what exactly is the bomb spike, and what can it reveal about us and the world?

Before the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty obligated signatory nations to test nuclear bombs underground, governments exploded hundreds of atomic weapons out in the open air. More than 500 of these blasts – mainly conducted by the US and Russia – spewed their contents into the atmosphere.

It's well-established that these tests spread radioactive material far and wide, harming humans and wildlife and rendering whole regions uninhabitable. Perhaps lesser known outside the scientific laboratory is that the bombs also reacted with natural nitrogen to form new isotopes – particularly carbon-14.

By the 1960s, overground bomb testing had produced almost twice the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere compared with previous levels. First the isotope entered water, sediments and vegetation, and then it passed along the food chain to humans. It has even reached organisms in the deepest ocean trench.

"In essence, every carbon pool on Earth which was in exchange with atmospheric CO2 since the late 1950s has been labelled by bomb carbon-14," writes Walter Kutschera of the University of Vienna, who published a review of the scientific applications of the spike in the journal Radiocarbon in 2022.

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Back in the mid-20th Century, scientists noted the carbon-14 spike when atmospheric testing stopped, but it took decades for them to realise that the elevated levels might be useful. From the 1950s onwards, they had been using carbon-14 to date paleolithic remains or ancient texts, but that was based on its radioactive decay – known as radiocarbon dating. The isotope is unstable: it decays slowly into nitrogen with a half-life of 5,730 years. So, when a Neanderthal died, for instance, the quantity of carbon-14 in their bones and teeth would have started to gradually decline. Measure the extent of the decline, and you have a Neanderthal date of death.

Radiocarbon dating, however, tends to be limited to samples that are more than 300 years old, because of the isotope's slow decay rate. Any younger, and it hasn't decayed enough for an accurate date. Muddying recent dating further is humanity's introduction of additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution – the so-called Suess effect.

Around the turn of the century, however, researchers realised that the bomb spike could help them use carbon-14 in a different way – and crucially it allows for dating within the past 70-80 years.

Ever since the peak in the 1950s, levels of the isotope in nature (and human beings) have gradually declined. Scientists can therefore analyse the proportions of carbon-14 in any organic substance that has exchanged atmospheric carbon since the tests, and specify the window in which it formed, down to a resolution of one to two years.

And that includes you and me. If you were born in the 1950s, your tissues will have accumulated more carbon-14 than a 1980s child, but levels are only now approaching the pre-atomic state.

Forensic analysis

One of the earliest uses of the bomb spike was to assist crime investigators seeking to identify the age of unidentified human remains. Forensic scientists have found that they can measure bomb carbon-14 in teeth, bones, hair or even the lens of the eye to help them estimate how old a person was, or when they died, according to Eden Centaine Johnstone-Belford of Monash University and Soren Blau of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Australia.

In a 2019 review, Centaine Johnstone-Belford and Blau cite multiple examples where the bomb spike has informed police enquiries. For example, in 2010 investigators used it to confirm a body found in a northern Italian lake had been dumped there by the killer the previous year.

The pair also point out that knowing the time since death can be "a vital determination in human rights abuse cases such as war crimes, genocide and extrajudicial killings". In 2004, for example, bomb spike dating of hair samples from a mass grave in Ukraine allowed investigators to identify a Nazi war crime that occurred between 1941 and 1952.

The bomb spike has also unlocked new scientific discoveries, revealing new insights about the cells in our bodies and brains. In 2005, the biologist Kirsty Spalding of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and colleagues showed that it was possible to date the relative ages of our cells by analysing bomb carbon-14 within their DNA. Across several subsequent studies, she has used the technique to answer whether certain cells in our bodies have been around since birth, or whether they are continually replaced.

For example, in 2008 Spalding and colleagues showed that the body continually replaces fat cells called adipocytes as the cells die. The number of these fat cells, she found, stays constant across adulthood – which promises new ways to tackle obesity. "Understanding that this is a dynamic process opens up new avenues of therapy, which may include manipulating the birth or death rate of fat cells, in combination with exercise and diet, to help reduce the number of fat cells in obesity," she says.

In 2013, Spalding and colleagues also used the bomb spike to look at the turnover of brain cells. For many years, researchers assumed that the number of neurons was fixed in childhood, and indeed her earlier research had suggested that was the case in regions like the cortex. However, by using carbon-14 to date neurons within the hippocampus, she and her team confirmed that new neurons may be produced there throughout adult life.

Corroborated by other research, the possible existence of "adult neurogenesis" has proven to be one of the most important neuroscience discoveries of the past 20 years. While the science is far from settled, it has suggested new avenues for medical strategies that might prevent neuron loss via disease, or even increase the generation of new neurons.

Dawn of a new age

Finally, the bomb spike was recently nominated as one of several markers that could help to officially recognise the dawn of the Anthropocene – the new geological era defined by human activity.

Not long after the idea of the Anthropocene was floated, geologists began to discuss how to define its location on Earth with a so-called "golden spike" – a rock, ice core or layer of sediment where a new era begins in the stratigraphic record. Every major geological period has one. The beginning of the Holocene is marked by a particular ice core from the centre of Greenland. The base of the Jurassic begins in the Austrian Alps, at Kuhjoch pass in the Karwendel Mountains, where the smooth-shelled Psiloceras ammonite makes a first appearance. And one of the oldest golden spikes on Earth can be found in the Flinders Mountains of Australia, marking the start of the Ediacaran more than 600 million years ago – a period when the climate was periodically plunging into a "Snowball Earth".

Over the years, various signatures of human activity have been explored as possibilities to mark the Anthropocene's dawn: it could have been the rise in methane caused by early farming thousands of years ago (seen in ice cores), evidence of early lead pollution from mining and smelting 3,000 years ago, or the rise in fossil fuel byproducts during the Industrial Revolution.

However, in 2016 the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) – part of the organisation charged with making the decision – recommended the 1950s, when the carbon-14 bomb spike entered the geological record, along with other nuclear markers such as plutonium fallout and isotopes such as caesium-137 and strontium-90, as well as man-made deposits like spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), a type of fly ash produced by burning coal at high temperatures.

Not everyone agreed that selecting the 1950s was a good idea – indeed, one member of the group recently resigned in protest, arguing that profound human impacts began much earlier. However, the Working Group propose that the mid-20th Century marks a clear, recognisable point in geological strata when humanity made its presence in nature truly and fully known right across the globe. It also coincides, they say, with the "great acceleration" when our impact on the planet exploded through exponential rises in greenhouse emissions, water and land use, ocean acidification, fisheries exploitation, tropical forest loss, and more.

And the bomb spike will also last a long time, allowing geologists to see it in tens of thousands of years. "The radiocarbon signal will be detectable for about 60,000 years and is a fairly routine analysis," says geologist Colin Waters of the University of Leicester, who chairs the AWG.

The AWG studied 12 candidate locations that could host the official golden spike, including a cave in Italy where the bomb pulse and the other markers are encased in stalactites, an archaeological excavation in Vienna, a patch of peatland near the border of the Czech Republic and Poland, and a coral reef off the north-east coast of Australia.

In July 2023, they recommended a (perhaps soon-to-be infamous) "winner": Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada. A core from the muddy lake sediments, featuring carbon-14, a particularly abrupt plutonium marker, and other man-made signatures, was removed to be kept at a safe location. (Read more: The Anthropocene: Canadian lake mud 'symbolic of human changes to Earth').

The proposal, however, has since become bogged down in scientific bureaucracy and in March 2024 the International Commision on Stratigraphy's Subcommision on Quaternary Stratigraphy rejected proposals for an Anthropocene Epoch as a formal unit of geological time. (Read about why it is proving so difficult to define the official dawn of the Anthropocene in this article.)

If the lake core ever does become the official designation, it technically means that we too will hold one of the markers of the Anthropocene's dawn in our cells. Future generations won't, because the elevated carbon-14 has almost returned to previous levels. Therefore if tomorrow's archaeologists happen to study our preserved bodily remains, it might tell them about a unique point in history – a time of nuclear bombs, a great acceleration, and the century when humans began to have an impact on nature unlike any before.

*Richard Fisher is the author of The Long View: Why We Need to Transform How the World Sees Time, and a senior journalist for BBC Future.

This article was originally published on 9 August 2023. It was updated on 16 July 2025 for the 80th anniversary of the Trinity test.

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The handshake in orbit that made the International Space Station possible

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250715-the-handshake-in-orbit-that-made-the-international-space-station-possible, 3 days ago

In 1975, a meet-up between American and Soviet spacefarers in orbit showed that the superpowers could work together. Its positive effects eventually led to the International Space Station (ISS).

At just 33, Glynn Lunney was one of Nasa's most experienced flight directors. By 1970, he had been at the heart of the action for everything from the Apollo capsule's first orbit to Neil Armstrong's first footsteps on the Moon.

Months after helping to lead efforts to save the crew of Apollo 13 when their spacecraft exploded, Lunney was preparing for his next lunar mission. Then he got a phone call from his boss, head of mission control, Chris Kraft.

"He said 'Glynn, start getting ready to go to Moscow, you're going to be there in a couple of weeks'," said Lunney. "It was an out-of-the-blue complete surprise, a stunner to me."

Having devoted his career to winning the space race against the Soviet Union, Lunney was now expected to lead a team to work alongside his Cold War opponents on a joint mission: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. The aim was to dock a US Apollo capsule and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in orbit. Realising that plan would take Lunney the next five years.

Lunney died in 2021, but I was fortunate enough to interview him in 2012 for a BBC radio programme on the Moon landings. We met in Houston's famous Apollo Mission Control Room. The retired flight director sat beside me in his old chair – looking down over dark consoles and the blank main display screens. At the time (it has since been restored), the room felt neglected, the missions a distant memory.

Our conversation was meant to be about the challenge of landing on the Moon, questions he had answered numerous times before. But once Lunney got talking about Apollo-Soyuz, it was clear that this rarely discussed mission was a career highlight.

"I viewed myself as having gone from a Cold War warrior, in terms of getting our programme to the Moon first, to one who was sent to try to see what we could do to cooperate [in space]," he said. "I was just 33 years old when I went to Moscow for the first time, representing the United States and I was thinking, 'Wow!'"

The Soviet Union and United States had been competing in space since the launch of Sputnik-1 in 1957. But the idea of the world's two superpowers working together did not come completely out of the blue.

"There were efforts for many years to find collaborative programmes between the United States and the Soviet Union in space," says Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator for Apollo and Apollo-Soyuz exhibitions at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

"There was an agreement [about exchanging meteorological data] signed between the US and the Soviet Union in October of 1962, and if you know about October of 1962, it was also the Cuban Missile Crisis when we came closer to nuclear war than ever before in history," says Muir-Harmony. "The space race was always this combination of cooperation and competition."

By the 1970s, the Nixon White House was keen to reduce international tensions with the Soviet Union led by Leonid Brezhnev (the administration also opened-up dialogue with communist China) so Apollo-Soyuz was important diplomatically. But the endeavour had a very practical purpose – if spacecraft from different nations could dock with each other, they might be used to save stranded astronauts.

"The question was, how do you rescue each other's crews in space?" says Kenneth Phillips, curator for aerospace science at the California Science Center. "It was a noble idea that space exploration and collaboration bind us together."

When it came to astronauts assigned to the mission, the symbolism of the selection was also significant. The three-man US crew would include Deke Slayton, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. Grounded since 1962 because of a suspected heart condition, Slayton had finally been cleared to fly after watching from the sidelines as the other astronauts pioneered spaceflight and flew to the Moon. The two-man Soviet crew, meanwhile, would be led by Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space. If Russia's giant N1 Moon rocket had been successful, Leonov was slated to become the first man to walk on the Moon.

The technical challenge of joining the two spacecraft was considerable. In appearance the spherical Soyuz and conical Apollo spacecraft are very different. Soyuz was only ever designed to operate in low Earth orbit, whereas the Apollo capsule was originally built to fly to the Moon (this particular capsule would have been Apollo 18). Soyuz was mostly operated from the ground, whereas the Apollo astronauts were able to pilot their craft using a state-of-the-art digital computer. Even the air mixture each country's crews breathed in orbit was different.

But perhaps the greater challenge was overcoming the cultural divide and the suspicions that had built up since World War Two between the two Cold War enemies. As the US team headed to Moscow, they were not sure what to expect.

"We soon found out that the people that we were working with were not ogres, they were human beings," command module pilot for the mission, Vance Brand, told my podcast during an interview in 2019. "I had a lot of Russian people that I liked, though the KGB was very active and monitored the cosmonauts closely."

In fact, the rooms the US delegation were staying in at Moscow's Star City were all bugged – Brand's young son even walked in on a KGB listening room – but soon both sides found they were making friends.

"Ultimately many of the people who worked on the programme were surprised by the interest, willingness to compromise and the professionalism of their colleagues," says Muir-Harmony. "The relationship between Alexei Leonov and [Apollo commander] Tom Stafford is a great example – they became really close friends and maintained that friendship throughout their lives."

"Pilots have a lot in common no matter whether they've flown Sabre jets or MiGs," said Brand. "Engineers in the same field can also relate very easily… what we did not talk about was politics and religion."

While the US delegation struggled with learning Russian and getting to grips with drab 1970s-era Moscow, the Soviets cosmonauts had their own culture shock when they visited the States.

"When Alexei Leonov came to the United States, he looked at the highway and saw all these cars with different colours and he wanted to know why the cars come in all different colours," says Muir-Harmony.

On 15 July 1975, the Soyuz with Leonov and flight engineer Valery Kubasov launched from Baikonur in what is now Kazakhstan, followed seven hours later by Stafford, Brand and Slayton in their Apollo from Cape Canaveral. The Apollo carried the specially designed docking adapter that would link the two spacecraft. After orbiting the Earth for two days, on 17 July the spacecraft approached each other.

"I first saw them about 400 nautical miles (740km) out," Brand explained. "I aimed the telescope and saw a bright dot in the sky and finally we got very close to them – we could see the solar panels on their spacecraft which looked like wings and so gave it an almost bug-like appearance."

It was a perfect docking. "Then the Americans knocked on the hatch," says Muir-Harmony, "and the Soviets opened it, and they said, 'Who's there?'…which I think is a great joke."

Handshakes and an exchange of gifts followed before US President Ford addressed the crew (Nixon had resigned in August 1974 after the Watergate scandal), expressing his "very great admiration for your hard work your total dedication in preparing for this first joint flight".

After two days together, the spacecraft undocked to return to their homelands. But that wasn't the end of the story.

"Apollo-Soyuz represented a big breakthrough in US-Soviet collaboration," says Svetla Ben-Itzhak, assistant professor of international relations and space security at Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC. "It set the precedent for peaceful cooperation in orbit – this is the moment where space diplomacy really started."

The idea of space diplomacy is that space exploration unites nations with a – mutually beneficial – common goal and that collaboration can then extend back to Earth.

"Science and engineering objectives can bring people together who did not think they necessarily could collaborate productively," says Phillips. "The notion of exploration is something that we can all understand."

Apollo-Soyuz led to further cooperation between the superpowers and, with the fall of the Soviet Union, that relationship became closer still. In the 1990s, Space Shuttle missions flew to the Russian space station Mir – with crews from both countries living and working together for months on end. It was followed by the International Space Station (ISS), a collaborative effort between 14 countries with the US and Russia at its heart.

Even since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russians, Americans and Western allies continue to work together in orbit on the ISS.

"It is absolutely amazing that this cooperation in space aboard the International Space Station continues, even when tensions on the ground have intensified and sanctions imposed against Russia, including in the space sector," says Ben-Itzhak. "Yet 450km (280 miles) above the Earth, we are still collaborating and working together."

To some extent Russia and the US have no choice but to work together. The ISS is designed so the various national segments are interdependent. If one partner pulls the plug, then the station will fail. The ISS partners are essentially trapped in a toxic marriage, although on the station itself all the astronauts reportedly get along fine.

Ben-Itzhak studies what she has termed "space blocs" – the emerging groupings of space nations. Right now, as countries plan a return to the Moon, it looks like the US and Russians will soon go their separate ways. Russia will likely side with China, and Western nations – including Europe and Canada – will coalesce around the US. But there are also other blocs emerging, including Arab, African and Asian nations (India, for example, is fast becoming a significant space power).

So, could the lessons learnt from the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project one day apply to the Moon? Both sides of this new space race are eyeing-up establishing bases at the lunar South Pole, even at the same crater. So, can Ben-Itzhak imagine handshakes and knock-knock jokes on the lunar surface?

"Right now, I'm sorry to say it is very unlikely," she says. "It's actually worse than that… the Artemis Accords is an international agreement establishing norms of behaviour on the lunar surface, including peaceful exploration, transparency, emergency assistance and preserving the common heritage including the footprints left by the astronauts."

"It's been accepted by 55 countries but not by China or Russia."

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As for Apollo-Soyuz, when I have mentioned to people that I'm writing this article, few – even in the space business – seem to have heard of it. The two sides of the mission are once again a world apart – both politically and literally. The Soyuz spacecraft is in the private Energia museum near Moscow and the Apollo capsule is now looked after by Phillips at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. He is, however, optimistic for the cooperative future of space exploration.

"There is an international community that is waiting to collaborate in space," Phillips says. "If government structures permit that, then I think we can do some really incredible work together."

As for Lunney, he went on to head up the Space Shuttle programme – America's next great space adventure. But, 50 years on, his leadership of Apollo-Soyuz deserves to be remembered for changing forever the way rival nations can learn to live and work together in space.

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Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181126-is-breakfast-good-for-your-health, 3 days ago

We’ve all heard that the advice about having a good breakfast can set us up for the day. But does that mean this meal can makes us healthier and thinner – or is it something else?

Along with old classics like "carrots give you night vision" and "Santa doesn't bring toys to misbehaving children", one of the most well-worn phrases in the arsenal of tired parents everywhere is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many of us grow up believing that skipping breakfast is a dietary travesty, but the number of us who take time to eat it can vary.

Around three-quarters of Americans regularly eat breakfast, while in the UK, around 94% of adults and just 77% of adolescents will regularly eat breakfast. A study in Switzerland showed only two thirds of adults there regularly consume the meal.

When pressed for time, the morning breakfast is often the first thing to go. How many of us eat it while on the run, or gladly exchange a a bowl of cereal, a couple of slices of toast or a pastry for a few extra minutes in bed?

Yet, the clue for why breakfast is supposed to be important is in its name: we're advised to eat it to break our overnight fast.

"The body uses a lot of energy stores for growth and repair through the night," explains dietician Sarah Elder. "Eating a balanced breakfast helps to up our energy, as well as protein and calcium used throughout the night."

But there’s widespread disagreement over whether breakfast should be deemed so important. As well as the rising popularity of fasting diets, there have been concerns around the sugar content of cereal and the food industry's involvement in pro-breakfast research – and even one claim from an academic that breakfast is "dangerous".

So what's the reality? Is breakfast a necessary start to the day… or a marketing ploy by cereal companies?

'We're not just gonna roll over': The US Civil War battlefield at the centre of a new conflict

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250711-the-last-battle-of-the-us-civil-war-is-against-ai, 4 days ago

The US state of Virginia saw some 50% of the nation's Civil War casualties. Now, mass construction of AI data centres is encroaching on historic lands, the environment and local communities.

As the gunner of the Bull Run Legion lifts the explosive charge from its container and carries it up to the cannon, dozens of phones are lifted from pockets. Visitors open camera apps and raise devices high, focusing in on the handful of blue-uniformed men as they swab the gun's barrel with an era-appropriate sponge fastened to a stick.

The cannon blasts its shot out into the air, and in the same moment, each phone fires its parcel of data at the cloud, landing in a data centre where banks of diligent servers sort, clean and route it along.

On 21 July 1861, Union soldiers defending the United States watched over the crest of the same hills now framed on tourists' smartphones, as rebelling Confederate forces charged out of the forest in the first major battle of the American Civil War. A century and a half later, the Bull Run Legion, a group of "living historians" (better-known as re-enactors), still gather at Manassas National Battlefield Park using historic techniques and uniforms to commemorate that struggle.

But today, the march of technology has turned this historic landmark into the scene of a new kind of battle.

Technology companies are planning to erect one of the largest data centres in the world here at Manassas, Virginia, on the very ground where the Union army lost the war's first major land battle. Demand for data centres has skyrocketed as the artificial intelligence (AI) industry blossoms – but experts and advocates say the race for technological growth could threaten resources including water, energy and land. Some experts foresee a "growing crisis" for residents and future generations.

The concerns aren't just practical, however – some fear building data centres too close to national landmarks could erase history and bury the lessons the Civil War has for future generations. "Do I want to see a data centre on the view line of this park? No, I do not. But do I recognise, since I worked in IT, that they're necessary? Yeah, I can get that. So there is no easy answer," Bart Wheeler, one of the living historians who works the cannon, tells the BBC. "Any interested citizen has to be worried."

Those building the data centres disagree with these concerns and say they are taking steps to ensure the development is respectful of the historical context, even planning new information kiosks and trails around the site.

Now, around 150 years after the Union army fought to protect this land in the 19th Century, a coalition of community advocates, environmentalists and history buffs are waging a differenty kind of war against an industry they say is steamrolling past their interests. It's a conflict with global repercussions.

'Data centre alley'

The infrastructure which makes the internet work often lives in massive windowless buildings ringed by high black fences. Inside, stacked banks of computer servers receive signals and crunch numbers from devices around the world, providing the technical horsepower that allows for viral videos, cheeky text messages and more recently, untold numbers of AI queries.

Data centres process our most intimate thoughts and transactions, but they're seldom seen by most users – that is, unless they're your neighbour. Around the world, the sprawling footprint of data centre development and their demands on resources have made this aspect of our digital lives more visible and controversial, particularly as the AI era sparks meteoric growth.

"Customer demand remains very strong, driven by the digitalisation of the economy and AI revolution," says Karen Cohen, a spokesperson for QTS Data Centers, one of two companies seeking to build the massive Prince William Digital Gateway data centre development at Manassas. According to the American Battlefield Trust, the 37-building complex is the largest planned data centre development on earth the world.

QTS and other data centre providers like it contract their servers out to other corporations, providing the backbone which makes the internet run. As the internet has grown, so has the industry's footprint in Northern Virginia: the region is already the world's biggest data centre market. As of this summer, there are plans for Virginia's approximately 340 data centres to be joined by up to 1,200 more, according to the Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group.

Northern Virginia was a cradle for the tech industry and continues to be a major nerve centre. Its proximity to Washington, DC and the defence industry, alongside generous tax breaks and access to a skilled workforce, helped the industry plant roots in an area sometimes dubbed "data centre alley". Several of the re-enactors of the Bull Run Legion tell the BBC they have careers in IT themselves, attending battle reenactments on the weekends.

Rapidly scaling AI requires significantly more processing power and electricity than previous uses of the internet, and its need for data centres is ravenous: proposals have circulated to build data centres in lunar orbit, install nuclear reactors inside of them and spend trillions of dollars on their construction in the next few years.

The Prince William Digital Gateway, planned to occupy land where soldiers clashed during the Battle of Second Manassas, will have a footprint of over 23 million sq ft (2.1 sq km). Aaron Ruby, a spokesperson for Virginia's electric utility Dominion Power, tells the BBC that Dominion expects the energy demand of the state's data centre industry will quadruple over the next ten years – contributing to the doubling of the entire state's demand.

And Virginia is no outlier. In 2024, data centres accounted for 1.5% of global energy demand, and that figure is expected to double to 945 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030. That's more energy than Japan uses today.

But as the industry's footprint continues to grow, so too has local backlash.

A 'growing crisis'

A report by the state legislature says building the infrastructure to provide the necessary energy for the data centre boom "will be very difficult to achieve". The report adds that if the state intends to meet its clean energy goals and reduce the use of fossil fuels, it will be even harder to power the planned data centres. It also says that without guidelines in place, massive construction costs to build new power generation and lines could lead to higher electricity prices for regular consumers.

QTS, however, says that it will pay any costs related to upgrading the electricity grid to ensure no impact to residential rates. But that's unrealistic, according to Ann Bennett, data centre issues chair of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club. "This very reputable audit wing of the government says 'we have a big problem'," Bennet tells the BBC, describing the legislature's report. "We're subsidising these major companies with our energy, but also with our tax dollars."

Bennett and the Sierra Club have published their own report about the data centre industry and its environmental impacts, calling it a "growing crisis".

Tax breaks supporting the industry totalled over $730m (£536m) in 2024, and while data centres have brought significant revenue and some jobs to the state, critics argue the climate impacts and energy costs are not sufficiently accounted for.

Ruby of Dominion Power, though, says that "data centres currently pay the full cost of their power". In order to "make sure that remains the case going forward", he says the state report recommended consumer protections, and Dominion is working to get these protections approved.

Bennett says this won’t be enough. "It's almost too late," she says. "In some ways, this is becoming a mitigation project already." The data centre industry is entrenched in Virginia, and further development seems like an unstoppable force. But the Sierra Club hopes other jurisdictions can learn from Virginia's experience and strike the right balance.

The fight for history

"We are not anti-development," says David Duncan, a native Virginian and president of the American Battlefield Trust. His organisation, along with a group of others, is suing to stop the construction of the Prince William Digital Gateway. "We believe this should be an and conversation," Duncan tells the BBC. "That's what has been lost in this rush to build these types of facilities too close to our historic resources."

Cohen says the data centre development won't interrupt the historical value of the area and QTS plans to create "miles of multi-purpose trails" and install "historical landmarks, interactive kiosks and other tools in areas of historical importance" on the battlefield site.

But for some, the issue isn't a lack of signage. "Nobody wants to look into the forest and see these massive monoliths rising," Jim Matte, another member of the Bull Run Legion, tells the BBC.

The Digital Gateway's approval was finalised in a controversial marathon 27 hour town hall meeting in December 2023, after a 4-3 vote in a lame duck session by some legislators who had already lost their seats in the previous election. "We're in litigation because they took shortcuts in the approval processes", says Duncan, adding that activists and citizens alike believe developers and lawmakers anticipated public backlash, but chose to go ahead with the approval anyway. (QTS did not respond to questions on this issue.)

The Battlefield Trust has worked with – and litigated against – powerful developers in the past. Years ago, the organisation successfully altered a plan to build a Walmart at The Wilderness, another pivotal battlefield in Virginia, by moving the site three miles (4.8km) down the road. "When we clamp down on your ankle and don't let go, you're going to get sick of us. We're not just gonna roll over," Duncan says.

But he also feels the data centre industry has more money and momentum behind it than Walmart. "There's so much power," Duncan says.

The Civil War and technological transformation

The idea of a data centre would be lost on the soldiers of the American Civil War, but they would be no strangers to technological upheaval.

During the Civil War, freshly-strung telegraph lines knit marching armies together. The new technology of photography carried images of battle's toll to homes across the world. Advancements in munitions and firearms increased the deadliness of combat, locking the North and South in trench warfare stalemate through the war's final months. It ultimately gave the North – with its industrialised economy – the advantage.

Manassas stood near the crossroads of two railroads, a technology only a few decades old at that point. Manoeuvres throughout the war revolved around access to rail supply lines, with armies seeking to cut off or secure important junctions. The conflict itself was precipitated by the nation's railroad-fuelled westward expansion, which brought the question of extending slavery to new territories or abolishing it to a head.

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At Manassas, a version of the world these soldiers knew and fought for is preserved: the open pastures, rolling hills and the farmhouses they encountered on the march and then returned to as old men to commemorate.

Today, as Americans face another redefinition of their country in an era of big tech and political division, for many the historic battlefields remain an important resource.

"These places are crucial for the future of our country," says Duncan. "This country was defined on the battlefields of the American Civil War."

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'Wobbly-tooth puberty': How children's brains change at six years old

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250711-the-hidden-brain-change-of-six-year-olds, 6 days ago

Long neglected by science, "middle childhood" between the age of six and 12 years old is a transformative period preparing children for growing up. Here's what's going on in their heads during this turbulent time plus how to navigate it.

My first small act of rebellion came when I was around six years old. I'd just been to a birthday party in the local village hall, with a bunch of children I barely knew. They'd all arrived with their friends, and I felt shy and left out.

By the time I returned home, I was in the foulest of moods. I don't remember what my mum asked me to do, but I can clearly recall my response. "It's alright for you, lazing about," I snapped, "while I had to go to that party!"

I then stormed off, leaving her speechless. What had happened to her sunny little boy?

She might have been less surprised if we had lived in German-speaking country. The word Wackelzahnpubertät – literally "wobbly-tooth puberty" – describes how six-year-olds start to show the bad moods characteristic of adolescence. "Aggressive behaviour, rebellious activism, and deep sadness are typical of the wobbly-tooth puberty," is how the German magazine Wunderkind puts it. (Read on to the bottom of this piece for some tips on how parents can deal with this change in behaviour.)

Unlike the real deal, wobbly-tooth puberty is not driven by hormonal changes. Instead, it coincides with the start of "middle childhood" – a period of profound psychological change in which the brain lays the foundations for more mature thoughts and feelings. "It is a really key stage in which a child is constructing their identity, and they're trying to figure out who they are in relation to other people," says Evelyn Antony, a doctoral student in psychology at Durham University in the UK. "And their emotional world is expanding as well."

Whereas infancy and adolescence are now well-understood, middle childhood – which spans ages six to 12 – has been sorely neglected in scientific research. Some psychologists go as far as to describe it as our "forgotten years". "A lot of the research focuses on the early years, when babies are talking and walking, and then in adolescence when you have a bit more of rebellion," says Antony. "But there's less known about middle childhood."

That is now changing, with new research identifying the core characteristics of children's mental metamorphosis. The transformation includes a greater capacity to reflect on their feelings and modify them when needed, along with an "advanced theory of mind" that allows them to think more sophisticatedly about others' behaviours and respond appropriately. They also begin master the basics of rational enquiry and logical deduction, so that they can take more responsibility for their actions – which is why, in France, it is also known as l'âge de raison.

As the concept of wobbly-tooth puberty illustrates, the onset of middle childhood may be accompanied by some growing pains, but a deeper understanding of the neurological and psychological changes involved is offering new insights on the best ways to support a child throughout the journey.

Wobbly-tooth puberty

Let's begin with emotional regulation. By the start of middle childhood, most children will have already made some huge advances in their capacity to control their feelings. As a newborn, they were completely dependent on the adults around them to soothe their anguish, which is most often caused by physical stressors like hunger, fatigue, or colic. Over the next couple of years, they develop a greater emotional repertoire that includes joy as well as anger and fear, but they do not know how to regulate them – leading to those eardrum-exploding tantrums.

A child's burgeoning language can provide some relief from those maelstroms. That's partly because it allows the child to express their needs more precisely, so that others can respond appropriately before the frustration builds up. There is no need to scream when you want more food if you can simply say "I'm hungry", and a caring adult responds. Emotion words may bring an even more immediate benefit, however. Naming an emotion appears to change its neural response, engaging parts of the prefrontal cortex, which is an area involved in more abstract thought, while soothing the amygdala, the region involved in the sensation of the raw emotion.

As a child reaches five or six, however, they face new challenges that put their emotional understanding to the test, Antony and other researchers say. Rather than relying on adults to guide their every action, they are expected to have greater independence – creating uncertainty and ambiguity that may breed frustration.

They must make friendships by themselves, get along with people they don't like, and obey adults' rules. As Antony points out, they are also developing a stronger sense of self, with a need to define who they are against others.

This transition can stretch a child's emotional regulation to its limits, which may result in the moods of wobbly-tooth puberty, during which the child may become downcast and clingy, or explode in sudden bursts of anger.

Fortunately, children's brains quickly catch up with the new demands. This process usually includes developing a larger vocabulary to describe and understand what they are feeling, including the concept of mixed emotions. (By age nine, most children can recognise that the bittersweet ending of Disney's The Little Mermaid is both happy and sad, for example.)

They also learn new strategies to change how they are feeling by themselves, without relying on a parent or teacher to soothe them. Throughout middle childhood, people become more adept at using "cognitive reappraisal", for instance – which involves altering one's interpretation of an event to shift its emotional impact. If they are struggling with a task at school, for instance, a child might start out by thinking "I can't do this" or "I'm stupid" – or they might recognise their frustration as a prompt to adopt a new strategy, which is likely to calm their anger and enhance their perseverance.

Much of their path to maturity comes from observing the adults around them. "Children will learn how their parents deal with conflict and different issues that come up in their lives," says Antony.

Seeking friendship

The child's social world is also changing. "Middle childhood is a period where 'reciprocal friendships' start to develop," explains Simone Dobbelaar, a post-doctoral researcher in developmental and educational psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. In other words, they begin to understand the give and take in relationships, which become a greater focus in their lives. "Children start to spend more time with their peers in and outside of the school context."

Over middle childhood, individuals build on these social skills and mental insights to keep track of many people's thoughts and feelings.

Imagine, for instance, a story about a child, Nick, who wants to be on a football team, but doesn't think he's going to make the cut. The coach is aware of Nick's uncertainty, but wants him on the team. Once he has made his selection, does the coach know that Nick isn't yet aware of his decision to include him on the team? (The correct answer is yes.)

To answer this kind of question, a child has to consider what the coach knows about what Nick knows about the coach's opinion. In other words, they are considering one person's theory of mind about another person's theory of mind, which is known as a "recursive" process.

Such reasoning is important for keeping track of who knows a secret, passing gossip around the playground, and recognising when someone might be "double bluffing" to fool us in a game – but until recently, psychologists hadn't been clear when it first emerged in childhood.

To find out, Christopher Osterhaus at the University of Vechta, and Susanne Koerber at the University of Freiburg, recruited 161 five-year-olds and measured their performance on various theory-of-mind tasks over the next five years. Analysing the data, they found a "steep increase" in their abilities between five and seven, before their performance started to plateau. This suggests that it involved some kind of conceptual leap, he says: "If it was just [them getting gradually better at tackling] the complexity of the task, then you would expect a steadier increase."

This mental leap has immediate, positive consequences for children's social life and wellbeing, research suggests. "We find that the higher their social reasoning, the lower the feelings of loneliness," says Osterhaus. "Maybe they're finding it easier to make friendships or to engage in deeper friendships."

Along these lines, Dobbelaar's research suggests that enhanced sensitivity is linked with more prosocial behaviour, such as acting especially kindly to someone who feels excluded. To study this, she set up an experiment that mimicked the kind of petty bullying that is sadly only too common in many playgrounds. (Read more on a proven way for schools to stop bullying.)

The experiment involved a simple videogame called Cyberball, in which four players pass a ball between themselves. Unbeknown to the participants, the three other players were all controlled by the computer, two of which could be programmed to exclude the third bot by never giving them a turn to catch and throw the ball.

Younger participants appeared to be less sensitive to injustice. As they passed through middle childhood and into early adolescence, however, many of the participants started to compensate for the other players' mean behaviour by using their own turns to pass the ball to the bot that was being overlooked – providing a small sign of solidarity with the victim.

Using fMRI scans of the children's brains, Dobbelaar and her colleagues found that this was associated with some characteristic changes in neural activity, which suggested a reduced focus on themselves – and, presumably, an increased focus on others. "It could be due to increases in perspective-taking skills," she says, as the children's developing brains were able to consider the feelings of the "bullied bot”.

The beginning of self-doubt

Despite these many benefits, sophisticated social reasoning can come with a downside: greater self-consciousness and self-doubt. Consider a study of the "liking gap", which describes our tendency to underestimate how much another person likes us, compared to how much we like them. A recent study by Wouter Wolf, who is now based at Utrecht University, found that the liking gap first emerges at age five and increases steadily over middle childhood. The more attuned we become to other's mental lives, it seems, the more we start to worry that their view of us is not as friendly and positive as we'd like it to be.

I suspect this may explain my bad mood at the party; it was my first taste of self-consciousness and loneliness – and I didn't yet have the words to express why I felt sad and angry, or the skills to overcome the liking gap and build new friendships with people I didn't know well.

The power of a chat

The adults in a child's life can ease the development of these skills through regular conversations. Antony, for instance, points to research demonstrating the power of "emotion coaching". This involves listening to the child without judgement, validating what they are feeling, and then suggesting ways that they move on more positively. "It's not about the adult trying to fix everything for them, but guiding them through this process of managing their emotions," she says. An adult may encourage cognitive reappraisal, for instance, by showing the child how an initially upsetting event could be interpreted in different ways. The child may then apply this when are next upset, arming them against future stresses.

A parent or guardian may also talk through social dilemmas – either in real life or in fiction. "You might ask them, why did this person react that way? Why did they say it?" says Osterhaus. This helps them to think more carefully about other people's mental states, he says, which should encourage more advanced theory of mind.

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Sometimes, the two approaches will naturally converge. If a child is shaken because their best friend has been rude, you might encourage them to question the potential reasons for the nasty behaviour. Perhaps they were tired or having a bad day; it was nothing personal and can be treated with compassion rather than anger.

Like any skills worth learning, these abilities need constant practice. Over many such moments, however, the child will be well-equipped to understand their own and others' minds, guiding them well past their "wobbly-tooth puberty" into the adventures of adolescence and beyond.

* David Robson is an award-winning science writer and author. His latest book, The Laws of Connection: 13 Social Strategies That Will Transform Your Life, was published by Canongate (UK) and Pegasus Books (USA & Canada) in June 2024. He is @davidarobson on Instagram and Threads and writes the 60-Second Psychology newsletter on Substack.

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What your snot can reveal about your health

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250708-what-your-snot-can-reveal-about-your-health, 10 days ago

Snot plays a powerful role in protecting us from disease – and its colour alone can provide insights into what's going on in our bodies.

In Ancient Greece, snot was thought to be one of the four bodily fluids responsible for balancing human health and personality. The physician Hippocrates developed a theory stating that phlegm, blood, yellow bile and black bile were the four "humours". A person's balance of these humours could dictate their temperament; an excess of any of them could cause illness. For instance, phlegm was thought to be made in the brain and lungs, and during the cold and wet seasons, it could become too abundant and even cause epilepsy. Somebody with a phlegmatic personality would have a cold, damp and aloof character.

Of course, we now know that snot doesn't affect people's personalities or cause diseases – rather, it helps to protect us from them.

And though nobody likes a runny nose or flinging snot across the room in a sneeze, the mucus in our nasal passages is arguably one of the wonders of the human body. It protects us from intruders, and it has a unique composition that can reveal profound insights into what is going on inside us. Now scientists are hoping to hone the powers of snot to better diagnose and treat everything from Covid-19 to chronic lung conditions.

The gooey substance shields the insides of our nose, moisturising the nasal passages, and trapping any bacteria, viruses, pollens, dirt, dust and pollution trying to get into our body through our airways. Aided by hundreds of tiny hairs, snot is a barrier between the outside world and our inner one.

The adult body produces over 100 millitres of snot over the course of a day but children tend to be much snottier than adults because their bodies are learning to deal with being exposed to all of the world's molecules for the first time, says Daniela Ferreira, a professor of respiratory infection and vaccinology from the University of Oxford in the UK.

With a simple glance, our snot's colour and consistency can already help us glean a little bit about what's going on: snot can be like a visual thermometer. A runny schnozzle with clear mucus suggests the body is likely expelling something that's irritating its sinuses, like pollen or dust. White mucus means a virus may have entered the premises, as the white is caused by the white blood cells called up to fight off intruders. When mucus turns denser and yellowish-green, it's just a lot of dead white blood cells accumulating after having gathered in great numbers and flushing out. If your snot is reddish or pink, it may be a little bloody: maybe you've blown your nose too much and irritated its insides.

But looking at snot is just the first step.

The snot microbiome

While the gut microbiome – the ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms that inhabit our bodies – is very much in the public consciousness, scientists think that the microbiome in our snot is equally important. In fact, scientists now believe that it's intricately linked to human health and the proper functioning of the immune system.

Everybody has a unique snot microbiome. It is affected by sex, age, location, diet – and even whether you vape. The microbiome's makeup is what helps it fend off intruders, and some of these interactions are subtle. Research from 2024, for instance, found that whether potentially harmful Staphylococcus bacteria survive in the nose and infect a person, causing fever and pus-filled boils, depends on how the snot microbiome's bacteria hold onto iron.

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Ferreira is working to figure out exactly what a healthy snot microbiome looks like so that it can be put in an everyday nasal spray to boost snot health, like taking probiotics for gut health. "Imagine if you could alter what we have in our nose with lots of very good-guy species that stay there and colonise, and do not allow for the bad guys to come in and cause us to get sick," says Ferreira.

Ferreira's colleagues have selected the bacteria they think make up the perfect schnozzle microbiome, and they're testing them to see if these bacteria can take over people's airways and last long enough to impact and improve their health.

Since the snot's microbiome is so tightly linked with the immune system, says Ferreira, they are also studying it to fine-tune how to boost the immune system and even make it more receptive to vaccines. Research suggests that how a body reacts to a vaccine is altered by the type of microbiome a person has. Studies on the Covid-19 vaccine, for example, suggest it affected the snot's microbiome, and in turn, the microbiome affected how efficient the vaccine was.

"The Covid-19 vaccines were great at stopping us from getting sick, but we continued to transmit the virus," says Ferreira. "We could actually develop much better vaccines [so] the next generation people don't even get sick, whether that is Covid-19 or flu or any other respiratory viruses – and it's all there in that snot immunity."

The rise of diag-nosing

While Ferreira's work pinpointing the exact formula for the perfect snot microbiome might take a couple of years, in Sweden, scientists have had a head start by transplanting healthy people's snot into those who are sick with a chronically blocked nose and hay fever, everyday symptoms of rhinosinusitis.

The researchers asked 22 adults to shoot themselves up the nose with a syringe full of snot from healthy friends and partners each day for five days. They discovered that symptoms like cough and facial pain, for instance, dropped by almost 40% for up to three months in at least 16 of the patients. "That was great news to us, and no one reported any negative side effects," says Anders Martensson, a senior consultant in otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery from Helsingborg Hospital in Sweden, who led the study. These trials were inspired by work done in other laboratories about gut microbiomes, with faecal transplants, he says.

That first pilot programme, however didn't gather much data about how these people's snot microbiomes changed and what happened to the specific bacteria in their nose, whether they increased, decreased, and so forth. So another larger and more precise trial is underway.

In fact, snot can be a great barrier to chronic nose and lung diseases.

Jennifer Mulligan, an otolaryngologist at the University of Florida, uses snot to study people with chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps – a condition that affects about 5 to 12% of the global population. In the first years of her career, she needed to surgically extract nose tissue from rhinosinusitis patients, but that was invasive and limiting. Now, her research has shown that snot can be an accurate proxy to more closely examine what's happening inside the body when someone develops rhinosinusitis. "We're using it to whittle down who are really the guilty culprits here, who's really driving this condition?" says Mulligan, adding that every patient has a slightly different profile for what's causing their rhinosinusitis.

Similarly, while treatment before was mostly trial and error – varying greatly from patient to patient, and sometimes costing tens of thousands of dollars for treatments lasting months – Mulligan suggests a snot analysis can quickly help identify the right treatment or surgery needed.

Several clinical trials for Mulligan's technique are underway worldwide. Emerging health-teach companies, such as Diag-Nose, launched by engineers at Stanford University, are developing snot-analysing AI systems and patenting devices for nasal microsampling: in 2025, they launched the first FDA-approved nasal microsampling device – a sampling device that collects precise volumes of nasal fluid – to reduce research variability by standardising sampling methods.

"We have learned so much that we could have never learned with just tissue biopsies. It's completely changed what we know about the disease, and it's going to change the way patients are diagnosed in the future and how they receive treatment," says Mulligan.

Mulligan uses the same snot tools to study what causes people to lose their sense of smell, too. Her team has already found that a vitamin-D nasal spray could potentially help restore a sense of smell in people who have lost it due to inflammation from smoking.

Plus, Mulligan says, what happens in the lungs happens in the nose and vice versa. So these diagnostic tools and therapies can be used for lung diseases too. New research suggests that by simply analysing how much of the IL-26 protein is present in a patient's snot, doctors can tell whether somebody is more or less susceptible to developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a common smoker's disease, and the fourth most widespread cause of death in the world. With snot analyses, patients can be diagnosed early and treated rapidly.

Similarly, research teams around the world are developing analogous tools and methods to use snot to detect asthma, lung cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Snot can also be used to measure radiation exposure and several recent studies suggest that the gooey nasal fluid can pinpoint how much somebody is exposed to pollution, such as heavy metals and microparticles in the air.

"Snot is the future of personalised medicine. I wholeheartedly believe that," says Mulligan.

*Disclaimer

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Sourdough v white sliced: Which breads should we be eating?

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250704-sourdough-vs-white-sliced-which-breads-should-we-be-eating, 12 days ago

When it comes to bread, supermarkets have a dizzying array of choice. Yet the bread we eat can have a surprising impact on our health.

Like many of us, I started making sourdough during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. My colleagues at the BBC published a step-by-step guide, and I – alongside thousands of others – gave it a go. I must confess I didn't start completely from scratch as a friend gifted me some of her starter – the live mixture of wild yeast and bacteria which help bread to rise. After many failed attempts it became not only edible, but delicious. I don't have a very precise method, but it usually turns out OK.

At first, I carried on making bread because it was tasty, but after learning more about the health concerns around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – which often contain added salt, sugar, fat, and industrial chemical additives – I felt determined to keep going. Not only did my bread taste better than supermarket offerings, but it was free of those ultra-processed food (UPF) ingredients that scientists warn aren't particularly good for us. Five years on, my starter is still thriving and used regularly.

However, not all of us have time to bake our own bread every day. Artisan sourdough can also be extremely expensive. In comparison, supermarket bread is cheap and convenient. But given that there are so many options in the supermarket, it can be difficult to know what's best to eat. So which bread is the healthiest, and what should we look out for when buying a loaf?

The Chorleywood method

In the late 1950s, scientists at the Chorleywood factory in the UK developed a method to produce dough much faster than before. They added hard fats, additional yeast and chemicals such as enzymes, oxidants (to strengthen the dough) and emulsifiers (which helps other chemicals combine), then mixed their recipe together at high speed.

This innovative new technique made bread quicker and cheaper to produce using low-protein British wheat. The extra additives such as emulsifiers gave the bread longer-shelf life too, which is why today about 80% of the loaves we eat are still made using the Chorleywood method.

Although the Chorleywood process was initially developed as a way to help small bakers compete with bigger industrial bakeries, it backfired. Despite the intentions of the scientists behind it, large industrial bakers adopted the process too, putting smaller bakeries out of business.

Sourdough

If the Chorleywood method produces quick, spongey loaves, sourdough bread is on the slower end of the bread-baking scale.

To make almost any risen bread (one that uses yeast or bacteria to create bubbles of gas), there are several essential steps involved. First the ingredients are mixed, then kneaded – this helps the gluten to form an elastic dough – followed by the first rise, which is where the dough is left, usually in a warm, humid environment, for the yeast to break down sugars and create pockets of carbon dioxide. After this, the bread will either be baked immediately or worked again to shape it into its final form, such as a baton or a baguette, and allowed to rise again. During this second step of fermentation, the yeast will form smaller bubbles of air, which improves the structure of the final loaf. Then the bread is ready for baking.

When I make bread, the final rise (called proofing) happens in the fridge overnight, which slows down the fermentation process, enhancing the flavour. This also means that the entire process, from activating my starter – where it is mixed with flour and water, and allowed to wake up before it's used – to taking the bread out of the oven, can take as long as 36 hours.

In its most basic form, the ingredients of sourdough are flour, salt, and water mixed with a sourdough starter – usually a mixture of bacteria and yeast – which acts as a natural raising agent. Those of us who eat it tend to love the taste, but what's even better are the health benefits.

Sourdough can be easier to digest than other breads as the slow fermentation process breaks down the protein and makes the vitamins and minerals easier for our body to absorb. As sourdough ferments, its natural lactic acid bacteria break down carbohydrates in the flour. This process significantly reduces the amount of hard-to-digest sugars known as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (fodmaps).

At the same time, the fibre and healthy compounds called polyphenols provide important fuel for our gut microbes. Similarly, the slow fermentation process makes it helpful for those who need to manage their blood sugar level. However, commercially available, (usually) yeast-based breads do have some benefits, including being fortified with certain vitamins and minerals.

Sourdough has also been found to keep you fuller for longer. Some studies have found that people feel less hungry after eating sourdough baked goods compared to other breads. Others though, didn't find any difference.

Ultra-processed bread?

Today, many breads found on supermarket shelves baked using the Chorleywood method are defined as UPFs, due to the chemicals and emulsifiers added to them. For example, in some countries, such as the US, processed bread may contain the additive potassium bromate, which helps bread to retain carbon dioxide and leads to larger loaves. However, it is considered a possible carcinogen in humans.

In the UK about 54% of the calories we consume are in the form of ultra-processed foods, according to a 2020 study. The figure is similar in the US, though estimates vary. It can be hard to identify what a UPF ingredient is, so a rule-of-thumb many academics advise is this: if the food contains five or more ingredients, as well as ingredients you wouldn't have in your own kitchen, it's likely to be UPF.

Most bread found in supermarkets today is mass-produced and contains additives that boosts production speed, extends shelf life, enhances flavour and texture, as well as replaces nutrients lost during the production. This means most supermarket loaves are classified as ultra-processed.

Mass produced bread accounts for about 11% of a typical diet and a diet high in UPFs is linked to a range of health conditions, though it's worth noting that the way food is categorised as UPF lumps many different food groups together, and researchers urge caution not to vilify all supermarket bread.

One option is to choose bread with as few extra ingredients that you do not recognise as possible. And if you are going for packaged bread, you might want to consider opting for wholegrain instead of white. Nutritionist Jenna Hope told BBC Good food that "different types of breads are associated with different health benefits. For example, wholegrain bread with seeds will be higher in fibre and have healthier fats than white bread."

Wholegrain bread

Wheat grains are made up of several layers. There's the germ – the embryo of the wheat which is rich in protein – the outer shell, known as the bran, and the starchy endosperm, which acts as a food store for the embryo.

In regular bread, the germ and the bran tend to be removed, leaving just the endosperm. In contrast, wholegrain bread uses all parts of the grain – and this is what gives it its range of health benefits, as they contain polyphenols (a group of chemicals with antioxidant properties), essential nutrients like vitamin E, folate and magnesium, as well as fibre, protein and healthy fats. White flour on the other hand, has the germ and bran removed.

Unlike refined grains, wholegrain bread is packed with more fibre, vitamins, and minerals. These benefits mean that swapping from white bread to wholegrain could reduce the risk of heart disease and improve your gut microbiome. Eating more wholegrains is also linked to a reduced cancer risk.

The fibre found in wholegrain bread can also keep you feeling full for longer as we digest it more slowly, so it can lead to a more gradual increase in blood sugar levels, rather than the spike we often get from white bread, which can make us hungrier sooner. One study found that those who ate three portions of wholegrain per day had a lower BMI and reduced belly fat compared to those who ate refined grains, showing that eating wholegrain food could help individuals maintain a healthier weight.

It's worth noting that some supermarket bread marketed as "seeded" is not necessarily made from wholegrain flour, even though it appears brown in colour. Of course, if you find it difficult to give up white bread, you can get wholegrain food in your diet from a range of other foods too, including brown pasta, brown rice, rolled oats, and even popcorn.

A healthier white bread

Today white bread is still the most popular form of bread bought by consumers in the UK, despite the fact that it lacks the nutritional value of wholegrain. That could soon change, however. Researchers have created a new wholemeal bread that tastes and looks like white bread.

To do so, the researchers plan to enrich bread with small amounts of peas, beans, and various cereals, alongside the bran and wheat germ that is typically removed in white bread flour. While the research is in its early stages, Catherine Howarth of Aberystwyth University, one of the researchers involved in making these loaves, stated in 2024 that the process is a "delicate balancing act", as the team tries to match the nutritional value of wholemeal bread but create the taste and consistency of white bread.

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• The strange science inside your sourdough

• The world's most nutritious foods

The team is also incorporating other nutrient-rich grains like teff, sorghum, and millet, as well as seeds such as quinoa. Green peas and chickpeas are also being considered to provide an extra protein boost. "Using other cereals we can enhance the iron, zinc and vitamin levels and most importantly the fibre content, because white bread has very little fibre, which is so important for good health," Howarth told BBC News.

While my colleague, BBC Science correspondent Pallab Ghosh, tried an early prototype – and found it extremely tasty – it may take another two years before this product is available to buy.

So what should you choose?

A lot of choice ultimately comes down to personal preference, convenience and cost.

An expensive sourdough loaf may be out of reach for many, and minimally processed bread is not practical or affordable, yet it's still worth checking the ingredients of the produce you buy. Knowing what to look out for will help you make more conscious choices when it comes to choosing bread.

One loaf that looked fairly healthy to me in my local supermarket had added granulated sugar and preservatives, for instance.

Some supermarkets do sell sliced packaged sourdough – and the ingredient list is minimal, distinguishing it from UPF versions of sliced bread. And for those worried about shelf life, freezing bread is always an option too.

For those interested in baking their own bread, the BBC has plenty of recipes to follow, including how to make your own sourdough loaf.

* Melissa Hogenboom is a BBC health and science journalist.

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Healthcare provider to use AI to cut paperwork

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d0y9x297zo, today

Guernsey's specialist medical care provider is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help doctors spend more time with patients and less on paperwork.

The smart AI assistant, known as Heidi, helps doctors by taking notes during patient visits and automatically creating documents, such as referral letters and patient summaries, which the doctor checks and signs off.

The chief executive of the Medical Specialist Group (MSG), Dr Farid Fouladinejad, said this will save doctors significant time.

Heidi was piloted in June by 10 MSG consultants and their admin colleagues and is now set to be gradually rolled out for all outpatient consultations.

"Right now, doctors spend around 40% of their time writing and checking notes, letters, and reports. While this work is important, it takes them away from seeing patients," said Dr Fouladinejad.

"There's a lot of excitement about AI in medicine, but we must be careful and sensible in how we use it.

"One of the first ways MSG is using AI is to help our doctors in writing up and summarising their notes and letters.

"This could help them see more patients and reduce waiting times."

Dr Michelle Le Cheminant said the technology will hopefully give the best experience to MSG's patients.

"When you've thought about any change within medicine, for example, you take the dictaphone, the typewriter, we need to move forwards and this is part of that journey," she said.

Dr Le Cheminant says patients will not even notice the technology being used because Heidi works in the background "via a web browser on our computer or via an app on the doctor's phone."

"The main difference that patients will notice when they are in the clinic room is that we won't be having to produce a lot of handwritten notes, we won't be having to type a lot on the computer, so really the difference is that focus on the patient and that interaction."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.

University team compete in robot football contest

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg8j57zmgjo, today

A team from the University of Hertfordshire have travelled to Salvador in Brazil to take part in a global football competition involving autonomous robots.

The aim of RoboCup 2025 is to develop humanoid robots capable of defeating the human FIFA World Cup champions by 2050 in a fair match.

Daniel Polani, a professor of artificial intelligence at the university and part of the team, said the AI robots "are nowhere close to the ability of a Messi or a Ronaldo because running is a very difficult task".

He added: "At this stage we are happy if they can walk without falling down."

RoboCup, which first started in 1997, has long served as a proving ground for AI and robotics researchers and this year's competition involves 250 teams from 37 countries.

"We have been playing with humanoid robots which look like humans and the robots we use are not allowed to use anything that humans don't have," said Mr Polani, who is also on the Board of Trustees of the RoboCup Federation.

"The robots are independent - they are not remote controlled because it is a competition where AI does everything," he said.

The only remote aspect is the whistle to stop and start the game, he added.

Mr Polani said the idea behind the competition was if you want to make intelligent machines you have to put them in the real world and "if they mess up they mess up themselves".

"It is a really difficult task to kick and not fall down and you have to contend with 22 different robots working in a coordinated fashion," he added.

The University of Hertfordshire sent its first team to RoboCup in 2002, as it believed it was "where the future of robotics will lie", said Mr Polani.

He said the French and Japanese teams were good, but he did not think that they would do well this year.

RoboCup takes place from 17-21 July alongside other competitions such as where robots are tested in rescue situations and perform household tasks.

Organisers said the competition was expected to attract 150,000 spectators.

Livestream coverage was also available throughout the event on Twitch and YouTube.

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British spies and SAS named in Afghan data breach

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4ek9njknvo, yesterday

The identities of more than 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in a data breach that also put thousands of Afghans at risk of reprisal, it can be reported.

The latest fallout from the breach was kept secret by an injunction until Thursday, when the order was lifted in part by a High Court judge.

That allowed media organisations to reveal that detailed case notes in the database contained secret personal data of special forces and spies.

The government had already admitted on Tuesday the data of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had worked with the British during the 20-year war in Afghanistan and had applied to resettle in the UK had been inadvertently leaked.

Many were judged to be at risk of serious harm or even death as the Taliban sought retribution against those who had worked with the British government during the conflict.

This was part of the reason the information was protected by a so-called "super-injunction" - a kind of gagging order that prevents the reporting of even the existence of the injunction.

The data breach occurred in February 2022 but was not discovered by the government until August 2023, when someone in Afghanistan who had obtained the data posted part of it on Facebook and indicated he could release the rest.

The BBC revealed on Wednesday that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had offered to expedite a review of the individual's application and brought him to the country after he posted the data - a sequence of events that government sources said was "essentially blackmail".

The MoD declined to comment on the actions of the individual but said that "anyone who comes to the UK under any Afghan relocation schemes" must go through "robust security checks in order to gain entry".

The discovery of the breach in 2023 forced the government to covertly set up the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) - a resettlement scheme for those affected, who were not told about the breach despite the risk to their security.

The scheme has already allowed 4,500 Afghans and family members to move to the UK and a further 2,400 people are expected, at an estimated cost of £850m.

The accidental leak was the result of someone working at UK Special Forces headquarters in London inadvertently emailing more than 30,000 resettlement applications to an individual outside of government, thinking that he was sending data on just 150 people.

After the lifting of the super-injunction on Tuesday, a secondary injunction had prevented the revelations about special forces and security services personnel being compromised.

But that was also lifted on Thursday that barristers representing both the MoD and a group of media organisations reached a compromise that meant journalists could report the additional facts.

Defence Secretary John Healey told Parliament on Tuesday that the breach was a "serious departmental error" and acknowledged that it was "just one of many data losses" relating to the Afghan relocation schemes.

The shadow defence secretary, James Cartlidge, apologised on behalf of the former Conservative government, which was in power when the leak was discovered.

The MoD has refused to say how many people in Afghanistan may have been harmed as a result of the data breach. The Taliban government said on Thursday that it had not arrested or monitored Afghans affected by the leak.

But relatives of Afghans named in the leak told the BBC that they fear for their family still in the country, with one saying efforts by the Taliban to find their named relative intensified following the leak.

An MoD spokesperson said: "It's longstanding policy of successive governments to not comment on special forces.

"We take the security of our personnel very seriously, particularly of those in sensitive positions, and always have appropriate measures in place to protect their security."

How bad is Afghan data breach for MI6 and SAS?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07dr898e3po, yesterday

On the face of it, the Afghan data breach is very bad indeed.

It is arguably the worst leak of secret UK government names since the former MI6 officer Richard Tomlinson went rogue and published a list online containing dozens of names of MI6 officers in 1999.

For a case officer in the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), having your name and details outed in public is potentially a career-killer.

That said, names can be changed, forged or disguised.

What cannot be is biometric data - something increasingly used in counter-intelligence to uncover and catch spies - and there is no indication so far that UK officers have had this data leaked as well.

For serving and former members of the highly secretive Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS), leaks like this one can, in theory, expose them to the risk of threat to life, given the lethal, covert operations some will have taken part in that may have involved the deaths or capture of individuals. The physical risk resulting from this leak to those members of UK Special Forces whose names were on the leaked dataset is judged to be minimal.

Those who face the greatest risk are Afghans still in Afghanistan.

The revelation that, in addition to the thousands of leaked names and details of potentially vulnerable Afghans, there are 100 or more involving British operatives is certainly shocking.

But this "unauthorised data breach" was - belatedly - discovered as far back as August 2023.

So that has given the UK intelligence and special forces communities nearly two years in which to come up with ways to mitigate this disaster and adopt whatever protective measures they can, for both Afghans and Brits on the leaked dataset.

Amongst the worse-case scenarios that MI6 in particular will have had to consider is that Russia, China, Iran or even North Korea may now also be in possession of those leaked names.

It is a fair assumption to make that the Taliban's intelligence apparatus would have had little interest in the names of long-departed British soldiers and spies. But they would be canny enough to work out who would be interested: the UK's global adversaries.

For now, those who have most to fear are the 600 former Afghan government soldiers and their estimated 1,800 relatives who are still in Afghanistan.

Whatever routes out were being suggested to them will have now been compromised and the publicity surrounding this whole story will have inevitably re-energised some of the more fanatical members of the Taliban to hunt down those on the list and exact what they perceive as rightful vengeance for treachery during the 20 years when they were out of power.

Buzzy titles to blockbusters: 10 of the best summer reads

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250717-ten-of-the-best-summer-reads, today

From buzzy titles like Vincent Latronico's Perfection to Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest blockbuster, here's our pick of the best books to escape with this summer.

Whether you're packing for a fortnight spent poolside or just taking advantage of the long evenings in your own garden or local park, the heady days of summer bring with them the desire to lose ourselves in a great book. Luckily, there are plenty to choose from this year.

Depending on your tastes, the perfect summer read might mean catching up with 2025's most talked-about novels, immersing yourself in an epic family saga, or enjoying some biting satire on the current state of the world. Either way, these 10 titles are all worthy of escaping with for a few hours.

The following numbered list is not ranked.

1. Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst

A huge bestseller in Denmark, Waist Deep has now been translated into 10 languages, including English by Sherilyn Nicolette Hellberg. It follows a group of university friends, now in their 30s, who are reunited for a summer holiday in a rural cabin. What begins as a week of swimming, sunbathing and relaxing turns into uneasy self-examination of choices made over the past decade, and lives not lived. Vogue has dubbed this sensual book the "quintessential millennial novel" and it has drawn plenty of Sally Rooney comparisons. Its sun-soaked setting and languid literary vibes are ideal for this time of year.

2. The Names by Florence Knapp

Arguably the most buzzed about debut of the year, The Names is a Sliding Doors story of how a name can determine your destiny. Cora sets out to register the birth of her second child, with the three options for his name coming from herself, her husband, and her young daughter. Each choice sends the story in a different direction, showing how split-moment decisions can shape our whole lives. The themes are heavy – namely, domestic violence – but the writing is not, with Knapp skilfully weaving the three stories together to create a book that is as full of hope as it is horror.

3. Perfection by Vincent Latronico

This slim (120-page) novel is perfect for when you want to travel light but still read one of this year's most discussed books. Translated from Italian by Sophie Hughes, it tells the story of an expat millennial couple living and working in Berlin as digital nomads. Everything in their lives is carefully curated, from the houseplants and vinyl collection in their Art Nouveau apartment to their social life in the city. It all looks perfect from the outside (especially on the internet), but there's a creeping uneasiness about the inherent emptiness of a life in which aesthetics take priority. This short, sharp satire might make you think twice about posting that poolside selfie.

4. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

It's no coincidence that the latest book from Taylor Jenkins Reid was published just in time for summer. The powerhouse author's novels, which include Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn, have become go-to sun lounger fare thanks to their glamorous retro settings (the '70s rock scene, Golden Age Hollywood; the '90s professional tennis world) and emotional love stories. Reid's latest novel – her ninth – is set in the world of space travel, specifically the 1980s Nasa Space Shuttle mission. Its protagonist, Joan, becomes one of the first women to join the programme and is confronted with huge challenges, both in Mission Control and her relationships with the other astronauts.

5. Flashlight by Susan Choi

Choi's last novel, Trust Exercise, was a huge success, scooping the National Book Award for Fiction and making countless best-of-2019 lists – including Barack Obama's. Her follow up looks set to make a similar impact. An ambitious generational saga meets mystery thriller that spans several decades and countries, it is told from the perspective of three members of the Kang family: a white American mother, a Korean father born in Japan, and their mixed-race daughter. The story begins with a disappearance, then ripples out from there for a compulsive read.

6. So Far Gone by Jess Walter

Jess Walter is responsible for one of the classic contemporary beach reads, 2012's Beautiful Ruins, which combined a glamorous Italian location with a dose of old Hollywood romance – and even featured appearances from Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Walter's latest has a less chic setting but an equally compelling premise. A retired, reclusive and disillusioned environmental journalist tries to opt out of modern life by going off-grid in his ranch but is forced to re-enter the real world when his daughter goes missing and his grandchildren are kidnapped. Cue a comedic road-trip through a divided America plagued by conspiracy theories.

7. The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine

With two short story collections, Wendy Erskine has already gained a reputation as one of the most exciting voices to emerge from Northern Ireland in recent years, and her debut novel only cements that. It centres on three mothers brought together when their teenage sons are accused of sexual assault, but features an expansive cast of characters who together paint a vivid picture of life in contemporary Belfast (The Times said it has "the style of Woolf but the heart of Dickens"). An absorbing, powerful novel about class, trauma and consent.

8. Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

It may have lost out on the Women's Prize, but Fundamentally is still one of the most lauded debut novels of the year. The subject matter - a British academic trying to de-radicalise IS brides – might not immediately scream beach read, but the writing is more hilarious than harrowing. Younis, who spent years working in international relations, even took a stand-up comedy course before writing the book because she wanted it to be a story that, above all, entertains people. Its word-of-mouth success proves it has succeeded at that.

9. The Sisters by Jonas Hassen Khemiri

Summer downtime is a great opportunity to tackle a doorstopper novel and, at more than 700 pages, this one is certainly meaty, not only in length but in subject. The sixth novel by Swedish author Jonas Hassen Khemiri is his first written in English (he then wrote it all over again in Swedish) and has been called "a staggering achievement." Following three sisters over three decades and three continents, the novel is told in six parts, each covering a progressively shorter timespan – from a year to a day all the way down to one minute. One to sink your teeth into on the sun lounger.

10. Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin

With the New York social scene providing a backdrop, Great Black Hope will allow you to vicariously experience a sweltering summer in the city – though this debut is much more than a simple tale of hedonism. Protagonist David Smith is a queer black Stanford graduate caught between two different worlds. His future looks bright, but when his roommate dies suddenly and he is arrested for cocaine possession at a party in the Hamptons, things start to unravel. This coming-of-age story explores the intersection of wealth and race, as well as friendship, grief and identity, with Vanity Fair hailing it "the novel you'll see by every Hamptons lounger this summer."

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Citizen Kane sled saved from destruction sells for nearly $15m

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89en7nvz3wo, yesterday

A prop central to the celebrated opening scene of Citizen Kane - widely regarded as one of the best films ever made - has sold at auction for $14.75m (£11m).

The wooden Rosebud sled, one of at least three known to have survived, was long thought to have been lost until it was given to director Joe Dante in 1984, saving it from destruction.

He went on to use it as a reference for fans (known as an Easter egg) in films he directed, including Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

It is now the second most expensive piece of memorabilia to have ever been sold - a pair of ruby slippers used in The Wizard of Oz sold for $32m (£23.9) in December.

"Along with Dorothy's ruby slippers, the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane is one of the most iconic objects in Hollywood history," Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, which held the action, told its magazine the Intelligent Collector.

The identity of the sled's buyer was not revealed.

Other Rosebuds made for the film have been sold in the past, including one to legendary director Steven Spielberg, who later donated it to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

However, the version sold on Thursday had not been seen for many years until it ended up in the hands of Dante.

He told Heritage auctions how he was making the film Explorers in 1984 on the same studio that was formerly owned by RKO Radio Pictures, which produced Citizen Kane.

Dante said crews were on site clearing out storage areas when one worker, who knew he liked vintage films, asked if he wanted it.

"I was astonished...Since I am a huge fan of the movie, I said, 'Yeah, I'll be glad to take it."

"Citizen Kane may be the greatest film ever made, and Rosebud is the linchpin of the story – the whole heart of the plot and the focal point of the mysterious drama in Kane's life.

"As a director, to own the prop that represents such a vital element of a cinema treasure is particularly meaningful."

Connie Francis: Pretty Little Baby singer dies at 87

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjwngwxdnwgo, yesterday

Connie Francis, who was at one time the world's biggest-selling female artist, has died at the age of 87.

The musician, whose hits included Stupid Cupid and Who's Sorry Now, had recently enjoyed a resurgence after her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby went viral on TikTok.

Francis had recently been treated for pelvic pain caused by a fracture. During her stay in hospital, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and died on Wednesday night, the president of her record label, Ron Roberts, told BBC News.

Roberts had previously announced the star’s death on Facebook, “with a heavy heart and extreme sadness.”

"I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news,” he added.

The star's death comes just months after Pretty Little Baby became a trending song on TikTok.

Millions of people, including Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, lip-synced to the easy listening ballad, while showing off their children and pets, or making displays of affection.

One video, by social media influencers Brooke Monk and Sam Dezz, was watched more than 158 million times.

ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog also posted the song, saying that Francis had long been her favourite singer. And the actress Gracie Lawrence, who is currently playing Francis in the Broadway musical Just in Time, also shared a video of herself singing the track, while dressed in character.

Speaking last month, Francis said she had been surprised by the sudden success of a track that had originally been a b-side.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't even remember the song!" she told People magazine.

"I had to listen to it to remember. To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is touching the hearts of millions of people is truly awesome. It is an amazing feeling."

Francis was born Concetta Rosemarie Franconero and grew up in a working-class Italian American family in Brooklyn, New York.

Encouraged by her father, she started playing the accordion at the age of three. By the time she was a teenager, she had changed her name to Connie Francis, and was making regular appearances on the US TV variety show Startime Kids.

Early attempts to launch a singing career were not successful.

She was turned down by almost every record label, only securing a contract with MGM Records because her demo song was called Freddy - which happened to be the name of the president's son.

Her initial recordings failed to find an audience, and Francis accepted a place to study medicine at university.

But she scored a breakout hit with her last contracted recording for MGM - a cover of the 1923 song Who's Sorry Now?, that she only recorded at her father's insistence.

"I had 18 bomb records," Francis told UPI in 1996. "He wanted me to record a song written in 1923. I said 'Forget about it - the kids on American Bandstand would laugh me right off the show.'

"He said, 'If you don't record this song, dummy, the only way you'll get on American Bandstand is to sit on the TV'."

It was almost prophetic. In 1958, Dick Clark championed the track on American Bandstand, telling viewers: "There's no doubt about it, she is headed straight for the number one spot."

Francis, who was watching at home, had no idea the song was going to feature on the show.

"Well, the feeling was cosmic - just cosmic!" she wrote in her diary that night.

"Right there in my living-room, it became Mardi Gras-time and New Year's Eve at the turn of the century!"

Pop icon turned victims' advocate

Over the next couple of years, Francis became a true pop icon.

She sold millions of records - including teen hits like Lipstick On Your Collar and Everybody's Somebody's Fool.

In 1960, she became the first woman to top the Billboard Top 100, with the bluesy ballad Everybody's Somebody's Fool.

Francis also had an affinity for languages, and was one of the first stars to record in multiple dialects.

Her title song from the 1961 movie Where the Boys Are, for example, was released in seven different languages - English, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Neopolitan and Spanish.

In 1963, she also recorded one of the first known charity singles, In The Summer Of His Years, a tribute to the assassinated US president John F Kennedy.

Her popularity waned in the mid-60s, as acts like The Beatles and Bob Dylan took over the pop charts; and she briefly lost her voice as a result of nasal surgery.

In 1974 Francis mounted a comeback at the Westbury Music Fair in New York, but after the performance she was beaten and raped at knife point in her motel.

Traumatised, she became a recluse and spent several spells in psychiatric hospitals (she later said she had been admitted against her will by her father).

At her lowest point, the star tried to kill herself with sleeping pills.

"I just felt that there was nothing for me to live for," she told Terry Wogan on his BBC One chat show in 1989.

"I had this free-floating fear of life in general after the rape, and I just said, 'Well, that's it, I'm going to check out'."

Francis said it was her adopted son, Joey, who saved her life.

"I was looking at this bottle of sleeping pills... and my son knocked at the door of the bathrooom and he said, 'Mommy, you're the best mommy I ever had'," she told Wogan.

"And that was it. I took the pills and threw them right down the toilet."

The singer later won $1.5 million (£1.1 million) in a lawsuit against the Howard Johnson's motel chain for failing to provide safe locks on the glass door through which her attacker entered.

Francis had just begun her return to the stage in 1981 when her younger brother George Franconero, who had testified against the mafia, was shot to death in front of his house.

The incident plunged her deeper into depression, and she spent much of the next decade receiving treatment, during which time she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

However, she also became a prominent voice in crime victims' advocacy groups, including Women Against Rape, and the Victims' Assistance Legal Organisation, and became a spokesperson for Mental Health America.

She resumed her recording career in 1989, and continued to sing for sold-out audiences until she was in her 70s.

Earlier this month, she told fans she had been admitted to hospital due to ongoing hip pain, but remained in good spirits.

Her death came after a short illness, said her friend and label boss Ron Roberts, adding that more details would be released at a later date.

Looking back over her life and career in 2010, she said that "with the exception of my brother's murder, I would do it all over again.

"Because although there were some terrible lows, there were also exhilarating highs that I would have never felt in any other profession."

Legend of Zelda movie casts two British actors in lead roles

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80p2x4lggvo, 2 days ago

* British actors Bo Bragason and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will star in the first Legend of Zelda film

* Bragason previously appeared in Renegade Nell, while Ainsworth starred in 2022's Pinocchio

* Director Wes Ball promises a "serious and cool, but fun" take on the Zelda video game series

* The live-action film is set to be released in May 2027

The new film adaptation of the Legend of Zelda video game series will see two young British actors take on the leading roles, Nintendo has announced.

Renegade Nell star Bo Bragason, 21, has been cast as Princess Zelda, while Pinocchio's Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, 16, will play the role of Link.

Announcing the news on X, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto said he was "very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen".

This will be the first attempt to make a Zelda film, although the franchise previously had an animated TV series in 1989.

Bragason has previously appeared in Disney+ series Renegade Nell and the BBC series Three Girls and The Jetty. She has also appeared in horror films Censor and The Radleys.

Ainsworth's screen credits include the 2022 live-action remake of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks, as well as The Haunting of Bly Manor, Everything's Going to Be Great, and All Fun and Games opposite Sex Education's Asa Butterfield.

The Legend of Zelda film is scheduled to be released in May 2027.

Director plans 'serious but whimsical' adaptation

The game follows Princess Zelda and the elf-like warrior Link as they fight to save the land of Hyrule from an evil warlord-turned-demon king called Ganon.

In the games, Link never speaks, but fans have speculated this won't be the case in the film. Similarly, Princess Zelda is expected to have significantly more screen time in the film adaptation than she does in the games.

The live-action film was announced in 2023, when Sony confirmed it would collaborate with Nintendo to co-finance the project.

It will be directed by Wes Ball, best known for The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and The Maze Runner.

Ball previously told Total Film: "I know it's important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie... a real movie that can give people an escape."

"That's the thing I want to try to create – it's got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical."

Jurassic World's Derek Connolly was previously announced as the film's writer, but the latest draft has been written by Ball's previous collaborator TS Nowlin.

The Legend of Zelda game franchise was created by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, with the first game launching in 1986.

Since then, the franchise as remained one of Nintendo's best known brands, and has sold more than 150 million copies across its multiple instalments over various consoles.

Video game adaptations have had a mixed reception at the box office over the years. Many, such as Resident Evil, Tomb Raider and Mortal Kombat, were not always as well received as their source material.

But more recently, the success of The Super Mario Bros Movie, Sonic The Hedgehog, A Minecraft Movie and Uncharted, along with the TV adaptation of The Last of Us, has gone some way to turning the tables.

The film is being produced by Miyamoto and former Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad.

Its launch date of 7 May 2027 was originally due to be the release date of Avengers: Secret Wars, until it was delayed until December.

BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.

Emma Watson banned from driving for speeding

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly10x7pjplo, 2 days ago

* Emma Watson received a six-month driving ban after speeding at 38mph in a 30mph zone

* The Harry Potter actress already had nine points on her licence before the offence, in Oxford

* The judge added three more points and fined Watson £1,044

* Actress Zoe Wanamaker also received a six month ban - at the same court on the same day

Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has been banned from driving for six months, after she was caught speeding.

Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the film franchise, drove a blue Audi at 38mph in a 30mph zone in Oxford on the evening of 31 July last year.

Watson already had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred, the court heard.

The 35-year-old, now a student, was made to pay a total of £1,044 at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

She did not attend the five-minute hearing. Representatives for Watson have been approached for comment.

Watson's lawyer, Mark Haslam, told the court that she is a student, adding: "She is in a position to pay the fine."

The actress has been studying a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford since 2023.

Watson shot to fame in 2001 with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, alongside fellow child stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.

She starred in eight Potter films in total, with the last being released in 2011, before going on to appear in movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Watson's last film role was in the 2019 remake of Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig. She launched her own sustainable gin brand with her brother in 2023.

A new TV adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter books is currently in production, starring Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron.

John Lithgow has been cast as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.

The series, being produced by HBO, is expected to take a decade to complete.

Separately, another Harry Potter actress, Zoe Wanamaker, was banned from driving on the same day and in the same court as Watson, for a speeding offence last year.

Wanamaker, who played Madam Hooch in the wizarding series, was caught speeding on 7 August 2024, on the M4 in Newbury, Berkshire.

The 76-year-old was driving at 46mph in a 40mph limit, the court heard.

She was also fined £1,044 and banned for six months.

Wanamaker's lawyer Duncan Jones said that she was not asking for "special treatment" and accepted the fine.

Like Watson, Wanamaker had nine points on her licence before the speeding incident occurred.

District Judge Arvind Sharma, sentencing, endorsed three more points on both stars' licences, meaning both are disqualified for six months.

BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.

'It makes me feel strong': Burlesque is back - but is it empowering or degrading to women?

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250716-is-burlesque-empowering-or-degrading-to-women, yesterday

As burlesque queen Dita Von Teese puts on a new London show, the art form, which blends glamour, striptease and humour, is having a moment again – but the debate around it continues.

Grab your nipple pasties and tip your bowler hat: burlesque is back. The art form, which blends vintage glamour, coquettish striptease, and a winking knowingness, is one that seems to blow in-and-out of fashion: it was huge in the 2000s, then faded from view. "When it's needed as a discursive form, it comes up," says Jacki Wilson, associate professor of performance and gender at the University of Leeds. And while in recent years, in the UK at least, drag has replaced burlesque as the trending cabaret act de jour, a couple of big new shows suggest burlesque might just be slinking back into the spotlight.

"I think it's having a true renaissance, actually – all over the world," burlesque performer Tosca Rivola tells the BBC. She'd know: her show Diamonds and Dust, a "narrative" burlesque show starring Dita Von Teese, has just opened in London. And while Von Teese may be the enduring queen of the art form, even she benefited from the Taylor Swift effect recently, being introduced to a new audience when she starred as a fairy godmother in the video for the singer's 2022 single Bejeweled. Also about to open in the West End is Burlesque the Musical – a stage version of the Christina Aguilera and Cher-starring 2010 film, while at Edinburgh's globally-renowned Fringe Festival this summer, a new International Burlesque Festival is set to run across five venues for the whole month, in response to a "major increase in burlesque productions staged at the Fringe" last year, according to organisers. And if an ultra-glam version of burlesque has endured more in the US than the UK over the last 15 years, it's also enjoying something of a renaissance there. When a Met Gala after-party centres around a burlesque performance by Teyana Taylor and FKA Twigs, as it did this year, it's clearly more hot ticket than old hat.

Or is it? Many of these offerings feel doubly retro: a throwback 20 years to the last mainstream period of an art form that was already harking back to a different era. Is the revival of interest in burlesque actually part of a broader wave of specifically millennial nostalgia? Burlesque the Musical is clearly targeting the same millennial audiences who have flocked to other movie-to-musical adaptations such as Cruel Intentions, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde and Clueless. And the fact that Von Teese is still the big draw for Diamonds and Dust suggests a looking back rather than any great leap forward. Glancing at social media, there is plenty of burlesque on Instagram and TikTok, but not too much evidence of Gen Z rediscovering or reinventing it just yet.

A short history of burlesque

Before we get lost in such layered timelines, here's a brief history. Burlesque's origins are in Victorian Britain: it grew out of music hall and vaudeville. When Lydia Thompson's troupe The British Blondes visited New York in 1868, their combination of parody, humour, singing, dancing and revealing costumes caused a sensation. "Burlesque is foundationally revolutionary feminist – a reclaiming of female sexuality," Kay Siebler, assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, tells the BBC. "The root, 'burle', is Italian, and means satire, and burlesque was originally created by women's suffrage performers whose whole objective was taking up public space, and not being confined by patriarchal ideas of what it means to be a woman." But from there, American burlesque developed into its own thing, the emphasis gradually moving towards striptease. There's also, it should be said, a parallel story of the art form's development across Europe, notably in the cabaret clubs of Paris and Berlin, towards the end of the 19th Century.

Fast-forward to the 1990s, and neo-burlesque was born in the US. By the mid-2000s, hastened by films such as Moulin Rouge and Chicago, burlesque helped drive a wider trend for vintage glamour, and dominated the stages of cabaret clubs across the globe – as an art form made by women, for women. "Throughout the 90s, I was very much under the hetero male gaze," Dita Von Teese tells the BBC, as she reflects on a career which started in strip clubs. "But I'd say around 2002 my fan base shifted to very female… I think because [burlesque] resonated with people, and they felt like they had some kind of permission to indulge in glamour and embrace their sensuality."

As an elder millennial, I remember this era well; long strings of pearls, fishnet stockings, corsets and feathery headbands still shriek mid-2000s as much as they evoke the belle epoque to me. By 2007, burlesque was mainstream enough that one of the first pieces I ever wrote for a newspaper was covering an amateur burlesque night in a small town in Wales that had faintly scandalised the locals. Because the more popular burlesque got, the more it was scrutinised, with increasing debate over whether it was a really an art form or mere titillation. Some argued: weren't women prancing around in corsets, stockings and suspenders just embodying old, patriarchal norms – stripping with pretensions?

It's worth restating Von Teese's point that neo-burlesque was created and performed by women, for audiences of women and gay men; it might have been using the language of classic heterosexual desire, but it became a safe space for embodying and playing with that. And a really significant strand of neo-burlesque took that further – or rather, went back to its radical roots. There's always been this more punk version, from the likes of legendary New York performance artist Penny Arcade through to the Australian collective of women of colour Hot Brown Honey – where the work may be subversive, satiric, grotesque, experimental, or deeply political, and the performance of femininity is also a critique of how all femininity is really a performance.

Is burlesque becoming more regressive?

That version feels much more relevant to 2025 – in step with drag and queer culture, and in line with the broader movement towards diversity and inclusivity that we've seen in the last decade. Yet what's surprising about some of the new burlesque offerings is how old-fashioned they seem. Burlesque the Musical has not yet officially opened, so I can't speak to how writer Steve Antin has updated it. But early reports from a preview run in Manchester suggest it's retained its hetero love story and a pretty uncomplicated attitude towards the joy of shimmying in a bejewelled thong.

But I have seen Diamonds and Dust – and found it to be a perplexingly retrograde offering. The dancers may be from different ethnic backgrounds, but otherwise it offers a terribly narrow range of Barbie-doll beauty: slim, leggy, busty, long-hair, lashings of pink and glitter. While they're all undeniably fantastic performers – some of the circus skills made my jaw drop – it also all feels boringly straight and sanitised, about as subversive as a Victoria's Secret show. Which is interesting, because there's certainly a broader revival in what we might term an old-fashioned form of femininity currently, notably in the Trad Wives phenomenon.

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Siebler argues that "the original burlesque was a social commentary about what it meant to be a woman, and that is absolutely absent from this very repressive, passive and disempowered version of female sexuality". Such pretty, teasing femininity is, she suggests, "a patriarchal script that women have internalised to say, my power is my sexual power. But are we able to think about how limited this power is?"

Wilson has a different perspective: she suggests that, far from just making a comeback now, burlesque has actually continued to bubble away in an underground form – within community spaces, where words like "empowering" do feel more relevant.

"Burlesque has opened up now to include queer people, older women, younger men, the transgender community, working-class women," says Wilson. "It's inclusive of different people who want to reflect on what sexiness means, what these tropes and stereotypes mean."

This grassroots burlesque, performed by amateurs, is of course a world away from polished, palatable commercial shows – which Wilson sees as distracting from the art form's more radical potential. "I really see the feminist value of burlesque," she says. "It's an incredibly important safe space for women to think about what their bodies mean."

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KPop Demon Hunters: How the Netflix film became a global sensation

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250715-the-animated-k-pop-film-that-swept-the-world, 3 days ago

Since its release in June, KPop Demon Hunters has topped global Netflix charts and dominated global music charts – what's the secret to its extraordinary success?

Whether you're a devoted K-pop fan or not, you may have heard of this new global sensation. The animated film KPop Demon Hunters has quickly become a worldwide hit, topping Netflix's global charts with more than 33 million views in just two weeks, reaching the top 10 in 93 countries (it's currently at number two globally). It has its own fan art and audiences around the world are already demanding a sequel.

It's not just the film that's making waves. Since its release on 20 June, two fictional bands featured in the story – the righteous girl group Huntr/x and their rebellious counterparts Saja Boys – have dominated the global music charts, even surpassing K-pop powerhouses like BTS and Blackpink. Seven tracks from the film's soundtrack are now featured on the Billboard Hot 100. Their songs have risen to the top of Spotify's US chart, landing in the first and second spots. So, what's behind this extraordinary success and why does it resonate so strongly with global audiences?

KPop Demon Hunters follows the story of Huntr/x, an all-female K-pop group (Rumi, Mira and Zoey) who double as secret guardians of the world. Beyond the glamour of the stage, these global superstars protect their fans from supernatural threats, squaring off against their villainous counterparts Saja Boys. This animated film blends action with a story about friendship, trust and staying true to your identity. With its dazzling visuals, slick action sequences, humour and a splash of fantasy, along with a universal message about self-discovery, it's easy to see the appeal.

But it's the film's music that has been the key to its success. Maggie Kang, the Korean-Canadian co-director of the film, was apparently inspired by the K-pop idols she admired growing up. K-pop is the film's heartbeat. The group's music becomes a supernatural weapon that wards off dark forces. Each original track amplifies emotional moments. "Unlike other animated films, where songs are often added as a filler or commercial hook, the music here was woven into the narrative in a way that enhanced it rather than distracted," Lashai Ben Salmi, community leader with a focus on Korean culture in Europe, tells the BBC. "It gives the film a surprising level of maturity."

Knowing how vital the soundtrack would be, directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans tapped into the expertise of seasoned K-pop producers. K-pop has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry, fuelled by a devoted global fanbase and known for its catchy, meticulously produced music, high-energy choreography and visually stunning music videos.

"Because we wanted the music to be really incredible and really speak to the K-pop fans and be legitimately fit into the K-pop space, we felt that it was important to partner with a Korean label," Kang said during a Netflix press interview. The film was made possible with the help of top music producers, including Teddy Park, known for his work with Blackpink, and Grammy-winning Lindgren, who has worked with BTS and TWICE.

Amanda Golka, a young content creator based in LA, tells the BBC that she isn't deeply into K-pop but has become obsessed with the film and the songs. "I have been blasting the soundtrack from Spotify every time I'm in the car" she says. "I always find it fascinating through different cultures the universal language that is music."

Kim Youngdae, a music critic and ethnomusicologist specialising in K-pop, says that the series appeals even to those who have little interest in K-pop or are simply curious about it. "For the past 20 or 30 years, K-pop has really struggled to figure out how to naturally integrate into what we call the mainstream of pop culture, like in the US or the UK… because of the cultural barriers," he tells the BBC. "But animation is a very effective way to introduce unfamiliar cultures to mainstream platforms."

Tradition meets trend

Another key reason for the film's popularity is the world's growing familiarity with Korean culture. K-pop, K-film and K-dramas have already become mainstream in Western markets like the US, and this film reflects that cultural shift with remarkable authenticity. It carefully weaves in everyday elements of Korean life, especially around food and dining customs, which are an essential part of Korean culture. It also captures scenes from places like the ancient walls overlooking Seoul, Hanuiwon (traditional Korean medicine clinics), public bathhouses and the iconic Namsan Tower. These choices reflect a conscious effort to portray Korean culture beyond clichés and superficial imagery. It offers Korean viewers a rare sense of representation that feels both accurate and respectful.

To achieve this level of authenticity, the production team travelled to South Korea and carried out extensive research into both traditional and modern aspects of Korean culture, from traditional clothing to the landmarks of Seoul. "We went to folk villages, we looked at what the bricks look like and how the streets are designed in Myeongdong. We took pictures because capturing the feeling is so important," Kang said. "We tried to make the movie feel as Korean as possible. And one way to do that was to, in every scene and every design aspect, add in Korean elements."

One of the examples of this cultural sensitivity is in the animation itself. Although the characters speak English in the final version, the animators designed their mouth movements to match the shapes of Korean pronunciation. The characters' reactions are authentically Korean, and they also speak or sing some Korean words. "We animated the film with the idea that we wanted to make sure that all of those things sounded Korean, and that the reactions of the characters felt Korean too," Kang said.

Moreover, the film vividly captures the unique culture of K-pop, immersing viewers in the world of fandom. It includes authentic details such as fan signing events, colourful light sticks, and Korean placards. The Huntr/x and Saja Boys perform perfectly synchronised dances – known as Kalgunmu in Korean. With its deep understanding of K-pop fan culture, the film invites audiences to connect with the characters as if they were real idols.

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"Because the concept was K-pop, it was able to include a wide range of K-pop bands. It's not about one particular group or one particular era - it's about the whole culture of K-pop," Kim said. "K-pop fans often focus on individual groups, but this film embraces the broader culture of K-pop as a whole."

And the film creates a unique blend of traditional Korean culture with contemporary K-pop. The girl group Huntr/x's use of swords and fans recalls Korean shamans called Mudang, while their rivals the Saja Boys represent evil spirits dressed like the Korean Grim Reaper. Korean shamanism appears in symbolic elements like Dangsan trees (deified tree) and Dokkaebi (Korean goblins). Even the weapons draw on traditional Korean designs, while their stage backdrop features traditional Korean paintings. Two mascots: Derpy, a tiger, and Sussy, a magpie, hold special meaning in late Joseon folk tales, symbolising guardianship and good fortune.

Beneath its vibrant surface, the film carries a universal message about characters who struggle with self-acceptance but ultimately reclaim their true identities. It's a coming-of-age journey that resonates across cultures. Even those unfamiliar with K-pop or Korean traditions can connect with its themes.

"[It's about] self-acceptance" says Golka. "Your friends may not understand right away, but… they do love you and they will figure it out. I think that has really resonated with people."

KPop Demon Hunters is available to stream on Netflix.

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'First there is trust, then passion, then death': Why the 'Virgin Queen' never married

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250714-why-the-virgin-queen-never-married, 3 days ago

Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, is the only English queen never to have married. The iconic Tudor monarch's last visit to Kenilworth 450 years ago may hold some clues to her solo reign – as revealed in a new art installation at the castle, depicting betrayal, beheadings and an elaborate declaration of love.

On a July evening in 1575, 41-year-old Queen Elizabeth I arrived at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, UK, for what would be her longest and last visit. She had given the castle to Robert Dudley in 1563 and granted him the title of Earl of Leicester the following year. Dudley was a great favourite of the Queen and is thought to have been her childhood friend. The precise nature of their close relationship was the subject of much gossip.

Prior to the unmarried Queen's arrival, Dudley had given the magnificent castle a major refurb. New buildings had gone up, a new garden had been created and the estate had been landscaped. And the earl pulled out all the stops to lay on extraordinary entertainment in the form of music, dancing, acrobatics, spectacular fireworks and dramatic interludes performed by costumed actors. On the huge mere surrounding the castle, there was a moving island inhabited by the "Lady of the Lake". There was a 24ft (7.3m) dolphin that concealed musicians, and an 18ft-(5.5m) long swimming mermaid.

No expense was spared. It cost Dudley £1,000 ($1,400) a day – millions in today's money, and the whole extravaganza has been interpreted as an elaborate and expensive courtship display; the 16th-Century ruling class's equivalent of hiring a plane to fly a "Marry Me" banner. "The 1575 festivities were an attempt to woo Elizabeth – marriage is a theme in some of the events," Jeremy Ashbee, head curator of properties at English Heritage, tells the BBC. "Dr Elizabeth Goldring, who has made a detailed study of Lord Leicester, has called it 'his last throw of the dice'."

Dudley's gamble seemed to be going swimmingly, but then everything changed. The highlight of the stay was to have been a masque – or performance – on Wednesday 20 July. It never took place. Was it simply a case of bad weather preventing the event, as the official version had it? Or had the monarch got wind of the subject matter and been angered? The masque featured Diana, goddess of chastity, searching for one of her chaste nymphs, pointedly called Zabetta – a version of the name Elizabeth.

It concluded with a messenger of Juno, goddess of marriage, directly addressing Elizabeth, and imploring her not to follow the path of Diana but to marry instead. Dudley had a certain amount of leeway with the Queen, but this perhaps was going too far. Whatever the reason, the masque never took place, and the revelries were over. The Queen remained in her quarters for a few more days before leaving on 27 July.

'Proud and fiery'

Now, the artist Lindsey Mendick has marked the 450th anniversary of the visit by creating Wicked Game, a large sculptural installation at the castle. Wicked Game takes inspiration from ancient mythology as well as from the events of Elizabeth's visit, and the way in which she used her unwed state in her shrewd political manoeuvres throughout her 45-year reign. There are 13 different tableaux. Some are sinister, others are suffused with dark humour. The fragmented ceramic sculptures strikingly depict the Queen and those around her as animals. In the central piece, Elizabeth is a lion and Dudley is a bear. The tableaux are positioned on pieces of an exploded giant chessboard.

"Playing chess is the perfect analogy for what Elizabeth had to do to survive," Mendick tells the BBC. "I think she is incredibly interesting and that she's a great way of looking at how we treat women today. This event [that Dudley planned] at Kenilworth was meant to be this massive celebration for Elizabeth; it was meant to be decadent and enjoyable. But then also at the same time it was so loaded with something else. For powerful women like Elizabeth, refusing to marry or have children was a radical act of self-preservation and autonomy."

Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, is the only English queen never to have married. She came to power in 1558 at the age of 25, inheriting religious, political and financial problems from her two predecessors, her half-brother, Edward VI (1537-1553), and her half-sister, Mary I (1516-1558).

Advisers and members of Parliament repeatedly urged her to marry to protect England's security. A woman ruling alone? Inconceivable. A queen needed to marry, it was believed, not just to produce a male heir in order to avoid succession disputes but also so that a man could take charge of political and military matters. The entreaties to marry were ceaseless, and numerous matrimonial candidates were suggested or suggested themselves. Elizabeth repeatedly parried, deflected and refused. Why?

'No master'

It's entirely possible that she simply found the idea of having to obey or defer to a husband – any husband – intolerable. After all, she was very well educated (she learned five languages – French, Italian, Spanish, Latin and Flemish – and had studied history and rhetoric), highly intelligent, proud and fiery. She is said to have declared: "I will have but one mistress here and no master."

Also, Elizabeth knew that a woman could govern perfectly well without a man looking over her shoulder. In the summer of 1544, at Hampton Court, she witnessed the scholarly Katherine Parr, Henry's sixth wife, ruling with full authority while the king was on campaign in France. Katherine was a more than capable regent, and Elizabeth seems to have been profoundly influenced by seeing her stepmother exercising power, and accepting as her due the humble deference of powerful male ministers and courtiers.

Besides, her own immediate family had hardly furnished her with an image of the joys of marriage. Her father had her mother, Anne Boleyn, arrested on trumped-up charges of adultery and conspiracy, and then, shockingly, had her beheaded when Elizabeth was just three years old. One of Mendick's sculptures is an interpretation of this execution, showing Anne as a fox kneeling in prayer, before the executioner, who takes the form of a vicious dog.

Some commentators have suggested that Elizabeth might have been afraid of sex. Alison Weir, for example, in her book, Elizabeth, the Queen, wonders if the monarch "may have made the equation that sexual involvement was inextricably linked with death". The BBC's 2005 series The Virgin Queen portrayed "a monarch terrified of sex", according to the Telegraph. Paula Milne, who wrote the screenplay, told them at the time: "If I was asked to write a piece about a contemporary woman whose mother had been killed by her father, I would be expected to examine the psychological impact."

In fact, Elizabeth enjoyed the company of handsome men, and could be flirtatious with them. However, she had plenty of reasons to fear pregnancy and childbirth. Childbirth was a very high-risk enterprise in the Tudor era. Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, died in childbirth, and Katherine Parr died of an illness shortly after giving birth, as had Elizabeth's grandmother, Elizabeth of York.

How Elizabeth has been portrayed

But there were political reasons, as well as personal, for not marrying. Keeping the country free from the influence of foreign powers may have been a consideration. Also, the prospect of Elizabeth's hand in marriage might have strengthened her negotiating position in her dealings with France, Spain and other nations. Meanwhile, if she'd married an English nobleman (and Dudley might have been a possibility had not his wife, Amy Robsart, died in somewhat suspicious circumstances in 1560), she would have automatically put another English nobleman's nose out-of-joint.

So she kept everyone waiting and wondering. She seems to have had an instinctive grasp of what we now call PR, and liked to present herself as wholly devoted to her realm. From early in her reign she cultivated the image of the Virgin Queen. In 1559 she declared, in response to MPs asking her to marry, that eventually "a marble stone shall declare that a queen, having reigned such a time, lived and died a virgin". At the end of Shekhar Kapur's much-loved 1998 film, Elizabeth, the young monarch is played by Cate Blanchett, who then played her again in the 2007 sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. In Elizabeth, she purposefully transforms herself into the Virgin Queen and, all in white, presents herself to her astonished court, announcing "I am married… to England".

Kapur's film plays fast and loose with the historical facts, but this dialogue echoes the Queen's actual assertion, made in 1559, that she would not marry because she was "already bound unto a husband which is the Kingdom of England". Her sister Mary I – also known as Bloody Mary – had claimed something similar but had then gone off and married Philip II of Spain.

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Elizabeth's decision not to marry has been a key element of depictions of her in popular culture. The connection between sex and death was made in the BBC's multiple-Emmy-winning 1971 series Elizabeth R. Glenda Jackson's Elizabeth says, in the very first episode: "I have trusted no man since the day when I was eight, and Queen Catherine Howard [Henry's fifth wife – beheaded] ran screaming along the galleries of the palace to plead with the great Henry… On every hand, men had betrayed her… First there is trust, then passion, then death."

Miranda Richardson's caricatured Elizabeth, who appears in the second season of the celebrated sitcom Blackadder, remarks in the first episode, "Everybody seems to get married except me." But in the series she uses the promise of marriage to manipulate Blackadder, and others, into doing what she wants.

Had the real Elizabeth allowed Dudley to think he might be in with a chance? And what did the Kenilworth visit mean for their relationship? "I don't believe that he felt humiliated by her rejection of his proposal," says Ashbee. "He was happy for an official account of the festivities to be published soon afterwards, and in his will, he stipulated that the castle was to be left exactly as it had been. I rather get the feeling that he saw 1575 as his 'finest hour'. He certainly didn't retire quietly into private life after 1575."

Elizabeth was furious with Dudley for a while when he married Lettice Knollys in 1578 – but she forgave him. When he died, in 1588, she locked herself in her room for so long that her chief adviser ordered that the doors be forced open. And when Elizabeth died in 1603, a note Dudley had sent her shortly before his death was found in a casket she kept by the side of her bed. She had written on it "his last letter".

Lindsey Mendick's Wicked Game will be on display in the Great Hall at Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, UK, until 31 October 2025.

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'They hold hands, they embrace, they kiss': The woman who changed our view of chimps - and human beings

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250710-the-woman-who-redefined-chimps-and-human-beings, 4 days ago

In 1960, Jane Goodall began her groundbreaking field study by living among chimpanzees in Tanzania. In 1986 she told the BBC how similar chimps and humans really are.

On 14 July 1960, 65 years ago this week, a young English woman with no formal scientific background or qualifications stepped off a boat at the Gombe Stream Game Reserve in Tanzania to begin what would become a pioneering study of wild chimpanzees. Her discoveries would not just revolutionise our understanding of animal behaviour but reshape the way we define ourselves as human beings.

Although she was just 26 years old at the time, Jane Goodall had long dreamt of studying and living with animals. "Apparently, from the time I was about one and a half or two, I used to study insects, anything, and this gradually evolved and developed and grew and then I read books like Dr Dolittle and Tarzan, then it had to be Africa that was my goal," she told the BBC's Terry Wogan on his talk show in 1986.

Upon finishing school, Goodall took a secretarial course while working as a waitress and as a film production assistant to fund her childhood ambition. By 1957, she had finally saved enough money to travel to see a friend in Nairobi, Kenya. While there, she arranged to meet the renowned Kenyan-British palaeoanthropologist Professor Louis Leakey, merely with the hope of talking to him about animals. Leakey, whose secretary had recently left, was so impressed by Goodall's quiet determination and extensive self-taught knowledge of African wildlife that he offered her a job as his assistant at the natural history museum.

Leakey would then become Goodall's mentor. "It was he who said, 'Well, I'm looking for someone to go and study chimpanzees because of the light their behaviour may shed on understanding early human behaviour,'" she told Wogan. Leakey viewed her lack of an academic science background as an advantage rather than a hindrance, believing her observations wouldn't be hemmed in by pre-existing scientific theories.

Goodall would not be alone on her trip to the Gombe Reserve. To comply with the colonial safety regulations of the time, her mother Vanne came along as a chaperone. "Initially I wasn't allowed to be on my own," she told the BBC. "The British government as it then was said, 'No, this is absolutely almost amoral for a young girl to go out in the bush.' So, I had to choose a companion, and my mother came with me for three months."

The first months proved to be tough going, with both Goodall and her mother, who were staying together in an ex-army camping tent, developing malaria. Even when Goodall was well enough to venture into the reserve, she could only go out with a local escort, and often at the sound of their approaching footsteps, the chimpanzees would simply vanish into the undergrowth. But as she learnt the forest trails and became used to moving through the dense terrain, "the authorities decided, well, I was crazy and I was OK", she said.

Once she started hiking on her own in the forested hills, she began to catch sight of the elusive primates through her binoculars from a peak overlooking two valleys. It was then that Goodall began to adopt an unorthodox immersive approach. Each day she would edge ever nearer to their feeding area with the hope of being able to sit among the chimpanzees and study them up close in their natural habitat.

Chimps use tools and communicate like humans

"I wore the same-coloured clothes every day and I think the most important thing was I never pushed it," she told BBC's Witness History in 2014. "I never tried to get too close. I would wait by a fruiting tree, where I knew the chimpanzees were coming, and when they left, I didn't follow them. Not to start with, because I felt that was pushing my luck. So gradually they came to accept that I was harmless."

As the apes lost their wariness of her, Goodall was able to sit for hours, patiently observing their behaviour and their hitherto unrecognised complex social system. She discovered that the chimpanzees were not in fact vegetarian as previously thought, but omnivorous, and would communicate with each other to hunt for meat. She was able to witness the closeness of their family bonds and how each animal's individuality would influence their behaviour.

"In chimp society, a female can be mated by all the males, or she can be led away and kept by one, and the males have very close bonds," she told Wogan. "They patrol the boundary of the community territory, they keep strangers out, they bring young new-blood females in, and all of them act as nice, tolerant, gentle, protective fathers to all the infants inside that community."

Instead of using a numbering system for her subjects, as was traditional in a research project, Goodall instead gave them names, recognising each animal's unique personality: She named one male chimp David Greybeard. It was while watching David Greybeard that she first saw him fashioning and using tools – activities that scientists had previously thought were exclusive to human beings. Indeed, at the time, toolmaking, which requires abstract thought to conceive of a tool's use in a future situation, was considered a defining characteristic of being human.

"[Chimpanzees] use more different objects as tools than any creature except ourselves. For example, a little twig from which they may strip the leaves, thus they modify it, for feeding on termites," she told Wogan. "A long stick from which they peel the bark, feeding on a very vicious biting ant and they chew it. Crumpled leaves for supping water out of a little hole when they can't reach it with their lips, or for wiping blood off their bodies. And weapons: stones hurled, branches used for intimidation or for clubbing."

At the time, the idea was revolutionary, challenging years of conventional scientific thinking. Since then, research has shown evidence of tool use across the animal kingdom, from the Indonesian octopus who uses coconut shells discarded by humans as armour against predators, to New Caledonian Crows who bend twigs and wires with their beaks to create hooks, enabling them to pull larvae out of tree bark.

As Goodall sat silently observing the chimpanzees, she began to see how similar their familial bonds and their non-verbal communication were to those of humans. "If chimps meet after a separation, they hold hands, they embrace, they kiss," she said. Understanding of this commonality with humans raised "new questions about the way that we are bringing up our children in the West", she told Wogan.

A common ancestor

"Well, if we leave a child crying at night, if we leave a child for long hours in a playpen, if we take a child to a daycare centre where there is a constant turnover of people, we may bring up a child that is highly intelligent. But from our experience of chimps who've had difficult upbringings, there is a suggestion that that child when it is an adult may have difficulty in making close relationships with others – may find it harder to cope in a stressful situation. This is very important," she said.

Goodall recognised how closely chimpanzees' ritualised behaviours and emotions can resemble our own. And how, like ours, their destructive and violent impulses could lead to brutal killings. "We discovered after the first 10 years that although chimps were very like us in their friendly ways, they're also like us in the fact they can become very aggressive. We found that under certain situations, there can be cannibalism and also an inter-community interaction that in some way is like a primitive form of human warfare," she said.

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In 1962, with Leakey's encouragement, despite not possessing an undergraduate degree, she began a PhD based on her exceptionally detailed findings. The same year, the National Geographic Society sent a Dutch wildlife photographer and film-maker, Hugo van Lawick, to document her work, which resulted in a 1965 documentary, Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees. Narrated by Orson Welles, the film helped showcase her discoveries to the wider public. Van Lawick would become her first husband, and in 1967, the year after she gained her doctorate, she gave birth to a son, Hugo, whom they nicknamed Grub. They built him a protective shelter to enable Goodall to remain with him and keep him safe while she continued her field work.

"Chimpanzees are hunters just like we are," she told Wogan. "They hunt co-operatively, they hunt medium-size mammals. There had been records of them hunting human children, just as humans hunt chimps, and so when he was very tiny and this was before he could walk, he was in a sort of caged-in veranda, and we always had to have people with him."

Goodall's trailblazing research into primatology presented evidence that humans are not separate from the rest of animal kingdom, but that Homo sapiens and chimpanzees share a common ancestor. Research has since shown that chimpanzees are incredibly genetically close to humans, sharing about 98.6% of our DNA.

"This is the thing," said Goodall. "Behaviour we see in man today and chimp today was probably in that common ancestor, and therefore we can imagine Stone Age people having long friendly relationships between family members and using little twigs to feed and embracing one another. I like to think of that."

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Too Much: What film and TV get wrong about London

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250708-what-film-and-tv-get-wrong-about-london, 7 days ago

Films and TV shows have created a glamorous "Notting Hill" version of the UK's capital city. A new Lena Dunham series pokes fun at the stereotypes Americans believe about the country.

When Jessica, the heroine of Lena Dunham's new series, Too Much, first arrives from New York to live in London, she thinks she's heading to live on a country estate; the idyllic Jane Austen or Bridgerton-era kind she's seen on screen. Instead, Jessica (played by US comedian Megan Stalter) is dropped off on an East London council estate (a block of social housing). So begins another tale of a young American discovering Europe, but unlike Emily in Paris, packed with dazzling locations and couture outfits, Jessica discovers vast housing projects, grimy pubs and sweaty gigs. Does this series show the reality of modern London?

Since the 1990s, some of the most successful British films set in London have presented the so-called "Notting Hill" version of the city; a name stemming from the eponymous 1999 Richard Curtis film starring Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts and Rhys Ifans. It glamourised the area, whose colourful houses still draw a steady stream of tourists and Instagrammers (to the extent that frustrated residents started painting them black and grey.)

Curtis also wrote the romcoms Bridget Jones's Diary, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually, which he also directed. These films, alongside the successful Paddington franchise of the last decade, have depicted a more idyllic, upper-middle-class version of the capital, its characters often living in West London's stucco-fronted houses. Recent hit Netflix series such as The Crown and Bridgerton have also shown off the city's grandest landmarks.

Of course, London has been portrayed in different ways throughout cinema history, including its bombed-out ruins after World War Two, in films such as 1949's Passport to Pimlico. The city's edgier side has been evident in cult classics such as Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), featuring a brutalist housing estate in Woolwich, or 1987's Withnail and I, shot in Notting Hill and Camden, home to the protagonists' legendary squalid apartment. Performance, a 1970 gangster drama directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Mick Jagger, was also set in a crime-ridden Notting Hill of the time. Most recently, the hit Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, starring Gary Oldman as the head of a group of MI5 misfits, has been filmed in urban East London.

However, international recognition of films such as Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones remains high, 30 years after some of them were made. Notting Hill is regularly named by critics as one of the best romantic comedies ever made, as is Four Weddings and a Funeral. These stories have also been enormously successful at the box office – the Bridget Jones series of films has made just under $1bn worldwide, the Paddington films nearly $750m.

So, it's little wonder that new arrivals to London might have a romanticised idea of the city. Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan, now a Londoner, confessed at the world premiere of Too Much that she'd also thought of the British capital differently before arriving.

"When I first came to London, I had a similar experience to the character of Jessica," she tells the BBC. "Abroad, we just hear about Buckingham Palace and places like that. I was moving somewhere that had 'mansions' in the title and it was a flat. I thought Lena [Dunham] did a beautiful job of capturing that experience."

Too Much mainly uses locations that only Londoners, or those who've lived there, will know well: areas such as Shoreditch, Hackney, Hoxton, De Beauvoir town, Camberwell and Nunhead. "It's so grey over there," observes Jessica's mother (played by Rita Wilson) on a video call from the US. "I thought it would be so creative over there and I'd be jealous. But I'm not jealous."

Poking fun at stereotypes

Lena Dunham, who wrote the series, moved to live in London in 2021. She tells the BBC that Too Much is based on the contrast between her own heightened expectations of the city, and what she discovered by actually living there. "I want people to see what I did when I first arrived, which is what I knew from the movies," she says. "That's the Notting Hill version, those refined old buildings."

Dunham adds that she took a similar approach with Girls, the landmark HBO series she also starred in, about four twenty-something young women living in New York City in the 2010s. "I loved Sex and the City, but with Girls I wanted to show parts of New York that felt more real to those who couldn't afford massive apartments," she says. "And I wanted to do the same with London. So we do shoot in a manor house, but we shoot on council estates, in record stores and music venues all over London. We really take a journey."

In fact, Too Much mocks the stereotype of Notting Hill in one episode (titled Notting Kill) as Jessica attends a dinner party thrown by her boss, played by Richard E Grant, and his wife, played by Naomi Watts. Jessica gets a photo at the famous blue door, where Hugh Grant's character lived in the film ("I'm Julia Roberts, bitch!" she squeals.)

Too Much also pokes fun at the tropes Jane Austen-era dramas have created. In one scene, Jessica's love interest Felix (Will Sharpe) makes a romantic overture and is briefly transformed in her eyes into 19th-Century military costume, with red jacket and tight white breeches. In doing this, Too Much makes a nod towards the production company behind the series: Working Title. Its producers, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, were behind Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones's Diary. Working Title also produced the 2020 film version of Jane Austen's novel Emma and has announced it's making a new version of Sense and Sensibility.

"It's pretty meta what happens in the show, considering I produced most of the movies we're taking the mickey out of," Tim Bevan tells the BBC. He describes the series pitch of "an American coming expecting Pride and Prejudice and Richard Curtis, and getting something else altogether" as "a very easy sell. I'd always wanted to do something on how there is this delicious potential culture clash".

"In our work over the years, we've always tried to pick London to film in, and no one has done it on a big, big scale recently, in a loving way, to introduce a modern London." He adds: "I guess Too Much is prescribed as the antidote to Emily in Paris."

And although Emily in Paris has been criticised by some for pandering to an American vision of a chic, Chanel-wearing French capital, the show's economic benefits to France have been praised by President Macron: the series, as well as another French-language Netflix drama, Lupin, was cited in a recent French study as inspiring 1 in 5 tourists coming to Paris. And it's not just a recent phenomenon; the 2001 Oscar-nominated film Amélie, set in the Montmartre district of Paris, inspired a generation's perception of Parisian style and romance.

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In New York in the 00s, Sex and the City, the story of the love lives of four glamorous Manhattan women, was credited with helping to restore the city's image after the devastation of the 9/11 attacks on the city, while the 1990s sitcom Friends, also set in New York, has inspired a new generation of Gen Z visitors longing for the cosy (and even 30 years ago, suspiciously affordable) West Village neighbourhood it presented.

Bevan says he too has personal experience of how powerful film and series have become in shaping a modern city's image. "I live in Notting Hill," he says, "and the real locations [used in the film] still bring millions of people every weekend. Location tourism is really huge; hopefully Too Much will mean some weird pub in East London will be suddenly inundated from all over the world."

A loving tribute

"There is an element now of whatever you depict on screen, it's going to glamourise it," film historian Pamela Hutchinson tells the BBC. But she argues that the film Notting Hill wasn't simply presenting the glossier side to the neighbourhood when it was made in the 1990s.

"That part of London was a place that was quite affordable in many ways but was also still quite aspirational. There was a certain amount of both glamour and diversity. I think what the movie got right was the idea that in this urban area where everyone's crowded together, a book shop owner can really meet a movie star. And the beauty of its architecture really shines through in that film.

"Of course, it also had a way of making the world and his wife decide it was the most glamorous area of London they could possibly move to."

Nor is Too Much the first piece of on-screen fiction to, as Hutchinson says, "play with the idea that you move to London because you've seen Notting Hill, but when you arrive, you're actually in a Mike Leigh film."

She points to Danny Boyle's 1996 film Trainspotting, in which the characters go to London, "and they have the idyllic idea of the city being about double decker red buses and Trafalgar Square. Then they crash you into Mile End in East London and show you that they're having to work in a terrible estate agency, living in a cramped flat, run by a ruthless landlord. It's honest about the vision of London with red buses and Tower Bridge in every film."

Too Much might explore the stereotypical nature of international perceptions about London, but at its heart, Dunham says it's also a tribute to the place she now definitely thinks of as hers. "I've been in New York getting ready to make a film, and I came back [to London] a couple of days ago and I had a strong feeling of peace that I was at home. To come from the place that was my home for so many years and to feel a little bit like a stranger there and return to London and feel that my life is here – I'm in the right place. Thank you for having me, England."

Too Much is on Netflix from 10 July.

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'They scream the choruses': How Japanese anime songs became Gen Z's latest musical obsession

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250709-how-japanese-anime-songs-became-gen-zs-latest-musical-obsession, 9 days ago

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, music from Japanese animations is booming on Spotify and at gigs and club nights – especially among young people, who are drawn to its bold hooks and big emotions.

Around 20,000 rapturous fans have packed out London's O2 Arena on a summer night. Pulsing light sticks pierce the electrified air; on the stage, the enigmatic J-pop diva Ado (who performs in shadowy silhouette) launches into a song that the entire crowd knows: Kura Kura, taken from the Japanese animation series Spy x Family. The track is stylistically unpredictable yet immediately catchy: it ricochets between a 1960s-style pop groove, jazzy riffs and hyper-dramatic rock opera – a modern example of an anime music anthem, in a scene that is increasingly taking on a life of its own.

Japanese animation, or anime, has a legacy that stretches back to the early 20th Century, and a creative scope that spans seemingly endless stories and styles, from pirate sagas to sci-fi warfare; sorcery to sports action; martial arts mythology to star-crossed romance. The music used to soundtrack it is similarly adventurous. Songs vary significantly in their genres and tempos (often shape-shifting within a single track), but they also share common qualities: they elevate the visual action and deeply seal our bond with it. In the digital age, vividly evocative, insistently snappy themes are key to the viral impact of iconic Japanese animated series/films/manga comic adaptations – One Piece, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Dragon Ball Z, Cowboy Bebop, Attack On Titan and Naruto, to name a few. "Anisongs", as they are known, are now a major musical force, particularly among younger people.

According to a recent study by anime streaming platform Crunchyroll and the National Research Group, anime is almost as big as Beyoncé with Gen Z-ers, with 54% of them globally being anime fans. Meanwhile Spotify reported a 395% increase in global streams of anime music between 2021 and 2024, as well as 7.2 million user-generated anime playlists on its site (at the time of writing). A Spotify spokesperson also tells the BBC that users under the age of 29 account for nearly 70% of global anime music consumption.

"Anime music has evolved into a global cultural force and Gen Z is really at the heart of that movement on Spotify," Sulinna Ong, Spotify's Global Head of Editorial, tells the BBC. "We're seeing fans connect with the music beyond the screen as the shows offer listeners a window into musical styles they may not otherwise have discovered. Our editors' curated playlists are built to help fans discover the full range of anime-inspired sounds. And as more artists take influence from the space, the sound is continuing to grow in bold and unexpected ways."

This global boom isn't limited to 21st-Century releases; as it's now easy to tune into anime's expansive catalogue, decades-old anthems – like the original rousing theme to pirate fantasy One Piece, called We Are! and sung by Hiroshi Kitadani – are winning new devotees. Anime music's hooks are composed for enduring effect; the melodies and lyrics (easily translated online, or released in multilingual versions) typically spark a tantalising headrush of sensations: affinity with favourite characters or narratives; adrenaline; escapism; nostalgia. As Satoshi Uto, Crunchyroll's director of music acquisition, tells the BBC: "The OPs and EPs [opening and end credit songs] are critical to fans' emotional connection with anime."

An example of a smash hit anisong is Japanese singer-songwriter Lisa's 2019 track Gurenge, which is the intro to anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. This elegant power ballad with explosive rock flourishes has inspired countless tributes, from TikTok influencers (such as young British piano talent Joe Jenkins) to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony (where it was included as an instrumental symphony). It is also sentimentally character-driven, as Lisa explained in a Billboard Japan interview: "I tried placing myself in the shoes of the protagonists, who keep forging ahead, despite their tragic pasts."

The reasons for the boom

The timing of audience spikes does suggest that the pandemic era played a pivotal part in the mainstream awakening to both anime and its atmospheric tunes; this form's fantastical themes, emotional intensity and free-ranging sounds may have represented a heady escape from lockdown constraints. In a 2022 article, The Hollywood Reporter noted, that "anime might just be the world's most Covid-resistant form of popular entertainment", referencing a study that showed global demand for anime content grew 118% between 2020 and 2022.

"You're looking at a massive spike in the availability of anime to new fans [based on a growing array of online platforms], and the time they had on hand to watch it," explains Jonathan Clements, author of books including the British Film Institute's Anime: A History. "And in the years since, a bunch of young fans have become consumerist teens with a love of anime.

For young fans, anime music offers a gateway to Japanese pop culture and beyond. It also has lifted up a new wave of stars onto a worldwide platform. Examples include the vibrantly catchy J-pop duo Yoasobi, whose 2023 track Idol, taken from the manga comic adaptation Oshi no Ko, became the first anime song to top the Billboard Global Chart; hip-hop act Creepy Nuts, whose viral smash Bling-Bang-Bang-Born, which is the intro for anime Mashle: Magic And Muscles, is a surreal bop blending quickfire rap and Latin licks; and melodic rockers Radwimps' soaring anthems for Makoto Shinkai's fantasy-dramas (Your Name; Weathering With You; Suzume). Ado's catalogue contains numerous anime themes, and her worldwide breakthrough was fuelled by the blockbuster success of One Piece Film Red, in which she sang tracks including the exhilarating electro-pop banger New Genesis, in character as the antihero Uta.

"When I first heard the demo for New Genesis, it felt like the world had opened up and a warm ray of light had shone through," Ado tells the BBC. "The character, Uta, is full of human touch in a good way," she says, adding that this song slickly captures the protagonist's complexity: "She is able to express feelings of joy and happiness, but also anger, hatred and sadness in a very simple relatable way."

Keeping up with this prolific scene can feel dizzying, but it regularly yields thrilling discoveries, and its blend of bold hooks, gripping storytelling and persuasive nostalgia seems to bring generations together more than most music – as I've found as a Gen X woman, geeking out alongside my Gen Alpha son. "Someone to look out for is [anime soundtrack composer] Kensuke Ushio, whose attention to detail and realism is truly astounding," says Clements. "On [2024 coming-of-age drama] The Colours Within he had to come up with the sound of the in-film garage band, carefully crafting electronic pop inspired by the early days of New Order. He even went as far as recording ambient sound in Japanese church halls, to ensure that the on-screen rehearsal sessions had the right room tone."

Anime music in the live arena

Anime music also increasingly translates to real-life realms, whether it's international concert tours from veteran composers such as Joe Hisaishi, the maestro famous for his work on the films of Studio Ghibli, or contemporary hitmakers including Ado and Yoasobi, or inclusive meet-ups and club events like those hosted by UK "diversity-led anime and gaming collective" Anime & Chill.

"For Gen Z specifically, anime hits differently," says Anime & Chill founder Eneni Bambara-Abban. "This is a generation raised on global internet culture, where J-pop, K-pop and anime AMVs [anime music videos] are part of the same online ecosystem.

"Platforms like TikTok and YouTube have also given anime songs a second life – clips go viral, people remix them, and suddenly, a theme from a niche show becomes a global anthem. We see it all the time at our events… the crowd knows the lyrics, they scream the choruses and they feel it." She emphasises the "emotional imprint" of these songs: "Anime music isn't just background music – it's the heartbeat of the [work]."

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Notable too is how Western musicians are getting in on anime culture. Back in 2003, French electronic duo Daft Punk re-imagined their Discovery album as an anime feature: Interstella 5555 (supervised by legendary artist Leiji Matsumoto); it seemed like a quirky curiosity at the time. But nowadays, a surge of western musicians reference anime in their own material, whether it's US hip-hop stars like Lil Uzi Vert and Megan Thee Stallion, or alt-pop heroine Billie Eilish name-checking characters in their lyrics and song titles, or London indie rapper Shao Dow who writes personal tracks based around famous anime series, and tells the BBC: "I use anime as a vehicle to explore ideas within my life". He adds that One Piece's teenage captain Luffy provided early creative influence: "I would look at this character who'd scream about being the king of the pirates, and people would laugh, but he'd keep doing it. Even though it's a cartoon, that positive energy inspired me: he's pushing forward with this dream."

Perhaps that's the ultimate power of anime songs; you can grow up with this music, but you never really grow out of it.

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Why Alice Cooper saved the Hollywood sign

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250702-why-alice-cooper-saved-the-hollywood-sign, 12 days ago

For more than 100 years, the sign has been a Los Angeles landmark both in real life and on the silver screen. In 1978, Alice Cooper told the BBC why he was helping to restore the dilapidated icon.

Perched high on Mount Lee overlooking Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign is one of America's most instantly recognisable cultural icons. "[It] is like our London Bridge, our Big Ben," US shock rocker Alice Cooper said on a BBC music show, The Old Grey Whistle Test, in 1978. "In Hollywood, we don't have a landmark except for the Hollywood sign."

The exact date the monument went up is contested, but its official centenary was celebrated on 13 July 2023, making it 102 years old this week. It has now become synonymous with the film industry, but it wasn't originally intended to be. In fact, it wasn't even meant to last longer than 18 months. The sign was designed as a short-lived billboard, advertising a new housing development in the Hollywood Hills. It consisted of 13 enormous capital letters, each 30ft (9m) wide and 45ft (14m) tall, that spelt out HOLLYWOODLAND – the name of the real estate group selling the properties. Made of wood and sheet metal and held up by a framework of telephone poles, the structure cost more than $23,000 (about $430,000 or £300,000 today) to build.

To ensure it was especially eye-catching, it was illuminated with almost 4,000 lights that would flash the different sections of the sign, HOLLY, WOOD and LAND, consecutively. A handyman, Albert Koeth, was hired to keep the sign in good order and replace the bulbs as they burnt out. The idea was to promote an aspirational lifestyle choice to LA citizens rather than to act as some sort of endorsement of the entertainment industry.

Over the following decade, as LA and the film business grew, the sign stayed in place. But as the depression of the 1930s began to bite, its upkeep was cut back, and it quickly fell into disrepair. The songwriter Eden Ahbez, an early proponent of living the hippie lifestyle, camped for a time underneath the first L of the sign. Ahbez would later find fame for writing the 1948 Nat King Cole hit single Nature Boy.

The sign also began to achieve some unwelcome notoriety: its association with the death of aspiring Hollywood star Peg Entwistle linked it to the darker side of Tinseltown's allure. The 24-year-old Welsh-born actress had left a successful Broadway career to move to LA with dreams of becoming a film star. But after struggling to find success, on the night of 16 September 1932 Entwistle climbed a maintenance ladder to the top of the letter H and jumped to her death.

As the sign continued to rust and deteriorate, in 1944 the real estate company decided to donate it to the city, along with the remaining 425 acres of undeveloped land, for a token price of $1. By this time, a severe storm had already knocked down the letter H and many residents had come to regard the dilapidated sign as something of an eyesore. In 1949, a decision was reached to tear the whole thing down, but the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce managed to get the decision reversed on the proviso that they footed the bill to refurbish the crumbling sign and replace the missing letter. They shortened it, removing the LAND part, and a cultural icon was born.

But by the mid-1970s, through a combination of neglect, weather damage and vandalism, the now 50-year-old sign was falling apart again. By the time the BBC's Bob Harris came to interview Cooper in 1978, a severe storm had further disfigured it, breaking off part of the first O and sending a second O tumbling down the side of Mount Lee, leaving the sign to read HuLLYWO D.

The 'Save the Sign' campaign

"Nobody will take the responsibility for restoring it or anything," Cooper told the BBC. "The poor old thing is up there, dear to our hearts, and dying right in front of us. And I figured it would cost say $40,000 or $50,000 to restore. So I suggested that we would go and do a concert somewhere and just give them all the money," he said.

It would turn out that to bring the sign back to its former glory would cost considerably more than that. After compiling a structural report, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce found that repairing the sign was impossible. It would need to be completely replaced. And to ensure it could withstand the winds on Mount Lee, the new steel letters would need to be supported by steel columns sunken into a concrete foundation. The price tag for this project would be $250,000.

A "Save the Sign" campaign was launched in May 1978, and the following month Hugh Hefner, founder of the international adult magazine Playboy, hosted a star-studded fundraiser at his mansion to raise money for the new sign. Cooper was the first person to sponsor a letter. "We figured it was $27,000 a piece, and I figured that would spark other people," he said.

The rocker paid for the final O, which he dedicated to his friend, the comedian and film star Groucho Marx, who had died the previous year. "And Andy Williams [the US singer known for his version of the song Moon River] donated a letter, and Warner Brothers of course did, and Gene Autry [famous as 'the Singing Cowboy'] and some really neat people did," said Cooper. "We more or less kicked it off, and I still believe that everybody in the world owes Hollywood a dollar at least for all the entertainment that comes out of Hollywood – and if we can't take care of it, the ones that live here, that's kind of silly."

The old sign was demolished, and a new 450ft (137m) long sign weighing 240 tonnes erected in its place. It has become the symbol of the city and the seductive promise of the film business.

"When you look at the Hollywood sign, you think of Hollywood glamour. We know glamour isn't real, but it seems real," film researcher and journalist Karen Krizanovich told David Willis on the BBC's podcast H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D in 2023. "When you see the Hollywood sign, you think it's real. This whole fantasy about Hollywood is real, because of that sign."

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And the silver screen has responded in kind. Over the years, the Hollywood sign has featured in a myriad of films, starring alongside Charlton Heston in Earthquake (1974), Robert Downey Jr in Chaplin (1992) and Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits (2011). But when it does turn up in films, such as Superman: The Movie (1978), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and San Andreas (2015), it often doesn't make it out unscathed.

Over the years, it has been altered to reflect the times. In 1976, student Danny Finegood used curtains to make it read HOLLYWeeD to coincide with the relaxing of marijuana laws. The prank would happen again in 2017. When Pope John Paul II visited LA in 1987, it was altered to read HOLYWOOD. And the same year it was changed to OLLYWOOD in reference to Colonel Oliver North's testimony in the Iran-Contra scandal. On 31 December 1999 the new sign – which didn't have bulbs like the original – was lit up again for the first time in 60 years in a blaze of colours to celebrate the new millennium. During the closing ceremony of last year's Paris Olympics, its two Os were used to create the bottom two rings of the Olympic symbol in a nod to LA hosting the Games in 2028.

Speaking in 1978, Cooper, himself no stranger to theatricality, was comfortable with this dressing up of LA's most iconic monument. "I think they should have neon and flashing lights and everything on it," he said.

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'Mysterious' Sam Allardyce mural appears in Dudley

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk651pr6l6o, today

A 10ft mural of former England and West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce has appeared in Dudley.

The artwork, depicting the former Premier League boss eating orange chips, a Black Country classic, is believed to have been pasted onto a wall in Union Street on Wednesday.

Allardyce grew up in Dudley and locals have suggested the area could now have its own Banksy.

Resident Scot Simmons said: "How did he do it without anyone seeing? Did he just put it up in a couple of minutes? Is he trying to remain mysterious?"

Fellow Dudley resident Andy Smith said: "Local lad eating orange chips, what more do you want?

"There is a genuine Banksy in Birmingham, perhaps this is Dudley's answer to Banksy."

Mr Simmons added: "Looking at it you don't know how good it is till you come down and see it.

"It's put Dudley on the map. Big Sam, immortalised here, yeah it's brilliant."

Allardyce managed Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham and Sunderland during his career as well as having a short-lived spell as England boss.

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First phase of museum reopens after £10m revamp

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yl3evm8y8o, today

A museum is to welcome visitors as part of a phased reopening following a two-year, £10.3m revamp.

Poole Museum in Dorset closed in 2022, and on Saturday visitors will be able to explore its newly restored Scaplen's Court and Garden.

The revamp has been supported by BCP Council, which owns the site, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Arts Council and charitable trusts and foundations.

Museum interim director Jaine Fitzpatrick said: "Local businesses and community connections are central to the refreshed Poole Museum experience."

Scaplen Court has been made accessible for the first time, with the help of a new platform lift.

Capacity has increased from 60 to more than 250 people, enabling it to host larger events and celebrations.

The addition of the cafe on the ground floor and outdoor seating has transformed the space into a community hub.

The new museum shop will open the following week, while the full museum opens later in the year and entry will remain free.

The museum will include six new galleries across five floors, three new maritime galleries, a new ceramics, art and design gallery, and two flexible galleries for touring exhibitions.

Ms Fitzpatrick said: "By opening up parts of the site for the summer, we're encouraging residents and visitors to re-engage with us in Poole's historic Old Town whilst building anticipation ahead of the grand unveiling later in the year.

"This phased approach supports local enterprise, builds excitement, and offers early opportunities to enjoy revitalised spaces and cultural events."

Andy Martin, BCP Council's portfolio holder for customer, communication and culture, said: "This transformation of Poole Museum has been nothing short of incredible.

"The phased reopening is a fantastic opportunity for visitors to enjoy the museum in two exciting chapters."

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The art made out of plastic bottles and old toys

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2k78kd3vko, today

An artist has created an exhibition of pieces made out of plastic waste, including cleaning bottles and unwanted toys.

Bath artist Anya Beaumont said she was inspired by the "horror" of realising how much plastic was in her house and wanting to do something creative with it "rather than just chucking it in the recycling bin".

When telling people about her Hopeful Monsters exhibition, which includes intricate sculptural and wearable artworks, she said the most common reaction was relief because people finally had somewhere to take their unwanted plastic.

"I think a lot of people identify with what I'm doing," Ms Beaumont added.

The artist, whose work is on display at 44AD artspace in Bath until Sunday, said she would rather use material that already exists.

"It's quite depressing [the amount of waste plastic]," she added.

"My studio's getting fuller and fuller."

Ms Beaumont first started working with waste plastic after noticing her children returning from nursery and primary school with lots of bits of plastic.

"The infamous party bag would have a toy which they'd love for five minutes then before you knew it it was broken or forgotten about and I'd be left with all this stuff not really knowing what to do with it," said Ms Beaumont.

"In a broader sense I recognised just how much plastic was in the house," she added.

But she said using the colourful unwanted plastic "means that I've got a really vibrant source material to work with".

"I don't need to paint it, I can just collect it, sort it into different colours and there it is ready for me to use," she said.

She is also making brightly coloured brooches people can take away from the exhibition.

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Teens recall Gromit trail memories 12 years on

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgn1vmz9e0o, today

Teenagers who grew up with the Gromit Unleashed trails in Bristol have been reminiscing on the latest version of the charity project, 12 years after it all began.

Many completed the first and second trails as young children and have returned to relive special memories with the latest installation.

Seventeen-year-old Naomi, who was five years old in 2013, the year of the first Gromit trail, said: "Because I'd done previous trials, it's a sentimental walk down memory lane."

The sculptures will be in place across Bristol until 31 August before they are auctioned off later this year in aid of The Grand Appeal, Bristol Children's Hospital charity.

Barney was only just tall enough to touch Gromit's nose when he took part in the first trail.

Now more than 6ft tall, the 15-year-old dwarves the famous beagle and said he still loves collecting models of the Aardman characters.

"I don't think you ever grow out of these characters really because you've been seeing them since such a young age, it was one of the first things I was really properly into," he said.

"When the first trail went up in 2013, I was three years old and I remember being really excited because I'd watched all the Wallace and Gromit films," he added.

"We decided as a family it would be nice to go out and hunt them all down."

Brothers Leo and Hugh both remember doing previous trails as a family, as they have a special connection to The Grand Appeal.

They began fundraising for the charity after their sister, Lydia, died of a heart condition and have since raised £65,000.

Leo was two when he went on his first Gromit trail with his dad, Austen.

He said: "I think the Wallace and Gromit trails are great fun because it gets you to places you wouldn't usually go to usually."

Hugh added: "I think the Grand Appeal is amazing because it helps people."

Anna Hitchcock, head of commercial at The Grand Appeal, said: "Gromit is really important to lots of people in Bristol and the character pulls people in.

"They've taken it [the trail] to their hearts, they want to collect the figurines and then do it again the next time.

"Something about the trail is about getting back to basics, going out with the family in the good weather and you get to explore Bristol and spend quality time together."

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Original Balamory stars return for new CBeebies series

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmwkn391rro, today

Stars of the original BBC children's programme Balamory will revive their roles in a new series next year.

Julie Wilson Nimmo will be back as nursery teacher Miss Hoolie, Andrew Agnew as PC Plum, Kim Tserkezie as Penny Pocket and Juliet Cadzow as Edie McCredie in the reboot on CBeebies.

The BBC said it would blend familiar faces with a host of new characters for a "joyful mix of stories, comedy, songs and adventures".

The orginal hit programme from the early 2000s was inspired by the real life Scottish town of Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

New characters include scientist and inventor Ava Potts, played by Danielle Jam, local vet Dr Ollie, played by Carl Spencer, and the harbour master, played by William Andrews.

Filming will take place in a studio in Glasgow and on location in Tobermory.

BBC children's commissioner Kate Morton said: "It's wonderful to see some of the original cast returning alongside new faces, creating a perfect mix of nostalgia and discovery for families to enjoy together.

"This vibrant new series will delight both children and the grown-ups who remember it fondly."

Originally produced from 2002 to 2005, Balamory became a television staple for young children.

It was broadcast around the world, becoming a hit with young audiences in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and South Africa.

The BBC said the revival would continue its tradition of home-grown storytelling about the much-loved nursery school and island community that surrounds it.

The pogramme has been commissioned for two new series, produced by Lion Television Scotland, with 10 episodes in each.

Historical novel named Wales Book of the Year

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20we63ve7xo, yesterday

A historical novel set on a remote Scottish island in 1843 has been named Wales Book of the Year.

Clear, written by Carys Davies, was described by the judges as an "intricately crafted, passionate and remarkable novel".

The book, which also won the fiction category, tells the story of the fragile bond forged between two strangers when the sole occupant of an island discovers an unconscious man on the beach.

Iola Ynyr's autobiography, Camu, was named Welsh language Book of the Year.

Ms Davies, who has written three novels, was presented with her award at a ceremony held by Literature Wales at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre.

She has won £4,000 as well as a trophy designed and created by artist Angharad Pearce Jones.

In Clear, newcomer to the island John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister, has been sent to evict its only occupant, Ivar, and to turn the island into grazing land for sheep.

Ivar, who has been living a life of quiet isolation, is unaware of the stranger's intentions and takes him into his home, developing a bond despite the two men having no common language.

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, Carole Burns said: "We all loved this book, for its story, for its ambition, for its sentences, for its relevance to our world today."

"Excellence is always the only criteria, in the end, for a prize, and that's true for this winning book," she added.

Speaking after the ceremony, Literature Wales' artistic director Leusa Llewelyn congratulated all the writers and publishers who reached the shortlist, and said it was "an incredible night for Welsh literature".

"Special congratulations to Carys Davies for being crowned winner of the overall prize for her beautifully subtle yet evocative novella, Clear," she added.

Camu, published by Y Lolfa, is an autobiography by writer, playwright and director Iola Ynyr and was written as a series of personal essays.

In these essays, she aims to reclaim her life and memories through creativity, having lost periods of both due to alcoholism, trauma and mental illness, an awards spokesperson said.

The Wales Book of the Year has been in existence since the 1960s, but has been run by the literature development charity Literature Wales since 2004.

There are four categories in both Welsh and English - poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and children and young people and each category winner receives £1,000, with the overall winner getting a further £3,000.

Club where Hendrix and Bowie played celebrated in book

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62dryljn24o, yesterday

A book to celebrate the 60th anniversary of a club that brought music legends to Cheltenham is being released.

Everyone's Gone To The Moon was written by Richard Goddard, Dave Jackson, Chris Stanbury and Mike Williams, who are former members of the Blue Moon Club. The High Street venue attracted music fans from all over the country, as well as from the US.

Jimi Hendrix, Sir Elton John and David Bowie, who were all relatively unknown at the time, were just some of the artists who performed during the two-year period the venue was open for.

Mr Williams said "it was that buzz of being among people that were all likeminded" that made the club so special.

Former members still reunite a few times every year to dance and listen to music from the time.

Mr Williams was there on the opening night, which was headlined by the Bo Street Runners, a London R&B band.

"Their claim to fame was Mick Fleetwood was their drummer," he said.

"He went on to play for Fleetwood Mac of course, but we never saw or heard from them again."

One of the most famous nights in the Blue Moon's two years came in February 1967, when Jimi Hendrix performed.

Mr Goddard jumped the queue, which trailed back to The Promenade.

"I went along having heard him on the radio, he was up-and-coming," he said.

"We got in but it was absolutely rammed. The capacity was about 350 or 360 but there was over 700 in there."

The Blue Moon Club closed in May 1967 after the owners decided to change direction.

More than 500 members of the club came forward to contribute to the book.

"The publisher basically said 'Stop', we were putting too much into it and he's prompted us with a few ways we could go forward, something like a second edition," Mr Goddard said.

"A lot of people have put a lot of effort into giving us this information."

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Tom Grennan to play 'intimate' gig ahead of tour

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmwk70vz21o, yesterday

Tom Grennan has announced an "intimate" gig for fans in his adopted city of Coventry.

The singer said his plan was to "open up a rehearsal for people to come to and basically make it a gig".

The show will feature songs from his new album and be an opportunity to try things out ahead of a tour, which starts in September.

It will be held in an exhibition hall at Coventry's CBS Arena on 29 August, with a reduced capacity and tickets are due to go on sale at 11:00 BST on Friday.

Grennan, who is originally from Bedford, said: "I've got such a connection with Coventry.

"I feel like I've just been taken in as one of your own."

His association with the city comes through his grandmother, who lives there, but he said "the attitude that Coventry people have is my same attitude".

The upcoming tour does not include a show in Coventry and he said he had received a lot of messages from people asking why not.

"I just wanted to make sure we were doing something in Cov because I know how many people wanted it," he said.

Grennan said the limited ticket numbers would make the show "intimate" and he hoped it would give his fans a taste of the preparation involved in a big tour.

He promised to perform requests from the audience and chat to people.

He also said he wanted to "hear their take on the album" and his planned set list for the tour, to inform his decision-making.

Ticket bundles are being sold via Crash Records.

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Rapper Giggs releases song with son after opening up about autism

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqn8jxwp14o, yesterday

Rapper Giggs and his son ML have dropped a new track together that touches on their experiences of autism.

The pair say Own Motion, a remix of a song originally written and and released by ML, explores themes of struggling to fit in and having to do things differently.

Giggs says his son's openness about his autism diagnosis led the veteran UK hip-hop star to find that he also had the condition.

He recently told BBC Newsnight a lack of understanding when he was younger made him feel like he was "bad", and he didn't want his children to feel that way too.

"I was always getting in trouble," he told the programme.

"I always used to answer back, get kicked out of class every single day until I just thought: 'Well, I'm bad'."

The rapper says he took that message through life and that he ended up in prison twice before being "saved" by music.

'Stigma'

The track resonated with rapper Lickz, who also has autism.

She tells BBC Newsbeat she had a similar experience to Giggs at school.

"I did get sent out of class a few times for talking back or whatever," the 20-year-old, from Croydon, says.

"I was distracted and I wasn't focused on the lessons."

The Rap Game UK star wasn't diagnosed until she was 18 and says having artists like Giggs share their experiences helped her come to terms with her own.

"I was really upset because of the stigma behind it," she says.

"A lot of people feel like people that have autism are slow or they're stupid and because I'd never heard anything different it was devastating news to me.

"But then I learned more about it, I heard Giggs had it, people I look up to, so I was like: 'There's actually nothing wrong with having autism'."

The track's also inspired people like fan Ethan Appleby.

"One of the lines in the song - I used to be ashamed, I used to hide it, but now I own it - is really cool," he says.

The 20-year-old also has autism and says it's "such a wide spectrum", so "it can be hard to figure out yourself and how you fit into things".

He says it's "awesome" for someone with Giggs' influence to publicly say the condition doesn't have to stop you from doing what you want.

"Music is so important for stuff like this," he says.

"It can be so powerful."

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Inside Italy's secret mosaic school

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250707-inside-italys-secret-mosaic-school, 8 days ago

Hidden in a quiet Italian town is one of the world's most unique art schools – and a rewarding destination for curious travellers.

Walking the corridors of the Scuola dei Mosaicisti del Friuli (Friuli Mosaicists School) on a Friday morning, the first thing I noticed was the silence. I had expected the chatter of students, the hum of conversation between teachers, the shuffle of footsteps. Instead, the air was still, broken only by the occasional tap of a hammer and the delicate click of tiles sliding against tiles.

The second thing was the mosaics – everywhere. In the entrance courtyard, where a full-scale tessellated version of Picasso's Guernica greets visitors. In the hallways, where tiled reproductions of artworks like Michelangelo's Pietà and the Virgin and Child from Istanbul's Hagia Sophia line the walls. Mosaics climbed across flat surfaces and curled around corners, turning the entire building into a living archive of pattern, precision and patience.

Those same qualities were on full display inside the classrooms where students sat bent over their workstations, eyes locked on the fragments beneath their fingers. Mosaic, I would learn over the course of my visit, demands this kind of concentration: a craft shaped not just by hand and material, but by a collected atmosphere where meticulousness can thrive.

The school has been nurturing this kind of dedication for more than a century. Founded in 1922 in Spilimbergo, a small town of medieval lanes, a stately castle and Renaissance palazzi in Italy's north-eastern Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, it was originally created to provide formal training to local artisans and preserve the area's ancient mosaic tradition — one that dates to the Roman Empire and has left its mark on everything from Byzantine basilicas to modern monuments.

Today it's the only academic institution in the world entirely devoted to the mosaic arts. Students of all ages, from high school graduates to mid-career creatives, come from across the globe to enrol in its rigorous three-year programme, during which they learn historical mosaic techniques – from intricate Greco-Roman patterns to luminous Byzantine compositions — before experimenting with more contemporary, freeform designs.

In recent years, the school has also become a destination in its own right, drawing design-loving travellers intrigued by the singular world of mosaics to explore its grounds on both public and private tours. Some 40,000 visitors do so annually, making the Scuola Mosaicisti one of the most visited sites in Friuli.

While around 40 students are admitted to the three-year programme each year, no more than 15 complete the full curriculum, earning the title of maestri mosaicisti (mosaic masters). Of those, only a select group of six go on to do a fourth year – a sort of master's degree – to further sharpen their skills.

"It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to become a maestro mosaicista," said Gian Piero Brovedani, the school's director. "This is an art that's both humbling and exacting. It teaches you to slow down, pay attention and find beauty in repetition."

Indeed, mosaic-making is an incredibly precise specialty. It requires the artist to painstakingly place together hundreds, sometimes thousands, of small pieces called tesserae (which can measure as little as 0.5cm) to form intricate patterns and lifelike scenes. Made from marble, glass, smalto (opaque glass tiles) and even shells, these tiny inlays demand thorough craftsmanship and an intuitive sense of rhythm and placement.

As Brovedani noted, it's also deeply collaborative. Mosaicists generally work solo on sections of large compositions, but the true effect of that work emerges only when viewed in unison. "It's a craft that asks you to 'erase' yourself, in a way," said third-year teacher Cristina de Leoni. "One tile on its own doesn't say very much, but together with others, it creates an artwork. There's no ego in mosaic-making."

Glancing at the craft's rich history – which dates to Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE and stretches across countries and cultures, from the Greeks to the Maya, the Byzantine Empire to the Islamic world – it's easy to see her point. There are no Giottos or Raphaels in the mosaic arts, no singular Mona Lisa. Instead, this expressive form has always relied on anonymous virtuosity, walking a fine line between art and artisanship.

That's been all the truer in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where mosaicists never stopped honing the craft, even as it slipped from the spotlight from the Renaissance onwards. With its abundance of stones from the Tagliamento (Friuli's main river) and close cultural ties to Venice – a city long at the epicentre of European art and craftsmanship – the region quietly became a stronghold of mosaic tradition, its skilled artists sought after across continents. In the 19th Century, Friulian artist Gian Domenico Facchina even helped usher mosaics into the modern era, devising the rovescio su carta (reverse on paper) method to assemble panels off-site – a game-changer for scale and speed. The foyer of Paris' Opéra Garnier was the first to showcase it.

Since then, Friulan mosaicists – most trained in Spilimbergo – have made their mark worldwide: from Rome's iconic Foro Italico sports complex to the New York City subway station at the World Trade Center; from the dome of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre to Tokyo galleries. These works are proof of a tradition that continues to evolve, tessera by tessera.

"The duality of mosaics makes them endlessly fascinating," said Purnima Allinger, a third-year student who left a marketing career in Berlin to pursue mosaics. "It's a precise and meditative-like craft, but also expressive and emotional like art. You're always shifting between the two – it keeps you completely engaged."

Amos Carcano, a maestro mosaicista from Switzerland, agrees. "You work with your hands, but you're also constantly inventing, playing with texture, colour and patterns. Contemporary mosaics push those boundaries even further. It's a tradition, but it's also wide open."

Carcano is currently one of 10 alumni working on one of the school's most ambitious pieces yet: a 1,265-sq-m mosaic floor for the courtyard depicting Friuli's native flora and fauna – a project set to take more than a year.

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It's not just maestri who create for the school. All those mosaics I saw as I toured the premises? They are by past and present students. "We think of the school as a bottega – a workshop," says Danila Venuto, who teaches mosaic history. "And in a workshop, you learn by doing. It's only natural that the students are put to work as soon as they start learning the ABC of mosaic. This is a craft that's mastered and kept alive through making."

And increasingly, you can learn even as a visitor. The school offers corsi brevi – short courses ranging from four-day intensives to week-long programmes – to give travellers a hands-on introduction to the art. Meanwhile, the tours include access to an archive of more than 800 mosaic works and the opportunity to glimpse into the classrooms where students and maestri work side by side. Leading each visit is usually one of the 79 guides that have specifically been trained by the school, or, for a more local flavour, Spilimbergo's volunteer city guides, who often pair the experience with a stroll through the town.

The experience doesn't stop at the school gates. Spilimbergo itself is full of mosaics: decorating the interiors of its imposing Roman-Gothic Duomo, embedded in shopfronts, woven into restaurant floors and tucked into hidden corners of the old town. On its main thoroughfare, Corso Roma, mosaic shops and showrooms display beautiful creations from the school's alumni for purchase; while on the outskirts of town, Fabbrica di Mosaici Mario Donà, a historic family-run kiln that moved from Murano to Spilimbergo in 1991, can be visited by appointment to see where the enamels for the mosaics are made.

Travel just a little further and you'll reach the source material that has long shaped the school's practice: the grave – smooth, river-washed stones carried by the Tagliamento. Nearby lies the Magredi, a stark plain formed by gravel brought in by two local streams, the Cellina and the Meduna. Though it may look barren, it teems with a variety of flora and fauna, from wildflowers to birds of prey – the very subjects featured in countless Friulian mosaics, including the school's soon-to-be-completed outdoor floor.

"People from Spilimbergo – and from Friuli at large – are very proud of this centuries-old tradition," said Venuto. "Mosaic-making is part of our cultural DNA, a true Friulian legacy."

And in this corner of Friuli, if you're curious, you're welcome to be part of it.

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How embarrassing ancestor went from 'bit of a giggle' to icon

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2jjnky5leo, 13 days ago

One descendant has a statue on a massive column commemorating his life. The other has a few photos stuck in a bathroom.

It's not hard to imagine which one the family of the time was keener to remember. However, as a musical celebrating the man in the bathroom makes clear, sometimes you have to play the long game - or as the show's title says, How to Win Against History.

For the bathroom photos depict Henry Cyril Paget, 5th Marquess of Anglesey, a man who bankrupted his family and died young far from home, after a few short years of splashing his aristocratic forebears' cash on extravagant and outrageous self-produced shows in Edwardian Britain, appearing in women's dresses and costumes literally made of diamonds.

Now 120 years after his death a play and the film Madfabulous, inspired by his life, is putting him firmly back in the spotlight, but what does the current generation of his family make of the man who was once relegated to a toilet?

Alex, 8th Marquess of Anglesey, says Henry is now viewed with affection by himself and other family members, as time and changing attitudes have cast his exploits in a more understanding light.

Although Henry married his cousin, their marriage was apparently never consummated and his wife later filed for annulment. Was he gay? No conclusive evidence either way, but it's hard not to imagine he was somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum of sexualities.

Alex says he first came to know of Henry through those bathroom photos. "The one I particularly remember was him dressed up as Boadicea with big Edwardian moustaches.

"[It was] a bit of a giggle. His existence wasn't denied but he wasn't a major part of the family heritage.

"He was viewed as the black sheep of the family, this eccentric, weird bloke who we knew about and thought he sounded quite funny.

"When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, homosexuality was still illegal. He wasn't necessarily gay actually, he was probably asexual, but that whole kind of thing of an alternative sexuality was certainly not generally in most circles accepted.

"That personal sexual liberation of the 1960s, and then more recently of course with LGBTQ identities, he has become a bit of an icon, and attitudes towards him have definitely changed."

Alex says because not much is known about Henry - his own diaries and letters were seemingly destroyed by the family after his death and most of the stories about him were told in sensationalist press reports - his life has become an opportunity for creatives to fill in many blanks with their own imaginings.

Henry was an only child who was left motherless at a very young age and was raised for the first years of his life in Paris by relatives, where he was exposed to the theatrical world of the period.

But then his father reclaimed him and he was sent to live at Plas Newydd on Anglesey, and his life followed the pattern of education at Eton and an affiliation with the military typical of his class.

However, on the death of the 4th Marquess in 1898, Henry inherited the title, the lands and the money, and proceeded to live as he chose.

He renamed Plas Newydd Anglesey Castle, converted the chapel to a performance space he called the Gaiety Theatre, and put on seemingly spectacular shows with elaborate and jaw-droppingly expensive costumes and props, inviting both notables and the local people in for free to witness his magnificence.

He ran through most of a fortune that in today's money has been estimated at about £60m and was bankrupted, leaving a shadow of his inheritance. Estranged from his wife, he moved to Monte Carlo and died aged 29.

'It's a pity he spent all the money'

And that is where Alex's branch of the family comes in. As he acknowledges, it is only because of Henry's lack of issue that he now holds the title of 8th Marquess, as it fell to Henry's cousin, Alex's grandfather, on his death.

What does he make of Henry, from the perspective of the 21st Century? While acknowledging the loss of the fortune - "it's a pity he spent all the money", he laughs, while clarifying he didn't actually quite spend it all.

"He wasn't totally unique. He was part of a culture, although a minority culture, people like Oscar Wilde in this country and [Marcel] Proust in France, where he initially grew up.

"That early 20th Century artistic, sexual liberation stuff was going on there in a minority world.

"He wasn't unique in that sense or even in the context of the English aristocracy - you know the empire-building, soldierly stuff wasn't the only side of the aristocracy," he says, with a nod to another Henry Paget, this time the one on the column, 1st Marquess of Anglesey and veteran of the Battle of Waterloo, who lost his leg fighting alongside the Duke of Wellington.

Pointing to Henry's father being a "playboy who certainly did not take any aristocratic responsibility, noblesse oblige stuff, very seriously at all", Henry can be viewed perhaps in a grand tradition of eccentric and hedonistic aristocrats, albeit one who stepped further outside the boundaries than was considered acceptable.

It was this sense of exclusion that spoke to How to Win Against History creator Seiriol Davies when they first came across the photos of Henry during a visit to Plas Newydd - which was been owned by the National Trust for half a century - as a child.

In the midst of "marvelling at all the pomp", the playwright and actor from Anglesey was struck by the contrast between the lionisation of the 1st Marquess and his heirs and "the little laminated photocopy of some pictures of [Henry] Blu-tacked on the wall next to the toilet.

"It said he was a very silly man who wasted all the family's money doing very silly plays.

"A little bell of proto-queer indignation rang in my tummy, and because I believe in swift and decisive action, decided to make a musical about it 25 years later."

They describe Henry as "mesmerising, fabulous, glamorous and totally out of his time, but also kind of lost".

As an only child without a mother, Alex agrees one interpretation of Henry's outlandish behaviour could be as a sort of search for connection. "Maybe this was one way of creating an identity, which he certainly did.

"I do think he's a fascinating character no doubt about it, and his whole persona does fit in with David Bowie and that sort of thing. There's some truth in those kinds of connections and 'he was the inventor of the selfie' idea, which comes into the film or the musical."

Seiriol calls their loose interpretation of Henry's life "a screwball, riot comedy camp-o-rama but it has at its centre someone who doesn't even have his internal life because it's been eradicated.

"In this fiction that we're making about a character which is a bit like Henry in some ways - and this is not trying to be the truth about him - within our story he's constantly trying to find connection, find acceptance; trying to get someone to see him as him."

"I think probably my grandfather's generation were pretty seriously embarrassed by him," said Alex.

"His existence was not denied but it's all summed up by the fact there were these photographs of him - but they were in the bathroom. They weren't portraits in the main room."

And now? "We're happy to celebrate his rather weird, to some degree not happy, but to some degree rather extraordinary and marvellous life."

'It's just a weird, weird bird': Why we got the dodo so absurdly wrong

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250714-why-history-got-the-dodo-so-absurdly-wrong, 4 days ago

The extinct flightless pigeon has captured imaginations for over 400 years. Experts and artists are now revealing how much we have distorted what the dodo was really like – nimble and slender, with a formidable beak.

When Karen Fawcett embarked on creating as accurate a model of a dodo as possible, she knew she was taking on a serious challenge.

As a palaeoartist, who creates artworks of prehistoric life based on scientific evidence, Fawcett is used to not relying on photographs to guide her work. But information on the dodo was especially scarce, she says.

"I've never seen this bird, and all I've got is some little tantalising clues about what it was like and… artist drawings and paintings of dodos," says Fawcett, who created the dodo model in her studio in Durham, UK, in 2019.

These artists often hadn't even seen a dodo themselves, she says, or were painting from taxidermy models or unhappy, captive birds in European menageries. The dodo's unusually small wings and large feet were also a challenge, she says: everything about it was "almost upside down" compared to modern birds. It all made the task all the more tantalising, though. "The dodo, it's so iconic, everybody knows what it is," she says. "I mean, there's even an emoji of a dodo on a phone. Yet nobody has seen one."

From the first encounter with dodos by Dutch sailors on the island of Mauritius in 1598 to their extinction a century later, there are plenty of depictions of this unusual ground-dwelling bird (which was, in fact, a large flightless pigeon). But disentangling truth from myth is tricky, especially when modern-day research has shown dodos were anything but the dumpy, clumsy, stupid birds so often represented.

The dodo has long been seen as an iconic image of "our ability to just destroy things", says Neil Gostling, a palaeobiologist at the University of Southampton in the UK. But today, researchers like Gostling – and the occasional artist with a scientific eye, like Fawcett – are probing the past to uncover everything they can about the real dodo, from what it really looked like and behaved, to why it evolved as it did and how it ended up among the first human-caused extinctions in modern times.

What they are discovering is firmly overturning the image of the dodo as a stupid, clumsy animal somehow destined for extinction. These scientists hope that finding out more about the dodo, and even scouring its genetics, could even help to address our current day extinction crisis.

But fascinating as it is to pursue our long-lived obsession with the dodo, can it really tell us anything about wildlife, and how to save it, today?

In unravelling the truth about the dodo, there's long been little to go on. Despite several live dodos being transported to Europe in the 17th Century, there are few remnants left anywhere today: an emaciated, mummified head known as the Oxford dodo along with a piece of skin once attached to this (these are the only surviving soft tissue); the remains of a feather; a head in Copenhagen; part of a beak in Prague; and plaster casts of a mouldy foot, itself lost sometime in the 19th Century.

Julian Hume, an artist and avian palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London who has published nearly 40 papers on the dodo, reckons he is the only person to have illustrated all these surviving parts of the bird. As well as these, he says, there are perhaps some 20 or 25 fossilised skeletons with some kind of skull material. But all of these, bar two near-complete skeletons from single individuals and a third partial one, are composite skeletons made from a jumble of bones from different dodos.

Apart from this, all we have are paintings from the time the dodo was alive, largely from taxidermy or captive birds. We also have a lot of inherited misbeliefs.

The dodo began capturing imaginations almost as soon as it was discovered in the 16th Century. "It's just a weird, weird bird," says Gostling. "It would have stood nearly a metre tall (3.3ft)… No one would have seen anything like it in Europe, just this remarkable animal. I think people took to it."

The biggest misconception of the dodo is "that it's sort of fat, stupid and deserved to go extinct", says Gostling. "It wasn't. It was adapted to its environment, and it had been doing very well… The thing that it wasn't adapted to were rats, cats, pigs and goats, and obviously people."

And it's only really in the last decade that people have started to question the negative image of the dodo, says Gostling. "It's so pervasive." Fawcett's sculpture, he says, is the most accurate model yet made.

Before she began working on it in 2019, Fawcett spent years finding out all she could about the dodo. She soon learned that many depictions were best left avoided. Among them was the famous dodo painting by Dutch artist Roelant Savery, painted in the 1620s. "I can tell you, there's lots wrong with that," she says. "It's more [like a] swan", she says: pigeons don't have "this bulbous, sticky-out bit at the front" of the neck. "And the belly on it... it's just obese, basically."

Savery is thought to have worked off a bad taxidermy bird, and apparently wildly exaggerated some features, but his depiction became the world's most well-known dodo image. It was the basis for the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland dodo illustration in 1865, which propelled the dodo to even more fame in the Victorian era. "That [idea] continued to the present day," says Gostling. "You can ask anybody, they'll know what a dodo is, and they'll draw this round bird with a funny beak and waddly feet… And it's absolutely wrong."

It didn't help, of course, that the first detailed scientific description of the dodo was only published in 1848, centuries after it went extinct. And even this was still 10 years before the theory of evolution was published, the first step to understanding how the dodo was, in fact, expertly adapted to its environment. A lot of scientists at the time took the exaggerated illustrations "as actual fact, because there was nothing else to go on", says Hume. The first reconstruction of a dodo's skeleton, for example, squeezed it into the outline of Savery's painting.

A few apparently accurate – but less famous – contemporaneous depictions do exist, though. Some were drawn by a Dutch sailor in the first decades of the 1600s. "They are the best drawings ever of dodos, and they were the only drawings done on Mauritian soil," says Hume.

The drawings depict a more upright and slender bird than in Savery's paintings. Fawcett used these sketches to create her dodo's head, along with a replica of the mummified Oxford dodo's head and some cast skulls. Unlike some depictions, they also show a particularly hooked beak, says Fawcett (it's thought to have been a formidable weapon).

Another good source was the 1625 painting by Mughal artist Ustad Mansur of a live dodo kept in a Hindustan emperor's menagerie which Fawcett used for features like colouration (it shows the dodo as having a brownish-grey colour). As the painting includes other birds still found today in the menagerie, she was able to cross-reference for accuracy.

For other details, live pigeons themselves were a handy source, adds Fawcett. "I often looked at Pidge," she says of her daughter's pet pigeon, useful in modelling finer details like how the eyelids look on a pigeon. She also used baby pigeons to model how the flightless dodo's tiny vestigial wings may have looked. Scientists now think dodos used these for balance when moving at speed.

Despite all the work to evidence her model, Fawcett acknowledges that "any form of palaeoart is a form of guesswork". It's a situation familiar to dodo researchers trying to scratch the surface of what the real dodo was like. "For probably one of the most famous birds in the world, we really don't know a lot in terms of facts," says Hume. Their ecology and population levels before humans arrived, for example, remain largely a mystery, he says. "There's so little to go on…It was such a short period of time when humans interacted with dodos."

In a project launched last year, Hume, Gostling and a set of collaborators are now hoping to find out the truth about the dodo. To start things off, in a 2024 paper they assessed some 400 years of dodo literature, principally in an effort to classify it correctly.

The task involved disentangling centuries of folk and sailors' stories from the truth. "You've got to remember, the sailors at the time would have been recording things like mermaids," says Gostling. At some point a completely fictional "white dodo" supposedly living on nearby Reunion island was invented. "There's all sorts, dodos here, there and everywhere," says Gostling. "No there weren't. The dodo [was] on Mauritius, and it's only ever been on Mauritius."

It doesn't help that when the dodo did disappear, it was not even noticed until a century later. Even then people had trouble understanding it, says Hume. "This could not be, you know – it was God's creation," he says. Amidst the confusion it became common to believe the dodo had been a myth, he adds. "Suddenly dodos were no longer around, and people started going, well, was it a made-up bird?"

The truth of how the dodo really disappeared continues to unravel to the present day. Diaries from the Dutch sailing vessels which encountered the dodo in its home territory show it was eaten by humans, but likely seldomly, as it was considered tough and less tasty than other available game on Mauritius.

It's now believed it was animals brought by sailors that ultimately caused the dodo's demise. "The dodo laid a single egg in a nest on the ground, which made these eggs particularly vulnerable to predation by introduced species like rats and pigs, which arrived on Mauritius at the same time as people," says Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California-Santa Cruz. Rats would have also been serious competition for food, says Hume.

It's not known how many dodos lived on Mauritius before people arrived there, says Hume, but accounts from the time tell us something of how the dodo behaved in its home habitat, with one noting "they could run very fast".

Dodos, like other birds on the island, appeared relatively unafraid of people, and were easy for humans to catch when out in the open. But accounts say that the dodo was incredibly agile when it got between the rocks and the trees and would apparently "stand upright and run incredibly fast, and you couldn't catch it", says Gostling.

Modern-day research is backing this up. In 2016, Hume and colleagues used laser surface scanning technology to digitally recreate – and correct the position of – the dodo skeleton housed in the Natural History Museum in Port Louis, Mauritius' capital. "I put the bones together, worked out the angles they would have been, and it brings the dodo up into that more upright, natural shape," he says.

Hume and Gostling also both say their ongoing (as-yet unpublished) analysis of dodo's ankle bones has shown it has large scars where apparently large tendons and ligaments were attached. “When we look at birds that have this giant tendon in their foot today… they're very fast runners, they're climbers," says Gostling. "And that's what the dodo was doing."

It all comes together to reveal that the dodo was likely much taller, slimmer, lighter and more upright than commonly thought, with relatively long, strong legs and robust limbs which allowed it to manoeuvre quickly in its dense, rocky forest habitat.

The dodo had no reason to fear humans, Shapiro notes, since it evolved on an island without predators. Much of Mauritius was extremely rocky at that time, adds Hume, and he believes that dodos had to get to the areas where the local giant tortoises, their competitors for food, couldn't. "So they evolved this ability to be manoeuvrable, get over those rocks and get to high peaks."

Gostling, Hume and their collaborators now hope to find out more about how exactly the dodo operated in its environment. "Simply working out how they moved around it is a big question," says Gostling. "We are trying to really uncover this animal. And it's a bit of a detective story."

They plan to build up the first accurate computer model of a moving dodo, recreating its musculature from the scars found on dodo bones – although funding has yet to be found for the project, says Hume.

But even while these scientists are working to find out more about the extinct dodo, a more controversial avenue is pursued to recreate it: the dodo is among the targets of "de-extinction" by gene editing company Colossal Biosciences. (Read more about why scientists are concerned about de-extinction).

In 2022, Shapiro, working with Colossal Biosciences, announced the sequencing of the dodo's complete genome, using a degraded DNA sample taken from a dodo skull. The results are as yet unpublished and still undergoing analysis, says Shapiro. She says the team's genetic research is "revealing the underlying DNA sequence variations that gave these birds their unique morphologies and allowing us to learn more about their evolutionary history and adaptation to their island habitats".

The longer-term plan is to use genome editing to engineer the genome of a Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closet living relative, to "express key traits that defined a dodo", says Shapiro: its larger size, flightlessness and the unique beak suitable for consuming large fruit. The goal, she says, is both to return the dodo to Mauritius and to develop biotechnologies to stop other birds from becoming extinct. (Few tools of modern genome engineering are applicable to birds, notes Shapiro, since they cannot be "cloned" in the same way mammals can due to differences in their reproductive systems.)

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Successfully creating a dodo-like bird would allow scientists to see how the dodo interacts with other species in the Mauritian habitats, says Shapiro, as well as learn more about how engineered DNA sequences manifest as differences in physical appearance and behaviour. She notes that the introduction of (non-native) giant tortoises on Mauritius (to replace the extinct Mauritian giant tortoises) has already helped to control introduced plant species and support native plants.

Hume says he'd "love to be first in the queue if they ever bring the dodo back". But he believes it is still a long way off. "I don't think I'll ever see one in my lifetime," he says. "They're looking at ways of manipulating genes and trying to get it into the parent so it actually alters [the genes] before the egg develops. It would almost be a random shot in the dark, will this one come out with a big beak, this one comes out with small wings. And then you start cross breeding, it would never be a dodo, it'd be a mix match."

Gostling also has doubts. "What Colossal is trying to do is take dodo genes and put them into the Nicobar pigeon and make a more dodo-like Nicobar pigeon. I don't know that that's really going to work."

Still, says Hume, understanding the genetics of the dodo can be used "as a basis to understand a lot". "There's a lot of research to be done, and it's all quite exciting stuff." And learning how to tweak genes to increase genetic variability could indeed help other birds, he says. The pink pigeon, for example – the last surviving pigeon on Mauritius – is in dire need of help due to inbreeding, he says: tweaking its genes for more variability could help avoid it being wiped out.

Perhaps the dodo's most lasting impact on humans is as the emblem of an extinction crisis that continues to accelerate today. What's sad, is that, unlike in the 17th Century, "we know now that we can wipe out species", says Gostling. "We know what the message is…we know what we need to do. We now need to do it."

At this moment, notes Hume, another relative of the dodo, the tooth-billed pigeon on Samoa, is on the verge of extinction. "It's going to become like the dodo, there's so few left it's probably had it as a species, which is a tragedy," he says. Many birds around the world are "on the very edge of hanging on", Hume adds. According to one recent paper, assuming no change in the trajectory of human behaviour, more than 500 bird species could go extinct in the next century.

Back in Fawcett's studio, after cutting a Styrofoam dodo body, altered replicas of the mouldy dodo foot, small wings and a carefully constructed head, she made a resin cast of the whole contraption to produce her final model. The best part, she says, was putting the eyes in. "When you put eyes in something, it gives it life."

* Jocelyn Timperley is a senior journalist for BBC Future. Find her on Twitter @jloistf

** This article's fourth paragraph was corrected on 16/7/25 to note the dodo had small wings and large feet. It previously incorrectly stated the dodo had large wings and small feet.

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Wizard of Oz show hits the road to meet Fringe costs

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn41n79ngzyo, today

The rising costs of staging a production during the Edinburgh Fringe have led to an amateur theatre company's manager embarking on a walk to the capital.

Selkirk-based Creative Stage have won awards for tutoring young actors over the past couple of decades.

Having already staged a show at the Fringe before the pandemic, the theatre school was desperate to give their latest stars a chance to perform at the world's biggest arts festival.

Technical manager Lewis Wilde is hoping to help meet the £1,000-a-night costs of staging the Wizard of Oz with a 36-mile sponsored walk between the stage school and its venue.

The show is being staged in the capital during the second week of August.

Lewis said: "It costs crazy amounts these days to put on a show at the Fringe, and to try and bring down the costs for everyone involved in the show I decided to do this walk."

Although Creative Stage's production of Wizard of Oz, which was performed during the spring in Galashiels, had a cast of 140 students, it was decided to trim down numbers for the Fringe show.

As well as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Wicked Witch, there will be a further 20 young people in the supporting roles.

'Amazing opportunity'

Creative Stage first performed Chorus Line at the festival in 2019 to sell-out audiences during its six-night run.

However, the costs of technical equipment, prop-hire, transport and venue space have all escalated over the past six years.

Lewis added: "We performed Wizard of Oz earlier this year and it was a great success.

"Taking the show to the Fringe is an amazing opportunity for all the young people to perform at the biggest arts festival in the world - but it comes at a cost."

Joining Lewis on the walk from Selkirk to Edinburgh is actor Alasdair Jeffrey and backstage hand Amy Thomson - as well as Dude the dog.

Dancer inspiring students after escape from Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0vpv891l0o, today

"In one moment, I realised, this is death, this is war."

In February 2022, professional ballet dancer and single mother, Kateryna Tor, woke to the sound of bombs going off in her home city of Odesa, Ukraine.

Fearing for her life, she jumped into her car in the early hours of the morning, with her one-year-old baby boy, driving for 38 hours with no sleep or food, determined to escape to safety.

Ms Tor travelled to three countries before settling in the UK, where she taught herself to speak English and started up a ballet school for adults of all abilities in the East Midlands.

The 41-year-old, who now lives in Alfreton, Derbyshire, started dancing in Ukraine in the 1990s, when she was six years old.

She fell in love with ballet and made a career out of it, training as a classical ballet dancer.

Ms Tor danced professionally in Odesa, but when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she knew she had to leave her country.

"It was very scary, if you don't leave, you will die," she said.

Ms Tor fled Odesa with her baby in the early hours of 24 February 2022, when she was woken by the sounds of the city being invaded.

"I tried to avoid all the bombs, tried to stay alive," she explained.

Ms Tor travelled to Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, before arriving in England in October 2023, as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

She settled in the East Midlands, where she learned how to speak English.

Last year in September, Ms Tor set up her own business, teaching ballet dancing to adults of all ages and abilities in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, and Alfreton in Derbyshire.

"I wanted to do something for this community, for this country, to show people Ukrainian culture," she said.

Ms Tor added the dangers in her home country push her to achieve every day.

"If I'm tired, or upset, or everything is horrible, or it's wet, I say - 'I'm not in Ukraine now'," Ms Tor said.

"In Ukraine, you can die, so go up."

Ms Tor teaches four sessions a week with a group of adults aged 25-70.

She said she wanted people to be inspired by her classes, and believes she could teach anyone to dance.

"I like it when I see my influence on them and see how they grow," she added.

The women who regularly attend the classes said Ms Tor had created a special community.

Amanda Sullivan, 59, from Mansfield, was inspired by Ms Tor to take up dancing again after 40 years.

"The fact that she's come over, she's learned a whole new language, new alphabet [from Cyrillic to Latin], she's had to make a completely new life for herself, and she can communicate, get us to do what she wants, she's an inspiration - she's brilliant," Ms Sullivan said.

'A superwoman'

Ms Tor's ballet classes are not just for experienced dancers but also for beginners of any age.

Rosie Finney, 27, from Riddings in Derbyshire, started going to the classes in January as a beginner.

"I literally had no idea what I was doing when I started," she said.

"She makes you feel like you can do it.

"She's a superwoman, it's incredible. I've never met anyone who does so much and does it so flawlessly and makes it completely effortless."

Some members of her classes in Eastwood, who had previous ballet experience, said the quality of her teaching was unmatched by any other teacher they had ever had.

Joanne Baker, 57, from Heanor, said: "She's very positive and picks out things that will help you, and immediately I improved."

"She just has an attitude that you can do anything."

Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.

Wig ban only lasts a day in Senegal theatre after backlash

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly10yyqvygo, yesterday

A sudden and swiftly reversed ban on wigs, hair extensions, and skin-lightening products at an iconic theatre in Senegal's capital, Dakar, has ignited a widespread public backlash - laying bare deep tensions around identity, gender politics, and cultural nationalism in the West African nation.

The internal memo was stamped by the national culture ministry and issued on Monday by Serigne Fall Guèye, director of the Grand Théâtre de Dakar.

He said the move was to "promote Pan-African values" and protect the institution's cultural image.

But critics accused Guèye of policing women's bodies under the guise of cultural pride, and the ban was reversed the following day.

Feminist groups and civil society leaders said the memo reflected broader concerns about gender inequality in Senegal, especially given the low number of women in President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's administration - four out of 25 - and the removal of the Ministry of Women.

Many social media users criticised the ban as sexist, invasive, and paternalistic.

The controversy was further complicated by Serigne Fall Guèye's own political background. Before being appointed to the Grand Théâtre in early 2024, Guèye was a prominent figure in Pastef - the ruling party known for its anti-colonial, pan-Africanist rhetoric.

At the time, he led the party's artistic and cultural commission, championing a return to what he called "authentic African values".

Critics fear that Guèye's personal ideology is now bleeding into what should be a neutral public entity.

"This isn't about wigs or skin," political analyst Fatoumata Ba tells the BBC. "It's about a broader power play - using state institutions to impose a particular version of identity, while silencing or sidelining anyone who doesn't conform."

One of the most widely shared responses came from Henriette Niang Kandé, a feminist analyst and public intellectual, who questioned the logic and intent behind the ban in a viral social media post, saying:

"As for [hair] grafts and wigs, should we remind this director that these are aesthetic choices, sometimes economical, often practical? Are we forbidding men from shaving their heads to hide baldness? From wearing false collars to lengthen their necks?"

Supporters of the now-cancelled ban, though in the minority, argue that the director's intention was rooted in cultural pride, not oppression. Guèye himself defended the memo as part of a broader mission to "restore African dignity and identity", particularly in the arts sector, which he believes has been overly influenced by Eurocentric beauty standards.

Yet critics say such policies reduce cultural pride to physical appearance - while ignoring deeper systemic issues.

"If you truly want to affirm African identity," sociologist Mame Diarra Thiam tells the BBC, "start with language, education, economic justice - not banning weaves and skin [lightening] cream".

By Tuesday, facing mounting pressure, Serigne Fall Guèye was forced to reverse the ban, citing public misunderstanding and reiterating his commitment to the theatre's mission. But the damage had already been done.

It has exposed growing discontent with Pastef founder and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko among the urban youth and progressive civil society, who supported him in the 2024 elections but now feel betrayed by his government's perceived conservatism and centralisation of power.

At its core, the wig and bleaching ban at the Grand Théâtre was not just about aesthetics - it was about who gets to define cultural authenticity, and at what cost.

In a country where skin-lightening products remain popular despite known health risks, and where women's appearance is often subject to moral scrutiny, the debate is far from superficial. It touches on post-colonial identity, gender inequality, economic necessity, and personal freedom.

For now, the ban is gone - but the broader debates it sparked remain very much alive.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Auditions open for Opera House Gala choir

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c625qgkxdgeo, yesterday

An opera house in Jersey has announced it is looking for young voices to audition for its Gala choir.

Jersey Opera House (JOH) said the new youth choir was being formed to perform a selection of songs in production as part of the re-opening of the Gala.

Auditions are open to all young people in full-time education from school years three to 13, the opera house said.

"Don't miss the chance to be part of this historic moment and sing on the Opera House stage," it added.

"Choir members must be available to perform on 3, 4, and 5 October 2025, as well as attend all key rehearsals."

Parents or guardians who wish to register a young person can email gala@jerseyoperahouse.co.uk, stating their preferred time slot.

Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.

Advance bookings plea to protect local theatres

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czjk8kjk9m9o, yesterday

Theatre goers are being asked to purchase their tickets further in advance to help keep performances running.

The Corn Hall theatre in Diss, Norfolk, say they have had to cancel or postpone performances due to a low number of advanced sales.

Lee Johnson, general manager at the theatre, said that as a charity, they needed people to book further in advance to work out if a show is financially viable.

He said: "Booking your tickets early helps us to ensure that the event can go ahead. I can say to the producer that we've sold 100 tickets... Then they're happy, and I'm happy."

Three performances have been cancelled at the Corn Hall this year because of low sales, and other have been postponed to a later date.

The change in habit to favour late bookings is something that Mr Johnson said became more "prominent" after the COVID 19 pandemic.

"I think people became so used to events getting cancelled during that difficult time," he said.

"You'd book a ticket, and the show would be cancelled, or it would get shunted forwards by six months, then something else would happen."

Mr Johnson said the cancellations had an "immense" effect on both the theatre's finances and reputation.

"It's not just the impact on the charity when we need to refund people, but people also think, 'well if they've cancelled that, what else are they going to cancel'.

"I really don't want to cancel any shows, but when you're talking to producers who say we are not going to make any money out of this, we are left with no other option."

Adam Taylor, chief executive of Norfolk charity The Garage Trust, said he has also noticed a shift in consumer habits.

He runs both The Garage theatre in Norwich, and The Workshop performing arts venue in King's Lynn.

"We are seeing the same trends that are being reported by a number of other theatres across the county in terms of ticket sales being much, much later than they were before," he said.

'Rising costs'

Mr Taylor said this meant more unpredictability with box office sales, and changes to programme to reflect it.

"Our programmes might now be more risk averse than they were three or four years ago, presenting less of a broad stroke in programmes," he said.

"Coming out of the pandemic we assumed that things were going to reset, and they very much haven't... Behaviours have changed quite substantially."

UK Theatre, which supports theatres and practitioners, said they were beginning to see audiences returning to advance bookings.

Hannah Essex, co-chief executive, said: "Encouragingly, there has been a marked return to earlier booking habits among regional audiences.

"While theatre is more popular than ever, many venues are facing rising costs with flat or declining public investment – a situation that is increasingly unsustainable.

"If we are to secure the future of regional theatres for the next generation of audiences and creatives, we must ensure there is a strategy for sustainable long-term investment."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

New town sculpture created with community unveiled

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjd2g1r0n57o, yesterday

A sculpture featuring the artwork and dance moves of a community has been revealed.

Artists Aaron Li-Hill and Laura Brenchley created 'Our Woven Voices' after working with more than 1,000 people around North Shields, in North Tyneside, to capture the togetherness of the community.

The artwork shows two dancers woven together, a pose Mr Li-Hill said he chose and sculpted because it created "a strong metaphor of shared struggles and solidarities".

It was officially unveiled outside North Shields Magistrates' Court by the mayor of North Tyneside at 11:00 BST.

Workshops across the town saw residents create artworks and scrapbooks about what North Shields meant to them.

Themes included everyday places, like chip shops, beaches and parks.

Some of the art features on the sculpture.

Created with charity Helix Arts and commissioned by North Tyneside Council, the piece of art forms part of its masterplan to regenerate North Shields.

Mr Li-Hill said the pose was created through "workshopping various stances with local dancers".

"They told me that if their pinkie fingers at the top of their clasped hands slipped, if they weren't touching, they would fall," he said.

"Capturing this interwoven and dynamic pose in such a solidified form creates a strong metaphor of shared struggles and solidarities, a concept so important at this time of heightened global division."

Director of Helix Arts Cheryl Gavin said she was "really proud to see the people of North Shields' stories, hopes and creativity" incorporated into the sculpture.

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India's ancient and mysterious 'dwarf' chambers

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250714-indias-ancient-and-mysterious-dwarf-chambers, today

Nearly 1,000 Tolkien-esque megalithic chambers dot southern India's "Hill of the Dwarfs", and locals believe they were created by a supernatural race of "small people".

At first glance, Hire Benkal might be mistaken for any other village nestled in Karnataka's lush interior. Surrounded by rocky hillocks, mango groves, small brick kilns and fields fed by a nearby canal, it exudes a languid, laid-back charm characteristic of rural South India.

However, a 90-minute hike up one of the ridges flanking the village brought me to Moryar Gudda, or the "Hill of the Dwarfs", as its name means in the local Kannada language. Here, scattered across a granite-strewn plateau were nearly 1,000 prehistoric megalithic structures that have stood for more than 2,500 years. It's a startling sight: nearly as far as the eye can see, rows of giant stone chambers resembling houses and stone circles stretch across the landscape, forming one of the oldest and largest necropolises in India.

The trek felt like stepping into a Tolkien tale. Massive boulders teetered precariously on top of one another, creating natural sculptures that seemed on the verge of tipping over at any moment but have somehow stood firm for millennia. Some formations housed rock shelters with red ochre paintings dating from 700-500 BCE, many still vivid with scenes of creatures resembling cattle and boar whose meanings have long been lost to time.

Historians believe the formations were created as an ancient burial or commemorative site. However, its exact purpose remains a mystery.

Stonehenge may be the world's most famous megalithic monument, but tens of thousands of other such sites are scattered across the planet. While Europe counts more than 35,000 of these prehistoric constructions, only 3,000 or so have been documented in India. But by coming face to face with Hire Benkal's ancient, enigmatic structures and the painted scenes of battle axe-wielding horseback riders, spear-clutching hunters, and deified deer, peacocks and other animals, adventurous travellers can get a sense of how early Indian societies lived, worshipped and were laid to rest.

The Hire Benkal archaeological site spans roughly 20 hectares, with an east-west orientation that suggests ceremonial or astronomical significance. Dominating the landscape are giant rectangular megalithic tombs with large capstones and side walls, known as dolmen. Many of the larger dolmen are clustered around a wide, shallow water basin at the top of the hill. Experts believe this basin likely began as a natural rock pool and may have been expanded over time as ancient Indians quarried to construct additional megaliths.

That morning, white and pink water lilies floated in bloom across the small pond, evoking the delicate beauty of a Monet painting.

"It must have been a very important site for several centuries because it cannot have all been done in one time," said Srikumar Menon, an architect and associate professor at the National Institute of Advanced Sciences who has studied Hire Benkal and many other megaliths around the country.

According to local lore, the site's dolmen weren't built by humans, but by an extinct species of dwarfs known as the "moriyars". These supernatural beings were said to possess immense strength and engineering prowess. As Chandrashekar Anegundi, a local naturalist who led our trek, explained: perfectly cut circular portholes on some of the dolmen have led nearby villagers to believe these legends, as the shapes are so precise that they're thought to be too sophisticated for early sculptors.

"The villagers here believe moriyars were very short people and they were wiped out in a rain of fire," said Anegundi, who remains sceptical. "If they were so small, how could they have lifted these big stones?"

During his research, Menon encountered similar legends referring to an ancient race of "small people" who allegedly constructed megalithic sites across southern India, such as at Moribetta and Morikallu nearby in Karnataka, Sanna Moriyara Thatte in Telanganaand Moral Parai in Tamil Nadu. He speculates that such folklore could be a far-reaching cultural memory of ancient Indians recalling an extinct human-like species, akin to Homo floresiensis, the so-called "hobbit" species discovered in Indonesia who likely lived alongside Homo sapiens 60,000 to 100,000 years ago.

"We know the megalith builders were humans like us," Menon said. "But stories of these little people persist across the region."

Despite its archaeological importance and historical intrigue, Hire Benkal remains largely unknown beyond southern India and overshadowed by the nearby Unesco World Heritage-listed temples and monuments of Hampi. The erstwhile medieval capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, located just 42km south of the megalithic site and renowned for its stunning ruins and grand temples, attracts thousands of tourists and devotees annually.

Meanwhile, local guides report that only about 20 to 30 intrepid travellers venture to Hire Benkal some months, with a peak of roughly 100 arriving during the cooler tourist season from October to February. By comparison, Stonehenge's 83 standing stones lure more than one million visitors annually.

"This place has never been promoted, not even among people in nearby cities like Bengaluru," says Disha Ahluwalia, an archaeologist and research scholar at MSU Baroda. "And yet, it deserves so much more attention… A lot of effort has been made by ancient humans to build them; we need to make double the effort to preserve them. And first we need to document them."

As for the legend of the moriyas, Ahluwalia said the discovery of the site by British colonial officers in 1835 and their dismissive attitude towards ancient and rural Indian communities' technological prowess likely also fed into this myth.

"The officers were going to these sites without even knowing the culture. Even if the megaliths were discovered, they were not very well known. They were simply [seen as] stone slabs," she said.

In recent years, some of Hire Benkal's megalithic structures have fallen victim to vandalism, cattle herders and treasure hunters who dig beneath the dolmen in search of rumoured riches. The overgrowth of plants, the ravages of time and the lack of preservation have also taken a toll on the ancient burial grounds.

"It's a fragile site… people often vandalise what they don't understand," said Meera Iyer, convener at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage Bengaluru, which has been actively working to include Hire Benkal as a Unesco World Heritage site. A successful nomination could provide international recognition, government funding and improved conservation measures. Local communities could also benefit from more visibility and visitors.

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"But tourism is a double-edged sword," Iyer warned, noting that too much of it without appropriate protection could cause the site to fall into further decay. "What's needed is interpretation, education and better regulation."

While Hire Benkal's future remains unclear, one thing is certain: it's a hauntingly beautiful site. As rain clouds gathered over the Deccan plateau, the land seemed to have burst with life. On the walk up, shy songbirds flitted through the bushes. Peacocks were in full regalia, their iridescent tails fanned wide as monsoon heralded mating season. Rock agamas basked lazily on sun-warmed granite, while herds of goats meandered through the underbrush. Anegundi pointed out golden amaltas trees blooming between craggy outcrops.

"It's a paradise, for birds and for us," he said, collecting a few seed pods from the trees.

At Hire Benkal, the natural and the supernatural blend together. Standing at the summit, dolmen stretched out in orderly rows across the rocky ridge, boxes of stone holding the secrets of a forgotten people.

While we may never know exactly why our ancestors constructed these chambers, it is clear that this place mattered deeply to those who once lived here. For now, it remains one of India's most intriguing open-air secrets – a prehistoric monument hiding in plain sight.

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How to 'weatherproof' your next holiday

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250716-how-to-weatherproof-your-next-holiday, yesterday

Beyond extreme weather or medical emergencies: some insurers now offer payouts for rain, heatwaves or "inconveniences" that spoil your trip.

The 18 hikers who flew into Nepal in September 2024 were prepared for the trek of a lifetime: a journey to Everest Base Camp. But just a day before their flight to Lukla, heavy rain began falling across the Kathmandu Valley.

"Within 24 hours, the capital recorded its heaviest rainfall since 1970," said Balaram Thapa, CEO of Nepal Hiking Team, who was leading the trek. "Roads were submerged, bridges damaged, and all Lukla flights were grounded for a full week. We were never in immediate danger, but the trip became impossible."

Though some of the hikers had travel insurance that reimbursed them for expenses like cancelled flights or additional hotel nights in Kathmandu, none of their policies would have covered the full cost of a completely rained-out bucket list trip.

That might soon change.

As extreme weather events grow more frequent – from torrential rain in India to scorching heatwaves in Europe – a new type of travel insurance is emerging. These protections go beyond covering catastrophes, offering compensation for milder but still trip-ruining weather events like extreme rain or heat.

"The thing that people really worry about in most cases is their trip being rained out," said Daniel Price, co-founder of WeatherPromise, a company that offers their global customers payouts if it rains more than a set number of hours during a booked stay. "The number one factor that causes someone to come back and say 'that wasn't a great trip' is if it pours and you didn't get to sit on the beach [like you'd planned.]"

The company, which also recently partnered with Marriott's Home and Villas brand to offer rain protection, is now exploring coverage for extreme heat, spurred by recent heatwaves across Europe and the US.

"What [we're] about is really giving people the confidence, the comfort and the ability to travel all over at different times of the year," said Price.

It's all part of a wider shift in the travel insurance industry. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, travellers have increasingly opted to take out coverage. And while traditional policies remain geared towards covering big, unexpected disruptions like hospitalisation or cancelled flights, new products are catering to travellers who want more flexibility – and more peace of mind.

These new offerings can range from flat-rate payments for "travel inconvenience," such as missing a scheduled port on a cruise ship through no fault of your own, to coverage that allows cancellations for any reason at all; an add on service which has become increasingly popular post-Covid-19.

"For example, a traveller may be accustomed to certain conditions like having air conditioning in their hotel," explained Chrissy Valdez, senior director of operations for travel insurance comparison site SquareMouth. "So, it may come as a surprise when they check into their hotel in Europe [and] the air conditioning is not working, or there is no air conditioning. [But] there are benefits that would allow them to interrupt their [trip] because they're just not comfortable where they're staying."

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Still, not all expanded policies are equal. What is covered and what is required to file a claim varies by provider. Therefore, it's still important for travellers to check the fine print, including confirming things like what weather qualifies, how much rain counts and what documentation is needed to make a claim.

Valdez also warned that as unexpected weather becomes the norm, some insurers may tighten their coverage definitions.

"There are underwriters looking at the definition of 'extreme' weather or 'inclement' weather," she said. "I can't say for certain if this is going to benefit the consumer or if they're going to look at it as a higher risk and possibly define those things even stricter than what they do today."

With unpredictable shifts in weather patterns only expected to continue, these new insurance products may offer at least some protection against the frustration of a ruined trip.

"As a Himalayan trek leader with over 20 years of experience, I'm seeing this type of disruption happen more often," said Thapa. "[It seems that] travel insurance is still catching up to what 'disruption' really means."

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How to experience Italy like a local this summer

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250710-an-insiders-summer-guide-to-italy, 6 days ago

There are a million reasons to go to Italy, so why do visitors always go to the same few places? Here are our favourite ways to shake up your Italian itinerary.

Does it seem like everyone is in Italy right now? Italy has been ranked as the top destination for American travellers in 2024 and 2025, according to a study by Price Waterhouse Cooper and the United States Tour Operators Association, but the honour should come as no surprise. The nation welcomes 80 million international visitors annually, drawn by its pastel-coloured villages, Renaissance treasures and Roman ruins.

From the Etruscans to the Romans to the Byzantines, each civilisation that has passed through this boot-shaped nation has left their own unique architectural stamp on the land, transforming its cities into open-air museums. Italy also enjoys a reputation for a deliciously laid-back lifestyle – especially in summer, when everybody's in the piazza and beach umbrellas stud the coastlines.

"Italy doesn’t ask you to be a tourist; it invites you to feel something," says Ruben Santopietro, CEO and founder of Visit Italy. "It’s a country where chaos meets elegance, where silence in a mountain village can be as powerful as an opera at [Milan's] La Scala [theatre]. You can visit 10 times, and the 11th time still surprises you, not with something new, but with something ancient you hadn’t noticed before. Italy doesn’t entertain you. It transforms you."

A 2024 study by TourismA found foreign visitors stick to the same few popular cities – equaling just 1% of Italy’s territory. Here are our favourite ways to explore the other 99% this summer.

Why Italy?

There are a million reasons to visit. Here are some of our favourites.

The Palio of Siena attracts history buffs with its recreation of a medieval horse race (2 July and 16 August), while Milan Fashion Week and opera season in Shakespeare's fair city of Verona are musts for culture vultures. Sports fans can experience the Giro d'Italia (9 May to 1 Jun in 2025) or the Formula One Grand Prix held in Imola (spring) and Milan (late summer).

Hack: Upwards of 30 million pilgrims are expected to head to St Peter's Basilica in Italy's already-overtouristed capital city to celebrate the Jubilee year for Roman Catholics. Visitors dreaming of Rome in 2025 would do well to skip summer and come during the shoulder months of October to March, avoiding the religious holidays of Easter, the Immaculate Conception (8 December), Christmas and the Epiphany (6 January).

For a detour from the bucket list art cities, visit the Dolomites. This limestone mountain range – spanning the Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions – is beloved by Italians for its epic skiing and hiking, and lacks the tourist crowds of Rome, Florence and Venice.

"Limited time is an issue," admits Fiorenza Lipparini, DMO of Milan & Partners, which runs the website YesMilano. "There are no close international airports and a lack of accommodation – we're talking about very small villages."

The Dolomites, with their wild valleys, gorges and lakes offer thrilling hikes year-round. "They really are the most beautiful mountains in the world, from the Swiss Alps to [the valley of] Val Gardena," says Lipparini. "They're good in the summer almost as much as in the winter."

Meanwhile, Agrigento, Sicily is Italy's 2025 Capital of Culture. Explore its Unesco-listed Valley of Temples, and unwind on the stunning Scala dei Turchi beach.

Food & drink

Italian food is one of the most beloved cuisines in the world, but its superpower is its deep regionality. Tasting a familiar favourite like pizza in its homeland is a holy pilgrimage, but failing to try the deep culinary cuts is sacrilege.

When in Rome, enjoy pasta alla carbonara (pasta with egg yolk, pecorino Romano cheese and pork cheek) at Da Teo in romantic Trastevere or pasta cacio e pepe at Felice a Testaccio in Rome's ex-slaughterhouse district. Bistecca alla fiorentina – rare, ultra thick T-bone steak – in Florence is iconic (get a great one at Trattoria Mario on Via Rosina). Venice is famous for its cicchetti, baguette bites topped with a variety of seafood, meats and vegetables; they're delectable at Bar All'Arco in San Polo. Try traditional Milanese cuisine at Trattoria Masuelli San Marco, like osso buco (braised veal shanks) and risotto alla milanese (saffron-flavoured risotto).

Seaside Naples is the birthplace of pizza; get a perfect pie at the historic Antonio Starita. Bologna is the epicentre of stuffed pastas such as tortellini and lasagna bolognese; try them at generational pasta maker Sfoglia Rina on Via Castiglione. Be sure to sample artisanal products at the source; visit a caseificio (dairy) like the Caseificio di Biagio Staiano in Ravello to sample – and make! – fresh mozzarella, or one of Italy's 26 stunning national parks for the zero-kilometre culinary experience of a lifetime.

Oenophiles, you'd do well to venture past Tuscany. Sip volcanic island wines like the Biancolella in Ischia, or travel to the Russo family's Cantina del Vesuvio, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, to try Lacryma Cristi ("Tears of Christ"), an ancient wine produced from Vesuvius' indigenous grapes, said to have been drank in Roman times.

How to fit in

Italy's monuments have attracted a lot of misbehaving tourists in recent years – don't be one of them. Keep your shoulders covered when visiting religious sites, and keep your hands off historical treasures.

Tipping is not expected or enforced in Italy (regardless of what the cheeky waiter might suggest).

Stick to traditional Italian mealtimes and food customs: a light breakfast of a pastry and espresso or cappuccino, lunch at 13:00, aperitivo (happy hour with snacks) from 17:00-19:00 and dinner after 20:00. Ask for a cappuccino after 11:00 and risk a wince from your barista.

Cultural attractions

Few are truly prepared for the magnificence of doomed Pompeii, and few visitors know that nearby Herculaneum was also destroyed – and preserved – by the eruption. Further south, the ruins of Paestum display exquisite temples and rare painted Greek tombs.

Art lovers usually head straight to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, but Renaissance masterpieces abound throughout Italy, like Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. "The Last Supper, like the Mona Lisa, is universal," says Lipparini. "[It's] an unparalleled theatrical scene where love and anticipation, suspense and betrayal emerge from the collective interaction of the masterful portraits of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles."

In Naples, find the Baroque Cappella Sansevero and Giuseppe Sanmartino's reality-defying masterpiece, il Cristo Velato, depicting the slain, shrouded Christ. The incredible realism of what appears to be a thin veil sculpted in marble has confounded admirers for centuries.

Outdoor adventure

Soaring mountain passes and centuries-old forests mean incredible hiking and cycling. "Cycling is an ideal way to discover the city and experience a day out on two wheels," says Lipparini. Try tackling a tract of the Via Francigena, an ancient 6th-Century, 1,700km pilgrimage trail snaking from Canterbury, England to Puglia in Italy's deep south, or check out YesMilano's Lombardy-based bike routes. Trekkers hit the rainbow-hued expanse of the Cinque Terre National Park and skyscraping Path of the Gods on the lemon-perfumed Amalfi Coast.

Italy's seaside culture has inspired countless films – and holidays. Today, its beaches range from family-friendly clubs like the sprawling white-sand San Vito lo Capo in Sicily to party beaches like Bazzano in Sperlonga on the Tyrrhenian Sea. You can explore Italy below the surface, too: take a guided snorkelling tour to discover underwater kingdoms like the sunken Roman villas of Baia or Ischia's underwater Roman city of Aenaria.

Shopping and markets

"Shopping in Milan is a unique experience," says Lipparini of the nation's fashion capital. "You’ll find emerging brands – both in fashion and design." Apart from the ultra-luxe (and ultra-frequented) Quadrilatero della Moda, Lipparini suggests visiting the Isola and Nolo neighbourhoods, both blooming with vintage and secondhand shops, as well as the Tortona Design District. "Without neglecting the Sarpi [Chinatown] or [quirky] Navigli neighbourhoods," she adds.

At the other end of the shopping spectrum, the market – mercato – is an integral part of everyday Italian life. Most cities host a weekly street market, where shoppers can score anything from vintage clothing to fresh fish. La Pignasecca in Naples is renowned as a hotspot for Neapolitan street food.

Support Italy's artisans by shopping for handmade traditional goods, like Vietri pottery in Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast, intarsio (inlaid woodwork) in Sorrento, mosaics in Spilimbergo or Murano glass in Venice.

Day trips to experience the real Italy

Find wonders far from the main tourist crowds.

Top day trips from Rome

Classic: Trains (~35m) run regularly to the Castelli Romani; a group of cobblestoned towns beloved for their rustic eateries (fraschette). Ariccia is famous for its porchetta; get some at Osteria da Angelo.

Detour: (2h) Head to Sperlonga, a seaside town halfway between Rome and Naples. Its white-and-blue Saracen ancient quarter has Santorini vibes, and its azure seas hide ancient Roman grottos.

Top day trips from Florence

Classic: Wander the russet-coloured streets of medieval Siena (1hr); head to the twin towers of San Gimignano.

Detour: The Val d'Orcia (1.5hr) valley is home to excellent wellness centres and spas. Head to Palazzo del Capitano in San Quirico d'Orcia after a day of cycling.

Top day trips from Naples

Classic: (1hr) Wander Sorrento's historic centre and visit the Cataldi Lemon Orchard to sip flights of 100% organic limoncello.

Detour: (33 minutes) Take the Cumana railway to Lucrino in the Campi Flegrei to snorkel the underwater ruins of a submerged Roman villa at the Parco Sommerso di Baia.

Top day trips from Milan

Classic: Italy's great Alpine lakes – Como, Maggiore and Garda – draw both tourists and locals for a Sunday stroll. "Take the train from Cadorna to Lake Como," advises Lipparini. "It takes an hour and you’re on the famous lake where everybody wants to get married."

Detour: Speed demons will appreciate visiting majestic Monza (15m); the site of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza racetrack.

Where to stay in Italy

Hospitality is in Italy's DNA.

Farm stays

Ideal for families and groups. Enjoy farm-to-table meals prepared at hilltop La Fontaccia, a rustic property on 14 hectares of olive groves half an hour's drive outside of Florence.

Luxury accommodations

The Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri, built in 1845, overlooks the iconic Faraglioni rock formation and the Gardens of Augustus. It's filled with vintage tiled suites with opulent decor.

B&Bs, hotels and pensioni

The Cima Rosa in Venice offers five charming, modern suites in a 15th-Century palazzo.

Hostels

Budget-minded travellers can find accommodations in Italy, especially in the larger cities. The Beehive in Rome near Termini Station is a friendly space with a shared kitchen and pleasant outdoor seating area.

Boutique hotels

Blink and you'll miss the entrance to Le Petit Palais on the steep Via Pedamentina in Naples' Vomero neighbourhood. It's a charming boutique guesthouse with sublimely decorated rooms and a breathtaking tiled rooftop terrace.

Unique traditional stays

Travel back in time when you stay in Alberobello's ancient cone-shaped trulli and the sassi rock dwellings of Matera.

Getting Around

Italian cities are supremely walkable, but in ancient towns – particularly Amalfi Coast cities like Positano – be prepared to climb seemingly endless stone steps. Choose footwear that won't get tripped up by the cobblestones.

Public transport

Navigate between cities with TrenItalia, the national train company, and regional bus companies (see their respective apps to check timetables and purchase tickets). Rome, Milan, Naples and most recently Turin also have metro systems.

Driving

North American drivers will need an International Driver's License. On the Amalfi Coast, scooters are the most convenient option, but with the area's torturous curves, intense summer traffic and devil-may-care attitude towards traffic laws, only attempt if you're already an experienced driver.

Taxis are available on request but tend to be expensive.

When to visit

Summertime is beautiful in Italy, but time your trip for early to mid-summer to avoid inflated high-season costs, massive tourist hordes and suffocating heat waves. Avoid August, the month when Italians traditionally go on summer holiday, adding to crowds and the shutdown of many businesses and attractions.

Wonderful hikes are to be had in spring and autumn while some of the best swimming happens in October, after the tourists have cleared out and the heat has mellowed. In autumn, join the vendemmia (grape harvest); in winter, enjoy Christmas celebrations and partake in Italy's ski culture.

Off season means less crowds and lower costs, but also fewer services. Reserve accommodations and research ferry and bus times well in advance.

As overtourism continues to surge in many Italian destinations, travellers should explore what the other 99% of this spectacularly beautiful country has to offer.

"We're moving beyond the clichés," says Santopietro. "The Italy of 2025 is bold, conscious, and deeply connected to its roots. You’ll find ancient festivals reborn with new energy, culinary traditions elevated by the next generation of chefs, and small villages transformed into cultural hubs thanks to creative tourism and sustainable innovation. It's the year to come not just to admire Italy, but to understand it. To walk slower, ask questions, taste everything, and let the unexpected happen."

Want to explore even further? Check out BBC Travel's 25 Best Places to Travel in 2025 to find all the best destinations punctuating the globe right now.

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A pizza chef's guide to the best pizza in Naples

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250708-the-best-places-to-eat-pizza-in-naples, 9 days ago

Neapolitan-born expert pizza maker Daniele Uditi believes that to understand pizza, you need to eat it in the place it was invented. Here are his top places to eat pizza in Naples.

Neapolitan-born master pizzaiolo (pizzamaker) Daniele Uditi has lived in the US for more than 15 years. But, "it doesn't matter where in the world I am, I will always be from Naples," he tells the BBC.

Like Uditi, pizza was born in the famously chaotic seaside Italian city; its invention widely credited to chef Raffaele Esposito who is believed to have created the white, red and green dish in tribute to the colours of the newly unified nation's flag. Uditi, who served as a judge in Hulu's 2022 pizza competition show, Best in Dough, notes that though pizza is beloved – and found in many forms – worldwide, he believes you've never truly had it until you've had it in its birthplace.

"To understand [pizza], you go to Naples, and you eat pizza the way it's supposed to be, al portafoglio," says Uditi, referring to Neapolitan street pizza that is folded twice on its sides "wallet-style". "Eating a pizza in the place that it was invented with all the sounds of the city, seeing another Neapolitan eat it while on the phone and walking with an overflowing pizza in the box because it stretched too big."

Can pizza be too big? "It's not perfect," admits Uditi. "Neapolitan pizza is an artisanal product, so sometimes you don't find the perfect circle. I think it's a perfect representation of the city. Naples is not a perfect circle. Naples has good things and defects, but when you take a bite, everything makes total sense."

Here are Uditi's top six pizzas in Naples.

1. Best all-around: Pizzeria La Notizia Enzo Coccia 53

High up in Naples's leafy, green Capodimonte quarter, Pizzeria La Notizia 53, helmed by chef Enzo Coccia, is a magnet for visitors from every walk of life, says Uditi. "You can find a university professor, a lawyer, or you can find a student, you can find a couple they just want to enjoy themselves."

Despite Coccia's reputation for inventive pizzas like one of his recent springtime offerings, topped with courgette, tomatoes and thyme, Uditi says the humble pizzeria's biggest draw is undoubtedly their classic Margherita. "You go there for the Margherita," he says. "The Margherita is special, because he has the perfect balance between the three ingredients… Everything comes together, nothing overpowering."

Website: http://www.enzococcia.com/

Address: Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio, 53, 80126 Naples NA

Phone: 081 714 2155

Instagram: @enzococcia_lanotizia

2. Best montanara: Antonio Starita

Antonio Starita, a historic pizzeria just outside the gritty Rione di Sanità neighbourhood, is what Uditi calls: "another staple in Naples".

But not just for its pizza – for its montanara.

Montanara – deep-fried dough topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil – is a beloved Neapolitan street food. Uditi loves Starita's: "the way he fries the dough, it's never oily. It's super light. And the sauce is cooked just right. On the montanara, the sauce has to be pre-cooked, right? So it's almost like a sugo [long-simmered sauce]."

"Also, the pizza he does is spectacular," adds Uditi. "And he's just a character. [When I was a kid], I used to see him behind the counter… he was one of the people that inspired me to be a pizza chef. He doesn't talk that much. He speaks through his product."

Uditi's hack for beating the beloved spot's oftentimes-long queues: "Go off hours. Don't go straight when they open up, because you're for sure not gonna find a spot. I'll go around early afternoon or late at night when they're almost about to close."

Website: https://pizzeriestarita.it/en/

Address: Via Materdei, 27/28, 80136 Naples NA

Phone: 081 544 1485

Instagram: @antoniostarita

3. Best for new takes on classics: Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi

Heading deeper into Rione Sanità, Uditi enthusiastically recommends the generational Pizzeria Concettina ai Tre Santi; now run by the original owner, Concettina's, grandson, Ciro Oliva: "Ciro Oliva is one of the youngest pizza chefs in Naples, but he acts like a seasoned one. You can tell that Neapolitan traditions are safe in the hands of this guy, because he's gonna take care of it, but also never make it boring."

Apart from the classics, the upscale pizzeria serves highly inventive pizzas like the Fondazione San Gennaro – a mammoth pie topped with salami, smoked provola cheese and crumbled tarallo 'nzogna e pepe (traditional Neapolitan lard-enriched, almond-studded crackers).

"He was the first one to think about not just the pizza itself, but [giving] you texture," explains Uditi. "Pizza can be a soft experience, right? He said, 'I'm gonna disrupt that a little bit. Why don't we put tarallo 'nzogna e pepe on pizza?' It worked."

Website: https://www.concettinaaitresanti.com/locations/

Address: Via Arena della Sanità, 7 Bis, 80137 Naples NA

Phone: 081 290037

Instagram: @concettina3santi

4. Best female-run: Isabella de Cham

Just 100m from Concettina ai Tre Santi is Isabella de Cham, renowned for its pizza fritta – a deep-fried calzone, traditionally stuffed with ricotta, cicoli (pork cracklings) and black pepper – and her daring degustazione (tasting menu) of deep-fried appetizers.

"Everything you eat there is just unbelievable," says Uditi of the chic-yet-cosy eatery. "I like the fact that Isabella is a woman. Pizza fritta used to be made [only] by women; they would make it and sell it on the street. We need more women in this job; we need some gentle hands, some different approaches. That's what I find in Isabella de Cham's approach to pizza fritta. [She] makes one of the lightest that you'll ever have in your life. It's unbelievable. And then she always comes up with new flavours. I tell her to make me a classic pizza with cicoli, ricotta and pepper but then she comes out and, 'No, Daniele, you have to taste this.' And everything comes together so good that you wouldn't believe that you are eating a tasting menu of fried food and feeling so light."

Website: https://isabelladecham.com/

Address: Via Arena della Sanità, 27, 80137 Naples NA

Phone: 081 1863 9669

Instagram: @isabelladechampizzafritta

5. Best for gourmet pizza: Diego Vitagliano

"Diego Vitagliano would be the fine dining approach to the cuisine," says Uditi. "But also the way he thinks about the dough."

Diego Vitagliano's pizzeria, found in Naples's romantic Santa Lucia neighbourhood with outposts in Bagnoli and Pozzuoli, embraces new textures with a nod to tradition, often topping pizzas with ingredients found in classic Neapolitan dishes like pasta e patate (pasta, provolone and potato stew).

"It's just about him telling the history of Neapolitan cuisine by using the pizza as a vehicle," says Uditi. "For me, that's the genius there."

But, notes Uditi, "His classic Margherita will be one of the highlights of his menu. Sometimes people forget. They go there and say, 'Yeah, I want to try these new things'. And then he does it on purpose. In the degustazione, he [brings out the] Margherita last, because he wants to remind you, 'Yeah, this is fun, but this is what you came for'."

Website: https://diegovitagliano.it/

Address: Via Santa Lucia, 78 - 80 - 82, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy

Phone: 081 1858 1919

Instagram: @diegovitagliano_pizzerie

6. Best for a day trip: I Masanielli

Though pizza was invented in Naples, the city's dintorni (outskirts) are also well-distinguished in the art of artisanal pizza making. Take a day trip to the town of Caserta – home to the stunning Reggia di Caserta and Uditi's top overall pizza pick; I Masanielli, chef Francesco Martucci's gourmet pizzeria.

"Francesco Martucci is a nutcase!" says Uditi. "I used to go to school in Caserta and [I would eat his pizza after class]. I grew up with his pizza and now I'm a pizza chef as well."

Though the nostalgia factor is strong for Uditi, he is also an enthusiastic fan of Martucci's gourmet offerings.

"Sometimes he takes one ingredient and just that ingredient will be the highlight of the pizza," says Uditi. "For his 'five onion pizza', you have a pizza with onions treated in five different ways. It's one of the most delicious bites that you're gonna have in your life… [and] He was the first one to introduce three ways of cooking dough; steamed, fried and then baked. And then he used to make this pizza with scallops and, like, sea moss powder on the top. And pollen."

"On a pizza!" marvels Uditi. "On a freaking pizza!"

Website: https://www.pizzeriaimasanielli.it/

Address: Viale Giulio Douhet, 11, 81100 Caserta CE

Phone: 0823 741284

Instagram: @imasanielli

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

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Tall Ships event gets under sail in 'party city'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0qv9qewe4o, today

The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen - labelled the biggest tourist event in Scotland this year - gets fully under sail on Saturday.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend, to see dozens of impressive vessels from around the world.

Scottish band Deacon Blue played a harbourside gig on Friday night as part of the warm-up for the four days before things get officially under way at the weekend.

But there is a Met Office Yellow warning for heavy rain in Aberdeen from Saturday afternoon until Sunday.

The city council said it would issue updates if there was any impact on the event as a result.

Aberdeen will be turned into a "party city", according to the organisers.

It runs until Tuesday, when the ships will then sail on to Norway.

The Granite City previously hosted the tall ships in 1991 and 1997.

Greenock and Lerwick are among other Scottish towns to have featured in the event's history, which dates back to the 1970s.

The event is billed as Europe's largest free family event.

Almost 50 ships have been confirmed as taking part in Aberdeen.

There will be about 2,000 international crew members taking part, from as far afield as Uruguay and Oman.

Hundreds of volunteers have been recruited to help at the event, which is expected to attract about "400,000 visits" - an estimate which includes repeat visits.

The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing.

What ships are taking part?

The vessels are divided into four classes, ranging from large sailing ships to smaller single-masted boats.

Dar Mlodziezy, from Poland, is the tallest at 62.5m (205ft) high.

Built in 1982, she made her Tall Ships debut in the same year.

Her name means "the gift of youth".

The BAP Union is the furthest travelled, having come to Aberdeen from Peru.

BAP Union's sailing distance from Callao to Aberdeen is about 7,500 nautical miles (13,890km).

The skipper of Norwegian vessel Sorlandet, Captain Tore Skjelbred-Knudsen, is looking forward to the event.

"It's a gathering of these ships, it's a beautiful sight, it's maritime history, we can show that to the people of Aberdeen," he told BBC Scotland News.

"But most of all it's for the young people joining the ships, it's changing their lives."

He added: "As a former student at the University of Aberdeen, I have been truly looking forward to visiting again.

"Even if it is a couple of decades ago, I vividly remember the charm, the friendly people, the vast culture, and all the friends I made during my time there."

Emma Wadee, Aberdeen City Council's Tall Ships Project Manager, said: "We hope people will turn out in their thousands again to enjoy everything on offer at The Tall Ships Races and help turn the Granite City into party city from morning to night.

"We know how much the people of Aberdeen love to party - we saw that during the Dons' Scottish Cup victory parade."

Where is the best place to view Tall Ships Aberdeen?

The ships will be berthed in Waterloo Quay, Regent Quay, Trinity Quay, Upper Quay, Jamieson's Quay and Blaikies Quay.

Full details of where each ship will be can be found here.

The main entrance to the harbour area will be via Marischal Street. Many of the ships will be open to visitors during their time in Aberdeen.

What other entertainment is there at Tall Ships Aberdeen?

Following on from Deacon Blue on Friday night, other gigs will include Kaiser Chiefs.

Additional attractions will include free live music, and street food stalls.

Aside from the main names, other acts include Tide Lines, Calum Bowie, Glasvegas, Brooke Combe, Little Kicks, Capollos and Look Busy Collective.

The event organisers say there will also be a "vibrant" line-up of live music, including Scottish trad, jazz, Afrobeat, hip hop, and Latin soul.

The line-up also features local choirs as well as youth ensembles.

Young children will be catered for with attractions at a family zone at Blaikie's Quay, including a giant sandpit.

People can also get their picture taken with Tall Ships Aberdeen mascot, Dorry the Dolphin, during the festival.

What will Tall Ships Aberdeen travel be like?

Aberdeen city centre is expected to be very busy with tens of thousands of spectators each day.

The organisers are recommending that people use public transport or car share if coming into Aberdeen, and that those staying locally could walk or cycle.

Four regular Park and Ride services will be in operation from Bridge of Don, Craibstone, P&J Live, and Kingswells.

Road closures and parking restrictions will be place on streets around Aberdeen harbour during the course of the event.

Castle Street, King Street, Marischal Street, Regent Quay, Blaikies Quay and Regent Road are among those affected.

Pocra Quay and New Pier Road in Footdee are open to business and resident access only.

You can keep up to date with the latest BBC weather forecast here.

Glasgow Airport 48-hour strike called off

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxweqvq1q3o, today

A 48-hour strike due to go ahead at Glasgow Airport next week has been called off, a spokesman has said.

About 100 workers had been set to take part in the industrial action next Thursday in a dispute over pay.

Members of the Unite union due to walk out had included airside support officers, engineers and managers.

The Glasgow Airport spokesman said: "We have been informed by Unite that the planned industrial action for 24 to 26 July has been suspended to allow for further dialogue regarding our pay offer of 4%."

The industrial action would have fallen during the traditional Glasgow Fair fortnight and the airport's busy summer months.

These are the first summer holidays since the airport was bought over by AviAlliance.

The company completed a deal to buy AGS - the owners of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports - in January for £1.53bn.

Unite has been contacted for comment.

Blue Islands quits Loganair alliance over new route

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c873nr07y83o, today

The airline Blue Islands has pulled out of an agreement with Loganair, after the Scottish airline announced it would operate its own flights between Jersey and Southampton.

In 2020, the two airlines announced they had formed an alliance allowing customers to book connecting flights from Jersey to other destinations.

On Wednesday, Loganair announced it was to offer its own flights to Southampton, in direct competition with Blue Islands.

Blue Islands said it had served notice to Loganair of the "immediate termination of the codeshare agreement between the two airlines".

"We intend that existing bookings for all customers to connect between Blue Islands and Loganair flights, and for any customer who has booked a Blue Islands flight via Loganair, will be honoured in full," a spokesperson for Blue Islands said.

"There is no need for any customer holding an existing booking to take action, albeit no new codeshare bookings will be possible from today.

"If a customer wishes to amend or cancel any such booking for future travel, they are able to do so by contacting the airline or travel agent through which their booking was first made."

Blue Islands said it extends its grateful thanks and best wishes to team members across both airlines who have worked to deliver for its mutual customers over the five years of the co-operation.

Loganair said the new route would commence in early 2026 with flights going on sale later in the year.

A spokesperson for Loganair said: "We are delighted to be announcing another new route from our new Southampton base, linking this important coastal city to Jersey.

"We are also looking forward to supporting inbound tourism to Jersey, boosting the visitor economy and working in partnership with the outstanding local hospitality sector."

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Tourism impact on city's economy grows - report

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2lgn4n2n8o, today

The number of visitors to York has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels despite the tourism sector being increasingly important to the city's economy, a report has found.

Make It York, an organisation dedicated to promoting the city as a destination, said tourism contributed £2.01bn to York's economy in 2024 - an increase of 5.04% since 2023.

More than a third (34%) of spending by visitors was in the retail sector, with 27% at food and drink outlets and 25% on accommodation.

Ben Lerigo, data analyst at Make It York, said: "It's no exaggeration to say that York has something for everyone."

At 9.4m, annual visitor numbers to the city were still below pre-pandemic levels, he added, but wasn't able to identify any specific reasons "why the growth isn't happening as quick as possible".

Mr Lerigo added: "We're definitely seeing a trend more towards growth in domestic tourism particularly, but we've also seen an increase in international tourism as well."

According to the report, overseas visitors accounted for nearly a quarter of the economic impact.

It also highlighted a rise in employment in the tourism sector, with 16,788 employees in 2024, an annual increase of 4.8%.

The number of visitors staying overnight in York reached 1.7m in 2024, the report said, adding that it was a "slight" increase on the previous year.

More than half of those used serviced accommodation, such as hotels.

Concerns had recently been raised by residents in York about the impact of short-term rental accommodation on the city's housing market.

Mr Lerigo said it was "really important" to find a balance, and avoid "over-tourism", similar to that being seen in Spain.

Make It York was beginning to examine social impact and social return of tourism, he added.

"Economic return is a lot easier to understand the impact of, but there's other things as well and we want to make sure it's sustainable."

That work included encouraging visitors to use public transport, including park and ride services.

"We want to make sure that we're benefitting as many people as we can, both locals and tourists alike."

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

The European bike trail that hits three countries in a day

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250711-the-european-bike-trail-that-hits-three-countries-in-a-day, 2 days ago

Forty years after a tiny Luxembourgish village paved the way for border-free European travel, a series of scenic bike paths whisk travellers through the area's vineyard-studded landscape.

I pedal faster and faster until the bike glides over the wet tarmac. Vineyards rise up on my left, curving inward like the belly of a giant wave. On my right, the river trembles in the downpour. A sudden hiss from a brown-bodied goose leads me to nervously clench my handlebars, but bird aside, I'm all alone on the cycle path, and so I do something I haven't done since I was a child: I stand on my pedals, open my mouth and look up to catch the raindrops on my tongue.

I didn't come to Luxembourg to cycle. I came to look after two cats in Grevenmacher, a small town on the banks of the Moselle River. But with a few days to spare before my cat-sitting duties begin, I'm following my local hosts' advice and exploring the region by bike.

The Moselle River twists and turns for 545km from its source in eastern France's Vosges Mountains, flowing north to form a watery border between Luxembourg and Germany before joining the Rhine in Koblenz. On either side, beginner-friendly bike paths let travellers dip in and out of three countries without ever showing a passport – a freedom made possible by the Schengen Agreement, which abolished internal border checks and allowed for passport-free movement across participating European countries.

"I don't go to France as much, but I go to Germany to shop for cosmetics… and cheap strawberries," smiles my Schengen guide, Tessy Klopp Sowa, pointing out a yellow buoy in the Moselle River – a rather nondescript marker showing where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet.

This summer, the small Luxembourgish village of Schengen marks 40 years since European representatives signed the treaty in 1985 that paved the way for borders to open across the continent a decade later. Today, the agreement affects some 450 million people, including citizens of the 29 nations within the Schengen Area, as well as non-EU nationals who live there. But as border controls begin to quietly creep back into Europe, it's interesting to think about how the continent's borderless travel all started in this quiet, picturesque, 680-person village – and it's here that I begin my cycle.

"On the Luxembourg side, you'll pass more small villages [on the bike paths], but on the German side, it's quieter – at least for the first 10km. Of course, if you change your mind, you can just cross over one of the bridges," Klopp Sowa suggests, as I wonder which direction to start pedalling.

The Moselle region's cycle network is a choose-your-own-adventure dream. National routes, such as Luxembourg's PC 3 and Germany's Mosel-Radweg, link up with regional, themed and mountain biking trails, allowing you to choose sections, skip hills and stitch together your own customised route. In Luxembourg, cyclists can rent and return bikes (including e-bikes) at various points along the river. Services such as luggage transport, charging stations and free roadside assistance (April-October) make the whole experience surprisingly straightforward.

From Schengen, I cross the bridge into Germany and turn right towards France, taking a brief 5km detour along La Voie Bleue, a 700km route connecting Luxembourg with Lyon. As someone of average athleticism who hasn't cycled much since I was a child, I'm grateful the riverside routes are mostly flat, well-marked and car-free. Wobbly on my new wheels and busy trying to remember how to change gears, I hadn't realised I'd crossed another border until a text lit up my phone: "Welcome to France."

The town of Sierck-les-Bains is unmistakably French. Warm-hued buildings huddle together beneath the fortress of Château des Ducs de Lorraine, their closed, white, weathered shutters hiding any signs of life. I can't stay long – I plan to cycle back to Schengen and continue north, crisscrossing between Luxembourg and Germany to tick off three countries by sunset. But I do have one essential stop on my French itinerary: pastries.

Three gloriously overfilled éclairs later, I cross back into Schengen and stick to the Luxembourgish side of the river, cycling giddily through bursts of rain towards the so-called "Pearl of the Moselle", Remich, about 13km away. This section of the PC 3 traces the country's marathon-long wine region, home to grape varieties such as Riesling, Auxerrois and the indigenous Elbling. Much of Luxembourg's wine isn't widely exported, making a glass here all the more rewarding.

"We cross the borders every day as if they're not there," shrugs Corinne Kox, kneeling on the grass beside me at her family-run winery, Domaine Laurent & Rita Kox, in Remich. A few hours of sunshine have drawn wine lovers to the estate's garden, where I lounge barefoot under the dappled shade of an old tree. "We are neighbours," she adds, as she lines up the fresh, complex wines I've just blind tasted, now unmasked on the iron table.

That sense of connection is something the Kox family has bottled – literally. Cuvée M ("M" for Moselle) is the first French-German-Luxembourgish sparkling wine, made with grapes grown in all three countries and launched in 2016. "It was my father's idea," she says. "We're very open and always ready to innovate."

In the decades since the Schengen Agreement went into effect, other signs of that cross-border collaborative spirit are everywhere in the Moselle. Each summer, wine festivals on opposite sides of the river – one in Luxembourg, one in Germany – run simultaneously, with a free boat shuttling visitors between the two. In autumn, a Hiking Without Borders 33km tri-country trek takes place, with regional specialties served up along the way. And Via Mosel', the first cross-border wine and architecture tour, links villages and estates across all three countries, encouraging travellers to experience the valley as a single, shared region all year round.

More like this:

• Europe's most misunderstood capital?

• Scotland's epic 210-mile bikepacking adventure

• Schengen: A tiny village that changed European travel

"I always tell tourists to do the cycling on the German side," says Kox. "I think Luxembourg's landscape is more beautiful, and you see it much better from Germany."

I'd have to agree.

Crossing the bridge from Remich into Nennig, I continue north through Germany, following the trail as it carves through tunnels of poplar, sycamore and Norway maple trees. From the opposite bank, Luxembourg's grapevines cling to every contour, dotting the hillside in neat, obsessive rows. I pedal alongside railway tracks, through campsites filled with barbecuing families and past elderly couples on foot and young joggers. There are curly-haired pups in bike baskets and a rollerskating mother and daughter duo. Groups of cyclists occasionally flash past in a blur of neon Lycra, shouting over one another like a squabble of seaside gulls.

After a day of country-hopping and barely a sign to mark the change, I've lost track of where I am as I walk triumphantly into my guesthouse in Nittel an der Mosel, Germany. "I cheerily greet the receptionist in Luxembourgish: "Moien!". "Guten Tag, he replies in German. "In Germany, they can understand Luxembourgish because they are so used to it," says Julie Leruth, tourism coordinator for Visit Moselle.

On the other side of the river in Luxembourg, children are raised in a trilingual education system, juggling Luxembourgish, German and French from an early age. Since the Schengen Agreement made it easier to live in one country and work in another, more than 200,000 cross-border workers – or frontaliers, as they're known in French – work in Luxembourg, making multilingualism essential. "I hope we never lose this intercultural thing," Leruth tells me. "And that we always remember that we can learn from one another."

My accommodation, like many along the Moselle, is cyclist-friendly, with a lockable bike garage, e-bike charging stations and packed lunches available to fuel future journeys. Before gorging on the guesthouse's seasonal asparagus menu, I muster enough energy to cycle a short-but-steep trail into their vineyards. At the top, a selection of chilled whites awaits in their 24/7 wine vending machine.

I flop onto a wooden bench with a thump of relief. Across the river, silhouettes of cyclists trace the outline of Luxembourg, their shapes flickering in and out of view like frames from an old film. The bordering country is so close, I can hear its church bells. I think back to where I started that morning, in Schengen, standing at the border triangle with three countries at my feet. Tomorrow, I'll keep riding towards Trier, Germany's oldest city. Perhaps I'll switch from wine to beer – Bofferding on the left bank, Bitburger on the right. Seems only fair to try both.

Borders are often markers of difference – places of restriction, control and tension. While some internal borders in Europe have returned temporarily, it's hard to imagine that happening here. In the Moselle, open borders have opened minds, creating a region so closely tied it feels indivisible. As Klopp Sowa had told me earlier: "Here in the Moselle, we are one."

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The secret royal 'pyramids' of Scotland

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250710-the-secret-royal-pyramids-of-scotland, 3 days ago

Tucked deep in the woods of Balmoral, the Scottish royal estate beloved by Queen Victoria, lie 11 little-known memorial cairns – including one massive granite pyramid. Built to commemorate royal milestones and loss, they tell a quiet story of love, grief and nation building.

When Queen Victoria first visited Balmoral Castle in rural Aberdeenshire on 8 September 1848, six years after her first visit to Scotland, she took time out to appreciate the woodlands, gardens and rippling mountains.

Perhaps she deeply breathed in the Caledonian pine air. Perhaps a deer stood motionless, caught in her gaze. Certainly, she saw a different future for herself and her husband, Prince Albert, on Deeside in the Highlands. "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils," she recorded in her diary. Soon after, the baronial estate became a mainstay for the rest of her life – and it remains a sanctuary for the British Royal Family to this day.

There are many stories hidden at Balmoral Castle, but perhaps none so intriguing as that of the estate's secret "pyramids", or memorial cairns. There are 11 of these, strewn almost negligently around the near-50,000-acre estate. The largest is a stone monolith more in keeping with the design of the great dynastic structures of Ancient Egypt than anything Scottish, while the smaller ones are scattered like clues to a greater mystery. And seeking them out – on a hunt akin to an Indiana Jones-type treasure hunt – is a little bit of everyday magic hidden among the Scots pine, firs and hemlocks.

Like many visitors to the Royal Deeside, I'd been to the country's best-known estate before. Located in the eastern Cairngorm mountains, the turreted 167-room castle, ballroom, mews courtyard, sunken garden and thistle-shaped maze are a bonanza for visitors, especially between April and early August when the full grandeur of the castle is open to ticketed visitors. There are around 80 residential properties on the wider estate, too, plus commercial forestry plantations, a hydroelectric dam, facilities for deer stalking and grouse shooting and a golf course.

But following the Covid-19 pandemic, when locals were forced to stay closer to home and making nearby discoveries became the national habit, the unlikely memorials appeared on social media posts like whispered secrets. Balmoral estate is 100 miles from where I live in Edinburgh, so I had lodged them in my mind as a rewarding challenge to track down the next time I was in Aberdeenshire.

Why were these marvels created? According to Ewen Cameron, professor of Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh, most were commissioned by Queen Victoria to commemorate significant events in the lives of her family, including the marriages of her nine children. The cairns commemorate Prince Albert Edward, Princess Alice, Prince Arthur and Princess Beatrice among others, forming a kind of family map across the forested hills.

"Princess Louise's cairn has perhaps the most interesting backstory," said Cameron, whose research includes Scotland's post-union history from the 1700s onwards and the politics of Highlands' land ownership. "She was the sixth child and fourth daughter and married John Campbell, the 9th Duke of Argyll, and this helped strengthen the family's ties to the Highlands, which was so important to Queen Victoria. There's a certain irony that a descendant of the House of Hanover was in thrall to this romantic idea of Scotland too."

Another marker came after the death of Prince Albert in December 1861. This saw the arrival of the estate's largest cairn, in the shape of a pyramid cut from granite, explained Gordon Casely, a respected heraldist and former journalist interested in the myths and legends of the north-east. Tucked away at the top of Craig an Lurachain hill with a stunning panorama of the surrounding Cairngorms National Park, it requires the most effort to reach and is now often dubbed "the Great Pyramid of Scotland".

"The cairns are a fabulous, if unlikely, addition to the estate," Casely said. "They're absolutely intriguing, as each one has its own backstory and design, and I'm not surprised more visitors are seeking them out. Their legends are worth telling."

Setting out from the Balmoral car park at Crathie, just east of the town of Braemar, I shouldered my backpack and entered the dark of the estate's woods to see all of these silvery-stone creations for myself. An ancestral path climbed high above the silvery River Dee then rollercoastered over thick roots and fell into a sharply cut glen. Every tree branch helped blot out the early summer Sun, and the only sound was birdsong.

The first cairns I found were Princess Helena's, soon followed by Princess Louise's on a yawning gap atop a rocky outcrop. Next came the Purchase Cairn, built in October 1852 to commemorate the purchase of the Balmoral estate from members of Clan Farquharson by Prince Albert. That it was the first memorial erected still holds significance today: the twisted forest is a maze, and the cairn's lofty outlook on the summit of Craig Gowan makes it by far the easiest to track down. It also captures one of the finest views of Royal Deeside.

What many don't realise is the cairns might well have ended up elsewhere. In the mid-1800s, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited a number of Highland estates before alighting on Balmoral. For a time, the royal couple even considered buying Ardverikie estate, which overlooks Loch Laggan on the far western side of the Cairngorms. For them, Cameron mused, it was perhaps too hard to get to, even for the Highlands. The alternative – Balmoral Castle – was leased in 1848, before the full estate was purchased four years later.

"Balmoral… was out of the way, but not too much," Cameron explained. "It had everything. The rugged Highlands' scenery, the River Dee, the mountains, and the Queen had imbibed this increasingly romantic idea of what Scotland was. Balmoral also became very useful to her after Albert's death in 1861 – she was in a kind of purdah after he died, aged only 42. It provided her with a sanctuary from the world."

Hunting down the cairns is a journey into that past – and into the very idea of Scotland as shaped by Victorian ideals. Queen Victoria was responsible for what has been labelled the "Balmoralisation" of the Highlands, and, as Cameron told me, the idea is still very alive in the minds of many of those who visit.

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• A world-first in the Scottish Highlands

"Scotland has long been pitched as an empty, wild, romantic place – even though we Scots know it's not," he said. "That idea has carried on through the centuries, whether through the influence of a writer like Sir Walter Scott or the art of Edward Landseer, a favourite painter of Queen Victoria, whose most celebrated work, The Monarch of the Glen, is a potent romanticisation of the deer-filled landscapes like Balmoral."

Today, for interested visitors, that royal commission-turned-nation-defining painting is on display at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Back in the woods, my journey continued through this largely unchanged landscape, along six miles of meditative woodland trails in the company of red squirrels and an osprey, before, finally, the path began to climb steeply uphill. Then the trees opened onto a memorable scene: the near-11m-high Prince Albert pyramid overlooking all of Royal Deeside. The view was the archetype of beauty in nature: romantic and wild, just as it was when Queen Victoria first raised her royal banners there. The pyramid, stark and stony, is an unlikely version of the Highlands from the one that so many dream of.

Even in a country home to a trove of ancient stones, Neolithic sites and mysterious histories, this Victorian cairn is still a marvel. Approaching it and the other cairns on foot, alone and in silence apart from droning insects and birdsong, has the effect of making them even more bewitching – especially when seen in brilliant sunlight, under an uncommonly saltire-blue Highland sky.

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A vintage ride on the British Isles' only electric mountain railway

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250710-a-vintage-ride-on-the-british-isles-only-electric-mountain-railway, 5 days ago

The Snaefell Mountain Railway reveals the Isle of Man's forgotten tourism boom – and serves as a gateway to the seven mythological kingdoms.

Our train was crawling slowly up a steeply pitched valley that felt hidden from the rest of the world. To the right of the tracks, the Laxey River dropped suddenly, turning south to vanish into the Irish Sea. Here and there, sheep grazed and the soft scent of gorse wafted into the carriage. I gazed out as the vegetation disappeared and we rattled higher – higher – as the train spiralled around the mountain's bald summit.

A howling wind greeted our arrival at the top station, and I looked out to a sea that had turned to thrashing waves. The view stretched even further. According to folklorists, the summit is where one can glimpse seven kingdoms, including those that aren’t acknowledged by any map. I could see England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man, but up there you can also see that of Manannán mac Lir, son of the sea and king of the otherworld in Gaelic mythology, and the kingdom of heaven. For believers, the journey is an imagined pilgrimage.

Snaefell, or "Snow Mountain", is no ordinary peak and the Snaefell Mountain Railway is no ordinary train. I was on the Isle of Man, atop the island's highest peak, having ridden the only electric mountain railway in the British Isles. The tradition to ride to the top is a profound one, but, equally, to learn about the train is to build a vivid portrait of the Isle of Man. For the railway's story is one of unemployment and migration, engineering milestones and the rise of Victorian-era tourism, and it still looms large in the legend of the island, revealing the independent character at the very heart of Manx life.

The day had begun at the Manx Museum, the Isle of Man's national museum in Douglas. The former hospital building is a nostalgic place by nature, with galleries dedicated to Viking silver hoards, Celtic crosses and Tynwald (the oldest continuous parliament in the world) helping distil the island's 10,000-year history into bite-sized nuggets. Chiefly, I was interested in the railway's timeline, which led me to the social history galleries and an encounter with Katie King, the museum's curator of art and social history.

"In the mid-19th Century, the Isle of Man was in a mess," she said, as we symbolically slipped back in time. "There was low population growth, no employment, exponential immigration and the island's mining industry was collapsing. The [Isle of] Man government was alarmed by all of this."

At the time, this was a familiar lament across many communities in the British Isles. But the Isle of Man, a UK Crown Dependency, had a secret weapon: its influential lieutenant governor, Sir Henry Brougham Loch, 1st Baron Loch. In office from 1863 to 1882, Loch realised the island's potential as a destination for spa tourism. Seaside holidays were booming in Queen Victoria's era and the Isle of Man, with sandy beaches and bracing waters, was primed to reap the rewards.

In one sense, the island's capital, Douglas, was sacrificed to tourism. A glossy marketing campaign appeared on the London Underground in the 1870s, featuring idyllic sailing boats and beautiful women in swimming costumes, transforming the working-class port town into a glamorous holiday destination. The journey to get there, from ports including Blackpool, Whitehaven, Silloth, Ardrossan and Greenock by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the world's oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company, was also portrayed as an exotic sea crossing to a mystical island.

The speed at which things changed was astonishing. At its peak, 11 steamer ships made the crossing from Liverpool daily; and, by 1880, nearly 350,000 visitors were arriving every summer. A staggering 1,500 hotels opened, and, within a decade, Douglas had been transformed with a seafront promenade, pier and the largest ballroom in Europe. Despite moral outcry from the influential Methodist community, the island attracted legions of unchaperoned single men and women. And with liberal drinking laws, it was once described, as King puts it, as "one of the most debauched places in Britain".

"But the governor wasn't content with stopping there," added King. "All those visitors only spent time in Douglas because there weren't opportunities to explore the island. So, building a train was the next obvious step."

Enter the Manx Electric Railway at the northern end of the Loch Promenade. First opened to the coastal town of Groudle in 1893, it is now the oldest electric tram line in the world with its original rolling stock still in service. Then, two years later, the Snaefell Mountain Railway arrived as part of a further tourism push. Remarkably, the two connecting lines still run with much of their original Victorian-era infrastructure. Both feel like museums on wheels.

If it's fascinating to hear these stories, it's more thrilling to ride to Snaefell, all while peering out of the world's oldest operational electric tram cars. While the epic views mean that comfort is secondary, the enjoyment of the three-hour return journey to the summit comes from riding on period piece Victorian tram cars doing what they were built to do. First, the Manx Electric Railway rattles, stutters and sways along the seven-mile track from Derby Castle Station to Laxey; then it's a quick switch onto the Snaefell Mountain Railway as it pushes uphill for a further five miles to 621m. Inside, the shallow arched carriages are polished ash and pitch pine. There are glazed vestibules, mirrored panels and sliding windows. For me, it had the particular atmosphere of an Orient Express, as if run by model railway enthusiasts. For the Manx, the legends and reality of the train are ingrained in their psyche.

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"When the railway opened, it was like science fiction," Andrew Scarffe, Manx Heritage Railways' technical support officer, told me when I met him at the depot. "Droves of people came over on the ferry just to see its electric technology and innovation. What's rarely spoken of is we were 130 years ahead of the rest of the world with green travel. We began generating our own power back in the 1890s to run the railway, and the electric tram cars are still doing what they were built to be doing. Slow travel by electric train? It all started here."

As Scarffe tells it, the railway had one million annual passenger journeys at its peak, with trains leaving Derby Castle Station for Laxey every three minutes. These days, the Isle of Man's holiday traditions have been eroded, but the train still completes around 200,000 passenger journeys a year, from April to October. Like me, many come for the ride through the glens and fields, the train clawing past beech trees bursting to green before the hillside peters into rocks. Some come for the rare experience of driving the tram itself, with one day train-driving tutorials available. And those of a more spiritual bent come to savour the seven kingdoms.

Before dusk, I reflected on much of this as I scrambled to Snaefell's true summit above the rail tracks. Ireland lay in front of me, with Wales, Scotland and England at my back, facing east. Above, so Manx folklore says, was the domain of "otherworld", a legend more difficult to ignore because of the remains of a Victorian-era observatory at the summit. Around me was the watery kingdom of Manannán mac Lir (fun fact: he's reputedly buried under a grassy knoll behind the walls of Peel Castle on the island's west coast).

All of this was a confusion of the real and make-believe. And yet, looking out at this island full of stories made me realise that my short journey onboard the Snaefell Mountain Railway had taken me to more places than I ever could've imagined. It seems an ordinary train, but the tracks of this tiny electric mountain railway continue to keep both fantasy and so much of Manx history and culture alive.

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The ski resort Olympians flock to each summer

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250703-the-ski-resort-olympians-flock-to-to-each-summer, 12 days ago

Tucked into the Andes Mountains in Chile, Ski Portillo is a place where time stands still. With no town and limited rooms, there's not much to do besides ski – which is exactly the point.

For many, a modern-day ski resort might include towering peaks cloaked in fluffy snow, high-tech lift lines, luxurious hotels with fabulous spas, buzzing apres-ski bars and shops filled with the latest in cold-weather fashion. These days, top mountain destinations are bustling winter wonderlands that cater as much to non-skiers as they do to powder hounds. But tucked away in the Chilean Andes is Ski Portillo, a remote, all-inclusive resort that's only open during the South American winter. There's little to do but ski – and for its devoted fans, that's exactly the point.

Spread across 5 sq km and home to 35 trails serviced by 14 lifts (including several drag lifts), Portillo was the first ski resort in South America. While it is not as massive as what you'll find in the Rockies or Alps, its off-piste terrain and advanced-level challenges have made it a bucket list destination. Just as important is the atmosphere: Portillo feels frozen in time – in the best way.

While other resorts have aggressively modernised, Portillo has held fast to its old-school charm. Getting here requires a two-hour drive north-east from Santiago on the same narrow mountain highway as transport trucks. The bright yellow hotel – where visitors gather for meals and barside revelry – has barely changed. Overnight capacity has only grown ever-so-slightly to 450 since it opened. There's no town to hang out in, and not much for non-skiers to do.

Launched by the Chilean government in 1949, Portillo's modern era began in the 1960s when Bob Purcell, a New York finance hotshot, won it at auction (he was the sole bidder). He then asked his nephew Henry, then 26 and making his way up at Hilton Hotels, to become its general manager. Skiing in the area goes back even further: Norwegian engineers traversed the mountains on skis in the 1880s while working on the railway linking Chile to the Argentine city of Mendoza on the other side of the Andes. After its completion in 1910, locals would ride the train – as if it were a ski lift – before skiing back down the peaks. That railway is long gone, but Portillo, equipped with real ski lifts now, is still going strong, with the Purcells still at the helm.

According to Ellen Guidera Purcell, Henry's wife and a key figure in Portillo's day-to-day operations, the early days mostly involved the Purcells inviting their famous friends here for ski parties. "The parties were an omen of the future," Guidera said. "Because Portillo has continued not only as a place for beautiful skiing but also as a place for good times with family and friends, a place of happy dinners, parties, bar dancing and making memories."

Carolina Mendoza, a retired business owner, first visited Portillo in the mid-1970s as a teenager growing up in Venezuela. She's returned nearly every year since, only missing a Portillo season during the pandemic or while living in Europe. For Mendoza, whose mother is Chilean, there's a magic to this little mountain hamlet. "There's such a sense of community here," she said. 'It almost makes you feel like you're with family."

But Portillo has also become synonymous with serious skiing. Known for its challenging alpine terrain, it hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1966, which established its reputation as a hardcore winter sports destination. Today, both the convivial atmosphere and the hair-raising slopes remain critical to Portillo's cult-favoured status. Every year from June to September, when the northern hemisphere is in the throes of summer, snow-chasers from the US, Canada, Europe and Latin America head here to enjoy an endless winter. Many, like Mendoza, are repeat visitors. Others are world-class athletes in training for big-ticket events like the Olympics.

US Olympian Breezy Johnson, a World Champion ski racer, has been to Portillo five times. Her first visit, in 2015, included training runs with skiing legends like Julia Mancuso, Laurenne Ross and Leanne Smith. "Portillo is a very unique place. I call it the cruise ship because it's kind of the only thing for a ways around," she recalls. "When I first came I was a bit – a lot – intimidated by the stark world that is Portillo."

That starkness turns out to be a perk. Johnson, who is now based in Jackson, Wyoming, says the compact layout is ideal. "We can literally walk down to breakfast, head to the slopes, put our seven pairs of skis out on the snow and get going," she says. "That convenience as opposed to multiple trams in Europe, long drives in New Zealand or a snowmobile ride down in Corralco, [Chile] makes the training super beneficial because you can maximise energy for skiing."

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And its not just Olympians who love the challenging terrain and no-fuss nature of skiing here. Intrepid visitors can often be seen hiking from lifts to explore off-piste terrain, and Roca Jack, one of Portillo's most beloved expert runs, extends to the bottom of the mountain for more than 2.6km. While elite athletes like Johnson love to train on Portillo's long trails and steep turns, so do average advanced skiers. But don't think you have to be at that level to enjoy the resort: given the tougher landscape, top-notch instructors are available to help intermediate skiers improve their skills.

The most popular package is a week-long stay with room, board and lift tickets. But the Purcells are evolving the experience, including introducing standalone A-frame chalets for those seeking more privacy, as well as events like Wine Week in August, when some of Chile's most esteemed vineyards host educational tastings. You can also level up with a heli-skiing tour of the area, or pair your Portillo visit with a few days at a partner hotel, like VIK, a luxury winery hotel located four hours south. But, "Portillo is about skiing," Guidera insists, adding that while they recently updated their guestrooms, there are still no TVs in there.

Perhaps more than anything, Portillo is about community. In a place where everyone loves the same thing and where there isn't much else to do, you'll run into the same faces at lunch at Tio Bob's or in the hot tub before dinner. "Life in Portillo happens on the slopes and in the many hotel common spaces where guests interact with one another and with us," Guidera says. "Friendships are made, couples fall in love, some get engaged, some get married there, babies are made, others leave saying 'what happens in Portillo stays in Portillo', and some have their ashes eventually scattered in Portillo."

In fact, Mendoza met her second husband here, through common friends she's made at Portillo over the years. And Johnson adds, the friends you make include the staff, who might be skiing on the same runs as you on their days off. After all, as she says, "It is a small community nestled in the mountains."

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Where to go instead of the big US parks this summer

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250703-where-to-go-instead-of-the-big-us-parks-this-summer, 13 days ago

There are more than 400 sites in the US National Park System. Here's why it's time to skip the most-visited top 10 and seek out quieter, equally spectacular ground.

Winding through one of the wildest corners of Colorado, 210,000-acres deep in Dinosaur National Monument, I found myself balancing sideways on the crest of the biggest wave in the river – somehow staying upright through the whirling Class IV rapids. That week, I paddled 71 miles down the Yampa River, Colorado's last free-flowing river, camping beneath towering red-and-orange striped canyons etched by ancient peoples. The experience left me with something rare: space to breathe and trust in the river to take its course.

Unlike marquee parks that strain under the pressure of mass tourism, Dinosaur has quietly struck a balance between visitation and protection. The original head of the Sierra Club, David Brower, saw its value back in the 1950s when he fought to stop a proposed dam on the Yampa. Without him, many of these canyons would now be underwater.

"The riparian zone on the Yampa River is the most natural stretch of river in Colorado," says Tom Kleinschnitz, director of Visit Moffat County. "Preservation of this resource is crucial for the natural habitat, and it is one of the last natural river sections that visitors can observe, enjoy and play in."

Rethinking how (and where) we explore

From Acadia's rocky coast to Yosemite's soaring peaks, the US has no shortage of iconic national parks. But visitation numbers continue to climb, often outpacing infrastructure and threatening the very environments they showcase.

To protect these wild places – especially as US national parks, forests and wildlife habitats are under threat of cuts and understaffing – long-time nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, Western National Parks has launched new itineraries spotlighting 72 lesser-known US parks and monuments.

"Our lesser-known parks are truly hidden gems," says Marie Buck, the association's president and CEO.

"They often offer a more intimate experience and an opportunity to understand the under-told stories that have shaped the nation. And they do all this often with fewer crowds." Since its founding, the nonprofit has contributed $162m to responsible visitation of US public lands.

Others are also encouraging off-the-beaten-path exploration. Former park ranger Ashli Nudd curates personalised national park itineraries; while Outdoorable, a company formed in the wake of potential NPS layoffs, is hiring former rangers to create custom trip itineraries and offer traveller tips. Even adventure travel company Intrepid Travel recently launched Active-ism tours through Zion and the Grand Canyon with routes designed to avoid high-traffic areas.

Here are four underrated spots that prove you don't need to sacrifice beauty, biodiversity or a sense of wonder to travel responsibly this summer.

Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah

This rugged desert landscape spans 210,000 acres across Colorado and Utah, blanketed with of purple park rockcress and rich with prehistoric fossils – including 1,500 dinosaur specimens from the 23 species unearthed here since 1909.

The findings, some of the most significant in the field, transformed paleontology – with the earliest-found bones even reaching the living room of Scottish industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who helped secure national monument status in 1915.

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Today, visitors can raft between spectacular towering canyon cliffs under certified International Dark Skies. The Yampa River remains one of the country's last undammed rivers and among the hardest river rafting permits to obtain, while the connecting Green River offers more accessible rafting routes, with stops for day hikes to waterfalls and ancient rock carvings. If rafting isn't for you, drive through canyon country to Echo Park to marvel at some of the monument's most dramatic scenery. Don't leave without seeing the wild horses grazing at nearby Sand Wash Basin and the largest wild mustang sanctuary in the US, the new Wild Horse Refuge, just outside the park.

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan

Accessible only by boat or seaplane, Isle Royale is one of the US's least-visited national parks – and one of its most peaceful. Located 56 miles from Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, the archipelago of 450 islands floats in the cool expanse of Lake Superior and is only open from mid-April through October each year.

To get here, catch the ferry from Copper Harbor or Grand Portage – your luggage will be ferried by wheeled carts to the lodges and campsites. There are no cars allowed on this Unesco-designated wilderness, so be prepared to explore by foot, canoe or kayak (rentals available at the Rock Harbor Marina and Lodge).

On Isle Royale, one of the world's largest lake islands, see where native Americans extracted copper to hand shape tools, weapons and ornaments 8,000 years ago. Then hike the island's trails to see moose and beaver and to find hidden fishing spots, like the Indian Portage Trail on Lake Richie.

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Maine

On your next New England trip, skip the crowds at Acadia National Park and head inland to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument instead. In the towering shadow of the state's highest peak, Mt Katahdin, lies a network of rivers and streams that once moved logs – Maine's primary heritage industry – from the woods to the mills. The mountaintop, which Henry David Thoreau called "vast, titanic, inhuman" marks the end of the world's longest hiking-only footpath, the Appalachian Trail.

The monument was established in 2016 following an 87,500-acre land donation by environmentalist and Burt's Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby. Visitors can explore the 11,000-year-old land and waterways of Maine's native Wabanaki people, who relied on the woods and waterways for sustenance, transportation and cultural practices. There's also cross-country skiing, snowshoe hiking, biking and fishing in deep river valleys. Watch out for moose (Maine has the most moose of any state except Alaska) and embrace the rustic solitude at one of the park's campgrounds or cabins.

As night falls, this International Dark SkySanctuary offers pristine stargazing at Katahdin Loop Road Overlook and Kimball Deadwater.

North Cascades National Park, Washington

Just 2.5 hours from Seattle, North Cascades offers soaring mountains, alpine lakes and more than 300 glaciers on half a million acres of wilderness – yet receives just 1% of the visitors to nearby Olympic National Park.

While spring brings roaring waterfalls after the snowmelt, summer fills trails with vibrant lupine, paintbrush, columbine and glacier lilies. Adventurous travellers can paddle pristine lakes or hike through wildflower-filled meadows on the Maple Pass Loop. For a more challenging trek, the Cascade Pass and Sahale Arm trail provides breathtaking vistas of glaciers and rugged peaks. If you prefer a scenic drive, the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20), winds through the park offering dramatic views and quiet picnic spots.

At night, this stargazer's paradise offers astrophotography classes under some of Washington's darkest skies. Camp riverside or stay in a restful lakefront cabin at North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin.

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Want Italy's best food? Head to its national parks

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250704-why-italys-national-parks-are-perfect-for-foodies, 11 days ago

With so many famous cities and coasts to explore, most visitors to Italy never think to stop by its national parks, but these wild landscapes produce epic Italian culinary adventures.

Whenever we visit my husband's family in Calabria, at the tippy toe of Italy's boot, we invariably take the train; it beats the six-hour drive down an autostrada (motorway) full of lorries. But this time, we're taking the car since we'll be making a detour to a national park. For us, and for many Italians, that means one thing: we're bringing back food.

Italy has so many renowned cities and coastlines that most visitors never think to explore its parchi nazionali (national parks), let alone know that these wild areas are some of the best food destinations in a nation famous for its cuisine.

Italy has 26 national parks marching from its rugged Alpine spine in the north to its saw-toothed heel in the south, encompassing mountain ranges, waterfalls, centuries-old forests, picturesque villages and ghost towns. But within these biodiverse landscapes are also farms, generational vineyards and orchards. Hikers may pass herds of dairy cows, hogs and sheep and then wander past artisanal food stands and restaurants offering park-to-table dishes made with ingredients sourced directly from the surrounding land.

A nature lover's paradise? Certainly. An in the-know, Italians-only foodie secret? Absolutely.

National parks – Italian style

It may come as a surprise that Italy's national parks produce some of the country's finest food. After all, in many places – such as the US – private farms are rare on protected land. But in Italy, where many national parks were created around ancient villages and centuries-old agricultural businesses, it's a different story.

"In Italy, people and nature go hand in hand. They aren't two separate things. It's really a philosophical idea," says Paolo Iannicca, a tour guide based in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. As a result, Italy's rich biodiversity combined with its ancient pastoral footprint have birthed an enormous variety of enogastronomic products – cultivated throughout the centuries and revered to this day.

Travelling to a national park to source the best ingredients may be the most Italian travel experience of all.

"It's in our DNA," says chef Maria Nasso, who frequently collaborates with the Parco Nazionale del Circeo's culinary initiatives. "Italians structure their days around food. Even the choice of accommodation when visiting a park during holidays – good food is always a constant."

That's why national park food experiences hit so hard for Italians. Though famous overseas for dishes like lasagna or pizza, within Italy, food culture is passionately tied to single ingredients and each village is often renowned for a locally cultivated product.

You may have heard of Parma ham and Marsala wine. Go deeper: the provola of Agerola; the artichokes of Sezze; the lentils of Pescasseroli. Italians may love pasta alla carbonara but we lose our minds over a strain of ancient wheat, gifting artisanal products to each other as though offering jewels to our liege. "I've been to the Dolomites," we'll say. "I bestow upon you the prized rhododendron honey."

Italy's wild parks are the epicentre of chilometro zero (zero-kilometre) products, from cheese to meat to native vegetables. "For Italians, typical local products are non-negotiable," says Iannicca, who runs La Bottega di Gaia, an artisanal shop selling products from the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise. "They want to eat authentic, typical food, and that's exactly what [parks] provide."

Teresa Maradei, founder of the farm Terrægusto in Calabria's Parco Nazionale del Pollino, echoes this sentiment: "In Italy, food is part of the emotional geography. Visiting a park to savour its flavours means living the landscape with all your senses. It's a uniquely Italian way of doing ecotourism."

So why are Italy's national parks – and their culinary riches – off many tourists' radars?

"Because Italy's tourism narrative abroad is still too focused on art cities and iconic destinations," says Maradei."Parks are seen only as natural reserves, not as places of food culture."

But with the rise of the Slow Food movement in the late 1980s, dining in national parks – which widely encourage organic, eco-sustainable farming practices – is becoming increasingly popular. "More and more, travellers seek slow, immersive and genuine experiences – not just eating, but seeing where the product is born, who cultivates it and how it's transformed," says Maradei.

Italian national park websites typically list the park's endemic products, restaurants, dairies and enogastronomic itineraries.

"[National parks are] what you might call a 'lesser known' Italy, but not a lesser Italy," says Iannicca. "Italy is a nation made up of thousands of small, scattered towns. If you only go to the usual places… you're missing the real Italy."

Hence, us in our car, ready to devour the bounty of Calabria.

The Parco Nazionale del Pollino

Stretching 193,000 hectares, the Parco Nazionale del Pollino is Italy's largest protected wilderness area. It straddles both the Calabria and Basilicata regions and is home to epic mountain climbing, Bosnian pine forests and the nucleus of Italy's Arbëreshë (Italo-Albanian) population – the descendants of Albanians who found refuge here in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries.

Among its famed products are the fagiolo poverello bianco (white beans) of Mormanno, the white onions of Castrovillari, the caciocavallo cheese of Sila and the peppers of Senesi.

After our six-hour drive, we base ourselves in the village of Mormanno and visit the Neolithic ruins of Frascineto – believed by some locals to be an ancient solstice clock. At a trattoria, we refuel with an antipasto platter heaped with park-produced prosciutto and polenta draped with melted caciocavallo cheese.

The next day, we hike through massive Bosnian pine groves over carpets of wildflowers, passing mooing herds of Podolica cows. But the highlight comes in the town of Civita, with an Arbëreshë meal at Ristorante Kamastra. First we are served a selection of pickles made from Castrovillari onions, fava beans and oily hunks of cubed prosciutto. Then there is cavatelli con ricotta e nenesa (cavatelli pasta with ricotta and local nettles) followed by cinghiale alla bracconeria (boar in a savoury sauce). The standout is the krustul, an Arbëreshë dessert made of fried dough, cinnamon and Pollino honey.

Before leaving the park, we stop at the Catasta Pollino museum and culinary outpost and buy:

One sack white beans of Mormanno

One sack lentils of Mormanno

One box park-grown almonds and figs covered in chocolate

One fat round of caprino cheese

One bottle Timpa delle Fave white wine

One bottle Gëzuar Magliocco red wine

Back home, we soak the beans overnight then sauté them in tomatoes, peperoncino and garlic to make a stew, which we serve alongside hunks of the cheese and bread torn impatiently from the loaf. The prized beans are small, tender and flavourful, like pearls of butter on our tongues.

"Because every ingredient tells a story – of a family, a landscape, a season," says Maradei. "Italians cook the land itself, and endemic ingredients are markers of belonging. It's not just about taste – it's about recognising oneself in a shared past."

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The world's most liveable cities for 2025 - and what it's really like to live there

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250710-the-worlds-most-liveable-cities-for-2025, 4 days ago

While Vienna has topped the Global Liveability Index for years, 2025 crowned a new number one. From Copenhagen to Melbourne, we asked locals what it's actually like to reside in these famously liveable cities.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has long ranked cities around the globe, offering a data-backed snapshot of where life is most comfortable and secure. The world's top-ranked cities have been remarkably consistent over the past few years. But in 2025, one major shift jolted the rankings: for the first time in three years, Vienna was dethroned. Copenhagen rose to the top thanks to perfect scores in stability, education and infrastructure – a tough trifecta to beat.

However, the biggest shake-ups in 2025 weren't just about rising or falling scores – they were about safety, with geopolitical tensions rising worldwide. Vienna, in particular, suffered from a bomb threat that cancelled the 2024 Taylor Swift concert as well as a recently planned attack on a train station.

Still, cities in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada continue to fare well in the rankings, with Osaka the only Asian city cracking the top 10. So, what's it really like to call one of these places home? We asked locals from five of this year's top-ranked cities to find out.

Copenhagen

Taking the top spot in the liveability index, the Danish capital also recently ranked as the world's happiest city. The two go hand in hand, as Copenhagen's high stability, infrastructure and environment scores directly translate into daily happiness for residents.

"Trains show up at 12:16 when they are scheduled for 12:16. No one blinks if you turn up in sneakers at a fancy restaurant, and a swim in a clean harbour is possible even in January if you are feeling brave," said Copenhagen resident Thomas Franklin, CEO of fintech company Swapped.com. "Copenhagen wins me over every time with its calmness. Streets are wide, bikes outnumber cars and the city runs on common sense."

Franklin also appreciates the city's community spirit and a lack of pressure that means you can meet a friend by the water with no planning and have coffee for two hours. While the skies might often be grey, he says the city is brightened by open-air markets, public saunas and the sound of kids running in the park. "It is a city that never tries too hard but always delivers," he said.

American journalist Olivia Liveng moved here eight years ago and says that raising a child here has been "an unexpectedly wonderful experience" due to the city's family-friendly nature. "Our 2.5-year-old son attends a highly subsidised daycare that costs us about US$600 per month, covering everything," she said. "You can truly see where your tax money goes."

A good work-life balance also benefits families, with many companies encouraging employees to take three weeks off in July. In addition, Liveng finds the infrastructure to be thoughtfully designed. "There are elevators in all metro stations, clean and reliable public transport and stroller-friendly buses," she said, contrasting it to a recent visit to New York, where a lack of lifts meant navigating the subway with a pushchair was a challenge.

For a dose of local hygge, Liveng recommends a swim at Sandkaj Harbour Bath in the Nordhavn district. "It's a favourite spot to dip and lay in the Sun, especially during the warmer months," she said. For a winter visit, Franklin suggests the Islands Brygge harbour baths. "Grab a hot chocolate, sit at the water's edge and just watch Copenhagen drift by," he said. "The small rituals here are what stick with you."

Vienna

The Austrian capital may have slipped from first to second place in the index, but its perfect healthcare score still outranks every other city. It also maintains perfect scores in both education and infrastructure. The result is a place that residents rave about.

"I'm a native New Yorker who moved to Vienna for the lifestyle about four years ago and have no plans on returning," said Nataleigh O'Connell, a communications consultant at UNIDO. "I've found a quality of life that I didn't think was possible in a major capital city."

She points to affordability as a major draw, noting that rent is extremely reasonable, with a city-centre one-bedroom flat costing less than €850 per month. Vienna's extensive public transportation network is also clean and affordable, priced at just €1 a day for city residents.

"It's a city that offers enough of everything, whether it be new restaurants, world-class performances or art exhibitions, without ever feeling overwhelming," said O'Connell. To experience Vienna like a local, she recommends visiting heurigen, local vineyards within the city limits. "The hiking trails that connect them offer spectacular views of the city," she said.

Geneva

Switzerland consistently ranks high for quality of life, thanks to policy and infrastructure that support well-being. Both Zurich and Geneva made the top five this year, but Geneva residents say their city has a different feel – more compact, more relaxed but with all the benefits of a global hub.

"Geneva is a well-run city in a well-run country," said resident James F Royal, who moved here from Florida several years ago and is the author of the book Options Trading 101. "It offers many of the benefits of the big city – music, arts, business – in a cosier environment, meaning you get many advantages of urban life without the usual disadvantages."

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With perfect healthcare and infrastructure scores, the city is also clean, safe and easy to navigate. "Whether you want to walk to your destination or use the dense public transportation system, you can get around easily with no car required," Royal said. In addition, Switzerland's reliable train network and central location make it easy to travel almost anywhere in Europe in just a few hours.

Geneva is also one of Switzerland's most diverse cities, with more than 40% of residents born abroad. "Inhabitants get the benefits of that diversity, such as a wide range of cuisines and people with interesting backgrounds," Royal said.

The city's natural beauty – especially the crescent-shaped Lake Geneva and its mountain backdrop – also add to the appeal of daily life. The lake has plenty of spots to picnic and sunbathe, with La Grange Park offering unique lake views and expansive rose gardens. Royal recommends visitors enjoy the restaurants and pop-up bars that appear during the summer months, and the Christmas markets in the winter.

Melbourne

Ranked fourth in the index, Melbourne received perfect marks in healthcare and education. But its high scores in culture and environment are what inched it above other Australian cities – including Sydney and Adelaide, which also cracked the top 10.

Melbourne also scored well on infrastructure – and lawyer Oliver Morrisey says he chose to base his practice here due to an overall efficiency he rarely finds in other major cities.

"I can walk from the Supreme Court to a client meeting near Collins Street in under 15 minutes; and I can work intensely during the day then take my daughter for a walk through Fitzroy Gardens after school," he said. "That is what liveability means to me. It is not just about lifestyle. It is about ease of movement between the parts of life that matter."

Even for those outside the city centre, Melbourne's transportation network makes getting around simple. "The transport system connects the inner and outer suburbs for an easy commute within 50 minutes without segregating suburbs," said Melbourne resident Katherine Tuominen, founder of Catalyst Brand Strategy, who has lived in 10 cities around the world but finds Melbourne the most liveable.

She also loves Melbourne's multicultural energy, which brings together people from all walks of life and fuels a vibrant mix of activities, events and cuisines. "It's never boring, and there are always new ways to broaden your perspective and try something different," she said.

She recommends visitors wander the city's graffiti-lined laneways or explore speakeasy-style bars like Beneath Driver Lane and Miss Gunn's Basement Bar. Morrisey suggests lunch on Lygon Street, widely considered the birthplace of the city's cafe culture. "Eat slow, talk loud and take your time," he said. "That is the real Melbourne."

Osaka

The only Asian city to make the top 10 (ranked seventh overall), Osaka scored perfect marks in stability, healthcare and education. And while it's often overshadowed by flashier Tokyo, Osaka's under-the-radar vibe is exactly what residents love about living here.

"Osaka is a very well-developed, very cool city," said long-time resident Graham Hill who runs the review website Osaka City. "It is to Japan what San Francisco might be to the United States: a smaller city, but with a unique flavour of its own."

The city's reliable infrastructure – including a clean, punctual and wide-reaching transit system – make Osaka easy to live in, without the crowds of Tokyo. Hill says it's simpler to get reservations at top-tier places, and the prices are much better as well.

Dominic Dijkstra, director of mixology at the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Osaka, agrees: "Whether it's a quick bowl of ramen after work or a beautifully crafted kaiseki dinner, you're never far from an amazing meal."

Dijkstra learned his craft in Manchester, England, and says that Osaka has a similar kind and unpretentious vibe. "People are proud of their culture and are always ready to share it with you," he said. "Osaka has a warmth and humour in everyday life that makes it feel liveable beyond convenience. People chat to you in shops, joke with you at the bar and make the city feel like home."

While Osaka has major tourist attractions like the historic Osaka Castle, Hill recommends visitors seek out everyday Osaka pleasures. "Hanging out at Streamer Coffee Company in Shinsaibashi is a first-class 'cool' urban experience to rival any city," he said. "Grabbing something to eat from Utsubo Bakery Panena and sitting down in Utsubo Park delivers some of the simple pleasures available to an Osaka local."

Dijkstra recommends heading to Kyobashi train hub to find the city's true soul, noting that the string of tiny bars just outside the station is always full of friendly Osakans at any time of day. "Grab a beer or a highball and squeeze in next to the locals," he said. "You'll get an authentic glimpse into why this city is so special."

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Italy's sunken city returning from the sea

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250710-italys-sunken-city-returning-from-the-sea, 7 days ago

A volcanic eruption sank Aenaria nearly 2,000 years ago. Now, underwater tours and ongoing excavations are bringing Ischia's fascinating history back to the surface.

"You're fine. Just don't look down."

I hold my breath, take the captain's outstretched hand and board the boat. The waves glimmer beneath my feet; the only thing separating me from the sea is a pane of glass.

As our tour sets sail, the vast Bay of Cartaromana opens up before us. Jagged cliffs shoot up from the waves; sunbathers sprawl on the inlet bridge leading to the 2,500-year-old Aragonese Castle, attached to the island like the tail of a whale periscoping through the waves. After just 10 minutes at sea, we reach a network of buoys marking the ruins below. I press my hands against the vessel's transparent bottom. Through the turquoise-blue water, between waving fields of seagrass and small striped fish, I glimpse a pile of rocks. Then the seagrass parts and I see that the rocks are arranged into a long rectangular form, its sides encased in wooden planks. This is an ancient city's quay; buried in the cool dark for centuries and perfectly preserved.

Ancient Rome, almost close enough to touch.

I am on the Italian island of Ischia, where sometime around AD180, the Cretaio volcano erupted, and the ensuing shockwaves sank the Roman port city of Aenaria beneath the sea.

At least, that's what archaeologists think happened. Unlike the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 – documented by Pliny the Younger in the hours before it devastated Pompeii – there are no records of the explosion, and very little written about the settlement itself.

For nearly 2,000 years, there was no physical trace of it either. The ruins lay submerged in the Bay of Cartaromana hidden for centuries beneath layers of sediment and volcanic material.

The first hints of its existence were in 1972, when two scuba divers found Roman-era pottery shards and two lead ingots off Ischia's eastern shore. The find intrigued archaeologists, but the ensuing investigation, helmed by local priest Don Pietro Monti and archaeologist Giorgio Buchner, yielded nothing. Officials cordoned off the bay. The case went cold for nearly 40 years.

Then, in 2011, passionate local sailors reopened the excavation, this time digging into the sea floor. Soon, they were able to confirm that 2m beneath the bay's volcanic seabed lay the ruins of a massive Roman-era quay. Further digs found coins, amphorae, mosaics, seaside villas and the wooden wreckage of a ship.

For centuries, Aenaria had existed somewhere between history and myth. Today, its rediscovery is reshaping Ischia's story – and offering travellers the rare chance each summer to dive into a piece of history once thought lost to the sea.

A puzzling past

As far as anyone had ever known, Ischia's DNA was Greek. The island was renowned as the site of the first Greek colony in the Italian peninsula, established around 750BC in the north of the island. The Greeks called the island Pithecusae and harnessed the healing powers of its volcanic thermal springs to found its first spas.

Today, with its lush beauty, laid-back vibe and revered thermal spa culture, Ischia is Italy's quintessential wellness retreat – despite sitting atop the Campi Flegrei supervolcano. But it's precisely that volatile volcanic geology that has shaped the island's verdant landscapes and wild beaches.

It's also what archaeologists long assumed had scared the Romans away from permanently settling here.

When the Romans seized Pithecusae sometime around 322BC, they renamed the island Aenaria – a name that appears in ancient texts from Pliny the Elder to Strabo, often in relation to military events. But unlike the Greeks, who left behind a necropolis, kilns and troves of pottery, the Romans left only a few modest tombs, engravings and scattered opus reticulatum. Scholars settled on the theory that they'd come to the island but never properly settled it – perhaps avoiding it due to its constant volcanic rumblings.

"The name was documented," echoes local resident Giulio Lauro. "But no one could find the place." Archaeologists had been looking for Roman Ischia on dry land, but it was buried below the sea.

The modern rediscovery

Lauro is the founder of the Marina di Sant'Anna; the cultural branch of the Ischia Barche sea-tourism cooperative. Along with various affiliated cultural groups – comprised of Ischian seafarers, history enthusiasts and archaeologists – they have self-funded the excavations for the past 15 years.

Lauro is quick to tell me that he's no scientist. "But I love the sea," he said. "In 2010, I got the idea to look again … People said maybe there was something there, because in the '70s they found artefacts. I thought, why not try?"

The plan was to launch underwater tours "to create a cultural attraction", says Dr Alessandra Benini, the project's lead archaeologist. "[Then] it was, 'let's see if there's truly a deeper history of our island'."

There were challenges, recalls Lauro: "Getting authorisations, training people, sourcing funds. We started from zero. We were lucky to believe in it. And then to actually find it."

Finally, the narrative could be rewritten.

"It was believed that the Romans never built a city on Ischia," says Benini. "It was the opposite."

Aenaria returned from the sea

Each day in the Bay of Cartaromana, swimmers dive off the rocks and sailboats bob in the waves. Do they know what's beneath the sea, I wonder?

"Most locals do, thanks to [the archaeologists]," says local tour guide Marianna Polverino. "But not many visitors know about Aenaria's existence, or that you can visit it."

Each summer, Benini and her team excavate the sea floor. Progress is painstaking due to a perennial shortage of funds. "They invest in Herculaneum, in Pompeii," remarks consulting archaeologist Maria Lauro, and because of the ocean's seasonal turbulence, they can only operate from May to October.

During the site's active months, curious visitors can take glass-bottomed boat tours, as well as snorkelling and scuba excursions to get even closer to the ruins. "You can see the underwater archaeologists at work, the equipment they use and everything involved," says Benini.

All tours start with viewing a 3D video in the cooperative's small auditorium, where artefacts from the site are displayed beneath glass flooring, arranged on a layer of sand evoking the seabed. My shoes tread over amphorae, oil lamps, herringbone-patterned clusters of opus spicatum tiles – a tile pattern "typically found in [Ancient] Roman shops", says Benini.

The video – featuring a submarine that winds up in a digitally reconstructed Aenaria – is geared towards children, but I'm enthralled. The quay hugs the coastline and just beyond is a Roman city resplendent with cobblestoned lanes and columned buildings. To think during the eruption nearly 2,000 years ago, someone – maybe a Roman soldier – may have been standing on that massive quay, terrified as it crumpled beneath their feet.

Benini has her own vision of that fateful day.

"There might've been a tsunami-like wave, or maybe an earthquake, that swept across the structures and pulled everything out to sea," she says. "That's the movie in our minds."

Rewriting ancient history

Each summer, a clearer picture of Aenaria emerges – although there remains some confusion as to what the ancient settlement actually was.

Were the ruins a city? Benini explains: "[The name] Aenaria referred to the island as a whole. So it's not that we haven't found the Aenaria mentioned by the ancients: Aenaria is Ischia – that's unquestionable. We've found a Roman-era settlement with a port that was well connected to the entire Mediterranean and, presumably, had an inhabited area behind it."

Radiocarbon dating of the quay's wooden stakes puts it at roughly 75 to AD30. The discovery of the shipwreck in 2020 unearthed naval equipment, like a bronze mooring post in the shape of a swan's head – typical of Roman military vessels – as well as items like lead sling bullets, suggesting that Aenaria may have been a crucial military outpost controlling the Gulf of Naples. Recovered amphorae also suggest Aenaria's wide reach; the 142 clay variants come from 12 Mediterranean production zones, stretching from Campania to the Levant. The most recent analyses showed that the site's lead came from Spain, painting an even clearer picture of how deep Aenaria's intercultural network was.

"It's likely there was also a small town nearby [the port]," says Benini. "We found thousands of mosaic tiles, roof tiles, wooden combs for hair, needles for mending nets, decorated plaster… These aren't just ship or trade related. They suggest a residential area."

Since the initial digs, two seaside villas have been uncovered, with grand tunnel-like galleries, alcoves and traces of Roman baths.

"The ruins of Aenaria give insight into the lives of the ancient people who lived on the island," says Polverino. "It was truly the centre of trade in the Mediterranean. You understand how important Ischia was – and still is – without ever forgetting the history that lies behind it."

Looking ahead

I ask Benini what she hopes to find this summer.

"My dream is to find the foundations of the residential city," she says. "If we've found the port, then we know there was a city."

The team hopes to introduce Lidar, Georadar and sub-bottom profiler instruments into the digs, but Benini points out, "That's expensive. We need more investors."

Funding aside, the true challenge for those involved has always been reaching a wider audience: "[We are] sharing a part of Ischia's history that, until now, had been missing," says Benini.

"What we've found is 99% underwater. It's like Pompeii: until it was excavated in the 1700s, no one knew it was there. But that doesn't mean it wasn't important or didn't exist."

"We rewrote history," adds Lauro. "They gave up on finding something in the bay. But we found something."

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Is this the most Scottish town in Italy?

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250702-barga-the-most-scottish-town-in-italy, 10 days ago

With deep, emotional connections to Scotland, its own tartan and a fish and chips festival, the town of Barga is an unlikely "Brigadoon" in the Tuscan hills.

In the medieval hilltop town of Barga in Tuscany's Serchio Valley, between the marble-white Apuan Alps and chestnut forests of the Apennine mountains, many things can take the unwitting visitor by surprise.

The blue and white saltire of the St Andrew's Cross, Scotland's national flag, hangs above steep, cobblestone lanes scented by wisteria. Snippets of thick Scottish accents muddle with the rhythmic flow of Italian. At the right time of year, bagpipes drone through the air. Come towards the end of January, and, if you're lucky, you'll hear the poetry of Robert Burns and get the chance to sample haggis.

Year-round, meanwhile, the Scottish staple of vigorously fried fish and chips is on the menu of local restaurants. And misty-eyed locals will not hesitate to tell you about their deep, emotional connections to Glasgow and the Ayrshire towns of Ardrossan and Largs on Scotland's west coast.

All who visit agree that Barga has a distinctive story – the local tourist board proudly proclaims it as "the most Scottish town in Italy" – and when I visited this fantasy-like "Brigadoon" to learn about its curious history, the Sun was a golden flare in the sky, the surrounding mountains sparkled and the streets were empty. The quintessential Tuscan town walls; Renaissance-era stone houses; and lemon, orange and pink villas couldn't have felt further away from the world I'd just left behind in Glasgow.

"A few years ago, we thought we'd find out how deep our connections are," said Maria Elisa Caproni, a historian and the town's librarian who had volunteered to lead me through Barga's Scottish-Italian timeline. It was a question that the town felt important to answer. "Of our 9,000 inhabitants, we calculated that about 60% have Scottish roots. It's incredible, really."

Like so many other locals, Caproni has a typical story. Struggling to find work in the Serchio Valley, family on her grandfather's side migrated from Barga to Scotland in the early 20th Century. After making money in Scotland's prospering shipyards and forestry industries, many Barghese returned a few decades later, bringing a love for their adopted homeland and many of its traditions back with them. Straight away, I noticed the connections too: contemporary Scottish art here; a red telephone box there. Earlier, at the town's entrance road, I passed a sign proclaiming Barga's twinning with Prestonpans, Cockenzie, Port Seton and Longiddry – each towns located outside Edinburgh in East Lothian.

Barga was already famous – it was an essential gateway to Rome for pilgrims, merchants and traders – and has a rich history. During the Middle Ages, the surrounding cities of Lucca, Pisa and Modena fought for the town in bitter disputes, as to rule it was to control foot traffic, population flow and – crucially – taxes.

As Caproni tells it, Barga voluntarily gave itself to Florence in 1332 to guarantee its protection, yet remained far enough away from the modern-day Tuscan capital to hold onto its independence and still benefit from advantageous tax concessions. Surveying this history today is a sensory experience: the town's most magnificent building, the Duomo, or Cathedral of San Cristoforo, is a clear sign of Barga's former wealth. The colossal limestone facade is an architectural wonder, inlaid with symbols supposedly implying the presence and influence of the Knights Templar.

"Barga was a little island of Florentine power amid the hills," said Caproni, as we started our walkabout at Porta Reale gate, a liminal space between today's new town and the medieval warren of yesteryear. "But that's just the beginning of our story."

For five centuries under Florentine rule, Barga remained squeezed between the Republic of Lucca and the House of Este, a European dynasty with fiefdoms in today's Emilia-Romagna region, including Modena and Ferrara. Then the unification of Italy in 1861 changed everything. Following the fall of Italy's ancient city-states, Barga lost its privileges, the town's silk industry declined and waves of migration to the US and the UK began. A chief beneficiary of this Barghese labour? Scotland's west coast. Many had planned to sail to the US from there, but sufficient work saw plenty go no further on their journeys.

Soon, an influx of Italians began working along the fragmented seaboard. Then, opportunities beckoned through the opening of Italian restaurants, ice cream parlours (including Scotland's most famous, Nardini's in Largs) and fish and chip shops. Ever since, there has been a flow of people, families and stories between the Tuscan hills and Firth of Clyde coast.

A place that encapsulates this story is Giro Di Boa, a fish restaurant run by Riccardo Orsucci, originally from Barga, and his wife, Adele Pierotti, originally from Glasgow. For much of their lives, the Scottish Italian, Italian Scottish couple have been at the heart of this cross-cultural exchange, having lived, worked and brought up the next generation of Barghese Scots in both countries.

"It's common for someone to turn round and speak to you in a very clear Ayrshire or Glaswegian accent here," said Pierotti. "It can get confusing for Italians too. Sometimes, they feel like they are no longer in Italy. Sometimes, I used to think that too." The Scots' vernacular was such a dominant currency a few years ago, Caproni told me, that some shops had signs on their doors reading, "Qui si parla italiano" (Italian spoken here).

Orsucci and Pierotti met in the 1970s at Glasgow's Casa d'Italia, an Italian social club for immigrants in the city's wealthy Park Circus. At the same time, Orsucci had opened a restaurant, and it was, he told me, the only Italian spot that held a traditional Burns Supper, an annual celebration of Scotland's national bard on 25 January. Now, Giro Di Boa is perhaps one of the few restaurants in Tuscany that holds a Burns Night. Certainly, it's the only one in Barga. "I like to keep these traditions alive," he said.

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The chalk-written menu outside the couple's restaurant shows dishes including polpo all Siciliana (Sicilian-style octopus), spada e pistacchi (swordfish and pistachios) – and, rather conspicuously in English, fried fish and chips. These days, that meal is also the main feature of the two-week-long Sagra del Pesce e Patate (Fish & Chips Festival) for those with an appreciation of Scotland's deep-fried food culture. For two weeks each August, the town crowds around trestle tables to enjoy the simple business of paper plates loaded with crisp battered fish, fat chips, pots of mayonnaise and slices of lemon. This being Tuscany, bottles of Chianti also feature heavily. Perhaps, the feeling is that Barga's stories of migration and homecoming are best brought to life through Britain's iconic dish.

The most obvious similarity between Italy and Scotland in Barga is a shared love of good food and good times, but it is also apparent through art. That contemporary Scottish artist John Bellany, whose father and grandfather were fishermen, bought a house in Barga and was inspired by his surroundings is another breadcrumb to follow. His works are on display at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, but his oil paintings of street scenes awash in typical Tuscan hues have also resulted in a permanent gallery opening in what became his adopted second home.

"When he arrived in Barga, his pictures exploded with colour – red, yellow and green – and it's clear the impression our town had on his creative spirit," said Caterina Campani, Mayor of Barga, whom I met later that day. "In part thanks to him, we have become a creative town of artists. More galleries open each year, and there is not only a strong emotional connection between here and Scotland but an economic one too. Many third- and fourth-generation Italian Scots have second homes now. So, Scotland is in our DNA. For us, it's a badge of honour."

It would be a mistake to think the similarities between the two places end there. There's an aesthetic dimension thanks to the Barga tartan (woven in green, white and red to represent the tricolour of the Italian flag), and Italy's other religion, football, has helped further unite the Barghese with Scotland.

Outside, on a corner of Via Borgo, I found the supporters' bar of the amateur football club, the Gatti Randagi, or the Stray Cats. It's no coincidence they play in the same green and white hoops as Celtic FC, who are based in the east end of Glasgow. In years to come, the hope is that in an increasingly divided world, these bonds will grow even stronger.

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Serious water pollution incidents up 60% in England, Environment Agency says

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg5zl75dmm0o, today

Serious pollution incidents by water companies have risen 60% in a year, according to the Environment Agency.

In total there were 2,801 pollution incidents in England in 2024, the highest on record, compared with 2,174 in 2023.

Of these, 75 were considered to pose "serious or persistent" harm to fisheries, drinking water and human health - up from 47 last year.

The Public Accounts Committee - a cross party group of MPs - called the level of pollution "woeful" and said regulators were "missing in action" in holding the industry to account.

The data from the Environment Agency comes ahead of a landmark review of the water industry, to be published on Monday.

The chair of the Water Commission, Sir John Cunliffe, will lay out his recommendations on how to improve the environmental and financial performance of the sector.

Reporting by the Guardian on Friday suggested this could include scrapping the regulator, Ofwat, altogether. A government spokesperson said: "We are not going to comment on speculation."

But speaking on the pollution data, Steve Reed, the Environment Secretary said: "These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment and weak regulation have led to record levels of sewage polluting our rivers."

Industry group Water UK acknowledged that the performance of some companies had not been good enough.

"The Environment Agency is right to highlight underinvestment in infrastructure and maintenance as the major causes of these results," said a Water UK spokesperson.

The industry was set a target to reduce pollution incidents by 40% by 2025 against 2016 levels. But this has been significantly missed - levels reported in 2024 were more than double the original EA target.

Every year the Environment Agency records the number of times pollution such as untreated sewage is released from water company sites such as treatment works into the country's waterways.

Just three companies were responsible for the vast majority of the most serious incidents - Thames Water (33), Southern Water (15) and Yorkshire Water (13).

"These figures expose a brutal truth. Serious pollution incidents are rising, sewage discharges remain rampant, and our rivers are spiralling toward ecological collapse. This is not just regulatory failure; it is a national disgrace," said River Action CEO James Wallace.

"Thames Water, the most egregious polluter, should be put into special administration to start the reset," he added.

The company saw their levels of serious pollution double, and were the worst performer for reporting pollution events to the regulator.

England has a combined sewage system which means both rainfall and sewage are processed through the same system. Last year, rainfall levels were up, which could have overwhelmed some water company infrastructure.

However, despite variations in rainfall, discharges that result in serious pollution are a breach of their permits and legal obligations.

Many incidents are reported to the Environment Agency by the companies themselves, but of the 4,000 inspections carried out last year by the regulator it found nearly a quarter of sites were in breach of their permits.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, head of the Public Accounts Committee which has published its report into the sector, strongly criticised the government and Agency for being "missing in action".

"Regulators are overwhelmed by the number of prosecutions and appear unable to deter companies from acting unlawfully. Government must act now to strengthen regulators and support their efforts to hold companies to account," he said.

The Committee said that the continued incidents are a result of the regulators - the Environment Agency and Ofwat - "fail[ing] to ensure water companies maintain vital infrastructure".

It is estimated that at current rates it would take companies 700 years to replace the entire water mains network.

Water UK said the failing infrastructure was as a result of the regulator refusing to allow the sector to raise bills to make the necessary investments.

"Investment in the sector has been suppressed with Ofwat prioritising short -term cuts to people's water bills over the long-term resilience of the network. This is finally being put right, with a record £104 billion investment over the next 5-years," the industry body spokesperson said.

As a result of this investment consumer bills are expected to rise on average by £123 annually - although for Southern Water customers this could be as much as £224.

But Sir Geoffrey told the BBC the lack of investment was the fault of the industry.

"I think over a number of years the water companies have been taking money out of the water system and channelling it away to their investors making their debts higher. Meaning, us, the customers are having a huge cost of that interest.

"Instead of paying that money towards improving capital investment, improving the capacity of sewage treatment plants or renewing leaky pipes," he said.

On Monday, Sir Jon Cunliffe, the head of the Water Commission will publish his recommendations into how the government might turn things around.

In his preliminary findings last month he echoed the conclusions of the PAC that there were "deep-rooted, systemic and interlocking failures", but was most critical of the regulators - the Environment Agency, Defra and Ofwat - for not providing proper oversight.

"We really need a regulator that is close to companies, that oversees them and monitors them continuously, as we do in financial services with the banks – not just so they can intervene early… but so they can support companies to improve," he told BBC Breakfast in June.

His recommendations next week could include an overhaul or significant changes to those regulators.

How Old Dubai's historic streets beat extreme heat

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250715-how-old-dubais-historic-streets-beat-extreme-heat, yesterday

Long before our reliance on air-conditioning, Dubai's old town kept people's homes cool using a combination of clever techniques to lower the temperature. The same techniques are being revived again today.

There's no heat like the heat of a Dubai afternoon. It is relentless – and often reaches deadly temperatures. But there's a little-known part of the city where you can cool down, and do so the old-fashioned way, without air conditioning.

As I step out of the heat and into the narrow lanes of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, part of Old Dubai, I find refuge from the midday Sun. The shaded alleys here, with their high walls, seem to conjure a cool breeze from nowhere. A kind of merciful magic. Desert winds cooled and somehow tamed. The people who built this place really knew what they were doing.

Above me, I see four storey-tall wind towers rising against the sky – ingenious structures that once cooled dwellings below. Today here in Dubai, they are home to pigeons. In this calm, more modest part of the city, luxury gives way to creativity and functionality. In the architecture of the streets, you can read the environmental wisdom of a people who worked out how to survive the desert.

Parts of the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood date to the 1700s. But the passively cooled, heatwave-resistant designs of buildings here are only becoming more relevant today. They are inspiring contemporary architecture – and even entire cities. Urban planners are turning to places like Old Dubai for inspiration as they rush to respond to climate change and the threat of rising global temperatures.

And no wonder. If clever architecture can keep people in Dubai cool, could it help keep the rest of us cool too?

Last year, temperatures in Dubai reached a scorching 51C and outdoor "feels like" temperatures – which take humidity into account – were as high as 62C. Air conditioning is widespread in the United Arab Emirates' (UAE), accounting for more than 70% of electricity consumption in the country during the summer months. However, proponents of traditional, passive cooling techniques say these tried and tested approaches to shading buildings and managing air flow could help people beat the heat without racking up massive electricity bills.

"The Emiratis built houses that were completely desert-proof," says Noor Ahmed, my tour guide. "Wind towers were used to catch the cool air from outside and drive out the hot air from inside," he adds. Gesturing at the labyrinthine alleyways of the old town, Ahmed points out how the high walls protect pedestrians from the blistering sun.

After Old Dubai emerged from the sands of time in the 1700s, it became a popular residential area when the ancestors of today's Emiratis transitioned from a nomadic to a more settled lifestyle along the Dubai Creek, a natural saltwater inlet that runs through the city.

The city's original inhabitants designed ingenious homes that could withstand the harsh climate of the Arabian Desert. They used technologies such as wind towers or wind-catchers known as barjeels, enclosed courtyards, latticed windows called mashrabiyas, coral stone houses, and narrow walkways called sikkas.

"The beauty of Al Fahidi's architecture lies in the fact that it uses several passive cooling techniques that work in tandem to keep the neighbourhood cool," says Ahmed Al-Jafflah, senior cultural speaker at Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Centre for Cultural Understanding, a nonprofit organisation that promotes Emirati culture and history. "Our ancestors built a holistic architectural system that optimised wind quality, enhanced shade and minimised exposure to the Sun – all of which were crucial to maintaining comfortable temperatures in Old Dubai," he adds.

Barjeels, or traditional wind towers mounted on rooftops, create natural ventilation and cooling inside buildings by capturing breezes at a higher elevation and redirecting them inside. That cool air is then circulated inside the building while warm air rises and leaves. In some cases, this effect is enough to reduce internal temperatures by nearly 10C.

"Barjeels are one of the most effective approaches to cooling houses in the Gulf region," says Vrushali Mhatre, assistant professor in interior architecture and design at the Heriot-Watt University of Dubai. "That is why they have been widely adopted in modern buildings and complexes, including the modern Madinat Jumeirah and Khalifa Al Tjer Mosque, Dubai's Green Mosque that achieved Leed certification [a green building certification developed by the US Green Building Council] in 2016."

Most villas in the Al Fahidi Neighbourhood have inner courtyards that function as thermal regulators, allowing cool air to descend at night and spill into the surrounding rooms. Equipped with high walls, wide eaves and sometimes dense foliage, such courtyards provide protection from dust and sand and minimise Sun exposure. A study in Spain found that this form of architecture could lower a dwelling's cooling demands by up to 18%. Furthermore, the villa walls in the Al Fahidi Neighbourhood feature perforated window screens called mashrabiya that are used to control lighting. One 2024 study that simulated the effect these devices can have found that they could also reduce indoor temperatures by at least 3C.

"Old Dubai courtyards not only offer the comforts of natural light, cool air and shade but also provide a private, secure and tranquil inner space for the residents of the house, thus adhering to the local design principles of privacy and protection," adds Mhatre.

While Emiratis once used light-coloured coral to reflect light and reduce heat absorption by buildings, the UAE now prohibits the extraction of coral, in order to protect marine life. Using lighter colours on building exteriors, however, remains one of the best ways to reduce temperatures inside buildings. Old Dubai buildings also sport features such as cladding and vegetation including tall palms, which help to shade buildings.

"Perhaps the most underrated, but equally essential, passive cooling mechanism at work in Al Fahidi is the sikka", says Al-Jafflah. Sikkas, a traditional Emirati architectural feature, are narrow pedestrian walkways, not broader than 2-3m (6.5-10ft), that run among villas and lead pedestrians to open public spaces. They allow unrestricted circulation of air, often yielding a pleasant breeze from the Dubai Creek. "Tourists love to sit and relax in the sikkas on our walking tours. They are so cool and peaceful," adds Al-Jafflah.

Architects in the UAE have used traditional design principles to create buildings that passively manage extreme heat. Take Masdar City, for example, a well-known urban community on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi that aims to be world-leading in sustainability. The district's urban layout, consisting of closely spaced buildings and narrow streets, maximises shade and harnesses prevailing winds for natural ventilation, lowering ambient temperatures by as much as 10C versus the surrounding environment. The buildings there incorporate passive cooling features, including wind towers and perforated facades, meaning they consume 40% less energy than conventional buildings in Abu Dhabi.

Officials say that such innovations have helped the city to cut its overall energy consumption by 38.4%.

"Masdar City has smartly revived old Emirati design elements that reduce reliance on mechanical cooling," says Sherihan Alshahed, assistant professor of sustainable urban communities at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Egypt. "Because these techniques are low-cost and low-tech, they are easy to replicate."

As a result, many modern structures in the UAE use traditional architectural designs inspired by the historic buildings of Old Dubai. Madinat Jumeirah, a luxurious complex of residential and commercial buildings in Dubai, has several wind towers and a maze of narrow lanes to improve wind circulation, thereby creating a cooler microclimate.

At Khalifa Al Tjer Mosque, one of the most recent additions to Dubai's skyline, small openings at the top and bottom of its pillars facilitate vertical air movement. "While not a full traditional barjeel, this design cleverly utilises [wind catching technology] in a contemporary scenario, which cools the space without relying entirely on artificial systems," says Mhatre.

Wind towers and their modifications are now a common sight all over the world. From the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London, UK, to Windcatcher House in Utah, USA.

Al Bahr Towers, a commercial complex, in Abu Dhabi are fitted with responsive mashrabiya screens that open and close depending on the position of the sun. This controls the amount of daylight entering the building and reduces glare. Louvre Abu Dhabi, an art museum, also features a mashrabiya-inspired domed ceiling.

Contemporary buildings also make use of courtyard-style layouts, including the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the City Centre Midrif Shopping Mall in Dubai. They are not uncommon in other parts of the world, either. The Breathing Wall Residence in Thrissur, India, and the Optical Glass House in Hiroshima, Japan, are two examples of how indoor courtyards have been used for passive cooling in very different climatic conditions from those in the Gulf.

"These passive cooling techniques […] can be replicated around the world by customising them to the local climate," says Alshahed. "For example, in the tropics, rain and humidity have to be taken into account, whereas in the temperate regions, significant temperature variations and insulation need to be considered."

The common thread that connects the Old Dubai of the 1700s to modern, energy-efficient structures today is that crucial concept of designing buildings that are responsive to their environment. "Even today, understanding the ambient environment, and designing according to its needs, could contribute to cooling homes sustainably without the use of fossil fuels," says Mhatre.

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Will taller turbines spoil Hockney's Bigger Trees?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74zg74y309o, today

Residents have shared their views on plans to build tall wind turbines in East Yorkshire countryside made famous by artist David Hockney's Bigger Trees painting.

The proposed wind farm by Ridge Clean Energy (RCE), near Rudston, would have six turbines, each almost 500ft (152m) tall. Together, they could power about 24,000 homes.

One local resident said the turbines would be an "eyesore" from her kitchen window, while another described them as "the way forward".

RCE project manager Richard Barker said the company had received "mixed opinions as you would expect with something like this".

He added: "But what we want is to engage with people, have them come along. We can introduce the project, our proposals and they can give us their opinions," he added.

The company wants to expand the nearby Three Oaks Energy Park in Haisthorpe, with access to the site from the A614.

A formal application has yet to be submitted, but developers are promising a £5m community benefit fund should it go ahead.

The area, known as Hockney Country, became famous through the artist's painting Bigger Trees, inspired by Woldgate Woods, which he often passed on his way to his studio in Bridlington.

At a meeting about the plans, resident Michelle Foster said: "I don't want it.

"It's going to be an eyesore out of my kitchen window. They haven't given us enough notice."

Diane Trudgett, who lives in Rudston, said the view from her bungalow would overlook the turbines.

"This is why we moved here," she said.

"We saw a book of Hockney paintings when we used to holiday and we would come to see the village. Then we decided we were going to move to the village because of the paintings and the views."

Hockney previously described wind turbines as "big ugly things" that he wouldn't paint. The BBC has approached him for a comment on the latest proposal.

However, some residents think the turbines are a good idea.

"I think [the plans] are good. We need to move with progress now," resident Sue Ezard said.

Michael Marven, who lives just under 1.2 miles (2km) from the proposed turbines and would be able to see the site from his garden, said it was all about "balance".

"It is the way forward and the sign of the times but there are already quite a few turbines around this area," he said.

"It's getting that balance right between completely destroying the visual impact of the countryside to benefitting the environment."

Enthusiastic push

By Paul Murphy

Environment Correspondent

For many years, the upland landscapes of East Yorkshire felt like the poor relation to big-hitters like the Dales or the North Yorkshire Moors.

But David Hockney's decision a decade or more ago to draw inspiration from the rolling Wolds changed all of that.

His work Bigger Trees, which featured Woldgate Woods, brought global attention to this quiet corner of rural England.

There have been attempts to build wind turbines here before, but they met with fierce local opposition from those who wanted to protect "Hockney Country".

Hockney himself was among the objectors. The Ministry of Defence also expressed concerns about risks to low flying aircraft.

This time feels different.

The government has embarked on an enthusiastic push for more green energy and for it to be built more quickly.

The planning process is being streamlined. As the deadline looms for Net Zero objectives, ministers want faster decisions and less paperwork.

These 500ft (152m) tall machines have the potential to dominate the local landscape but they will also come with what developers describe as a community benefit fund worth £5m over the 40-year life of the project.

Local residents, businesses and politicians must now decide whether this is a price worth paying.

This is one of the biggest onshore turbine proposals in England for several years.

But with a government doing everything to encourage this industry this could just be the beginning of a raft of onshore wind proposals.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

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Yorkshire gets over £2.5m of clean energy funding

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rvdjj40l9o, today

Yorkshire's mayors have been awarded more than £2.5m by the government to invest in clean energy for libraries, schools, leisure centres and other public services.

Great British Energy, the government's clean energy company, announced that mayoral authorities across England would receive a share of a £10m grant.

The East Riding, North and West Yorkshire will receive £700,000 to invest in putting cleaner energy into its public services, while South Yorkshire will be given £572,025.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the aim of the scheme was to help reduce energy bills.

He said: "Your local sports hall, library and community centre could have their energy bills cut by Great British Energy, the government's publicly-owned clean energy company.

"Our plans will mean more money can be spent on the services that make working people better off and help strengthen the ties that bind us in our communities."

Clean energy involves switching to energy sources that do not rely on greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants for their production and use, such as solar panels, wind turbines and hydropower.

In North Yorkshire, the facilities that will benefit include Joseph Rowntree School in New Earswick, Jack Laugher Leisure Centre in Ripon and Whitby Leisure Centre.

North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said the money would be put towards "spending less on energy and more on supporting people".

He said: "We need to take action for our communities who suffer the devastation of flooding and for our farmers who face unpredictable weather.

"We are backing exciting projects that change how we heat our homes, produce electricity and grow our food."

'Lower bills and cleaner future'

Meanwhile in South Yorkshire, public spaces to benefit include Rotherham Outdoor Market and libraries, Bullcroft Memorial Hall in Doncaster and Hatchell Wood School, also in Doncaster.

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said the scheme would make the region "cleaner, greener and fairer".

He said: "The Rotherham Outdoor Market scheme is a brilliant example of how innovation can power local adaptation and resilience.

"By reducing emissions and energy costs, we're supporting the stallholders who are the beating heart of the market - helping them grow in the face of rising energy prices and making the market more attractive for both traders and shoppers.

"In Doncaster, solar panels on three local schools won't just save money, they'll help to educate the next generation."

And over in West Yorkshire, the police stations in Pudsey and Stainbeck, Sedbergh Sports Centre in Bradford and South Parade School in Ossett will get clean energy.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said moving to clean energy was a "key part of our plan to build a net-zero West Yorkshire by 2038".

She said: "This investment will make our public buildings greener, warmer, and cheaper to run – helping us save taxpayers' money and upgrade community spaces across the region."

The BBC has contacted Hull and East Yorkshire Mayor Luke Campbell for more information on which services would benefit from the grant.

Dan McGrail, the CEO of Great British Energy, added the clean energy scheme would make a "lasting positive impact for the country by creating new jobs, lower bills and a cleaner future".

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Storm-hit port reopens fully for school holidays

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ne1dp51vo, today

One of UK's busiest ports will fully reopen on Friday, seven months after a berth was shut due to damage caused by a car ferry docking during a storm.

Two berths at Holyhead, the UK's second busiest passenger port, were damaged in two separate incidents hours before the height of a rare red weather wind warning that battered Wales in December.

The port was closed for five weeks, including at Christmas and new year, as engineers fixed one of the damaged berths before Holyhead partially reopened in January and services resumed to a revised timetable.

The other berth has taken seven months to repair and reopened on Friday with the economic impact of the closures an estimated £500m in lost trade.

"It's the busiest time of year and is really important and timely," said Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan.

It comes as schoolchildren in Wales will finish their term within the next few days while most Republic of Ireland schools have already closed for the summer.

More than 1.5m people pass through Holyhead every year making it the most popular sea route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.

Why did Holyhead Port close?

Holyhead's operators have said its closure was after successive ferries made "contact" with berthing terminals at the port just before the height of Storm Darragh in December 2024.

The incidents shut both of Holyhead's terminals because of the "interconnecting nature" of the support structures as the terminals run parallel to each other.

It blocked the busiest and shortest route between the UK mainland and Republic and Ireland over the busy Christmas and new year period.

The 40-day closure, before one berth reopened on 16 January, caused chaos for passengers and truck drivers using the four daily services of both Stena Line and Irish Ferries as people and freight had to find alternative routes over the Irish Sea.

A boss of Stena Line, which runs the port, gave evidence to a Welsh Parliament committee and said berths were designed to "take contact but very slow-speed contact".

"These contacts, maybe of a different magnitude, happen all the time," Stena's head of UK Ports Ian Davies told the Senedd's Economy and Trade Committee.

The port or ferry companies say they would not elaborate on how these specific contacts closed the port despite both the Welsh and UK governments asking.

"Those incidents are now subject to an insurance claim and I can give no further details without prejudicing that insurance claims at this time I'm afraid," Mr Davies told the UK Parliament's Welsh Affairs Committee earlier this year.

Committee chair Ruth Jones MP replied: "That is very frustrating for us but, obviously, we understand where you are coming from."

When Mr Davies was before the Welsh Parliament's economy committee, he was asked by chair Andrew RT Davies was it "not necessarily the storm caused the damage, but the actual seamanship?"

Mr Davies replied to the Senedd committee: "All we can say is there's an ongoing investigation into the actual cause, and part of that is a claim going on."

Ferries that use Holyhead include the 50,000-tonnes Ulysses, which was the world's largest car ferry when it launched in 2000.

Holyhead's terminal five reopened on 16 January and the port has been able to operate its normal daily number of sailings - eight arrivals and eight departures.

But to accommodate that, both Irish Ferries and Stena Line had to adjust their timetables to synchronise arrivals and departures at the only operational berth.

Stena told the Senedd the damage had happened to part of terminal three, which is "predominantly" used by Irish Ferries.

Neither the port operators or the ferry companies would confirm who was taking action against whom. Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have both declined to comment.

The berthing incidents happened during Storm Darragh - but before the red weather warning for wind kicked in at 03:00 GMT on 7 December.

According to Met Office data, three of the UK's five strongest gusts during Storm Darragh were in north Wales.

That included wind speeds of 79mph (127km/h) at Valley - about eight miles (13km) inland from Holyhead - which is the highest recorded gust on Anglesey for 27 years.

The Health and Safety Executive did not investigate the incidents, while the Marine Accident Investigation Branch made some "preliminary enquiries" into the "maritime aspects" of the crash.

But added in a statement: "The information gathered does not indicate any significant safety issues that would necessitate further investigation at this time."

Mr Davies said there was a "onward-going investigation" about the incidents and the port and ferry operators would review what happened once Holyhead was fully reopened.

Why has it taken so long to fully reopen Holyhead?

Seven months may seem like a long time without half of its berthing capacity but port bosses explained replacing Holyhead's damaged infrastructure was complex.

"The berths are a series of very large steel pile structures... roughly 2m (6ft 7in) in diameter and 50m (164 ft 1in) in total length and driven into the seabed," Mr Davies of Stena explained in his Senedd evidence.

He said the affected structure on terminal three "partially collapsed and had fallen at an angle" so engineers needed to charter specialist barges to get to the site and remove the fallen 120-tonne pile.

Stena needed to design, order, check and fit their new pile and its associated mechanisms.

"It was hoped we could replace the pile in the same pile socket, like replacing a false tooth, but that was not possible," added Mr Davis.

Engineers have had to drive the new pile into the sea bed and test before declaring the berth ready for passenger ferries.

"To be frank, seven months is a short amount of time," said maritime expert Dr Stavros Karamperidis.

"The analogy is having a car accident, insurance companies investigate and might offer money, the other company might dispute that and it goes back and forth.

"I'm sure the authorities have all the information but you can't give that publicly," added Dr Karamperidis, head of Plymouth University's maritime transport research group.

How important is Holyhead Port?

At just over 100 miles (161km) between Holyhead and Dublin, the three-hour and 15 minute crossing from north Wales is the quickest route between the UK mainland and the Republic of Ireland.

With more than 400,000 lorries and 400,000 cars a year using it every year, Holyhead is the second busiest passenger ferry port to Dover.

It is Wales' biggest international transport hub with almost double the amount of annual passengers of Wales' only major airport in Cardiff.

"It is one of the large corridors that connects Wales and the UK to Ireland because of the shortness and frequency of the crossing," Mr Davies told Parliament.

"It adds a dynamic, especially to the just-in-time logistics industry, which perhaps other corridors do not have. I cannot overemphasise how important it is. It is critical."

He added night ferries could create freight lorry convoys of up to three miles (5km) long, such is the strategic importance to both the UK and Republic of Ireland.

"Holyhead is a huge economic driver for us here in Ireland because so much of our exports by sea go through Holyhead into the UK," said Irish government Minister Sean Canney.

He said more than a third of roll-on, roll-off traffic traffic to the Republic of Ireland came through Holyhead, emphasising the importance part of another country is to his nation.

"Both countries rely on Holyhead for stuff coming in and out between the UK and Ireland, it's a huge vein across the Irish Sea," added Canney.

Experts estimate the economic impact of Holyhead Port and its supply chain in north Wales is more than £100m a year with 1,000 jobs locally relying on it.

Bangor University's senior economics lecturer Edward Jones also told Parliament an "additional 1,600 to 1,700 jobs at a national level is dependent" on Holyhead.

A Senedd Committee heard in April the value of trade going through Holyhead during the complete closure was almost £500m less than the year before.

Both the Welsh and Irish government also hoped everyone involved could "learn lessons" on how they react to incidents like this.

Stena Line said: "We would like to thank our staff and delivery partners for their hard work and commitment over the last months.

"Both Terminal 3 and 5 are now in operation for the ferry operators and their customers and we appreciate their patience and support during the repair work."

Butterfly count to assess population 'emergency'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q8v5vxe4go, today

People are being urged to count the butteries and moths they see to help experts assess the "butterfly emergency".

Conservationists and students from St Swithun's School in Winchester gathered on Magdalen Hill Down in Hampshire to mark the start of the 24-day Big Butterfly Count 2025.

Simon Saville from Butterfly Conservation, which runs the project, said the health of butterfly populations was a "really good indicator" of how well other wildlife was doing.

"If you don't see butterflies then you should be worried and we should be taking action to improve the natural world," he said.

Last year's butterfly count yielded concerning results, with low numbers prompting Butterfly Conversation to declare an "emergency".

The event runs from 18 July to 10 August.

People are encouraged to choose a spot and count the butterflies and moths they see there for 15 minutes per day, logging it on the website or via the app.

"Then our data scientists will get those numbers and crunch the numbers," said Dr Dan Hoare from Butterfly Conservation.

"It's a way of tracking the state of nature every year, reacting to the kind of wild weather rollercoaster that we have now."

There are hopes that, with the warm weather, this year's count could be more positive.

"It's looking really promising," said Dr Hoare.

And it is not just about butterflies, according to site manager Fiona Scully.

"Moths are often underrated but they're still very important for pollination, and there's so many more moths - there's 2,500 species of moth, which vastly outweighs the number of butterflies," she said.

"They're doing a very important job of pollination, and they're also incredibly important in our food chain... they're really needed to support other animals."

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More money to be spent on new biochar plant

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vd0rxewd6o, today

An extra £1.3m will be spend on a biochar scheme in a Shropshire market town.

Shropshire Council's planning application for the pyrolysis plant on Coder Road business park was approved in January.

At a full council meeting on Thursday, members were asked to set aside more money to complete the development, with the total budget increased from £2m to £3.3m.

Fifty-three councillors backed the increase, with 15 against and three abstaining.

The Liberal Democrat-run authority said the increase was due to several reasons, including issues with preparation work for the site, increased construction and machinery costs, and "additional demand for external technical expertise".

The new plant, which used to be home to an anaerobic digester, will process biochar, a form of charcoal.

The renewable energy and biochar produced can be sold for many uses in agriculture, construction and industry.

A paper delivered to council said that the project would return more than £466,000 within six years. The full £3.3m would be repaired by the 20th year of operation.

Councillor Dawn Hussemann, opposition leader for Reform UK, said members had not been given "sufficient information" to make a decision.

"If I walked into a bank with what I have been given and asked them to decide whether to lend me £1.3m on top of the £2m already agreed, I'd be chased out of their offices," she said.

"We are in a very precarious financial position, as we keep being reminded by the new administration.

"Well in my world, you don't borrow money to go on holiday if you can't pay your rent."

Roger Evans, the Lib Dem portfolio holder for finance, said: "I have criticised this council for many years of not investing to save."

"This is a good investment. It pays for itself within six years, and we're getting hundreds of thousands of pounds during that time.

"This council needs to invest, whether it's borrowed or using its own capital, as long as there is a profit in it. This shows there is."

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Will there be a drought where I live?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk661074ejo, 3 days ago

Millions of people in England are in regions hit by drought, and further parts of England are at risk of following if dry weather continues, the Environment Agency says.

Parts of eastern Scotland and west Wales are also being closely monitored amid low water levels, according to the water companies there.

So how is your area doing and how close are you to a drought? Here's a look at what's happening around the country, including our rain, rivers and reservoirs.

What is a drought and is there a hosepipe ban in my region?

There is no single definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, which has knock-on effects for nature, agriculture and water supplies.

A decision to declare drought is taken based on an assessment of current water levels and long-term weather forecasts.

It is a public sign that water companies might introduce restrictions on water use, such as hosepipe bans, if they aren't already in place.

Areas with hosepipe ban areas don't exactly match drought declarations, because plans to manage water vary between regions.

In England, the North West, Yorkshire, East Midlands and West Midlands are in drought, the Environment Agency says, as shown by the map below.

Most of the rest of the England is in a status of prolonged dry weather, the category below drought.

There are no official droughts currently in Northern Ireland or Wales, although Mid and South Ceredigion in west Wales are in "developing drought".

Scotland does not declare droughts but monitors "water scarcity". Parts of eastern Scotland are in "moderate" scarcity – the second most extreme category – which means there is "clear" environmental impact.

One of the driest springs on record

The main reason for these droughts being declared is the long period of low rainfall.

The UK had its sixth driest spring since records began in 1836.

So there has been less moisture to top up our rivers, reservoirs and rocks below the ground.

If that lack of rainfall continues for a long time, it can strain the water supplies that serve our homes and businesses.

In June there was slightly more rainfall than average for the UK overall, but with a big difference between east and west.

The start of July was drier than usual, but more changeable conditions are forecast for the rest of the month.

Rainfall amounts over the coming months will play a key role in shaping which other regions enter drought, and how quickly.

At the moment roughly average rainfall is expected between now and September, the Met Office says.

Drier rivers for most of the UK

That east-west divide in June rainfall is reflected in monitored river flows across the UK.

At the end of last month, river flows in western Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and north-west and south-west England were generally around their normal levels, or even above.

But river flows in many eastern, central and southern areas were about the same as - or even below - previous drought years of 1976, 2011, 2018 and 2022, said Lucy Barker, hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH).

Soils are also much drier than usual across large parts of the UK, particularly England, UKCEH data shows.

Dry soils harm plant growth, hitting ecosystems and crop production. This dried-out vegetation also brings a higher risk of wildfires.

Drier soils also warm up more quickly, which can amplify heatwaves.

Exceptionally low reservoirs in north England

Reservoirs are a crucial part of water supplies in northern England, Scotland and Wales.

But England's reservoirs are at exceptionally low levels for the time of year in records going back more than 30 years.

Reservoir levels in the North East and North West were near record lows for the end of June.

The main reason for this is, of course, the lack of rain, but a small number of reservoirs can be affected by other factors.

Normally at this time of year, Scottish reservoirs are 84% full. They are currently at 79%, according to Scottish Water.

In Wales, most reservoirs are around normal, Welsh Water said.

Reservoir levels are also about average in Northern Ireland, according to NI Water.

A more mixed picture underground

Much of south-east England relies more heavily on groundwater than reservoirs.

Groundwater originates as rainfall and is naturally stored beneath the surface in the pore spaces and fractures in rocks. Rocks that store lots of groundwater are called aquifers.

It accounts for a third of England's water supply, though this is much higher in the south and east.

That is down to the UK's varied geology, which affects how much water can be stored in the ground.

Water can flow more quickly through some rock types than others, sometimes taking years to respond to current conditions.

This is the case for parts of south and east England, which is why these regions are currently closer to normal.

These groundwater stores "respond more slowly to changes in the climate than rivers, which is why they provide a useful buffer during periods of drought," said Prof Alan MacDonald of the British Geological Survey.

It is why groundwater droughts in the South generally take a longer time to develop but can be longer-lasting if they do occur.

What are the consequences of the dry weather?

People and nature are already feeling the effects.

"It's quite shocking that we are still only [in early] July," Rachel Hallos, vice-president of the National Farmers' Union, told BBC News at the beginning of the month.

"It's like it's the end of August when you look at the ground."

With this little rain, farmers have had to get water onto their crops using irrigation.

That has made things more expensive for them and means there is even less water to go around.

There is widespread concern about the months ahead, Mrs Hallos added.

"What am I going to have to harvest? What am I going to have to feed my livestock over winter?"

And then there is the impact on wildlife.

A spokesman from the bird protection charity RSPB said that a big challenge has been making sure enough water is getting to key wetland habitats so that birds have safe places to nest.

"We need to be thinking about making our sites more resilient to climate change, as these periods of prolonged dry weather become the norm."

And it's not just water-loving birds that are having a hard time. Even in our gardens, common visitors like blackbirds can struggle to find worms and insects on our parched lawns, the RSPB says.

Is climate change to blame for drought?

Droughts are complex phenomena, driven by a mix of natural and human causes.

The Met Office expects the UK to experience drier summers on average in future as the world warms, though there has been no clear trend so far.

But rising temperatures can play a more fundamental role by sapping moisture from the soil via evaporation.

"A warmer atmosphere is thirstier for moisture and this can mean water in the soil, rivers and reservoirs are depleted more effectively, leading to more rapidly onsetting droughts, heatwaves and wildfires," said Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading.

But there are other factors that determine whether dry conditions lead to water shortages, including how we use water.

As part of plans to address water shortages, the government is planning nine new reservoirs for England by 2050, in addition to one under construction at Havant Thicket in Hampshire.

But the Environment Agency has warned that measures to tackle water leaks and control water demand - potentially including hosepipe bans and more smart meters - may be needed in England too.

Water companies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also said they were taking steps to secure future supplies.

Additional reporting by Dan Wainwright, Christine Jeavans and Muskeen Liddar

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Drought declared in Midlands after hot, dry weather takes its toll

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx201001n79o, 3 days ago

The East and West Midlands have officially entered drought, joining the North West and Yorkshire, after yet another hot and dry spell of weather.

The Environment Agency announcement follows England's driest start to the year since 1976, leaving many rivers across the Midlands at extremely low levels.

Declaring a drought is a public sign that water companies might introduce restrictions on water use if they aren't already in place. That can involve hosepipe bans, which have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Droughts are driven by natural weather patterns, but climate change and our growing use of water are raising the risks of water shortages, the Environment Agency says.

The National Drought Group is made up of the Environment Agency (EA), government, Met Office, water companies and others, and manages preparations for dry conditions in England.

It met on Tuesday morning and announced that it had "stepped up" its response, adding that conditions in the Midlands had deteriorated since early June.

Most of the rest of the England is in a status of prolonged dry weather - the category below drought - except for parts of the South West, East and South East.

There are no official droughts in Northern Ireland or Wales, although Mid and South Ceredigion in west Wales are in "developing drought".

In England there is no single definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, which has knock-on effects for nature, agriculture and water supplies.

England had its driest spring in more than 100 years, followed by its warmest June on record.

Some areas experienced three heatwaves in quick succession in June and July, with the intense warmth drawing more moisture out of the soil.

So while it may be raining where you live today, it's unlikely to be enough to bring water levels back to normal across the country.

The dry conditions can even be seen from space, with much of England much browner than usual.

That parched ground can have serious impacts on nature and farming.

Standhill Farm in Derbyshire has seen the lowest rainfall for a quarter of a century. The farmer, Robert Thornhill, has been taking meticulous readings of precipitation and grass length across his dairy farm for the last 24 years.

"It has been by far the driest spring by a long way," says Mr Thornhill. "The first quarter of this year was 50% drier than the next driest measurement I've taken."

"Less precipitation means less grass growth," he adds. In fact, there is now so little grass he can only let his 250-strong herd graze overnight, he says.

During the day they've been eating silage – fermented grass he cut on the farm last year. That would normally be used as winter feed so he's eating into his reserves but at least it means the cows can shelter in a barn out of the sun.

But as a result, Mr Thornhill says the milk yield is down almost 10% - a big hit in terms of revenues.

Rivers drying up

The River Derwent in the East Midlands, which provides water for three million people, is at its lowest level ever recorded.

That doesn't mean households will be without water, but low river levels are having serious consequences for the environment.

"It's absolutely concerning," said Matt Gable of the EA in the East Midlands, adding that fish stocks were already taking a hit.

"[The rivers] are such an important part of the ecosystem, and clearly it's not an aquatic ecosystem at the moment when there's no water in it," he said.

"So the longer it goes on, the more the more problematic it will be, and we're starting to see these impacts increase now as climate change begins to bite."

The EA declares droughts in England based on reservoir levels, river flows and how dry the soil is, alongside long-term weather forecasts.

England is in a better place than it was in the infamous drought of 1976, which was preceded by a dry 1975. This year, by contrast, was preceded by a wet 2024, which left water levels in a healthier state.

But in a "reasonable worst-case scenario" - where regions get 80% of their long-term average rainfall - another three regions across parts of central, eastern and southern England could enter drought status by September, according to the EA.

Current long-term forecasts suggest roughly normal levels of rainfall over the next few months, however.

If further droughts are declared, it does not automatically mean that hosepipe bans will be put in place, but these can often follow.

Hosepipe bans have already started for millions of people in Yorkshire.

Bans in other regions, such as parts of Kent, Sussex and the Thames region, will come into effect in the second half of the month, but these places are not in drought status at the moment.

Without further "substantial" rain, some water companies may need to implement further drought measures, including more hosepipe bans, according to evidence given to the National Drought Group.

The group adds that the public can play an important role by reducing water use in homes and gardens, while water companies need to take action to reduce leaks.

"It's about everyone playing a part, whether that's members of the public [or] water companies, everyone working together to deal with this, because we have had one of the driest starts to the year in 50 years," said Water Minister Emma Hardy.

The EA warned last month that England's water supplies could face a shortfall of six billion litres a day by 2055 without dramatic action, driven by rising temperatures, population growth and other factors.

Climate change is expected to lead to drier summers on average, while more intense heatwaves mean more water can be lost via evaporation.

Additional reporting by Jess Carr, Phil Leake and Muskeen Liddar

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Extreme weather is the UK's new normal, says Met Office

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74w1gyd7mko, 5 days ago

The UK is breaking heat and rainfall records increasingly frequently as its climate continues to warm, the Met Office has warned.

The country's changing weather patterns mean the UK now experiences a "notably different" climate to what it was just a few decades ago, its State of the UK Climate report says.

We now have many more very hot days and many fewer extremely cold nights, according to this latest assessment.

It shows just how much global warming caused by the vast emissions of greenhouse gases our civilisation creates is reshaping the country's climate.

Climate change is bringing more severe weather events like storms and flooding - and inevitably the country's changing climate is having an impact on the natural world, with some species suffering.

The report focuses on 2024, when the UK experienced its second-warmest February, warmest May, warmest spring, fifth-warmest December, and fifth-warmest winter since records began in 1884.

The Met Office highlights that some of these records have already been surpassed in 2025 - more evidence of this trend towards more extreme weather.

This summer many parts of the country are in the throes of their third heatwave with very warm weather reaching into Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as southern England.

The first hosepipe ban of the year was imposed in Yorkshire last week following England's warmest June on record, which came after the country's driest and sunniest spring for 132 years.

Yorkshire and the north west of England were declared in official drought by the Environment Agency in June. At least one region is expected to be added to the list when the UK's National Drought Group meets on Tuesday.

Mike Kendon, a Met Office climate scientist and lead author of the State of the UK Climate report, said: "Every year that goes by is another upward step on the warming trajectory our climate is on.

"Observations show that our climate in the UK is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago."

Wetter as well as hotter weather

As an island squeezed between the vast Atlantic Ocean and continental Europe, the UK sits at the intersection of a whole series of major air masses. That's why the country's climate is so changeable and that variability also makes mapping some climate changes more difficult.

Rainfall patterns fluctuate much more than temperature, the Met Office says, but it finds that, as well as warming up, the UK is also getting wetter, with rainfall increasing significantly during the winter. Between October and March, rainfall in 2015-2024 was 16% higher than in 1961–1990, it says.

Behind all these changes is the relentless rise in average temperatures driven by climate change, the Met Office says. Global temperatures have risen by over 1.3C since the industrial revolution as humans continue to release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate.

The Met Office calculates that the UK is warming at a rate of around 0.25C per decade, with the 2015-2024 period 1.24C warmer than the period between 1961-1990.

As the UK's national weather service, the Met Office is the custodian of the Central England Temperature record, the longest-running weather record in the world, based on measurements taken using thermometers and other instruments. It spans from 1659 to the present and it shows that recent warming has far exceeded any observed temperatures in over 300 years.

The last three years have been in the UK's top five warmest on record, with 2024 the fourth warmest year in records dating back to 1884.

Even a small shift in temperatures can significantly increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, as the graph below shows.

Look how, as the distribution of temperatures shifts, those that were previously extreme are brought into the range and new extremes become significantly more likely.

We are often talking about how it used to be colder back in the day. Well that is borne out by the Met Office's data. We really are getting increasingly fewer cold days. The Met Office says there were 14 fewer days with air frosts – when the air temperature falls below zero - in the last decade compared to the period 1931 to 1990.

Flood risk growing

As in recent years, floods and storms caused the worst severe weather damage to the UK last year.

A series of named storms that pummelled the UK beginning in the autumn of 2023 helped cause widespread flooding in early January. That contributed to the wettest winter half year – October 2023 to March 2024 - in over 250 years.

Areas particularly badly hit by flooding included eastern Scotland, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands, with some places recording three to four times their usual rainfall for September.

In early January of 2024 the Royal Shakespeare Company had to cancel performances for two evenings in a row because of flooding in Stratford-upon-Avon. In November a wall collapsed in Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire after water in a local brook rose, flooding the town centre.

Met Office Chief Scientist Professor Stephen Belcher said the evidence of the impacts climate change is already bringing showed the urgent need for the UK to adapt to cope with future extremes.

"The climate is likely to continue to change, and we need to prepare for the impacts this will have on the weather we experience," he said.

For the first time this report highlights that UK sea level is rising faster than the global average.

As sea levels continue to rise around the UK, the risk of flooding is only going to increase further, says Dr Svetlana Jevrejeva from the National Oceanography Centre.

"We know from historical events it is only a matter of time until the UK is next in the path of a major storm surge event," she said.

Nature is changing with the climate

Inevitably the UK's changing climate is having an impact on the natural world.

Spring in 2024 was earlier than the average for 12 of the 13 spring events on record and was the earliest in the series from 1999 for both frogspawn appearing and blackbirds nesting.

The timing of seasonal activity in plants and animals is known as phenology and is collected by a network of volunteers coordinated by the Nature's Calendar citizen science project.

The changing pattern of natural events can have a huge impact. Dormice and hedgehogs – two of the UK's most threatened mammals – are particularly affected when the weather is very warm, for example.

Fruits and nuts ripen earlier in hot weather and that means fewer are available in the autumn when these animals are trying to build up the reserves of fat they need to see them through winter.

At the Alice Holt forest research centre outside London they are investigating how our trees and forests can be made more resilient to the country's future climate.

The sad fact is that many of our current tree species just can't cope, says Dr Gail Atkinson, the head of Climate Change Science at the centre.

"After a drought you can see reduced growth, so trees aren't growing as we would expect them to," she says.

"If you look up in the canopy you can see the leaves looking a little bit raggedy and there are other signs of stress as you're walking through the woodland including extreme examples you might find that the trees have actually died."

Studies at Alice Holt show one species that could do well as the UK continues to get hotter and wetter are coastal redwoods from California. It has been growing trees from different latitudes for the last 60 years to see how they fare in the UK climate.

It means that, in the decades to come, the world's tallest trees could become a common sight here in the UK.

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How to keep dogs cool in hot weather

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250711-how-to-keep-dogs-safe-and-cool-in-hot-weather, 7 days ago

From burnt paws to heatstroke, dogs and other pets can suffer in the heat. Here's how veterinarians recommend keeping them cool.

As heatwaves break out this summer, many pet parents may become concerned about their companions. Our pups may eagerly join us on a sunny trip to the park, but they can have a hard time cooling off and can sustain heat injuries even when temperatures may not feel very hot to humans.

While some other pets, such as cats, generally fare better when it comes to avoiding overheating, they can be at risk of too much Sun too.

That said, it's possible for pets to enjoy time outside safely in the summer. Here's what experts recommend for keeping dogs and cats safe from the dangers of the heat.

Watch out for sudden temperature rises

Heatwaves around the world are becoming longer and more intense due to climate change. But even when the weather isn't blazing hot, pets can get heat injuries, catching owners off guard. Veterinarians say they often see a spike in heat injuries in dogs during late spring. "We can start seeing heatstroke pretty early, even if the weather itself isn't extraordinarily hot," says veterinarian Amanda Cavanagh, who leads urgent care services at the Colorado State University veterinary hospital.

Pet dogs often suffer heat injuries in late spring or early summer for two reasons: their physical fitness is down and they are not acclimatised to the heat. Some owners reduce walks during the colder months, says Katherine Farrell, an emergency and critical care veterinary specialist at the University of California, Davis. Then, when the days warm up, they are eager to take their dogs for a long hike, which can expose them to excessive heat. "They didn't anticipate the weather and their pet is not in that great of shape," says Farrell.

Canines can be conditioned to endure the heat, with military and police dogs often working through the summer heat, notes Cavanagh. But those German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois are exercised throughout the year, maintaining peak physical fitness.

Consider your pet's risk factors

Some dogs are poorly equipped to shed heat. You might be picturing a fluffy Samoyed, but they are not the worst-suited to the summer. Instead, squish-faced or brachycephalic breeds, such as bulldogs, French bulldogs and pugs top the list of dogs most likely to suffer in the Sun. One study found these canines had a risk of heat illness more than four times higher than dogs with longer snouts.

Their short snouts are to blame. Dogs mainly get rid of heat through panting, which moves heat out of their airways and into the environment, explains Cavanagh. The water vapour from their respiratory system evaporates, producing a cooling effect. (While dogs can sweat through their paws, this is of minimal significance for cooling, says Farrell).

"When you open up the mouth of a German Shepherd or a Labrador, you can see right down into their airway," says Cavanagh. "If you open the mouth of a bulldog, all you'll see is a giant tongue and a big soft palate, and it just looks like jowls and tissue back there."

That means they can't open up their airway and get rid of heat. "Having an obstructed airway from being a squishy-face breed is really the highest risk factor," adds Cavanagh.

For some dog breeds, a trip to the groomers may help with heat tolerance, as taking off extra length their coats can help them shed heat more easily, says Farrell.

But always consult your veterinarian for advice on what's best for your dog. While long coats may be warmer, they are more functional than they seem. A double coat, with short hairs beneath a layer of long fur, can insulate a pet from the heat, provided it's well-groomed and free of mats, says Cavanagh. For dogs with these thick double coats, including huskies and malamutes, the insulation they provide works better if the coat is left intact – meaning a shave can actually make them more vulnerable to overheating, says Farrell.

All dog breeds, as well as other furry animals like cats, will benefit from regular brushing to prevent build-up of fur and matting, allowing better airflow and cooling.

Overweight pets are also at greater risk of overheating, adds Farrell (it's estimated that over half of dogs and cats in the US are overweight or obese). Certain medicines can also reduce pets' ability to tolerate heat, she adds.

Go outside prepared

When the weather warms, start with shorter walks and don't push your dog if they are panting heavily: allow them a few weeks to acclimatise to warmer temperatures.

In hot weather it's safer to keep your outings to the early morning and evening, avoiding the middle part of the day. (Read about the science-backed ways to keep yourself cool in a heatwave too). During the midday heat, your pet may not be able to shed the heat they are producing through exercise, leading to a risk of overheating, says Cavanagh.

In general, pets can overheat at air temperatures over about 77F (25C), and this risk is far greater when humidity is over 65%, says Ronald Li, an emergency and critical care veterinary specialist at North Carolina State University. "High humidity in the air negates the ability of dogs to cool down by panting," he says, as the humid air reduces evaporation from the dog's tongue.

Don't leave your pet in the car or any other enclosed space that could easily heat up to dangerous temperatures, adds Cavanagh. Even on a mild, 70F (21C) day, the temperature in a car can climb almost 20F (11C) in just 10 minutes. Conservatories, sunrooms and caravans can pose a similar risk to both dogs and cats. And outdoor cats looking for a warm spot can end up trapped in overheated sheds and greenhouses, so make sure to check them before locking up.

When you do take your dog out, carry water for them and seek shadier spots. Lapping up some water outside recoups water lost through panting and reduces the chance they will guzzle their whole bowl when they get home, which can increase the risk of bloat, a potentially life-threatening condition, says Cavanagh.

And remember to check pavement temperatures. While the pads on dogs' feet may seem tough, they can still suffer burns from hot surfaces, says Farrell, who has seen burned paws in canine patients from walking on a hot pavement. If you can't hold your hand on the ground for 30 seconds, chances are it could burn your pet's paws, she says. Try to stick to places where your pet can walk on cooler surfaces like grass or dirt.

Choose heat gear wisely

If you can't avoid walking on hot pavements, outfitting your dog's paws with boots can help, says Farrell. Be sure to find a good fit, however – ill-fitting ones can create sores on their feet and ankles, adds Cavanagh.

Some pet companies market "cooling vests" designed to cool dogs through evaporation. There is some evidence in military working dogs that these vests can cool down canines – at least during a short bout of physical activity. But Cavanagh cautions that the effect doesn't last long: "They work for the first 10 minutes as they absorb all your heat, and then they're like this hot, wet blanket on top of you."

If your pet has a pink nose or sparse fur, they might benefit from a coat of children's sunscreen in those areas, says Cavanagh. Cats tend to get skin cancer on their less furry parts such as their ear tips and noses, she says, so sunscreen may benefit pets that like to sunbathe, such as felines that sun themselves by windows.

Spot the signs of overheating

One of the earliest signs of overheating in dogs is heavy panting beyond what your pet normally sounds like after some zoomies on a cooler day, says Farrell. Noisier breathing, with snoring or high-pitched sounds, is especially concerning – it could mean the airway is swelling and having difficulty dissipating heat. Cats may also start to breathe with their mouth open when they're too hot or otherwise need medical attention, added Farrell.

Heatstroke sets in when the body temperature becomes dangerously elevated; in canines, that cut off is generally above 105.8F (41C). When pets get this hot, the nervous system is affected, and you might see them appear disorientated or weak and wobbly, says Cavanagh. In dogs, pink gums turn bright red during heat stroke, she adds.

If you see these signs of heatstroke, bring your pet to a veterinarian. If the clinic is more than 10 to 15 minutes journey away, it can help to cool them down at home first, says Farrell – the faster you can bring their temperature down, the lower the risk of serious injuries. A splash of cool water is your best bet – in fact, one 2024 study found that voluntary head dunking in water (by dogs trained to do this by themselves) is more effective than wearing ice packs or wet towels. Hose your pet down with cool water, or dunk them in the bathtub, and run a fan across their wet fur, recommends Farrell.

Still, be careful with very cold water or ice, which can cause blood vessels to get smaller, reducing heat dissipation from the body, says Farrell. "Wide open blood vessels help dissipate heat."

More like this:

• The simple ways cities can adapt to heatwaves

• Why your dog loves to roll in poo

• The complicated truth about a cat’s purr

It's important to take action if you think your pet is overheating. Heatstroke can lead to kidney injuries, bruising and internal bleeding, and brain injuries, says Cavanagh. She has seen dogs with heatstroke hospitalised for days to weeks, and many need blood transfusions. "The biggest challenge with heat stroke is not necessarily cooling the animal back down," says Cavanagh. "Being hot can have consequences to all of the organs."

The vast majority of pets Cavanagh and Farrell see for heatstroke are dogs. "Cats often times don't get heatstroke from being outside or exercising too vigorously because they're kind of smarter than that," says Cavanagh. "They won't run themselves into a heat stroke episode like our Labradors will." Both mentioned, however, that they occasionally treat felines who have suffered heat stroke from getting trapped in the dryer – a risk to be aware of for the heat-loving creatures.

Eager to be at our sides, our canine companions will endure the heat even when it's a risk to their health. It's up to us to prepare them for warm outings and to be on the lookout for signs of overheating.

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Med Sea heatwave might feel nice for holiday swimming but there's a catch

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2v1l7j6yo, 7 days ago

Warmer water at the seaside might sound appealing for your holiday dip, but a recent ocean heatwave in the Mediterranean Sea has been so intense scientists fear potentially devastating consequences for marine life.

The temperature of the sea surface regularly passed 30C off the coast of Majorca and elsewhere in late June and early July, in places six or seven degrees above usual.

That's probably warmer than your local leisure centre swimming pool.

It has been the western Med's most extreme marine heatwave ever recorded for the time of year, affecting large areas of the sea for weeks on end.

The heat appears to be cooling off, but some species struggle to cope with such prolonged and intense warmth, with potential knock-on effects for fish stocks.

To give you some idea of these temperatures, most leisure centre swimming pools are heated to roughly 28C. Competitive swimming pools are slightly cooler at 25-28C, World Aquatics says.

Children's pools are a bit warmer, recommended at 29-31C or 30-32C for babies, according to the Swimming Teachers' Association.

Balmy temperatures can pose hidden threats. Harmful bacteria and algae often spread more easily in warmer seawater - which isn't treated with cleaning chemicals like your local pool.

Sea temperatures of 30C or above are not unprecedented in the Med in late summer.

But they are highly unusual for June, according to data from the European Copernicus climate service, Mercator Ocean International, and measurements at Spanish ports.

"What is different this year is that 30C sea temperatures have arrived much earlier, and that means that we can expect the summer to be more intense and longer," said Marta Marcos, associate professor at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.

"I grew up here, so we are used to heatwaves, but this has become more and more common and intense."

"We're all very, very surprised at the magnitude of this heatwave," added Aida Alvera-Azcárate, an oceanographer at the University of Liege in Belgium.

"It's a matter of high concern, but this is something we can expect to be happening again in the future."

Marine heatwaves are becoming more intense and longer-lasting as humanity continues to release planet-warming gases into our atmosphere, principally by burning coal, oil and gas.

In fact, the number of days of extreme sea surface heat globally has tripled over the past 80 years, according to research published earlier this year.

"Global warming is the main driver of marine heat waves… it's essentially transferring heat from the atmosphere to the ocean. It's very simple," said Dr Marcos.

The Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable because it's a bit like a bathtub, largely surrounded by continents rather than open ocean.

That means water cannot escape easily, so its surface heats up quickly in the presence of warm air, sunny skies and light winds - as happened in June.

For that reason, the Med is "a climate change hotspot" said Karina von Schuckmann of Mercator Ocean International, a non-profit research organisation.

The heat peaked as June turned to July, after which stronger winds allowed deeper, cooler waters to mix with the warm surface above and bring temperatures down.

But temperatures remain above average and there could be consequences for marine life that we don't yet know about.

Most life has a temperature threshold beyond which it can't survive, though it varies a lot between species and individuals.

But sea creatures can also suffer from prolonged heat exposure, which essentially drains their energy through the summer to a point where they can no longer cope.

"I remember four years ago diving in September at the end of summer, we found skeletons of many, many, many populations," said Emma Cebrian, an ecologist at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes in Spain.

Seaweeds and seagrasses act a bit like the forests of the Mediterranean Sea, home to hundreds of species, as well as locking up planet-warming carbon dioxide.

"Some of them are well adapted to typical Mediterranean warm temperatures, but actually they often cannot withstand marine heatwave conditions, which are becoming more extreme and widespread," said Dr Cebrian.

The heat can also cause what ecologists call "sub-lethal effects", where species essentially go into survival mode and don't reproduce.

"If we start to see ecological impacts, there will almost certainly be impacts on human societies [including] losses of fisheries," warned Dan Smale, senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth.

"We'll have to wait and see, really, but because the temperatures are so high this early in the summer, it is really alarming."

The fast-warming Med is "a canary in the coal mine for climate change and marine ecosystems," he added.

Excessive ocean heat can also supercharge extreme weather.

Warmer seas mean extra evaporation, adding to the moisture in the atmosphere that can fuel extreme rainfall.

If other conditions are right, that can lead to devastating flooding, as happened in Libya in 2023 and Valencia in 2024.

And warmer waters can reduce the cooling effect that coastal populations would usually get from the sea breeze.

That could make things very uncomfortable if there's another heatwave later in the summer, Dr Marcos warned.

"I'm pretty sure that's going to be horrible."

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Sea snot: The noxious plague troubling Istanbul's coast

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250710-the-summer-slime-threatening-turkish-beaches, 8 days ago

As summer warms Istanbul's waters, the megacity's authorities are having to battle a noxious algal bloom dubbed "sea snot".

On a crisp, bright late April day, when the cold poyraz winds blow down from the Black Sea in the north, Koenraad Marinus van Lier contemplates the sea. He lives on Burgazada, an Istanbul islands where cars are forbidden, and the Sea of Marmara wraps around every corner like a big blue hug.

Van Lier is an artist. He is also a swimmer. Every sharp winter morning on the island, he swims in the sea just downhill from his studio, taking long strokes in the cold water. In the summer, the island fills up with weekend tourists and summer house residents, but during the off season, the sound of birds chirping and the soft wind in the fragrant pines comes through clear and strong.

Recently, though, van Lier had to stop swimming. As the water and the weather warmed, a familiar plague returned to the Sea of Marmara. It's early in the season, but van Lier has already seen the mucilage.

The Sea of Marmara is the world's smallest sea. It is also densely settled, highly industrialised, and semi-enclosed. "The Marmara Sea is like a bathtub," van Lier notes. There are only two narrow entry points: the Bosphorus Strait, which leads to the Black Sea, and the Dardanelles Strait, which leads to the Aegean Sea. This makes the sea particularly vulnerable to marine mucilage, also colloquially known as sea snot.

In the early summer of 2021, a plague of mucilage struck the Sea of Marmara. The gunky, sticky ropes of algae hovered like a bad dream on the surface of the water, strangling fish and marine life, leaving a film of bacteria behind. The mucilage is an overgrowth of phytoplankton, which coats the living things in the water with a mucus-like layer of slime that prevent oxygen transfer and can kill fish larvae, eggs, mussels, corals and whatever else comes in its path. The global news leaped on the story and measures were taken to reduce the mucilage. By June 2021, the problem was declared under control. But the mucilage never fully went away. It's been deep under the surface, mucking things up far out of sight of 18 million people who call Istanbul home. And now, it is returning to the surface.

"Mucilage is essentially an ecological situation, an ecological disaster… but the situation we have experienced in the Sea of Marmara in recent years is not natural," says Mustafa Sarı, a professor in the department of water resources management at Bandirma Onyedi̇ Eylül University. According to Sarı, three factors coming together trigger the mucilage.

The first is climate. The world is getting hotter and so is the Sea of Marmara. "The Sea of Marmara is currently 2.5C warmer than the average temperature data of 40 years. The temperature is high," says Sarı. "In other words, it is related to climate and is [in the short term] beyond our control, we cannot control it. I wish we could."

The second is the natural state of the Sea of Marmara. The water that comes in from the Black Sea in the north is low in salt, while the water from the Mediterranean in the south is very salty. The difference in salinity and density means that the water from the two seas has trouble mixing together, creating a transition layer in the Sea of Marmara that limits the vertical circulation of the water. This can trap the mucilage under the top layer. "For this reason, the Sea of Marmara is an ideal environment for ecological events such as mucilage formation," says Sarı. "This is also out of our control."

The third factor, however, is human-made. There are more than 25 million people who live around the Sea of Marmara in and outside of Istanbul, and 50% of their waste goes into the sea without being treated, according to Sari. Seventy percent of the industrial and agricultural waste generated by factories and farms around the Sea of Marmara also goes into the sea without being treated. This pollution disrupts the nitrogen-phosphorus ratio in the water, which is the trigger that tips the balance.

"We can list hundreds of factors related to mucilage, contributing to mucilage, having a share in mucilage formation," says Sarı. "But when these three triggers come together, the catastrophic mucilage that we are experiencing in 2021 and now emerges."

Tahsin Ceylan has seen the disaster up close. He has been diving in the sea since 1985 and shooting underwater images for nearly as long, documenting the wild world that exists under the surface. "The more I get to know the blue world, the more it fascinates me. I try to be the voice and the eyes of that silent world," Ceylan says.

During the pandemic, he saw firsthand the blooming of mucilage underwater that erupted into the globby catastrophe during the summer of 2021. During those days, the thick carpet of mucilage that strangled the sea on the surface was the most visible symptom of the problem, but there was an equally thick layer under the water. In some of Tahsin's images, the sea snot wraps around the seagrass on the ocean floor like a sticky spider web of goo.

"It's a tragedy for bottom-dependent species," says Ceylan. "Unless the waste released into the Marmara Sea is purified, marine life is on the verge of extinction. The breakdown in the ecosystem is now at an irreversible point."

There are plans to address the mucilage, but aren't necessarily new The Marmara Sea Action Plan, consisting of 22 recommended actions, was created in 2021 by many concerned parties after that summer's sea snot bloom, including the Minister of the Environment, the President of the Parliamentary Environment Commission, and the mayors and the governors of the seven provinces that surround the Sea of Marmara.

Suggestions included monitoring all wastewater treatment plants that discharge into the sea, implementing studies that can raise awareness among citizens, and trying to establish the Sea of Marmara as a protected area. The plan was announced on 6 June 2021, and many of the suggestions were put into action. And yet, the mucilage remains.

"What happened in these three years? Unfortunately, we have not been able to reduce the pollution load in the Marmara Sea in three years," says Sari. "In 2021, the rate of advanced biological treatment of domestic waste was 51%, and by 2024, this rate was 51.7%. In other words, progress is not even 1%."

Though everyone came together to agree to the action plan, not everyone has followed through with the implementation. "If you ask me, everyone is responsible together… What interests me more than the reasons for the problems in implementation is why everyone who signed this action plan did not fulfil their responsibilities," says Sari. "We declared a special environmental protection area, great! We formed boards, great! We made decisions, great! We made plans, great! So what are these for? To reduce the pollution load! Were we able to reduce it? We could not reduce it."

In response, the Marmara Municipalities Union, the region's largest local government association, told the BBC: "Since the announcement of the Marmara Sea Action Plan in 2021, many of the commitments made have indeed been fulfilled. These include increased monitoring efforts, stakeholder coordination and public awareness campaigns. However, achieving the plan's full set of targets remains challenging due to factors beyond the control of its signees."

The association says that while several pollution sources have been addressed, insufficiently treated wastewater entering the sea is an ongoing problem and more investment and cooperation is needed to progress further. "Restoring [the sea's] health is essential to improving the quality of life for millions of people," the association says.

There have been other attempts to deal with the mucilage issue. One professor at Bursa Uludağ University is attempting to create "floating islands" that will naturally clean up pollution in the sea. There are also grassroots efforts to draw attention to the problem. A group called the Women Change Makers of Marmara have launched a petition advocating local government officials to take action to get rid of the mucilage and save the Sea of Marmara.

"As women from the Marmara ChangeMakers programme, ecological advocates rooted in the local communities of the Marmara Region, we carry the power to tell the story of the people most affected. We've come to realise that many of those living with the impacts of mucilage either aren't fully aware of the scale of the problem or feel powerless to take action," says Miray Saygı, on behalf of the community. "So our petition is one of the most peaceful and democratic ways to raise awareness and demand accountability from those in power."

The women of the Marmara ChangeMakers are optimistic, which drives their activism. They believe that as long as the steps in their proposal, or in the action plan, are carried out, the situation will improve for the better. "We've seen how quickly people can come together and take action when they truly care… Hope, for us, is action. As long as we continue to speak out, take actions, and demand change, hope is alive – and growing," says Saygı.

In 2021, there was work to clean the mucilage from the sea, but its impact was mostly limited to the mucilage that was visible on the surface. The main solution will be a reduction in the pollution in the sea, and while the majority of that is industrial and should be addressed from authorities, regular consumers could help in their own small way by making sure they use detergents that don't contain phosphorus, for example, which contributes to the pollution in the sea.

Recent sediment cleaning projects in the Gulf of Izmit have already contributed to a reduction in the mucilage in the sea this season. If the temperature of the sea remains around average, the mucilage might remain manageable. That might buy time for the more ambitious solutions, like addressing the vast industrial pollution into the sea.

More like this:

• What happens if Istanbul's water supplies run dry?

• The pollution causing harmful algal blooms

• The hidden ocean pollution killing marine mammals

But as summer arrives in Istanbul, the urgency of the problem is only likely to get worse. And according to Zafer Murat Çetintaş, the secretary general of the Istanbul Environmental Council, the mucilage is spreading. "Mucilage has reached from the [Bosphorus] Strait to the Black Sea. The Black Sea already has a very polluted structure, so this year, with the warming of the waters, the Black Sea coast will also encounter mucilage," warns Çetintaş. The word for the Bosphorus in Turkish is "boǧaz", which means throat. Istanbul's sea is being strangled by snot; now maybe its throat will be too.

Meanwhile, Koenraad Marinus van Lier hasn't been able to swim, as the mucilage creeps back to the shores of Burgazada. And he knows that no matter how much sea snot he sees, it's only a hint of what's really there. The clean-up has been mostly cosmetic, neglecting to clean up the mucilage that gunks up the bottom of the sea.

"The problem is what is not visible," says van Lier. "It's like an iceberg."

So van Lier waits to swim, to return to the sea that buoys his island life. The tourists will flock to Burgazaada in the summer, and perhaps they will go to the island's beaches, but van Lier stays away for now.

"I want to be in the water," says van Lier, but "the sea is dying".

"I'm afraid we're already too late."

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Heatwave to peak this weekend as temperatures soar to 34C

https://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cd0vy9gmdg4o, 9 days ago

* Published10 July 2025

Temperatures are forecast to increase across the UK over the next few days - reaching above the official heatwave threshold in some places for the third time this year.

Highs of 34C are likely on Friday and possibly Saturday, with the sweltering temperatures continuing into early next week.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended yellow heat health alerts to cover every region in England, which will remain in place until 10:00 BST on Tuesday 15 July.

The warnings mean that health and social care services could be significantly affected by the weather – through increased demand or a rise in deaths.

Yellow alerts are less serious than the UKHSA's amber alerts, which were issued during previous spells of hot weather this year.

Organisations including the Alzheimer's Society have issued advice on how to keep people safe in the heat.

The charity reiterated warnings that high temperatures can lead to severe health problems for those with dementia.

South-east Wales, central southern and south-east England will likely see the hottest weather with temperatures on Friday, up to 33C forecast.

However, all parts of the UK should expect hotter weather.

It could even be Wales' hottest day of the year so far if the temperature exceeds 30.8C as forecast.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has an "extreme wildfire warning" in place from Friday until Monday, covering different parts of the country across the weekend.

It is urging the public to "think twice" before using anything involving a naked flame. Firefighters in Scotland have had to tackle a number of wildfires during recent warm periods.

This heatwave's peak is unlikely to exceed the UK's highest temperature of the year so far, when 35.8C was reached on 1 July in Faversham, Kent, during the last heatwave.

The Met Office defines a heatwave as when a temperature threshold - which varies by region - being reached or exceeded for at least three consecutive days.

[people looking hot and bothered with mini fans]

Saturday will be another hot and sunny day for most with temperatures in the high twenties and low thirties.

Highs of 33-34C have been forecast in the Midlands, east Wales and parts of central-southern England on Saturday.

Wimbledon's finals in London over the weekend will see temperatures exceeding 30C.

The tennis tournament recorded its hottest opening day (32.2C) this year, but will likely fall just short of the hottest finals day, of 34.1C in 1976.

By Sunday, a cooler north-easterly breeze will develop, shifting the hottest weather into more central areas of England and eastern Wales, before a likely end to the heatwave on Monday or Tuesday.

England has also seen its driest start to the year since 1976, a report from the Environment Agency said.

Reservoir levels fell at nearly three-quarters of sites in June and are below average in all regions.

Yorkshire Water said a hosepipe ban for households will be in place to protect water supplies over the coming weeks.

Watering gardens, cleaning cars, filling paddling pools and other activities using hosepipes will be restricted in the region from Friday.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats called on the Government to open "cool hubs" in public spaces with air conditioning, such as gyms, leisure centres and libraries.

"Cool hubs could provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable in our communities who are struggling in the sweltering conditions," said the party's energy spokesperson Pippa Heylings.

[view over a field with yellow crop, surrounded by green hedges and blue skies overhead]

How unusual is a third summer heatwave?

Comparing heatwaves is difficult because they are location dependant and the current Met Office definition has only been in place since 2019.

A heatwave occurring at some point during the summer is fairly common.

The last time the UK experienced three heatwaves was in 2022, when the highest temperature on record - 40.3C - was observed at Coningsby.

In terms of the number of heatwave days - when at least one location meets the temperature threshold - there have been 25 days so far in 2025.

Only in 1989 and 2018 were there more heatwave days by this point in the year - with 26 and 34 days, respectively, according to data from weather website Starlings Roost Weather, external.

Temperatures over the next few days will be around 7-10C above average for mid-July.

While linking climate change with specific individual extreme weather events can be difficult, scientists say climate change is generally making heatwaves hotter, longer and more frequent.

The head of conservation at the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, Matt Jackson, told BBC Breakfast the heat has both short- and long-term impacts on wildlife.

An immediate effect is wildlife patterns becoming out of step, he said.

"We get the butterflies which feed the birds, for instance, coming out [at a time that is] out of sync with the bird breeding cycle - so they don't have the amount of food they need to feed their chicks."

However, drought is the "biggest threat" to nature reserve management in the long term, Mr Jackson added.

"It is changing the way our nature reserves work and we're having to try and work out how to adapt to that."

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'LA's loneliest bachelor': How a mateless Hollywood puma inspired the world's biggest animal bridge

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250709-the-hollywood-puma-behind-los-angeles-huge-animal-bridge, 9 days ago

Inspired by a mountain lion isolated from potential mates, the world's largest wildlife bridge is being built in Los Angeles to allow animals to roam freely.

There had been rumours for a few months in the Hollywood Hills that a 90lb (41kg) beast was skulking through one of Los Angeles's most heavily trafficked parks at night. But it wasn't until a camera captured a photo of a mountain lion in 2012 that scientists could confirm the lore.

P-22, P as in puma (another word for mountain lion), was a 1.5-year-old male the National Park Service determined had journeyed by himself nearly 30 miles (48km), crossing two major freeways, to end up in Griffith Park, in central LA just outside of Hollywood, where he took up permanent residence.

Nearly overnight, P-22 became Los Angeles's newest celebrity – seen as a mascot for some locals. But P-22's story was also one of isolation, for the mountain lion was miles away from others of his species and would likely stay mateless for life.

When Beth Pratt, California regional executive director at the non-profit National Wildlife Federation, first read about P-22, she immediately called Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service.

"He gave me a tour of Griffith Park. And then he talked about not just P-22 but the entire mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains. And P-22 was just one example. The worst example," says Pratt.

Pratt learned from Sikich that while P-22 was rare in that he had survived leaving the western Santa Monica Mountains to cross into the eastern flank of the mountain range, he was not alone in his seclusion. Most of the mountain lions living in the western range were also stuck and inbreeding, because of how the city's transportation infrastructure had evolved.

In fact, road development in Los Angeles has cut off many species from their normal roaming territory, from bobcats to birds. Solitary mountain lions, which seek out "home ranges" of up to 250 sq miles (648 sq km), are among the most affected.

"These roads were just literally dooming this population to extinction because they were trapped and isolated and were inbreeding themselves out of existence, which science was starting to show," says Pratt. "And it was that day [at Griffith] I literally was like, 'Oh my God. We have to do something.'"

• P-22, Hollywood's celebrity mountain lion, ends his reign

Thirteen years later, Los Angeles is gearing up to open the largest wildlife crossing in the world. Set to open in 2026, the 165ft (51m)-longbridge will mirror the desert terrain of the nearby valley and be dotted with rocks and low shrubs to reconnect the Santa Monica Mountain range. It will allow mountain lions and other species, such as coyotes, bobcats and deer, to roam more freely.

Wildlife crossings are used globally as a way to let animals safely cross roads and highways, from migrating red crabs in Australia's Christmas Island to "ecoducts" in the Netherlands used by wild boar, badgers and foxes. But Los Angeles's crossing stands out not just for its magnitude, but its location: in the US's second largest city, often considered the birthplace of the country's modern highway system.

What Pratt didn't know when she first learned of P-22 back in 2012 is that there was already an effort underway in Los Angeles to fix the problem of separated wildlife corridors.

Scientist and researcher Paul Edelman had for decades been putting together an effort to build a bridge between mountain ranges to let animals like pumas range more freely and lower the risk of being run over.

His efforts began in 1989 when he was a consultant for the non-profit The Nature Conservancy and was given a grant by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state authority, to study what it would take to connect Southern California's three mountain ranges.

"I was just put in a fortunate position to where I was told, 'Okay, here's some money, and you get a year to study this and produce something.' And so I got to devote my working life to studying it and it just very soon became crystal clear what we needed to do," says Edelman, who is now deputy director of natural resources and planning at the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

After he submitted the study in 1990, Edelman determined there was a need to build a crossing over the eight lanes of the 101 Freeway at a place in Calabasas called Liberty Canyon, where two parcels of publicly owned land could be connected by a bridge.

Mountain lions are routinely struck and killed by traffic in California. A 2024 report from the University of California, Davis, found that 613 of them were killed on California roads between 2016 and 2023. Vehicle collisions with large animals such as mountain lions and deer also cost $1.64bn (£1.2bn) during that seven-year period, the report noted.

The problem is especially bad near the Santa Monica Mountains, where over 300,000 cars use the 101 Freeway daily, according to Pratt. More than a third of all the mountain lion deaths on roads in California happen on the stretch of highway that crosses through these mountains, says Edelman.

Animal roadkill is an issue that persists across the US but is especially a problem in the Midwest and West where there are large open roads and migrating herds of large animals from elk to deer to wolves, according to Patricia Cramer, founder of US-based non-profit The Wildlife Connectivity Institute, whose PhD was on pumas in Florida.

Cramer studies transportation ecology, which considers how animal crossings can lead to safer roads, fewer accidents, less expensive costs to automobiles and longer lives for animals. She is confident that the new crossing will benefit California's puma population. "Pumas are really widely distributed. They go 10 miles (16.1km) in a night. They will find it, and they'll find it quickly," Cramer says.

"People will say: 'All that money for one structure?' But Beth Pratt and her company, they've brought so much attention to the idea," she adds.

She says that getting communities to invest in wildlife crossings is not just about animal safety though, it also requires buy-in from local communities and state officials. "They have got to care enough to want to save the species of wildlife in their area."

In California, Edelman was so passionate about the cause he would spend the next two decades of his life working on it. To connect the two parcels of state-owned park land on either side of the 101, Edelman needed to buy up land that lined the freeway. This was largely smaller privately owned parcels of land, and he ultimately amassed 12 of these. One was a proposed storage facility, another a planned condo complex, another previously used to keep beehives, he says.

To fund these purchases, Edelman used a combination of state funds from two propositions that passed in 1992 and again in 1996, he says, which provided funds to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, as well as proceeds from fees collected at a nearby county landfill. It took 32 years, but by December 2021, Edelman had purchased 439 acres (1.8 sq km) for $16m (£11.7m).

While his work was ongoing, researchers were continuing to document telltale signs of inbreeding among the species, like kinked tails and males having only one descended testicle.

"We never thought it would take that long. But the complexity of it, I guess I never gave up on it," says Edelman. "We got the land, and then somebody came through and said, 'Let's do the bridge.'"

The bridge would take millions more to build. That's where Pratt says she realised she could play a connecting part – as a leader at a non-profit, she could help fundraise through private donations, and she used P-22 as the face of the effort.

It started with tapping into the virality of the puma, whose famous photo in front of the Hollywood sign appeared on front pages and was featured on CBS News' 60 Minutes. The marketing campaign included a fundraising video with an actor from the US version of The Office, a "Ghost Cat" red wine that gave part of its proceed to the #SaveLACougars campaign, a P-22 ugly Christmas sweater that featured LA's notorious traffic, and a limited edition library card.

Pratt established an Instagram account for P-22 with the caption "LA's loneliest bachelor". It generated 15,400 followers. His Facebook page has 27,000 followers. The pages highlight murals dedicated to P-22 across the city, as well as progress on funding for the wildlife crossing. Pratt dubbed P-22 the "Brad Pitt" of pumas.

Pratt said some scientists thought what she was doing was bizarre – turning P-22 into a meme of sorts – but she realised the LA community connected with P-22 on a deep level.

"I think building relationships with animals is actually what we need to be doing, and what humanity has done for a long time," she says.

The story of P-22 captivated donors. The fundraising campaign raised over $100m (£73m) for the crossing with a roughly 50/50 split between public and private funds, according to Pratt. Most of the private funds came from the Annenberg Foundation, Pratt says - leading to the crossing being named after heiress and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg.

Celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Barbra Streisand donated as well as 6,000 individual contributions from people around the globe from Bolivia to Australia, Pratt adds.

To get the crossing built, the #SaveLACougars campaign turned to landscape architect Robert Rock, president of Rock Design Associates, an architecture firm based in Chicago.

Rock says he immediately connected with the project on a personal level.

"Growing up in rural Iowa, hitting a deer is a pretty common thing. It's a traumatic moment when you hit a large animal," he says.

Rock consulted with several experts including wildlife biologists and structural engineers. Their goal was to not only figure out how to build the momentous structure 210ft (64m) long and 174ft (53m) wide, says Rock,but also how to make sure animals would use it. That meant considering everything from the impact of the traffic's sound, the slope of the bridge, planted vegetation, sun glare, burying transmission lines and the colour of the poured concrete.

Fires were also a consideration, because the area frequently burns. In fact, construction was put on pause momentarily in February 2025 after a spot fire burned the freeway for a day and the Palisades fire continued to burn into Malibu nearby, according to Pratt. In 2018, the area was scorched during the Wolseley Fire, which burned 96,949 acres (392 sq km) through the Santa Monica Mountains. Plants growing on the crossing will be watered by sprinklers that can double as ground wetters in the face of future fires.

More like this:

• Can LA fire-proof itself?

• The cemetery where endangered species thrive

• The photos showing the softer side of great whites

The hope is that the crossing will also be an escape route for impacted animals. During the Woolsey fire, conservationists saw the devastating impacts of isolation on mountain lions. Two tagged males perished, according to a report by Associated Press – including one that had escaped the flames but later died of malnourishment with badly burned paws, according to Pratt.

"California is a wildfire state, wildfires are part of the natural ecological function here. So any plant or animal in California has some adaptation to fire, but these are not wildfires," says Pratt. "These are human-caused fire storms that are running hotter, longer, faster, and so the adaptations that once worked for these animals don't work."

Several factors influence how well-used a wildlife crossing is, including its width. One 2022 review of 120 wildlife passes around the world found that wider crossings helped a greater diversity of species to use the crossing effectively. Crossings around 50m (164ft) wide or more were often "ecologically sound and cost-effective solutions", the authors wrote.

However, a well-proportioned wildlife crossing can still face challenges, as animals can be deterred by noise pollution. One 2018 report analysed 20 wildlife crossings in California to see how animals were using them at night, finding that sound-sensitive species – including mountain lions – were less abundant near noisy crossings.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing won't officially open until late 2026, but it has already spurred momentum in the wildlife crossing space, according to Pratt and Rock. Pratt has launched the Wildlife Crossing Fund, with help from Annenberg, where she consults with outside groups how to create similar campaigns for wildlife corridors in places like Washington, Colorado and Florida.

Rock is now working on drafting plans for everything from a salamander crossing down in Jackson, Mississippi, to a crossing for bighorn sheep on the nation's first tribal national park in North Dakota.

In 2021, the US Congress provided funding for a wildlife crossing pilot programme administered by the Federal Highway Administration to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions. While the bill passed by former President Joe Biden is facing defunding under the current administration, ecologists like Cramer hope the programme will become permanent.

In Southern California, wildlife crossings are already growing in popularity. There's also a study underway for a bridge across Los Angeles’s Interstate 5 and 100 miles (161km) north of Los Angeles another crossing was recently funded to cross the 101 Freeway along the Gaviota coastline.

In December 2022, P-22 started exhibiting erratic behaviour. At 12-years-old, the mountain lion began coming closer to houses and humans and attacked and killed a small dog as he was being walked on a leash. When park officials captured him, they found P-22 was suffering from rodenticide and looked like he'd been hit by a car.

The day before they put him down, Pratt said she finally got to meet P-22 face to face, the mountain lion she'd made a central part of her life for the past decade. Separated by a fence, she said she talked to him about the movement he had helped inspire.

"I told him he was a good boy and to look at what we were doing. And not only did this one crossing get built, but all were going to get built because of him," Pratt says.

"It's probably the first time in history that a mountain lion saw a blonde woman sobbing to him out of control."

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Pope expresses sadness after Israeli strike on Gaza church kills three

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xvnlpx2dxo, yesterday

Pope Leo XIV has renewed his call for a Gaza ceasefire after three people sheltering in the Catholic church in Gaza City were killed in an Israeli strike.

A telegram said the Pope was "deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and injury caused by the military attack" on the Holy Family Church.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which oversees the church, said it was "struck by the Israeli army". Nine other people were wounded, one of whom is in a critical condition in hospital. The parish priest was lightly injured.

Israel's prime minister said it "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit" the church and the Israeli military said the incident was under review.

Many displaced families from Gaza's small Christian community have been living in the church compound since the war began after their own homes were destroyed.

While he was alive, the late Pope Francis called them on a near-daily basis.

A video and photos shared with the BBC showed the roof of the Holy Family Church was hit, close to the cross, and that windows were broken.

TV footage showed the Argentine parish priest, Father Gabriele Romanelli, walking unsteadily and checking on a man on a stretcher at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, told the Vatican News website that the Holy Family Church was hit by a tank shell.

"What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] says by mistake, but we are not sure about this. They hit the church directly," he said.

The charity Caritas Jerusalem said the shell hit the church roof, "scattering shrapnel and debris across the yard".

"At the time, some individuals were outside the main building, including two elderly women who were sitting inside our Caritas psychosocial support tent. Both were severely wounded and were transported by ambulance to Al-Ahli Hospital after a 15-minute delay," it said.

"Three young people who had been standing at the entrance of the church were also badly injured and were rushed to the hospital using private vehicles."

Later, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced that "three individuals lost their lives as a result of the injuries sustained and nine others were wounded, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition".

It named those killed as Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, the 60-year-old parish janitor, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, 84, and Najwa Abu Daoud.

The patriarchate said it "strongly condemns this tragedy and this targeting of innocent civilians and of a sacred place".

"However, this tragedy is not greater or more terrible than the many others that have befallen Gaza. Many other innocent civilians have also been harmed, displaced and killed," it added.

The Vatican's secretary of state sent a telegram to the victims saying Pope Leo was deeply saddened by the loss of life and had assured Father Romanelli "and the whole parish community of his spiritual closeness".

"His holiness renews his call for an immediate ceasefire, and he expresses his profound hope for dialogue, reconciliation and enduring peace in the region," it added.

In the evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church."

"Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful."

The IDF said an initial inquiry suggested that "fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly".

"The cause of the incident is under review," it added.

Asked by reporters, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump had rung Netanyahu to discuss the issue.

"It was a mistake by the Israelis to hit that Catholic church, that's what the prime minister relayed to the president," she said.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable."

"No military action can justify such an attitude," she added.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem also condemned the strike, which it called a "flagrant violation of human dignity and a blatant violation of the sanctity of life and the sanctity of religious sites".

It estimated that 600 displaced people were sheltering inside at the time, the majority of whom were children as well as 54 people with special needs.

The Holy Family Church falls within part of Gaza City that the Israeli military has previously told locals to leave.

Caritas Jerusalem said Father Romanelli had urged people to remain in the rooms "due to the presence of Israeli tanks near the church compound and continuous strikes in close proximity".

"If Father Gabriel hadn't warned us to stay indoors, we could have lost 50 to 60 people today. It would have been a massacre," one Caritas staff member said.

More than 20 people are reported to have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza on Thursday.

In the north, medical sources said eight men protecting aid lorries and a couple and their five children were among those killed.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and led to 251 others being taken hostage.

Israeli attacks have since killed more than 58,500 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.

At least 20 killed in crush at US-backed GHF aid site in Gaza

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4rwrkdlzxo, 2 days ago

At least 20 people have been killed in a crush at an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the organisation and a local hospital say.

The GHF said 19 were trampled to death and one was stabbed "amid a chaotic and dangerous surge" at its site in the Khan Younis area. It added that it believed people "armed and affiliated with Hamas" fomented unrest.

But Gaza's Hamas-run Government Media Office denied the claim and accused the GHF of trying to "cover up" a crime.

Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said it had received the bodies of 21 people who died from suffocation as a result of tear gas inhalation and a crush at the aid site.

It is the first time the GHF has confirmed deaths at one of its aid sites.

In a graphic video shared on social media and verified by the BBC, a witness standing on a cart filled with the bodies of six boys and men at Nasser hospital said they had been crushed between fences set up at the GHF site while waiting for food handouts on Wednesday.

"They are children. What is it their fault dying for aid?" the man shouts as he holds up the body of one of the boys.

"What happened is [that] at the door of the aid [site], the foreigners made a fence here and a fence here," he gestured. "The boys went to the front and the people came and stepped on them."

One injured man being treated at the hospital, Mahmoud Fojo, 21, said that when he reached the GHF site he found that contractors were "closing the gates".

"People kept gathering and pressuring each other. When people pushed each other, those who couldn't bear it fell down under the people and got run over," he told Reuters news agency.

"Those who couldn't stand fell under the people and were crushed. Some people started jumping over the wire fence and got wounded."

Another man, Ahmed Abu Omra, said armed contractors standing near the narrow passageways into which the crowds were funnelled had fired "pepper bombs".

The Government Media Office accused the security contractors of causing the crush by closing the gates of the site after thousands of people had gathered in narrow channels, and then firing canisters of tear gas and live rounds towards them.

A GHF spokesperson said the claim was "completely false".

"At no point was tear gas deployed, nor were shots fired into the crowd. Limited use of pepper spray was deployed, only to safeguard against additional loss of life.

"In at least one instance, an American worker physically entered the violent crowd to rescue a child who was being trampled," they added.

At a press briefing later on Wednesday, the first it has staged, GHF spokesperson Chapin Fay said the deadly incident was "instigated by armed Hamas operatives who infiltrated" the crowd and "deliberately incited chaos that led to 20 deaths".

He added that the individual who was stabbed was a medic who had attempted to tackle an armed "Hamas affiliate".

The GHF uses private security contractors to distribute aid from sites in Israeli military zones. Israel and the US say the system is necessary to stop Hamas from stealing aid.

The UN refuses to co-operate with it, describing its set-up as unethical.

There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while seeking aid since the GHF began operations in late May. Witnesses say most have been shot by Israeli forces.

A spokesperson for the UN human rights office, Thameen Al-Kheetan, told the BBC that it was aware of the reports about Wednesday's incident but did not have any details.

"In general, there is a severe shortage of humanitarian assistance and life-saving aid in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of hungry people have to gather at only three or four distribution points managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," he said.

"We continue to record reports of shootings or shelling by the Israeli military in the vicinity of these sites. Therefore, increasing desperation and breakdown of law and order are resulting in a high level of chaos."

Kheetan called on Israel, as the occupying power, to "facilitate the full and unimpeded access to Gaza of humanitarian assistance commensurate with the needs of the civilian population".

On Tuesday, the UN human rights office said it had so far recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF's four sites in southern and central Gaza over the past six weeks. Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added.

Before Wednesday, the GHF had denied that there had been any deadly incidents in close proximity to its sites and accused the UN of using "false and misleading" figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military said last week that it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

Gaza hospital says 24 people killed near aid site as witnesses blame IDF

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp90v2ng70yo, 6 days ago

The Nasser hospital in southern Gaza has said 24 people have been killed near an aid distribution site.

Palestinians who were present at the site said Israeli troops opened fire as people were trying to access food on Saturday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said there were "no known injured individuals" from IDF fire near the site.

Separately, an Israeli military official said warning shots were fired to disperse people who the IDF believed were a threat.

The claims by both sides have not been independently verified. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza.

Footage seen by the BBC later on Saturday showed what appeared to be a number of body bags at Nasser hospital's courtyard surrounded by nurses and people in blood-stained clothes.

In another video, a man said people were waiting to get aid when they came under targeted fire for five minutes. A paramedic accused Israeli troops of killing in cold blood.

The videos have not been verified by the BBC.

Reuters news agency said it had spoken to witnesses who described people being shot in the head and torso.

There have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food in Gaza.

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip in March, and later resumed its military offensive against Hamas, ending a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased in late May as warnings grew of a looming famine, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid.

On Friday, the UN human rights office said that it had so far recorded 798 aid-related killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza.

The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The Israeli military said it recognised there had been incidents in which civilians had been harmed and that it was working to minimise "possible friction between the population and the [Israeli] forces as much as possible".

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Earlier this month, a former security contractor for the GHF told the BBC he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat. The GHF said the allegations were categorically false.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,823 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Gaza ceasefire talks on verge of collapse, Palestinian officials say

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjq9p87vdvo, 7 days ago

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar on a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are on the brink of collapse, according to Palestinian officials familiar with the details of the discussions.

One senior official told the BBC that Israel had "bought time" during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington this week and deliberately stalled the process by sending a delegation to Doha with no real authority to make decisions on key points of contention.

They include the withdrawal of Israeli troops and humanitarian aid distribution.

Before he left the US on Thursday, Netanyahu had maintained a positive tone, saying he hoped to complete an agreement "in a few days".

He said the proposed deal would see Hamas release half of the 20 living hostages it is still holding and just over half of the 30 dead hostages during a truce lasting 60 days.

Since last Sunday, Israeli and Hamas negotiators have attended eight rounds of indirect "proximity" talks in separate buildings in Doha.

They have been facilitated by Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and senior Egyptian intelligence officials, and attended by US envoy Brett McGurk.

The mediators have relayed dozens of verbal and written messages between the Hamas delegation and the Israeli delegation, which has included military, security and political officials.

But on Friday night, Palestinian officials familiar with the negotiations told the BBC they were on the verge of collapse, with the two sides deeply divided on several contentious issues.

They said the most recent discussions had focused on two of those issues: the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza and the extent of the Israeli military withdrawal.

Hamas has insisted that humanitarian assistance must enter Gaza and be distributed via United Nations agencies and international relief organisations.

Israel, on the other hand, is pushing for aid distribution via the controversial Israeli- and US-backed mechanism run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

According to mediators involved in the process, there has been some limited progress on bridging the divide over this issue. However, no formal agreement has been reached.

The second major sticking point is over the extent of the Israeli withdrawal.

During the fifth round of talks, Israeli negotiators reportedly handed mediators a written message stating that Israel would maintain a limited "buffer zone" inside Gaza that was between 1km and 1.5km (0.6-0.9 miles) deep.

Hamas, according to a Palestinian official who attended at least two of the rounds of talks, viewed this proposal as a possible starting point for compromise.

However, when Hamas requested and received a map outlining Israel's proposed withdrawal zones, the document contradicted the earlier message, showing far deeper military positions. The map was said to indicate buffer zones that were up to 3km (1.8 miles) deep in certain areas and confirmed a continued Israeli presence in vast swathes of territory.

They covered all of the southern city of Rafah, 85% of the village of Khuzaa east of Khan Younis, substantial parts of the northern towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, and eastern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, such as Tuffah, Shejaiya and Zeitoun.

Hamas officials saw the map as a bad-faith manoeuvre by Israel, further eroding trust between the sides.

Palestinian officials accused the Israeli delegation of deliberately stalling to create a positive diplomatic backdrop for the Israeli prime minister's recent visit to Washington.

"They were never serious about these talks," one senior Palestinian negotiator told the BBC. "They used these rounds to buy time and project a false image of progress."

The official also claimed that Israel was pursuing a long-term strategy of forced displacement under the guise of humanitarian planning.

He alleged that Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz's plan to move Palestinians to a "humanitarian city" in Rafah was part of a broader effort to permanently relocate them.

"The goal of concentrating civilians near the Egyptian border is to pave the way for their expulsion either across the Rafah crossing into Egypt or out through the sea," the official said.

On Monday, Katz briefed Israeli reporters that he had instructed the military to prepare a plan for a new camp in Rafah that would initially house about 600,000 Palestinians - and eventually the whole 2.1 million population.

According to the plan, the Palestinians would be security screened by Israeli forces before being allowed in and not permitted to leave.

Critics, both domestically and internationally, have condemned the proposal, with human rights groups, academics and lawyers calling it a blueprint for a "concentration camp".

With the talks at a critical juncture, the Palestinian side is calling on the US to intervene more forcefully and pressure Israel to make meaningful concessions.

Without such intervention, mediators warn, the Doha negotiations could collapse entirely.

That is a scenario that would further complicate regional efforts to reach a durable ceasefire and avert a broader humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

Diplomats in Doha say there is still a narrow window for compromise, but that the situation remains fragile.

"This process is hanging by a thread," one regional official said. "Unless something changes dramatically and quickly, we may be heading towards a breakdown."

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,823 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

'They were just kids': Mother mourns sons killed in Israeli strike while waiting for aid

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9xgrrq54go, 7 days ago

Iman al-Nouri's youngest son, two-year-old Siraj, woke up crying from hunger on Thursday and asked to get some nutritional supplements.

Siraj's 14-year-old cousin, Sama, agreed to take him and two of his older brothers - Omar, nine, and Amir, five - to the Altayara health clinic in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

"The [medical] point was still closed, so they were sitting on the pavement when suddenly we heard the sound of the strike," Iman told a local journalist working for the BBC.

"I went to [my husband] and said: 'Your children, Hatim! They went to the point.'"

Warning: This piece contains graphic descriptions of death and violence

Iman, a 32-year-old mother of five, rushed to the scene after hearing the strike, only to find her sons and niece lying on a donkey cart that was being used to transport casualties to the hospital because there were no ambulances.

Amir and Sama were among the dead, while Omar and Siraj were seriously wounded.

"Omar still had some breath in him. They tried to revive him," Iman recalled. "Omar needed blood, and it took them an hour to get it. They gave it to him, but it was in vain."

"Why are they gone? Why? What did they do wrong?" she asked.

"They had dreams just like any other children in the world. If you gave them a small toy, they'd be so happy. They were just kids."

Iman said Siraj's head was bleeding and he had lost an eye – an image that she cannot now get out of her head.

"He had fractures in his skull and... according to the doctor, not just bleeding, but [a major haemorrhage] on his brain," she added. "How long can he stay like this, living on oxygen? Two are already gone. If only he could help me hold on a little longer."

Tragically, doctors have said they are unable to treat Siraj.

"Since yesterday at 07:00 until now, he's in the same condition. He's still breathing, his chest rises and falls, he still has breath in him. Save him!" she pleaded.

A spokesperson for the US-based aid group Project Hope, which runs the Altayara clinic, told the BBC that the strike happened at around 07:15.

Women and children were waiting outside before it opened at 09:00, in order to be first in line for nutrition and other health services, Dr Mithqal Abutaha said.

CCTV footage of the Israeli air strike shows two men walking along a street, just metres away from a group of women and children. Moments later, there is an explosion next to the men and the air is filled with dust and smoke.

In a graphic video showing the aftermath of the attack, many dead and severely wounded children and adults are seen lying on the ground.

"Please get my daughter an ambulance," one woman calls out as she tends to a young girl. But for many it was too late for help."

Dr Abutaha said 16 people were killed, including 10 children and three women.

The Israeli military said it targeted a "Hamas terrorist" and that it regretted any harm to what it called "uninvolved individuals", while adding that the incident was under review.

Project Hope said the strike was "a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza".

Dr Abutaha said it was "unbearable" when he found out that people were killed "where they [were] seeking their basic humanitarian and human rights".

He questioned the Israeli military's statement on the strike, including its expression of regret, saying that it "cannot bring those patients, those beneficiaries back alive".

He also said that the clinic was a UN-recognised, "deconflicted humanitarian facility", and that no military actions should have taken place nearby.

Iman said her children used to go to the clinic every two or three days to get nutritional supplements because she and Hatim were not able to give them enough food.

"Their father risks his life just to bring them flour. When he goes to Netzarim [military corridor north of Deir al-Balah], my heart breaks. He goes there to bring food or flour."

"Does anyone have anything? There's no food. What else would make a child scream if he didn't want something?"

Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian armed group to release Israeli hostages.

Although the blockade was partially eased in late May, amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, there are still severe shortages of food, as well as medicine and fuel.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) says there are thousands of malnourished children across the territory, with more cases detected every day.

Dr Abutaha said Project Hope had also noticed an alarming rise in cases of malnutrition among adults, which they had not observed before in Gaza.

In addition to allowing in some UN aid lorries, Israel and the US helped set up a new aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying they wanted to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. But since then, there have been almost daily reports of people being killed by Israeli fire while seeking food.

The UN human rights office said on Friday that it had so far recorded 798 such killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF's sites, which are operated by US private security contractors and located inside military zones in southern and central Gaza. The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Dr Abutaha called on Israel to allow in enough food, medicine and fuel to meet the basic humanitarian needs of everyone in Gaza, so that "everyone could have a dignified life".

He also expressed concern that people were being given "false hope" that Israel and Hamas could soon agree a new ceasefire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that an agreement on a 60-day truce and the release of 28 hostages could be just days away.

But Palestinian officials said on Friday night that the indirect talks in Qatar were on the brink of collapse because of significant gaps remaining on issues like Israeli troop withdrawals and Hamas's rejection of an Israeli plan to move all of Gaza's population into a camp in Rafah.

"Every day they talk about a ceasefire, but where is it?" Iman said.

"They've killed us through hunger, through gunfire, through bombs, through air strikes. We've died in every possible way."

"It's better to go to God than stay with any of them. May God give me patience."

Additional reporting by Malak Hassouneh

Gaza father's outrage after Israeli strike kills son 'searching for sip' at water point

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckglpk9xjewo, 4 days ago

Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Ahmed says his son, Abdullah, was "searching for a sip of water" when he took the family's jerrycans on Sunday morning and headed as usual to one of the water distribution points in the urban Nuseirat camp, in central Gaza.

"That area was inhabited by displaced people, others who were exhausted by the war, and those who have seen the worst due to the imposed siege and limitations, and the ongoing aggression," Mahmoud said in an interview with a local journalist working for the BBC.

"The children, Abdullah among them, stood in a queue with empty stomachs, empty jerrycans, and thirsty lips," he added.

"Minutes after the children and thirsty people of the camp gathered, the warplanes bombed those children and the water distribution point, without prior notice."

Graphic video filmed by another local journalist and verified by the BBC showed the immediate aftermath of the Israeli strike on a street in the New Camp area of Nuseirat.

He passes two men carrying young children before coming across a destroyed structure, beneath which dozens of yellow plastic jerrycans are clustered.

Women scream as bystanders pull a man from the rubble, while others try to help another man covered in blood. Other adults and children are seen lying motionless nearby.

Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat said 10 people, including six children, were killed in the strike, and that 16 others were injured.

Along with Abdullah, they named the children who died as Badr al-Din Qaraman, Siraj Khaled Ibrahim, Ibrahim Ashraf Abu Urayban, Karam Ashraf al-Ghussein and Lana Ashraf al-Ghussein.

When asked about the strike, the Israeli military said it had targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad "terrorist" but that "as a result of a technical error with the munition, the munition fell dozens of meters from the target".

The military said it was "aware of the claim regarding casualties in the area as a result" and "regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians", adding: "The incident is under review."

However, Mahmoud claimed that Israel "intended to convey a message: it won't allow people to drink even the drinking water that they crave."

He also lamented that dreams of Abdullah and the other children would never be realised.

"They were looking at reality with the hope of it changing, and of becoming like the other children of the world - practicing their normal role of playing, moving, traveling, eating, drinking, and living in safety," he said.

The UN says water shortages in Gaza are worsening due to the lack of fuel and spare parts for desalination, pumping and sanitation facilities, as well as insecurity and inaccessibility due to Israeli military operations against Hamas and evacuation orders.

As a result, many people are receiving less than the emergency standard of 15 litres per day, amounting to what the UN calls "a human-made drought crisis".

"You see children queuing up, by the side of the road, with yellow jerrycans every single morning, waiting for the daily water truck to come and get their five litres [or] 10 litres, of water used for washing, cleaning, cooking, drinking, etc," Sam Rose, the acting Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), told the BBC.

"Every death is a tragedy. This one is particularly emblematic, given the circumstances in which it took place. But it's one of many," he added.

Last Thursday, 10 children and three women were killed as they waited for nutritional supplements outside a clinic in the nearby town of Deir al-Balah.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas "terrorist" nearby and, as with Sunday's incident, that it regretted harming any civilians.

"We focus on these incidents, but of course these weren't the only children killed in Gaza [on Sunday]," Rose said. "Every single day, since the start of the war, on average of classroom full of children have been killed."

The executive director of the UN children's agency (Unicef), Catherine Russell, meanwhile called both incidents "horrific" and demanded that Israeli authorities "urgently review the rules of engagement and ensure full compliance with international humanitarian law".

Later this week, the UN Security Council will convene to discuss the situation of children in Gaza, following a request by the UK.

However, Israel's permanent representative Danny Danon said council members would be "better served to apply pressure on Hamas for prolonging this conflict".

"The children in Gaza are victims of Hamas, not Israel. Hamas is using them as human shields and the UN is silent," he claimed.

Mahmoud said it was Israel which should be pressured to end the war.

"We have no power and no strength. We are victims. We are civilians just like other people in the world, and we don't own any nuclear weapons or arms or anything," he added.

"This war needs to stop, and so does the ongoing massacre happening in the Gaza Strip."

Gaza officials say children killed in strike as Israeli military admits 'error'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rvxjnvv71o, 5 days ago

Ten people, including six children, have been killed in an Israeli air strike while waiting to fill water containers in central Gaza on Sunday, emergency service officials say.

Their bodies were sent to Nuseirat's al-Awda Hospital, which also treated 16 injured people including seven children, a doctor there said.

Eyewitnesses said a drone fired a missile at a crowd queuing with empty jerry cans next to a water tanker in al-Nuseirat refugee camp.

The Israeli military said there had been a "technical error" with a strike targeting an Islamic Jihad "terrorist" that caused the munition to fall dozens of metres from the target. The incident is under review, the military added.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was aware of the "claim regarding casualties in the area as a result", adding that it works to mitigate civilian harm "as much as possible" and "regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians".

Verified video of the aftermath shows dozens of people rushing to help injured people, including children, lying among yellow jerry cans.

BBC Verify was able to pinpoint the location by matching it with the position of nearby rooftops, trees and telegraph poles.

It was filmed early morning local time, going by shadows, on a road about 80m (262ft) south-west of the Nuseirat Junior High School. The site itself is two buildings along from another building listed online as a kindergarten.

Satellite imagery from three weeks ago shows a tanker truck parked across the street.

From the video, it cannot be determined what struck the site and, if it was a malfunctioning Israeli munition, from which direction it had been fired.

The strike came as Israeli aerial attacks across the Gaza Strip have escalated.

A spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defence Agency said 19 other Palestinians had been killed on Sunday, in three separate strikes on residential buildings in central Gaza and Gaza City.

Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had treated more mass casualty cases at its Rafah field hospital in southern Gaza in the last six weeks than in the 12 months before that.

It said that its field hospital in Rafah had received 132 patients "suffering from weapon-related injuries" on Saturday, 31 of whom died.

The "overwhelming majority" of the patients had gunshot wounds, it added, and "all responsive individuals" reported they had been trying to access food distribution sites.

It said that the hospital had treated more than 3,400 weapon-wounded patients and recorded more than 250 deaths since new food distribution sites opened on 27 May - exceeding "all mass casualty cases treated at the hospital" in the year prior.

"The alarming frequency and scale of these mass casualty incidents underscore the horrific conditions civilians in Gaza are enduring," the ICRC said.

On Saturday, southern Gaza's Nasser hospital said 24 people were killed near an aid distribution site, where witnesses said Israeli troops had opened fire as people were trying to access food.

The Israeli military said there were "no known injured individuals" from IDF fire near the site. Separately, a military official said warning shots were fired to disperse people who the IDF believed were a threat.

The UN human rights office said on Friday that it had so far recorded 789 aid-related killings.

It said that of those, 615 were in the vicinity of the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)'s sites, which opened on 27 May and are operated by US private security contractors inside military zones in southern and central Gaza.

The other 183 killings were recorded near UN and other aid convoys.

The GHF accused the UN of using "false and misleading" statistics from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

GHF boss Johnnie Moore previously told the BBC he was not denying deaths near aid sites, but said "100% of those casualties are being attributed to close proximity to GHF" and that was "not true".

Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,882 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has been displaced multiple times.

More than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed. The healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed, and there are shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter.

This week, for the first time in 130 days, 75,000 litres of fuel was allowed into Gaza - "far from enough to meet the daily needs of the population and vital civilian aid operations", the United Nations said.

Nine UN agencies warned on Saturday that Gaza's fuel shortage had reached "critical levels", and if fuel ran out, it would affect hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks and bakeries.

"Hospitals are already going dark, maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move," the UN said.

Additional reporting by Richard Irvine-Brown and Benedict Garman, BBC Verify

Released Hamas hostage says Trump can bring home those still captive in Gaza

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xvd4jd0wvo, 11 days ago

An American Israeli man who was held captive by Hamas has told the BBC that US President Donald Trump has the power to secure the release of the remaining hostages and end the war in Gaza.

Keith Siegel, 66, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. He was released this February after 484 days in captivity under a ceasefire deal that Trump helped broker just before he took office.

He was taken along with his wife, Aviva, who was held for 51 days before being freed during an earlier ceasefire.

Mr Siegel was speaking ahead of a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump at the White House on Monday evening.

In an interview in Tel Aviv, he thanked Trump for securing his own release and said the president could now do the same for the remaining 50 hostages, up to 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.

"I believe he has a lot of strength, power and ability to put pressure on those that need to be pressured, on both sides in order to get the agreement, get the deal signed, and get all of hostages back and bring an end to the war," he said.

Trump has said he hopes a new ceasefire and hostage release deal will be agreed this week, but it appears there are still significant gaps between Israel and Hamas.

The two sides resumed indirect talks in Qatar on Sunday evening but they ended after three hours without a breakthrough, according to a Palestinian official.

Before he flew to Washington DC, Netanyahu said he believed his meeting with Trump could "definitely help advance that result we are all hoping for".

It is believed the plan includes the staggered release of 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Hamas said on Friday that it had delivered a "positive response". But a Palestinian official said it had requested several changes, including a US guarantee that hostilities would not resume if negotiations on an end to the war failed - an idea Netanyahu has previously rejected.

Mr Siegel described in vivid detail how Hamas members beat and taunted him, and said he was still haunted by the torture of a female captive he witnessed.

He said Hamas operatives had moved him through the streets of Gaza, sometimes in daylight, to 33 different locations during the course of his captivity.

When asked whether he would support a deal which released the hostages but saw Hamas remain in power in Gaza, he replied: "It's of the highest priority and urgency to get all of the 50 hostages back as soon as possible."

But he continued: "We cannot let Hamas continue to threaten people and to kill and murder people, and I think Hamas is responsible for death on both sides."

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says more than 57,000 people have been killed there since Israel launched military operations in response to the 7 October attacks, during which about 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 251 others taken hostage.

I asked Mr Siegel, as he continues to campaign for the release of the remaining hostages, whether his thoughts also focus on the suffering of the Gazan population.

"I believe that peace and security for all people and freedom... are basic human rights that every person deserves," he said.

"I think it's the responsibility of all leadership to ensure that that happens. Any innocent person that is hurt or killed or murdered is something that I hope or I dream will not happen."

Additional reporting by Samantha Granville

Cordon set up as police make terror-related arrest

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g8kq5qg9ro, yesterday

A sixth person has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation in which 18 people have been charged with numerous terror-related offences.

Members of the recently proscribed group Palestine Action are accused of breaking into the Elbit Systems UK site near Bristol on 6 August last year.

A 20-year-old man from London has been taken into custody, alongside the arrests of five other people on Tuesday in connection with the investigation.

The BBC also understands a cordon set up by the Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) in St Werburghs, Bristol, on Tuesday is connected to the latest arrests.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said the arrested people were detained on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Palestine Action allege Elbit Systems UK is involved in the manufacture and supply of weapons to the Israeli military - a claim the company strongly denies.

The six arrested this week - a 66-year-old man from Bristol, a 20-year-old woman from Whitstable in Kent, a 19-year-old man from London, a 27-year-old man from London, a 33-year-old man from London, and a 20-year-old man from London - remain in custody.

Palestine Action was declared a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 on 5 July.

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Five more arrested over raid at defence firm

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y7z8ye154o, 3 days ago

Five more people have been arrested over an alleged ram-raid at a defence technology firm as part of a pro-Palestine protest.

Members of the recently proscribed group Palestine Action are accused of breaking into the Elbit Systems UK site near Bristol on 6 August last year.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said they are accused of causing "extensive damage" to inventory and assaulting employees and two police officers.

Palestine Action allege Elbit Systems UK is involved in the manufacture and supply of weapons to the Israeli military - a claim the company strongly denies.

CTPSE said that on Tuesday the five people were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The five - a 66-year-old man from Bristol, a 20-year-old woman from Whitstable in Kent, a 19-year-old man from London, a 27-year-old man from London, and a 33-year-old man from London - remain in custody.

A total of 10 people were arrested shortly after the incident last year, with a further eight arrested in November.

They have all been charged with various offences and are currently awaiting trial.

Palestine Action became a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 on 5 July.

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Two dead and many injured in Russian strike on Ukrainian shopping centre

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62d17ld032o, yesterday

At least two people have been killed and a further 27 injured following a Russian air strike on a shopping centre and market in the town of Dobropillia in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, officials have said.

More than 50 shops, 300 apartments and eight cars were damaged in the attack on Wednesday evening, regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram.

In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as "simply horrific" and said there was "no military logic" to it. Russia has not commented.

It comes as the US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is in Kyiv on a week-long trip to discuss US-Ukrainian co-operation with Zelensky.

"The Russians have again deliberately targeted an area where there are lots of people - a shopping centre in the middle of town," governor Filashkin wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.

"This time with a 500-kg (1,100-pound) air bomb."

Filashkin said the bomb had been dropped at 17:20 local time (14:20 GMT) when the area was busy with people out shopping.

Situated 20km (12 miles) from the frontline, and north-east of the city of Pokrovsk - a focal point of Russia's slow advance through the Donetsk region - Dobropillia has been subject to other attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In March, a rocket, drone and missile attack killed 11 people in the town, including five children.

Meanwhile, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russia's defence ministry had shot down three drones flying towards the capital in the early hours of Thursday morning.

He said emergency service were working at the site of the wreckage but he did not mention casualties. Ukraine has not commented on the strikes.

It comes after US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine should not target Moscow with strikes, after the Financial Times reported that Trump on 4 July had privately encouraged Ukraine to escalate attacks on Russia.

Russia has escalated its drone and missile strikes across Ukraine in recent weeks, killing more than 230 civilians in June, according to the United Nations - the largest number killed in a month during the three years of war.

Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated that his efforts to end the war have not amounted to a ceasefire or a significant breakthrough.

Following a meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte in Washington on Monday, Trump said he was "disappointed" with Vladimir Putin and the fact that his "very nice phone calls" with the Russian president are often followed by air strikes on Ukraine.

"After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn't mean anything," Trump said.

He warned he would impose severe sanctions on Moscow if a peace deal was not reached within 50 days.

The US president also announced that the US would send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Kyiv via Nato countries to ensure "Ukraine can do what it wants to do."

I'm 'disappointed but not done' with Putin, Trump tells BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e02q12z32o, 4 days ago

Donald Trump has said that he is disappointed but not done with Vladimir Putin, in an exclusive phone call with the BBC.

The US president was pressed on whether he trusts the Russian leader, and replied: "I trust almost nobody."

Trump was speaking hours after he announced plans to send weapons to Ukraine and warned of severe tariffs on Russia if there was no ceasefire deal in 50 days.

In an interview from the Oval Office, the president also endorsed Nato, having once described it as obsolete, and affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle.

The conversation moved on to Nato, which Trump has previously criticised as "obsolete".

He said he did not think that was still the case as Nato "is now becoming the opposite of that" because the alliance was "paying their own bills".

Trump said it was "amazing" that Nato leaders had agreed to ramp up defence spending to 5% of their economic output.

"Nobody thought that was possible."

He said he still believed in collective defence, because it meant smaller countries could defend themselves against larger ones.

Trump said that the leaders of countries including Germany, France and Spain, had come to respect him and his decision making, partly because world leaders believed that there was a "lot of talent" in being elected to the presidency twice.

When asked whether world leaders were at times "obvious in their flattery", Trump replied that he felt they were "just trying to be nice".

Rosenberg: Russia more relieved than rattled by US tariff threat

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62g6e8zvd4o, 4 days ago

In the Oval Office on Monday, Donald Trump was talking tough, announcing new US arms shipments to Ukraine paid for by European governments, and threatening new tariffs which, if imposed, would hit Russia's war chest.

But, back in Moscow, how did the stock exchange react? It rose 2.7%.

That's because Russia had been bracing for even tougher sanctions from President Trump.

"Russia and America are moving towards a new round of confrontation over Ukraine," Monday's edition of the tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets had warned.

"Trump's Monday surprise will not be pleasant for our country."

It wasn't "pleasant". But Russia will be relieved, for example, that the secondary tariffs against Russia's trading partners will only kick in 50 days from now.

That gives Moscow plenty of time to come up with counter proposals and delay the implementation of sanctions even further.

Nonetheless, Donald Trump's announcement does represent a tougher approach to Russia.

It also reflects his frustration with Vladimir Putin's reluctance to sign a peace deal.

On his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump had made ending Russia's war in Ukraine one of his foreign policy priorities.

For months, Moscow's response was: "Yes, but…"

Yes, Russia said in March, when it welcomed President Trump's proposal for a comprehensive ceasefire. But first, it said Western military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv should end, along with Ukrainian military mobilisation.

Yes, Moscow has been insisting, it wants peace. But the "root causes" of the war must be resolved first. The Kremlin views these very differently to how Ukraine and the West see them. It argues that the war is the result of external threats to Russia's security: from Kyiv, Nato, 'the collective West.'

Yet, in February 2022, it wasn't Ukraine, Nato or the West that invaded Russia. It was Moscow that launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the largest land war in Europe since World War Two.

For quite some time, the "Yes, but…" approach enabled Moscow to avoid additional US sanctions, while continuing to prosecute the war. Keen to improve bilateral relations with Russia and negotiate a peace deal on Ukraine, the Trump administration prioritised carrots to sticks in its conversations with Russian officials.

Critics of the Kremlin warned that with "Yes, but"… Russia was playing for time. But President Trump hoped he could find a way of persuading Vladimir Putin to do a deal.

The Russian president has appeared in no rush to do so. The Kremlin believes it holds the initiative on the battlefield. It insists it wants peace, but on its terms.

Those terms include an end to Western arms shipments to Ukraine. From Donald Trump's announcement it is clear that is not going to happen.

President Trump claims that he is "not happy" with Vladimir Putin.

But disillusionment is a two-way street. Russia, too, has been falling out of love with America's president. On Monday, Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote:

"[Trump] clearly has delusions of grandeur. And a very big mouth."

North Korea reaffirms support for Russia's war in Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czeyxrng6gro, 6 days ago

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered Moscow his "unconditional support" on the war in Ukraine, according to state media reports.

In talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in North Korea, Kim said that Pyongyang stood by "all the measures taken by the Russian leadership" to tackle the "root cause of the Ukrainian crisis".

Western officials believe Pyongyang has sent an estimated 11,000 troops to Russia over the last year to fight against Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to North Korean state media KCNA news agency, Kim and Lavrov met on Saturday in "an atmosphere full of warm comradely trust".

The North Korean leader also expressed a "firm belief that the Russian army and people would surely win victory in accomplishing the sacred cause of defending the dignity and basic interests of the country".

On Telegram, Russia's foreign ministry posted a video showing the two men shaking hands and greeting each other with a hug.

North Korea's renewed military support for Russia comes as US President Donald Trump has resumed military supplies to Ukraine, after a brief hiatus.

Trump told NBC News on Thursday that he had made a deal with Nato for the US to send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine via the alliance, after a surge of Russian aerial attacks.

Pyongyang first publicly acknowledged sending troops to Russia in April, months after Ukraine and the West revealed the large-scale troop movement from North Korea to the Russian-Ukrainian frontline.

Kim signed an accord with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in June last year, agreeing to support each other if either country was dealing with "aggression".

Apart from soldiers, North Korea also promised to send thousands of workers to help rebuild Russia's war-torn Kursk region, Moscow's security chief said last month.

Ukrainians unimpressed by Trump's 50-day ultimatum to Putin

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3072ezle7yo, 3 days ago

Ukrainians are tired, run down by the emotional toll of the invasion and the physical toll of sleepless nights due to air raid sirens, explosions and the screeching sounds of attack drones. "It was a long night," is a common remark you will hear in Kyiv.

So, US President Donald Trump's decision to give Russia 50 days to agree to a ceasefire or face "very severe tariffs… at about 100%" has not gone down well.

One of Ukraine's most prominent politicians, Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, asked "why such a delay?" while speaking on German television. Russian attacks had become "more intense", he said, and more people could be killed in that 50-day period.

President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to Trump after the president said "top-of-the-line weapons" would be sent from the US via Nato partners in Europe, and thanked him for his "willingness to support Ukraine". If implemented, the "secondary tariffs" would hit countries that buy Russia's oil exports.

But Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik says Trump's announcement was "bitttersweet", as it gave Putin another 50 days to continue his deadly bombardment and maintain his offensive on the front line.

"It is very hard and very personal for us because we don't know if some of us will survive for these 50 days," she told the BBC.

More than 230 civilians were killed in Ukraine last month and many more wounded, according to UN human rights monitors - the biggest number for three years, as Russia unleashed record numbers of drone and missile attacks.

Trump threatens Russia while unveiling Ukraine weapons plan

Rosenberg: Russia more relieved than rattled by US tariff threat

Trump weapons pledge a big step for Ukraine

Among the weapons being sent to Ukraine are Patriot air defence batteries to help protect cities from attack.

"[There] hasn't been a single fact that would prove Russia wants to stop the war. Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire, we have done everything by the book," Rudik added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Trump's announcement was "very serious" and warned such decisions were seen by Kyiv "not as a signal for peace but as a signal to continue the war".

There was little faith in Trump's promises on the streets of Kyiv.

Residents Yuliia and Alisa said they both worried about his relationship with the Kremlin.

"I don't believe it is real help for Ukraine… it's all about his ego," Yuliia told the BBC. "I guess these four years [of Trump's presidency] are going to be very tough for Ukraine."

"Everything that happened during the last six months just proved that nothing will change despite what Trump does or does not say," Alisa added.

Nina, who also lives in Kyiv, was more optimistic that additional weapons sent by the US and paid for by Nato member states in Europe could "speed up the end of the war".

It could have come to an end sooner if Russia had not have been helped by allies like North Korea and China, she said.

Artem, whose father is serving in the Ukrainian army, was "hoping for the best".

"People say a lot, let's see how it goes. I hope that everything will be the way we want. And we want peace, for the war in Ukraine to end, and for all the guys to return alive," he said.

Walking around the wall encircling St Michael's monastery in Kyiv, photos of the fallen stare out at you - some were taken before the war, featuring men and women posing with family members and pets.

As Trump talks of imposing new tariffs on Russia, the war continues - with these images a reminder of the soldiers who will never come home.

Trump says Ukraine should not target Moscow

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg6zg6kelro, 3 days ago

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine should not target Moscow with strikes, after the Financial Times reported that Trump on 4 July had privately encouraged Ukraine to escalate attacks on Russia.

Citing anonymous sources, the outlet said Trump also asked if Ukraine could do so if the US provided the country long-range weapons.

But this week, the Republican president said the US was "not looking to do that".

In his call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump was "merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing", the White House told the BBC in a statement.

"He's working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war", continued press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

On Monday, Trump announced he would send weapons to Ukraine and warned of more tariffs on Russia if the country did not come to a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in 50 days.

The president said the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached in that timeline.

Among the weapons involved in the latest deal, Trump said "everything" including defensive Patriot missiles, though the exact details are not yet known.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the US, Europe and Ukraine are still working through the details of the weapons agreed in the deal.

In recent weeks, Russia has escalated its drone and missile attacks in Ukraine, killing more than 230 civilians in June, according to the United Nations - the largest number killed in a month during the three years of war.

Trump's question to Zelensky about whether the country could strike Moscow came a day after a "bad" call between the US president and Putin, according to the Financial Times.

"Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? . . . Can you hit St Petersburg too?" Trump asked on a separate call with Zelensky after, the outlet reported.

Ukraine has struck several targets deep inside Russia this year with missiles provided by the US and the UK.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has pledged to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

But the promise has proven more complicated than expected, and Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the Russian leader and the lack of progress in ending the conflict.

On Monday, Trump told the BBC that he was "disappointed" in Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But I'm not done with him," he added.

Trump also said he was "working at" getting Putin to put an end to killing in Ukraine.

"We'll have a great conversation. I'll say: 'That's good, I'll think we're close to getting it done,' and then he'll knock down a building in Kyiv."

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have been scheduled.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Trump's pledge to raise tariffs and send weapons to Ukraine was seen "not as a signal for peace but as a signal to continue the war".

Trump weapons pledge marks major step forward for Ukraine

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4y2rv41pyo, 4 days ago

For the first time since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has pledged to make new weapons available to Ukraine.

Under a new deal, the US will sell weapons to Nato members who will then supply them to Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion.

The president didn't give too many specifics about what he said was "billions of dollars' worth of military equipment". But when asked if the deal included Patriot air defence batteries and interceptor missiles, he replied "it's everything".

One European country has 17 Patriot systems and "a big portion" would soon be on the way to Ukraine, Trump said.

For Ukraine, a huge country that currently operates handful of batteries - perhaps as few as eight - this is a major step forward, giving Kyiv a chance to expand protection against Russian ballistic and cruise missiles.

Sitting beside the president, the Nato Secretary General, Mark Rutte, hinted at a bigger package.

"It's broader than Patriots," he said.

"It will mean that Ukraine can get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition..."

This is a significant moment.

Less than two weeks ago, there was horror in Kyiv at news that the Pentagon had suspended military shipments to Ukraine, including Patriots.

The decision-making surrounding that announcement remains unclear, but on Monday, Trump once again tried to make light of it, saying it had been made in the knowledge that this deal would be struck.

"We were pretty sure this was going to happen, so we did a little bit of a pause," the president said.

Now, thanks to some tortuous negotiations, many of them involving Rutte, the weapons can continue to flow without Washington picking up the tab.

"We're in for a lot of money," the president said, "and we just don't want to do it any more."

The deal is a personal triumph for Rutte, the "Trump whisperer", who has flattered and encouraged the president, in part by helping to secure a member-wide Nato commitment to spend 5% of GDP on defence.

As they sat side by side in the Oval Office, Rutte continued to flatter Trump, calling the latest deal "really big" and saying it was "totally logical" that European members of Nato pay for it.

Steve Rosenberg: Moscow shrugs off Trump's irritation with Putin

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0epr9y0e84o, 9 days ago

Any analysis of Donald Trump's current thinking on Russia risks getting out of date very quickly.

Read too much into an individual tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment by the US president, and the danger is that your conclusions will be contradicted by tomorrow's tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment.

Believe me. I've been there.

As today's edition of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper put it: "The US president blows hot and cold…he changes his mind on key issues as easily as he changes shoes."

Recently, though, when it comes to Russia, the White House does appear to have been blowing more cold than hot, which explains the headline in today's edition of Moskovsky Komsomolets: "The Russian-American Chill."

Following Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's most recent telephone conversation on 3 July – their sixth this year – President Trump revealed that the two leaders "didn't make any progress" towards ending the war in Ukraine.

"I'm not happy about that," he added.

Four days later, President Trump threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on any country aligned with the BRICS, the group of nations that includes Russia.

On Tuesday, his frustration boiled over with some of his strongest language so far: "We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," President Trump said at a cabinet meeting.

"He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."

Today I asked for the Kremlin's reaction.

"We are pretty calm about this," Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told me on a Kremlin conference call for journalists.

"Trump's way of talking is generally quite harsh…we plan to continue our dialogue with Washington to mend our broken bilateral relations…we hope that Trump and his team will continue their efforts to get the peace process back to the realm of diplomacy."

The Kremlin was trying, at least, to sound diplomatic.

The Russian press? It wasn't even trying.

In Komsomolskaya Pravda, a political pundit accused Donald Trump of "an absence of geopolitical achievements".

The tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote about President Trump's "mercurial temperament, his propensity for sudden moods and chaotic changes of direction".

This week's edition of Arguments and Facts mocked Donald Trump over Elon Musk's new America Party.

"Now every time the US president says 'Make America Great Again' he'll be inadvertently promoting Musk's party," the paper wrote.

This is a sea-change from the previously positive coverage in Russia of the Trump administration. Back in March, a political scientist told Izvestia that "America now has more in common with Russia than Washington does with Brussels or Kyiv".

In May, the business daily Kommersant declared: "Donald Trump's stance couldn't be more advantageous to Moscow.

"He refused to strengthen sanctions against Russia and confirmed his determination to develop large-scale trade with Russia."

The optimism was understandable. Earlier this year, the White House was publicly criticising President Zelensky (not President Putin) and exerting pressure on Kyiv (not Moscow).

The US and Russia had launched bilateral talks to boost their relations.

What's more, President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff was a frequent visitor to Russia for talks with President Putin. At one of their meetings the Kremlin leader gave him a present to take back for Trump: a portrait of the US president.

It seemed as if Moscow and Washington were destined to forge a new relationship.

But it's been more than two months since Witkoff's last visit. And, in June, Russia announced that the US had cancelled the next round of talks between the two countries aimed at restoring the operations of diplomatic missions.

Meanwhile, President Trump has, it seems, been growing increasingly frustrated by Russia's refusal to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine.

"The Kremlin believes that Trump offers Russia too little and, therefore, the continuation of a 'good quarrel' is better than a 'bad peace' from the point of view of Russia's long-term national interests," wrote Moskovsky Komsomolets today.

In other words, on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wants more than Trump has been prepared to offer.

More in terms of territory, more in terms of concessions from Kyiv on the future size of Ukraine's army, more in terms of cutting back Western arms supplies to Kyiv.

And, to borrow a Trumpian expression, Vladimir Putin clearly believes that "he holds the cards" right now and can hold out for a better deal.

Is he right? Or is Moscow miscalculating?

Much will depend on what President Trump does next: on the scale of future US military assistance to Ukraine, and on whether the White House decides to strengthen sanctions against Russia.

But keep in mind my caveat.

And that vivid image, in Komsomolskaya Pravda, of Donald Trump changing his shoes.

Only a week ago Russian commentators were celebrating the US government's decision to freeze some military assistance to Ukraine.

So, follow closely. Not only what Donald Trump says on Russia and Ukraine, but the action he takes.

Russia's summer push in Ukraine targets three fronts but faces stern resistance

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70rl6lk2yxo, 9 days ago

While Russia's overnight drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have hit record levels, on the ground its military is claiming territorial gains.

Last month Russian forces seized 556 sq km (215 sq miles), its biggest land grab this year, according to the open-source DeepState monitoring website in Ukraine. That is an area four times the size of Liverpool and nearly the same size as the city of Chicago.

Russia's goal is to cut off supply routes used by Ukrainian troops in the east, and create a buffer zone inside Ukraine's northern borders.

But its advance remains relatively slow. At this pace it would take more than 70 years to capture the entire country.

* The Sumy region that borders Russia in the north-east

* The two eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka

* A third front, west of Pokrovsk

Vladimir Putin says he wants to create a buffer zone to protect Russian territory, after Ukrainian forces captured a swathe of Kursk territory last summer. Russian forces eventually drove them out, with the help of North Korean troops and ammunition.

The Russians then crossed into Ukraine but quickly became bogged down in fighting over small border villages, which keep changing hands even today. Without major reinforcements, it is unlikely Russian troops will be able to push much further here.

Another northern region where Russia's army has reportedly crossed the state border is Kharkiv. Last week they claimed the capture of a border village, but without committing substantial resources they are unlikely to make further gains.

Military observers believe these operations are aimed at forcing Ukraine to spread its forces too thin along the entire 1,200-km long front line, so that they divert troops from key areas.

One of those frontline areas is Pokrovsk, a strategic hub in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow has been trying to capture for more than two years. According to the head of Ukraine's army Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, Russia has concentrated some 111,000 troops in that area.

Russians rarely launch massive assaults, says Lt Artem Pribylnov from Ukraine's 155th brigade, stationed near Pokrovsk.

Any large movement of troops and armoured vehicles will be quickly detected and destroyed by drones. Instead, Lt Pribylnov says, the Russians rely on small groups of infantry troops who relentlessly attack Ukrainian positions, sometimes on motor bikes but more often on foot.

This kind of "creeping offensive", as some call it, is aimed at exhausting Kyiv's resources until endless waves of Russian soldiers eventually push the Ukrainians out of their positions. But the price they pay is frighteningly high.

Ukraine's general staff puts Russia's casualties at more than 1,000 soldiers a day. The BBC cannot verify these figures independently, but they do indicate the heavy losses Russia is suffering.

Russia's aim in eastern Ukraine appears to be to create "a cauldron", semi-encircling the Ukrainians around Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka and then forcing them to retreat.

Russian troops are now trying to wedge into the area between these two cities to create "a bridgehead from where they can attack Pokrovsk or Kostyantynivka", says Maj Viktor Trehubov, a spokesman for the Khortytsya operational-strategic group, which co-ordinates forces in eastern Ukraine.

A breakthrough here is not considered likely. Russia's advance between Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk is already slowing down and earlier attempts to push from other sides have stalled.

The biggest Russian gain in recent weeks was further west from Pokrovsk, in an area referred to by the Ukrainian military as the Novopavlivske direction, named after the village of Novopavlivka which became a defence hub following the westward retreat of Ukrainian troops.

Military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets says Moscow's operation there was most threatening for Ukraine as its defence measures "collapsed", allowing the Russians to advance up to 10km a day.

Their move was so rapid that Russian military bloggers even claimed that their troops had reached the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian military officials deny these claims, saying that a small group of Russian soldiers entered a village in the Dnipropetrovsk region to take photos with a Russian flag but were quickly "eliminated". The Institute for the Study of War, however, indicates that Russian troops are still operating there.

Maj Trehubov argues this area offers little strategic advantage for Russian troops and their assault was instead motivated by political goals.

Advancing further into Dnipropetrovsk region may work well for propaganda messages, but would require greater resources that are currently tied up in Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka.

The Ukrainians are nevertheless facing increasing pressure on the front lines, as Russian troops are constantly trying to cut off their supply lines with drone attacks.

"Those routes that we used two months ago, we can't use them now, not during the daytime, not even at night," Staff Sgt Viktor Pyasetskyi from Ukraine's 93rd brigade stationed near Kostyantynivka told the BBC over the phone.

As a result it has become extremely complicated and slow to deliver food and ammunition, evacuate the wounded and rotate troops on the front line.

Russian drones like the Gerbera can fly for hundreds of kilometres to reach places that until recently were regarded as relatively safe.

Their aim is not just to erase defence lines but also "to terrorise the population", says Staff Sgt Pyasetskiy. "They systematically destroy civilian buildings. They want to undermine morale and weaken our faith in Ukraine's ability to stop the Russians."

As he spoke, he was interrupted by the roar of drones. Shortly afterwards there were reports of an apartment block being hit. It was later confirmed the staff sergeant had survived.

The doctor fighting for women's health on Ukraine's front line

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gezrz5gwyo, 11 days ago

In a rural village close to the Ukrainian front line, a group of women queue quietly outside a purple and white ambulance, waiting to be seen by a doctor with his shaved head dyed the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag.

For many of them, it's their first time seeing a doctor since the war began more than three years ago.

Since 2022, Dr Serhii Baksheiev, 53, has carried out more than 1,000 gynaecological examinations on women throughout front-line areas in his kitted out mobile clinic - named 'The Feminine Shuttle' and complete with a bright pink examination chair.

"This is a humanitarian volunteering mission. It's for people who need help, in places where there are no doctors or hospitals, and it's absolutely free," he says.

The war with Russia has placed a huge strain on Ukraine's healthcare system, with more than 1,940 attacks on health facilities since the invasion, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) - making it the highest number in any humanitarian crisis to date - and with a significant increase in those attacks since December 2023.

When the war began, Dr Baksheiev, who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, initially spent his days in a bunker in Kyiv helping to deliver babies as bombs fell above.

The idea for an on-the-road clinic came to him, he says, after later medical volunteer missions to the front line revealed the lack of facilities because medical centres and hospitals had been completely destroyed.

"We went to Kharkiv and Chernihiv, which were very damaged, and the most difficult thing was not being able to provide gynaecological services because there were no tools and equipment, because everything was ruined," he says.

Dr Baksheiev and his team would have to use anything available as an examination table, including old sofas, meaning he would have to kneel on the floor to conduct examinations.

Today, walking around the electric vehicle, it's clear Dr Baksheiev is incredibly proud of its capabilities: it's been kitted out with everything he and his team could need in these remote areas, including an ultrasound machine and medical equipment to carry out minor surgeries.

During a two-day mission the team can perform up to 80 colposcopies - where they examine the cervix and vulva for signs of cancerous or pre-cancerous tissue.

The work - often carried out in secret - is crucial to the people living in these rural and remote areas on the front line.

Figures provided by Ukraine's public health ministry and seen by the BBC show detection rates for ovarian and cervical cancers are down by 17% and 10% respectively since 2020.

And when doctors like Dr Baksheiev do get into those areas to perform examinations, they are finding a higher than average incidence of malignant tumours.

On average, up to 4% of all women are diagnosed with malignant tumours after being examined, according to FRIDA Ukraine, the medical organisation Dr Baksheiev volunteers for.

Dr Ulana Supron was Ukraine's health minister from 2016 to 2019. She says there is a concern about the "ticking time bomb" of health outcomes as the war drags on.

"In the public health community, there definitely is a lot of worry about what's going to happen as the war continues," she says.

"Not only in terms of physical health, but also mental health - because there is a constant stress, constant psychological trauma happening."

Dr Supron says the government has managed to partially or fully rebuild as many as 964 medical facilities that were damaged by Russia.

"They're working closely with the WHO and with other international organisations to try to come up with a plan on how we can rebuild the health system that was in place prior to Russia's invasion," she adds.

Despite a cancer diagnosis himself in September 2024, Dr Baksheiev continues to volunteer and provide treatment to women across the country.

"Apart from the medical examination, you also hear them out because a lot of patients have stories about how the Russians attacked their villages," he says.

"So we are not only doctors, we're the therapists for these patients."

'I lost limbs but stayed to help others in Ukraine'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjxp0v7xdxo, 3 days ago

An aid worker who lost an arm and a leg in a Russian drone strike in Ukraine says the war has left thousands of people in need of prosthetic limbs.

Eddy Scott, from Dorset, was helping evacuees from the front line town of Pokrovsk on 30 January when his vehicle was targeted.

Despite his injuries, he chose to remain in his adopted country and now works for Superhumans - the medical charity that supplied his prosthetic leg.

He said Ukrainians were being looked after by the "comprehensive state system" but the charity helped people get back to being "whole human beings".

Mr Scott, originally from Shaftesbury, said he was "doing really well" since his ordeal.

Speaking on BBC Radio Solent's Dorset Breakfast show, he said: "I haven't had a lot of the problems other people have suffered with, particularly mentally.

"I was offered an evacuation for treatment and I told the team, as long as I'm not taking a bed up from a Ukrainian, I'll stay in Ukraine.

"It's turned into an incredible decision. I'm very happy to be able to continue to help my adopted country in a very positive way."

Superhumans offers free, state-of-the-art prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation and psychological support for adults and children affected by the war.

It has supplied 1,600 prosthetics in the last two years but said there were at least 80,000 more people in need of artificial limbs.

Mr Scott, 28, said he had been "incredibly lucky".

He said: "Through Superhumans, I've received a top-notch prosthetic leg, which I'm incredibly grateful to get and I've been slowly learning to use.

"There is a very comprehensive state system - both medical and rehab - so people are being looked after but it's really places like Superhumans that have the time and the funds to go the extra mile, getting us back to being as whole human beings as possible."

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'Not our war' - Trump's Nato weapons deal for Ukraine sparks MAGA anger

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14e2ydv4d6o, 4 days ago

Some conservative members of Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement have reacted angrily to the president's plans to sell weapons to Nato, arguing it is a betrayal of his promise to end US involvement in foreign wars.

On Monday, Trump said he would send weapons to Ukraine via Nato, while also threatening Russia with more tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached in 50 days.

Republican Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene, a key Trump ally, and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon are among those who have criticised the decision, with Bannon telling his podcast listeners that Ukraine is a "European war".

The White House has emphasised that Europe will pay for the US-made weapons.

'We still hate it'

One former Trump campaign official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to Politico, said Europe's purchase of the weapons "mitigates" the anger from Trump's isolationist supporters.

"But we still hate it," the official said. "This is not our war, and escalation isn't in America's interest."

Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Trump, said on his War Room podcast that "Ukraine is getting so dangerous".

"It's a European war. Let Europe deal with it," he said. "They have the resources. They have the manpower."

"We're about to arm people we have literally no control over," Bannon said of Ukraine. "This is old-fashioned, grinding war in the bloodlands of Europe - and we're being dragged into it."

In a statement quoted by Politico, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said that Trump's MAGA base "aren't panicans like the media".

"They trust in Trump, and they know that this president is restoring peace through strength."

The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

A White House official who spoke to Politico on the condition of anonymity disagreed that the president's base opposed his moves. They pointed to one recent poll that suggested nearly two-thirds of Trump voters support continuing to send arms to Ukraine.

Officials in the Trump administration have also defended the president's decision, with Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby writing on X that Trump's "America First message is that our alliances have to be fair and equitable".

"This is eminently reasonable but was treated for many years as heresy," he added. "Yet now with the historic Nato commitment we see that it can work."

That recent commitment from Nato leaders to ramp up defence spending to 5% of their economic output was praised by Trump supporters on Monday, who argued that even with the new weapons deal Europe was taking on more responsibility for its defence.

And in an exclusive interview with the BBC on Monday, just hours after he met Nato chief Mark Rutte at the White House, Trump said the alliance was now "paying its own bills".

He affirmed his support for the organisation's common defence principle, and said he was "disappointed but not done" with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The president said that he had thought a deal to end the war in Ukraine was on the cards with Russia four different times.

Trump threatens Russia with tariffs while unveiling Ukraine weapons plan

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdv20v9lp1o, 4 days ago

US President Donald Trump has announced the US will send "top-of-the-line weapons" to Ukraine via Nato countries, while also threatening Russia with severe tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days.

"We want to make sure Ukraine can do what it wants to do," Trump said following a meeting with Nato chief Mark Rutte in Washington.

Rutte confirmed the US had decided to "massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through Nato" and that the Europeans would foot the bill.

European countries will send Kyiv their own Patriot air defence systems - which Ukraine relies on to repel Russia's deadly air strikes - and replacements will then be issued by the US, Trump said.

On the tariffs front, Trump said that the US would impose 100% secondary tariffs targeting Russia's remaining trade partners if a peace deal with Ukraine was not reached within 50 days.

This would see any country that trades with Russia face the tax if they want to sell their products to the US.

For example, if India keeps buying oil from Russia, US companies that purchase Indian goods would have to pay a 100% import tax, or tariff, when the products reach American shores.

This would make the goods so expensive that US businesses would likely choose to buy them cheaper from elsewhere, resulting in lost revenue for India.

The intention is also to hobble Russia's economy. Theoretically, if Moscow was unable to generate money by selling oil to other nations it would also have less money to finance its war in Ukraine.

Given that oil and gas account for almost a third of Moscow's state revenue and more than 60% of its exports, 100% tariffs could make something of a dent Russia's finances.

Still, the Moscow Stock Exchange Index rose sharply following the announcement, likely as investors were expecting Trump - who last week teased a "major statement" on Russia - to pledge even harsher measures.

Although detail about both the tariffs and the Nato weapons deal was scant, Monday was the first time Trump pledged new military equipment for Ukraine since returning to the White House.

The briefing was also notable for the tone struck by US president, whose rhetoric on Vladimir Putin has become increasingly harsh.

Not for the first time, Trump implied Kyiv bore some responsibility for Russia's decision to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But he mostly appeared frustrated at the lack of progress in ending a conflict which he once seemed to believe could be easily solvable.

Asked about his relationship with Putin, Trump said that the two speak "a lot about getting this thing done" but voiced his displeasure at the fact that "very nice phone calls" with the Russian president are often followed by devastating air strikes on Ukraine - which have been growing in intensity and frequency.

"After that happens three or four times you say: the talk doesn't mean anything," Trump said.

"I don't want to call him an assassin but he's a tough guy. It's been proven over the years, he fooled a lot of people – Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden," he added. "He didn't fool me. At a certain point talk doesn't talk, it's got to be action."

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - something Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

Ukraine's President Zelensky is currently hosting US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv and earlier on Monday hailed a "productive meeting" - saying he was "grateful" to Trump for his support.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the announcement - but commentary trickling in from Moscow appeared to indicate a measure of relief.

Pro-Kremlin pundit and former Putin aide Sergei Markov called the tariffs announcement "a bluff" that indicated Trump had "given up on trying to achieve peace in Ukraine".

Senator Konstantin Kosachev argued that "if this is all Trump had to say about Ukraine today, then so far it's been much ado about nothing".

In 50 days, a lot could change "both on the battlefield and in the moods of the powers that be in the US and Nato," Kosachev wrote.

Trump's decision led to praise from critics, including from within the rival Democratic Party.

The decision to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, "made possible through the meaningful investments of our European partners, will save countless Ukrainian lives from Putin's horrific assault," said Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

She called the measure "positive, but overdue" and said that the US needs to provide "a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine over the long term" in order convince Putin to end the war.

Denys Podilchuk, a 39-year-old Ukrainian dentist from Kyiv, praised European leaders for helping to persuade Trump.

"I am pleased that finally European politicians, with their patience and convictions, have slightly swayed him (Trump) to our side, because from the very beginning it was clear that he did not really want to help us," he told Reuters.

Additional reporting by Dearbail Jordan

Trump orders production of more Epstein material after mounting pressure

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9w1014rlq9o, today

US President Donald Trump says he's ordered the justice department to produce some additional documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

"Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval," Trump said in a social media post.

It's unclear whether Trump is authorising the public release of these documents or when that could come - though such action would typically require the approval of a court.

The development comes after days of sustained pressure from some of Trump's most loyal supporters demanding further disclosures in the Epstein case.

Attorney General Pam Bondi posted minutes after the president: "We are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts."

A grand jury is a group of citizens set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence for charges to be filed. In legal terms, it determines whether probable cause exists to believe a crime has been committed.

Grand jury decisions still must be tested before a normal jury in court, in order for a suspect to be convicted of a crime.

It is unclear whether the president's post concerned testimony from the first set of cases concerning Epstein in the early 2000s or whether it stemmed from the federal charges brought in 2019.

Some grand jury documents have been already released concerning the case in Florida in 2006 that led to him being charged with solicitation of a prostitute. The case was heavily criticised over the lack of serious charges and the severity of the testimony given by victims, which included multiple minors.

While campaigning last year, Trump promised to release files relating to the disgraced financier.

However Bondi last week announced that the US justice department did not believe Epstein had a so-called client list that could implicate high-profile associates, and that he did take his own life - despite conspiracies over his death.

That prompted furious response from scores of Trump's most ardent supporters who have called for Bondi to resign after failing to produce the list, which Trump officials had previously claimed to have in their possession.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was critical of the administration's handling of the files in recent days, praised Trump's move.

"This is massive, this is something that we've been talking about for quite some time, and really a power to the grassroots," he said.

Epstein died in a New York prison cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. His death while incarcerated happened more than a decade after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender.

Bill that cuts foreign aid and public broadcasting heads to Trump's desk

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5367gzpxjo, today

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill allowing Congress to claw back billions in pre-approved funding for public broadcasting and foreign aid.

The bill, which will see the government cut $9bn (£6.7bn) in total, was passed in a 216 to 213 vote just hours after midnight on Friday. All Democrats and only two Republicans voted against the cuts.

The US Senate passed its version of the bill less than 24 hours earlier.

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump's desk to be signed into law. "THIS IS BIG!!!", he wrote on social media after the vote.

Republicans have said the rescissions package, a political tool to cut funding already approved by Congress, is likely to be the first of many.

"This isn't the end, it's the beginning," House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the bill was passed.

The victory for Republicans and President Trump is the latest development in their ongoing effort to shrink government spending.

"Nine billion dollars is a good start," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said.

The approved funding cuts include large reductions to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which includes PBS and NPR.

It also includes cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the largest US global humanitarian programme.

The spending cuts, however, were slightly smaller than Trump had originally proposed. In the Senate version of the bill, lawmakers voted to keep $400m in the budget for Pepfar, a global Aids prevention programme, bringing the proposed cuts from $9.4bn to $9bn.

The bill faced a bit of a rocky path on its way through the House and Senate, with lawmakers on both sides of the isle wary of cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting.

As the Senate was preparing to vote on its version of the bill, people in Alaska were told to tune into their local radio station that includes NPR programming after an earthquake that struck off the coast prompted tsunami warnings on Wednesday.

"Public radio is a lifeline, connecting rural communities to the rest of the nation, and providing life-saving emergency broadcasting and weather alerts. It cannot be replaced," NPR President Katherine Maher said after the Senate passed the bill.

According to US media, this rescissions package was the first to succeed in over 30 years.

US seeks one-day prison for officer convicted in Breonna Taylor shooting

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d135jz58zo, yesterday

The Trump administration is asking for a one-day prison sentence for a former Kentucky police officer convicted in connection with a raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor, a black woman, in her home.

A federal jury had convicted former officer Brett Hankison of violating Taylor's civil rights by using excessive force - the maximum sentence for the charge is life in prison.

If the judge agrees to the US Justice Department's recommendation, Hankison would serve one day in prison and be absolved of further time behind bars because of time already served.

Attorneys representing the Taylor family decried the move calling it "an insult to the life of Breonna Taylor".

"Every American who believes in equal justice under the law should be outraged," attorneys for the Taylor family said in a statement. "Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity."

Brett Hankison was the only officer who was charged and convicted in connection with the botched raid.

Federal prosecutors said that the jury's verdict almost guaranteed that Hankison would never serve as a law enforcement officer again and that additional prison time "would simply be unjust under these circumstances".

In addition to the one-day sentence, the Justice Department also asked the judge to sentence him to three years of supervised release.

Prosecutors argued that although he was involved in "executing the warrant" during the deadly raid, he did not shoot Taylor "and is not otherwise responsible for her death".

Taylor became a face of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 following her death and the police killing of George Floyd.

She was killed after officers in plain clothes executed a "no-knock" search warrant at her home. They burst into her apartment in the early morning hours while she and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep.

Authorities believed Taylor's former boyfriend was using her home to hide narcotics.

Mr Walker fired a single shot when the police knocked the door down, hitting one officer, Sgt John Mattingly, in the leg. Mr Walker said the officers did not announce themselves as police, and he thought they were intruders.

The three officers returned fire, shooting 32 bullets into the flat.

Hankinson fired 10 times into her apartment, in order, he said during the trial, to protect fellow officers.

None of Hankison's bullets hit anyone, but they did enter a neighbouring property, where a pregnant woman, a five-year-old and a man had been sleeping.

Prosecutors said Hankison acted recklessly and "violated one of the most fundamental rules of deadly force: If they cannot see the person they're shooting at, they cannot pull the trigger."

Hankison was fired from Louisville Metro Police Department in June 2020.

A judge will consider the government's request at a sentencing scheduled for next week.

Trump's voters want to see the Epstein files - but have faith in their president

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4y9k7vmwlo, yesterday

West Pittston, just outside of the industrial centre of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has a classic smalltown-American look.

There are clapboard houses, a main drag with businesses bearing charming vintage patina and lampposts bearing flags of the town's military veterans.

And MAGA faithful.

On Wednesday, in 85F (30C) weather, they lined the streets outside Don's Machine Shop where JD Vance spoke, touting President Donald Trump's recent legislative victory, what he calls his Big Beautiful Bill.

But a lawn sign nearby as the US vice-president spoke pointed to an additional priority on some minds - a rare backlash against the Trump presidency from his own supporters.

"WHERE IS THE LIST???" the sign read - a reference to the release of the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files, a purported tranche of government documents on the disgraced financier and sex offender.

Rumors of a "client list" of Epstein's famous friends have circulated online for years.

But the Justice Department recently threw cold water on the theory, releasing a memo saying it found no evidence that a client list exists.

Mother and son rescued in California forest after leaving handwritten notes

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp90e58ygero, yesterday

A mother and her nine-year-old son lost in the rocky mountain forest of Sierra Nevada in the US state of California were rescued thanks to a trail of handwritten notes they left behind - after getting stranded for more than 24 hours.

A search and rescue team found the pair on 12 July after discovering multiple notes tucked beneath rocks, left by the mother, aged 49. "HELP. Me and my son are stranded with no service and can't call 911," one said.

The pair were found by members of the Calaveras County Volunteer Search and Rescue Team, who already happened to be in the area.

The mother told ABC10 it had been a "very scary experience", but paid tribute to the "amazing" efforts of the rescuers.

The mission was detailed in a Facebook post by the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office.

On 11 July, someone phoned the Calaveras County Dispatch Center and informed officers that the duo were "overdue" to return after departing for Camp Wolfeboro around 11:30 PST (18:30 GMT), the post said.

The mother and son were also not responding to phone calls, police were informed.

Speaking to ABC10, the mother, who identified herself as Tami, confirmed that they were unable to make any calls of their own, and that her son Stirling resorted to blowing his Cub Scout whistle in an effort to gain attention.

She had been attempting to drop off Stirling for a camping trip, she explained.

The police Facebook post said a volunteer search and rescue team already in the area for monthly training was soon deployed. It established a command post along the highway that leads to Wolfeboro.

"The team began assessing the terrain and the complex network of interconnecting, labyrinth-like roads to establish effective search parameters," the post added. "Air assets" and "specially equipped" off-road vehicles were also used in the search.

A group of campers sent a text message to an emergency line telling police that they had seen a vehicle matching the description of the missing persons, which authorities said "confirmed that the teams were searching in the correct area".

Shortly afterwards, a rescue crew located the first handwritten message.

"We are ahead, up the road to the right. Please call 911 to get help for us. Thank you!" the message said.

The teams followed the road and found a second note, which included a telephone number and the names of the missing individuals.

Roughly a mile further along, officials found the mother and son.

Recounting the moment of their rescue, Tami told ABC10 that she first heard a vehicle honk. "I turned around and I saw this truck coming down the road and it was just the best feeling ever."

She and Stirling had spent the night in the car to avoid wild animals, and were lucky to have food, she added.

After locating the duo, the search team deployed vehicle recovery equipment to free their car and assisted them to return to waiting family members.

Officials determined the pair became lost in part due to a GPS signal that stopped working after they reached a remote area, leaving them unable to retrace their route.

Ramaphosa struggles to mend fences with Trump

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce37p9we114o, yesterday

The Trump administration is treating South Africa almost like a pariah, blacklisting its envoys, refusing to send top-level officials to meetings it hosts, and threatening to hit the nation with such high tariffs that its economic crisis is likely to deepen.

The latest sign of this came with the revelation by the second-biggest party in South Africa's coalition government, the Democratic Alliance (DA), that the US government had rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa's special envoy, denying him a diplomatic visa in May and refusing to recognise him as an "official interlocutor".

Ramaphosa had created the post for Mcebisi Jonas, the non-executive chairman of mobile phone giant MTN and a respected former deputy finance minister, to improve South Africa's rock-bottom relationship with the US.

Ramaphosa's spokesman accused the DA of "disinformation", but did not explicitly deny the party's claim. The US State Department declined to comment when contacted by the BBC, citing "visa record confidentiality".

Jonas's appointment came after President Donald Trump had cut off aid to South Africa, accused Ramaphosa's government of persecuting white people, condemned it for binging a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and for "reinvigorating" relations with Iran - an implacable foe of the US.

Priyal Singh, a South Africa foreign policy expert at the Pretoria-based Institute for Security Studies think-tank, told the BBC that if the DA's claims about Jonas were true, it would be in line with the Trump administration's strategy to give South Africa the "cold shoulder, and cut off channels of communication that it so desperately needs".

The US has not only cut back bilateral relations with South Africa, but also boycotted it in global bodies like the G20 - which Ramaphosa currently chairs, hoping to advance the interests of developing nations in talks with the world's richest states.

The latest sign of this was US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to skip Thursday's meeting of G20 finance ministers in South Africa, preferring to send a lower-ranking official instead.

Bessent skipped a similar meeting in February, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio stayed away from a meeting of G20 foreign ministers, saying Ramaphosa's government was doing "very bad things" and he could not "coddle anti-Americanism".

Ramaphosa had hoped to get relations with the US back on an even keel after Trump invited him to the Oval Office in May - only for the US president to ambush him by showing footage and brandishing a sheaf of spurious reports to advance his widely discredited claim that a genocide was taking place against white people in South Africa.

Jonas was strikingly absent from Ramaphosa's high-powered delegation, giving credence to the DA's claim that he was unwelcome in Washington.

This put South Africa back to square one as the US had expelled its ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, after he accused Trump, in a leaked speech given at a meeting of a think-tank, of "mobilising a supremacism" and trying to "project white victimhood as a dog whistle" as the white population faced becoming a minority in the US.

In a politically odd decision, Ramaphosa left the post vacant, despite its significance, suggesting that his government had a dearth of well qualified career diplomats who could rebuild relations with South Africa's second-biggest trading partner.

Instead, Ramaphosa pinned his hopes on a special envoy who, he said at the time of Jonas's appointment, would "lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships and engage with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote our nation's interests".

But it is unclear how Ramaphosa expected Jonas to achieve this given that he, like Rasool, had made controversial remarks about Trump, calling him a "racist" and a "narcissistic right-winger" in a 2020 speech that came back to haunt him after his appointment.

This was compounded by the fact that MTN had a 49% stake in Iran's telecom company IranCell, a major concern for the US.

Compared to its previous stances, South Africa was "more circumspect" - as Mr Singh put it - in its response to US air strikes on Iran in June, merely saying that it viewed the conflict with "great anxiety" and hoped that it could be resolved through dialogue.

W Gyude Moore, a policy analyst at the US-based Center for Global Development, told the BBC that it was not surprising that South Africa was in Trump's firing line.

He pointed out that South Africa championed what Trump's support-base saw as "woke culture". For instance, Ramaphosa regarded the G20 as a forum through which to promote international "solidarity, equality and sustainability", which Rubio had opposed, equating it to "diversity, equity and inclusion", as well as climate change.

Mr Moore said this was also borne out in the Trump's administration's attitude towards South Africa's "black empowerment" policy, accusing it of "race-based discrimination" against white people. Ramaphosa's government sees it as necessary to address the legacy of the racist system of apartheid.

"I cannot see how the differences can be resolved. South Africa will just have to carry on, and strengthen ties with other countries. It's not the only one in the crosshairs of the Trump administration," Mr Moore added.

But it is a major blow to South Africa, as it had maintained strong trade and aid relations with successive Republican and Democratic administrations despite having sharp differences with them.

Mr Singh pointed out that South Africa, for example, opposed the Republican George W Bush's war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but South Africa still benefited from Pepfar, the programme he had established to tackle HIV/Aids, until the Trump administration slashed funding earlier this year.

"The Trump administration is completely different, and caught everyone off-guard. South Africa will just have to weather out the storm, and try to mitigate the damage," Mr Singh said.

But the economic consequences could be devastating - especially if Trump imposes 30% tariffs on South African goods from 1 August, as he has threatened to do.

South Africa's central bank chief Lesetja Kganyago said the tariffs could lead to around 100,000 job losses - worrying for a country where the unemployment rate stands at a staggering 32.9%.

The tariffs would hit South Africa's agriculture sector hard. This is ironic as Trump has portrayed himself as a champion of the country's Afrikaner farmers, offering them refugee status in the US.

It also gives them an opportunity to farm in the US and boost its economy in line with Trump's "America First" policy.

More BBC stories on US-South Africa relations: