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Will Trump's victory spark a global trade war?

Trump has promised tariffs on all foreign goods. If he follows through, many smaller economies may be forced to respond in kind.




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Return of unpredictable president puts UK defence spending top of agenda

Politicians say we're living in dangerous times, and Trump is a lot less willing than Biden to pay for Europe's defence.




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Nicola Sturgeon to headline comedy festival show

The former First Minister will be joined by crime author Val McDermid for a night entitled "Books & Banter".




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Sinn Féin's difficulty over Michael McMonagle

Senior party figures faced pressure to explain their handling of McMonagle's departure.




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Lammy dismisses past criticism of Trump as 'old news'

The foreign secretary previously called Trump a "tyrant" and "xenophobic" when he was a backbench MP.




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Keir Starmer picks Powell as security adviser

Jonathan Powell will replace Sir Tim Barrow, who has held the role since September 2022.








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Probability of operating an alarm clock Rubix cube, doable with hours of concentration Qauntum physicists have yet to unravel the mysteries

Probability of operating an alarm clock








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Why there's a rush of African satellite launches

Falling launch costs have given African nations a chance to send their own satellites into orbit.




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An energy efficient home - why is it so difficult?

It can be hard to find good advice on how to make homes more energy efficient.




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Tech Life: Olympic esports and Saudi Arabia

The IOC announced the inaugural games will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Not all are happy




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Tech Life: The voice cloning lawsuit

Two voice actors take legal action claiming their voices were stolen and cloned using AI.




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School calls time on pupils' smart devices

A Sheffield school bans pupils from using smartphones and watches on its premises.




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Is Elon Musk’s Starlink a game changer for Africa?

The satellite internet company is expanding across Africa, but not without some controversy.




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US 'click to cancel' rule to ban subscription traps

New rule requires businesses to make subscribing and cancelling subscriptions equally simple.




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How does WhatsApp make money? It's free - with some tricks

We all use messaging apps such as WhatsApp for free, but what's in it for them?




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TikTok founder becomes China's richest man

Zhang Yiming's fortune has leapt to almost $50bn, according to a newly published rich list.




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'Sickening' Molly Russell chatbots found on Character.ai

The foundation set up in her memory said it would cause "further heartache to everyone who knew and loved Molly".




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'I was moderating hundreds of horrific and traumatising videos'

The BBC speaks to social media moderators, whose job it is to find and remove distressing and illegal content.




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See Jim this weekend at Chicago Steampunk Exposition

Jim will be at Chicago Steampunk Exposition April 12th-14th! Tickets are available on Chicago Steampunk Exposition’s website. Please see their website for schedules and for any changes in times or location.




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This weekend at Comicpalooza!

Jim will be attending Comicpalooza May 24th-26th in Houston Texas! Tickets are available on Comicpalooza’s website. For schedules and for any changes in times or location, please visit their website.




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The link between climate change, seaweed and ice cream

Seaweed production has been affected by warming seas – this is how farmers are adapting.




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How the Falklands conflict shaped my identity

The British overseas territory was invaded 40 years ago, beginning a short but bitter conflict.




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UK farmers call for toxic weedkiller ban

Some farmers say studies suggest Paraquat could be a factor in the onset of Parkinson's Disease.




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‘It’s a one-way ticket for me... but I’m ready’

A Ukrainian man has to choose between his family and his country.




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'Why I made chicken biryani when my grandson was born'

How the first South Asians who moved to Britain coped far away from their homeland.




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See the Olympic building site through the eyes of a 2012 cynic

See the Olympic building site through the eyes of a 2012 cynic




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More Britons 'to attend Olympics'

Public enthusiasm for attending the 2012 London Olympic Games has risen almost 30% following the Beijing Games, a survey for the BBC suggests.




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Public 'fearing Olympics failure'

Most Britons do not think the government is capable of successfully managing the 2012 Olympics, a survey suggests.




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London takes over as Olympic host

Mayor Boris Johnson receives the Olympic flag to signal the start of London's reign as Olympic host city and spark wild celebrations in the capital.




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Guide to London's Olympics venues

Interactive guide to 2012 Olympics




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BBC Arabic and the complexities of the Arab world

By Faris Couri, editor of the BBC Arabic Service


It is no secret that recent Arab uprisings have placed enormous burdens on the shoulders of BBC Arabic journalists responsible for reporting news from the region.

Covering the Arab world is not always an easy task - we need to mix sensible caution with a dose of courage in covering political issues that attract so many disputed views among Arabic-speaking audiences.

Our guiding principles are the BBC's values, its editorial guidelines, its ethical code, which are our reference points to maintain impartial, balanced and accurate reporting.

Across the Arab world - whether it's Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt or Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq or the many other countries in the region - we know that audiences want access to objective and independent news, far removed from an agenda that favours one party, religion or sect against another. That is why audiences are turning to BBC Arabic.

Last year, our latest figures show that overall audiences to BBC Arabic have risen by more than 17% to a record high of 25.3 million adults weekly. That includes a big surge of 2.9 million in Saudi Arabia and 2.7 million in Egypt, where TV viewers in particular turned to the BBC to better understand the events happening in their own country. Our radio audiences are also holding up despite the reductions in transmission. Online is proving to be more of a challenge, but we are working hard to understand the needs of digital audiences and those for whom social media plays an increasingly important part in their lives.

In 2011, following the fall of the Mubarak leadership, we watched as ordinary Egyptians carried banners saying "Thank you, BBC!" But meeting the high expectation of audiences has a price and sometimes it's been a heavy one.

March 2011 brought a strong reminder of the risks that our staff face in covering the news - one of our reporters was arrested and tortured by Muammar Gaddafi's forces during the Libya uprising. In early 2012, our reporter in Yemen was beaten and received death threats from supporters of the outgoing president.

We are also challenged by those who disagree with our coverage. In countries such as Syria and Bahrain, BBC Arabic has been accused of bias.

The criticism comes from opposition and government alike. It may be a valid argument to say that getting criticism from both sides, in the case of Arab world certainly, is an indication of balanced coverage.

On Syria, for example, we had a series of documentaries looking at the civil war from a number of perspectives.

The first one, exploring what it's like to work for a Syrian television channel that's the mouthpiece of the government, was the butt of criticism and threats from Syrian opposition quarters. We followed it up with a programme charting a day in the lives of six Syrian women, five of whom were anti-government activists.

In our day-to-day news coverage, presenting a variety of voices from Syria is essential to us. And that is what distinguishes BBC Arabic from many media outlets in the Arab world which promote political views and agendas, and that is what we are determined to keep.

BBC Arabic marked its 75th anniversary in January. Arab politicians and ordinary people have expressed their appreciation of our track record of impartiality and trusted news. I am confident that the coming years will see further achievement on all our platforms - TV, radio and online.




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Comic for 2021.12.17

New Cyanide and Happiness Comic




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Comic for 2021.12.18

New Cyanide and Happiness Comic




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Comic for 2021.12.19

New Cyanide and Happiness Comic




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Comic for 2021.12.20

New Cyanide and Happiness Comic




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Comic for 2021.12.21

New Cyanide and Happiness Comic




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'My autistic son is like a prisoner in hospital'

Sebastian has been deemed fit for discharge but the 19-year-old has nowhere suitable to go.




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Wittich 'steps down' as F1 race director

Niels Wittich leaves his role as Formula 1's race director with immediate effect.




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'Crisis for referees & fuel for toxic fan conspiracies'

David Coote's alleged video on Liverpool and former manager Jurgen Klopp fuels conspiracy theorists who question referees' integrity, says Phil McNulty.




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Post Office jobs and branches at risk in shake-up

Hundreds of head office workers are facing cuts and loss-making branches are under threat of closure.




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Speed of cricket balls could stump housing scheme

Developers and Sport England disagree over the risk from cricket balls to future residents.




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First sighting of Belarusian political prisoner in more than 600 days

Maria Kolesnikova, jailed for her part in mass political protests in 2020, was allowed to see her father.