Barbie dolls dressed in space suits have been helping scientists solve the problem of lunar dust, writes Grace Tyrrell. Barbie can do it all. In Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film, she appears as a US president, a Nobel Prize winning physicist, a Supreme Court Justice and even a mermaid. The movie reflects the many roles the…

Nhlanhla Moshomo By Mpho Lakaje BBC Africa Daily, Johannesburg A new trend appears to be emerging among young South Africans – polyamory – having romantic relationships with multiple partners at the same time. With her short hair and matching white trousers and top Lethabo Mojalefa cuts a striking figure. She is a bisexual woman who…

Gazelle Sharmahd By Damien McGuinness BBC News, Berlin It was the middle of the night when the phone call came. Gazelle Sharmahd was woken up by her mother, who told her that her father, Jamshid, was calling from his jail cell in Iran. Gazelle hadn’t been allowed to talk to her father, an Iranian-German businessman,…

Samuel Mariño is a rare talent in opera. The 29-year-old is one of only a few male sopranos singing in the world today. He’ll be making his Glyndebourne debut this weekend in Handel’s Semele, as part of the famous English venue’s summer programme. But it’s not just Mariño’s distinctive style which is thrilling the opera…

A selection of powerful news photographs taken around the world this week. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images LOUIZA VRADI/REUTERS GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE/REUTERS Zhao Jun/China News Service/Getty Images HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP KIM LUDBROOK/EPA Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times/Getty Images HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP All photos subject to copyright Related Topics Photography

By Georgina Rannard, Erwan Rivault, Jana Tauschinski BBC Climate reporter & Data Team A series of climate records on temperature, ocean heat, and Antarctic sea ice have alarmed some scientists who say their speed and timing is “unprecedented”. Dangerous heatwaves sweeping Europe could break further records, according to the UN. It is hard to immediately…

In Mexico, nopales (prickly pear cacti) are mixed with tomatoes into a bright salad and spooned into tortillas with creamy goat cheese and two types of fresh salsa. Rita Garcia rose to an inky black sky peppered with stars. Quietly, she grabbed a small flashlight on her bedside table, slipped on her shoes, and walked…

Reuters US President Biden has chosen a female admiral to lead the US Navy – the first time a woman has been nominated to head one of the US military branches. Lisa Franchetti is a former head of the US 6th Fleet and US naval forces in South Korea, and has also served as an…

Getty Images By Sam Cabral BBC News Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen has settled his lawsuit against the Trump Organization over $1.9m (£1.5m) in unpaid legal fees. Cohen, 56, sued the company in 2019, alleging it stopped paying his bills after he began cooperating with investigations into its business. A civil trial over the…

Texas A&M By Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News The head of Texas A&M University has suddenly left her role amid “negative press” surrounding the hiring of a journalism professor. President Katherine Banks said she took responsibility for the “flawed hiring process” involving former New York Times editor Kathleen McElroy. Dr McElroy, who is black, had…