- Friday, 22 August 2025
BBC
Climate change and farming driving insect decline
Insect numbers have plunged by half in some parts of the world due to climate change and intensive agriculture, a study has found. The combined pressures of global heating and farming are driving a "substantial decline" of insects across the globe, according to UK researchers.
Kabul blasts kill four, wound many at boys' school
A suspected twin suicide bombing outside a boys' high school in the Afghan capital Kabul has killed at least four people and wounded others.
Under fire Sri Lanka leader appoints new cabinet
Beleaguered Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has appointed a 17-member cabinet even as protests calling for him to resign grow larger.
Johnson to visit India in bid to boost defence ties
April 17: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to make a long-delayed trip to India this week in a bid to strengthen security ties with the country.He will meet his counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, with talks focused on defence and trade.It will be Johnson's first major trip to India as PM after previous visits were postponed due to Covid.The UK has been trying to persuade India to reduce its reliance on Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine.Last month, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss visited India in an attempt to get the country to impose stronger sanctions against Russia and to cooperate more closely on trade, defence, energy and food security.India has not criticised Russia directly since it invaded Ukraine on 24 February and did not condemn the invasion at a United Nations vote on the issue.Johnson's trip will also include a visit to Gujarat on Thursday, India's fifth-largest state, where he is expected to announce a major investment in key industries in the UK and India, as well as new collaboration on science, health and technology.'Strategic partner'Ahead of his visit, the prime minister said: "As we face threats to our peace and prosperity from autocratic states, it is vital that democracies and friends stick together."India, as a major economic power and the world's largest democracy, is a highly valued strategic partner for the UK in these uncertain times."My visit to India will deliver on the things that really matter to the people of both our nations - from job creation and economic growth to energy security and defence."In April last year, Johnson cancelled a trip to India when the South Asian nation was added to the UK's red list, meaning people returning from there had to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.Initially, the government had insisted the trip would go ahead, despite India's soaring coronavirus cases and the new delta variant.Instead, Mr Johnson said he would speak to the Indian prime minister online, after questions as to why India had not been put on the red list.A trip in January 2021 to India was also cancelled due to the UK lockdown.
Key UN climate finding widely misinterpreted
A key finding in the latest IPCC climate report has been widely misinterpreted, according to scientists involved in the study. In the document, researchers wrote that greenhouse gases are projected to peak "at the latest before 2025".
Landslides and floods kill 167 in Philippines
At least 167 people died in landslides and floods after Tropical Storm Megi devastated the Philippines last Sunday. A further 110 people are missing and 1.9 million have been adversely affected, the national disaster agency says.
India's forgotten Hollywood star who hid her identity
By Meryl Sebastian, April 16: Merle Oberon, a Hollywood star of the black and white era, is a forgotten icon in India, the country of her birth.Best-known for playing the lead in the classic Wuthering Heights, Oberon was an Anglo-Indian born in Bombay in 1911. But as a star in Hollywood's Golden Age, she kept her background a secret - passing herself off as white - throughout her life.Mayukh Sen, a US-based writer and academic, first stumbled across her name in 2009 when he found out that Oberon was the first actor of South Asian origin to be nominated for an Oscar.His fascination grew as he saw her films and dug deeper into her past. "As a queer person, I empathise with this feeling that you must hide a part of your identity to survive in a hostile society that isn't really ready to accept who you are," he says. Sen is now working on a biography to tell Oberon's story from a South Asian perspective.She was born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1911. Her mother was part-Sinhalese and part-Maori while her father was British.The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1917 after Oberon's father died in 1914. She got her start in acting through the Calcutta Amateur Theatrical Society in 1920.In 1925, after watching her first film, a silent movie, The Dark Angel, Oberon was inspired by its star, Vilma Bánky, to become an actress, according to Sen. She left for France in 1928 after an army colonel introduced her to a director Rex Ingram who gave her bit parts in his films.Oberon's mother Charlotte Selby, who had darker skin, followed her as her maid.ARCHIVE PHOTOSOberon's performance in Wuthering Heights, opposite Laurence Olivier, cemented her place in HollywoodA 2014 documentary called The Trouble with Merle later found that Selby was, in fact, Oberon's grandmother. Selby's daughter Constance had Oberon as a teenager but the two were reportedly raised together as sisters for some years.Oberon's first big break came from Sir Alexander Korda - a filmmaker she would later marry - who cast her as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). Publicists for Korda reportedly had to invent a background story to explain her race."Tasmania was chosen as her new birthplace because it was so far from the US and Europe and was generally considered to be 'British' to its core," Marée Delofski, director of The Trouble with Merle, wrote in her notes on the documentary.Oberon was passed off as an upper-class girl from Hobart who moved to India after her father died in a hunting accident, Delofski said.Oberon, however, soon became an intrinsic part of local lore in Tasmania and, for the rest of her career, Australian media followed her closely with pride and curiosity. She even acknowledged Tasmania as her hometown but rarely mentioned Calcutta.GETTY IMAGESOberon's breakout role was as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIIIBut Calcutta remembered her. "In the 1920s and 1930s, there were passing mentions of her in the memoirs of a lot of Englishmen," journalist Sunanda K Datta Ray says."People claimed she was born in the city, that she was an operator at the switchboard of the telephone exchange and that she won a contest at Firpo's restaurant."As she bagged more Hollywood films, Oberon moved to the US and in 1935 was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Dark Angel.But it was her performance in 1939's Wuthering Heights, opposite acting legend Laurence Olivier, that cemented her place in the industry.She was reportedly picked over Vivien Leigh, another India-born actress because the team behind the film felt she was a bigger name, Sen says.A New York Times review of the film said Oberon had "perfectly caught the restless, changeling spirit of the Brontë heroine".The late 1930s catapulted Oberon to the so-called big league, Sen says. Her inner circle included figures like music composer Cole Porter and playwright Noël Coward.GETTY IMAGESFilmmaker Sir Alexander Korda was Oberon's first husbandKorda and veteran producer Samuel Goldwyn helped Oberon assimilate, taming traits like her accent that would have given away her South Asian origins, Sen says.But Oberon's secret weighed on her - even though her light-skinned complexion made it easier for her to pass off as white on the screen."She still often felt the need to silence frequent murmurs that she was mixed race. Film journalists of her era would note her tanner complexion," Sen says.Some accounts claim Oberon's skin was damaged by skin-whitening or bleaching treatments.After Oberon was injured and her face scarred in a car crash in 1937, cinematographer Lucien Ballard famously developed a technique that lit her in a way that would obscure her blemishes. (Oberon divorced Korda and married Ballard in 1945.)"Some sources have suggested that the technique was also a way to 'whiten' Merle's face before the camera," Sen says.Oberon's nephew Michael Korda, who published a family memoir called Charmed Lives in 1979, said he obscured details of her background after she threatened to sue him for including her real name and birthplace.GETTY IMAGESOberon and her backers made concerted efforts to keep her past hidden"I had assumed that enough water had passed under the bridge, but she still minded very much indeed about her past," he said in an interview.The charade became harder to maintain. In 1965, Oberon cancelled public appearances and cut short a trip to Australia after finding the local journalists to be curious about her background. Reports say she was distraught during her last visit to Tasmania in 1978 as questions around her identity continued to swirl.But she never admitted the truth in public. She died in 1979, of a stroke.In 1983, her Anglo-Indian heritage was revealed in a biography, Princess Merle: The Romantic Life of Merle Oberon. The authors found her birth record in Bombay, her baptismal certificate, and letters and photographs her Indian relatives had.Through his book, Sen hopes to be able to convey the enormous pressures Oberon faced as a South Asian woman "navigating an industry that wasn't designed to accommodate her and producing such moving work while fighting those battles"."Dealing with those struggles couldn't have been easy. It feels more productive to extend grace and empathy to her than to judge."
Atletico say they have avoided stadium closure
April 13: Atletico Madrid said that they will not have to close part of their stadium for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg with Manchester City.On Monday, Uefa ordered Atletico to close at least 5,000 seats at the 68,456-capacity Wanda Metropolitano.That was in response to "discriminatory behaviour" by Atletico fans during last week's first leg in Manchester.But Atletico said that punishment has been suspended after a request to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).In a statement, the club said "all members and fans with a season ticket or seat" could attend the game.Atletico was also told by Uefa to display a Uefa banner reading '#NoToRacism', although the club have not said whether that has also been overturned.City takes a 1-0 lead into Wednesday's game thanks to Kevin de Bruyne's goal at Etihad Stadium last week.
Andrew McDonald named coach of Australia's men's cricket team
April 13: Andrew McDonald has been appointed head coach of Australia's men's team.McDonald, who has been part of Australia's coaching team since 2019, has signed a four-year contract with Cricket Australia.The former Test all-rounder replaces Justin Langer, who left the role in February after rejecting a short-term contract extension."I am honoured to be given this incredible opportunity for what is an exciting period ahead," McDonald said.McDonald took interim charge of Australia's Test and limited-overs teams on the recent tour of Pakistan.Australia won the two-match Test series 1-0, lost the one-day series 2-1 and won the sole T20."The journey so far has been particularly pleasing," McDonald said."My plan is to build on the growth, depth and experience of the squad while working collectively with the group and across the game."McDonald previously led Victoria and the Melbourne Renegades to all three domestic titles during the 2018-19 season and coached Leicestershire in county cricket.He played four Tests for his country and had a 13-year first-class career with his home state Victoria and Leicestershire in England.Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley described McDonald as the "clear choice" for the role."Andrew has already shown he is an outstanding head coach and the vision he outlined for the roles was both impressive and exciting," he said."We are proud of the way the team played and the respect shown throughout the tour of Pakistan under the leadership of Andrew, Pat [Cummins] and Aaron [Finch]."Former coach Langer led Australia to the Men's T20 World Cup title during his four-year tenure.He oversaw the 4-0 Ashes victory over England on home soil earlier this year but it was widely reported the players were increasingly unhappy with his leadership style.
Djokovic beaten in Monte Carlo second round
April 13: World number one Novak Djokovic went down to a shock defeat by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on his return to the ATP Tour at the Monte Carlo Masters.Djokovic was playing in his first tournament since February after missing the US hard court swing because of restrictions over his Covid-19 vaccination status.Davidovich Fokina won 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 to reach the third round.Djokovic had his serve broken nine times by his Spanish opponent.It is the first time the 34-year-old Serb - whose last match was a quarter-final defeat in Dubai - has lost an opener at a tournament since 2018."This win is so special to me because I grew up watching Nole [Djokovic] and I'm a big fan of his," said world number 46 Davidovich Fokina."I knew Nole didn't have the confidence because he didn't play a lot this season. I had my chances in the beginning of the match and I took them."When he won the second set it was tough mentally, but I work hard to be focused. I had to be prepared for the war."Earlier, Britain's Dan Evans cruised past Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi in straight sets to reach the second round in Monte Carlo.The British number two was dominant in the first set but the second was more open, Bonzi taking a 4-1 lead before Evans rallied to win 6-0 7-6 (7-4).Evans, a semi-finalist last year, will face David Goffin in the next round after he defeated Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.
Victoria awarded 2026 Commonwealth Games
April 13: The 2026 Commonwealth Games have been officially awarded to the Australian state of Victoria.It will mark the sixth time the Games have been hosted by Australia, but it is the first time a state or region has been awarded the multi-sport event.The 2026 Commonwealths will be staged across several cities, including Melbourne, which hosted the 2006 Games.Sixteen sports have been confirmed on the initial programme, with up to seven more sets to be added.The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) entered an 'exclusive dialogue' period with Victoria's authorities in February."The Commonwealth Games Federation is absolutely delighted to award the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Victoria," said CGF president Dame Louise Martin."Commonwealth Games Australia and the Victorian Government have set out a bold and innovative vision that provides an exciting new blueprint for hosting our major multi-sport event."Australia's Gold Coast hosted the last edition of the Games in 2018. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in Birmingham from 28 July-8 August.
Psychedelic frees up depressed brain, study shows
By Philippa Roxby, April 13: Psilocybin, a drug found in magic mushrooms, appears to free up the brains of people with severe depression in a way that other antidepressants do not, a study has found.The results, based on brain scans of 60 people, mean the drug could treat depression in a unique way, the researchers say.Psychedelics are being studied to treat a range of mental health disorders.Patients with depression are warned not to take psilocybin on their own.A synthetic form of the drug is tested on people in trials under strict medical conditions, with psychological support from experts provided before, during and after it is taken.Prof David Nutt, study author and head of the Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research, said the latest findings on psilocybin were "exciting" and "important".With depression, the brain can get stuck in a rut and locked into a particularly negative way of thinking, he said.But when given psilocybin, people's brains opened up and became "more flexible and fluid" up to three weeks later.This could be seen in increased connections between regions of the brain when patients were scanned. These patients were more likely to experience an improvement in mood months later.Similar changes were not seen in the brains of people treated with a standard antidepressant."This supports our initial predictions, and confirms psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to depression treatments," Prof Nutt said.Brain activityPsychedelics are a type of hallucinogenic substance which affects all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions.While regular antidepressants are taken every day, psilocybin may only need to be taken once or twice to produce the same effect - but further research on more patients for longer is needed to confirm that.The results, published in Nature Medicine, are taken from two studies. In the first, everyone received psilocybin; and in the second - a randomised controlled trial - some were given the drug while others were given a different antidepressant.All participants also received talking therapies with registered mental health professionals. Brain scans were taken before, and then one day or three weeks after taking the therapy.Prof Robin Carhart-Harris, the senior study author, said: "We don't yet know how long the changes in brain activity seen with psilocybin therapy last, and we need to do more research to understand this."We do know that some people relapse, and it may be that after a while their brains revert to the rigid patterns of activity we see in depression."Earlier findings from the studies showed a reduction in symptoms of depression with the psilocybin therapy - but the researchers were not sure how and why it worked.Now they want to test their theory of changes in brain connectivity on other mental health illnesses, such as anorexia.
