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Child labour at ‘critical moment’ as more pushed into work: ILO
By Alice Cuddy BBC News The future of millions of children is at risk as growing numbers are pulled out of school and into work, the head of the United Nations’ labour body has told the BBC. Gilbert Houngbo, director-general of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said there had been a “regression” in regions around…
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Family courts: Mothers dying after ‘abusers’ claim access to children
By Ed Thomas Special Correspondent Five mums have died after family courts allowed fathers accused of abuse to apply for contact with their children, a BBC investigation has found. Some took their own lives, another had a heart attack outside court. One mother, whose child was ordered to live with a convicted child rapist, would…
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New tech boosts Dutch drive for sustainable farming
By Suzanne Bearne Business reporter, Lelystad, Netherlands I’m at the Wageningen University’s Farm of the Future, where I had been expecting to see robots and perhaps, drones flying overhead. But on a bright blue day project manager Wijnand Sukkel stands in the expansive fields across from the university building with bare trees and of course,…
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Minnesota jail in lockdown as 100 inmates refuse to return to cells
By James Gregory BBC News A jail in the US state of Minnesota has been placed under emergency lockdown after about 100 inmates refused to return to their cells. Members of a crisis negotiation team were deployed to the Stillwater correctional facility on Sunday. A spokesperson for the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) said the…
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The road that’s the ‘Eighth World Wonder’
The 1,300km Karakoram Highway cuts through some of the most astounding rock faces on the planet. It’s a road trip of dreams, yet few have ever heard of it or how it came to be. Crisp mountain air rushed in through the car window as I drove past jagged mountain landscapes. Despite summer being in…
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Moon base: Bangor scientists design fuel to live in space
By Peter Gillibrand & Rob Thomas BBC News Scientists have developed an energy source which could allow astronauts to live on the Moon for long periods of time. The Nasa-led Artemis Program hopes for an outpost on the Moon by around 2030. Bangor University has designed nuclear fuel cells, the size of poppy seeds, to…
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The Gen Zers leading a new pro-union push
US union membership has plummeted. But young workers are organising, pushing companies to rise to the occasion and meet their demands for better conditions on the job. Labour unions in the United States have seen a major decline since the 1980s. According to Bureau of Labour Statistics data, more than 20% of workers belonged to…
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Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov dismissed
Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has been dismissed from his post, the country’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky has announced. Mr Reznikov had led the ministry since before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. In his nightly address, President Zelensky said it was time for “new approaches” in the defence ministry. Rustem Umerov, who…
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Torrential rain in Spain causes major flooding
By Malu Cursino BBC News Several weather warnings have been issued across Spain as heavy rain causes major flooding across parts of the country. Maximum red weather alerts are in place in the Madrid, Toledo and Cádiz regions. Sunday’s football match between Atletico Madrid and Seville was suspended due to the torrential rain. Residents in…
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The Killer is a boring disappointment
David Fincher’s hitman film for Netflix is “plodding”, and seems “hollow and pointless”, writes Nicholas Barber. In the first minute of David Fincher’s The Killer, there’s a line that could have been put there especially for critics to scribble in their notepads, just in case it might prove useful. “If you are unable to endure…