Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

BBC's funding system under fire amid viewership changes, Conservatives' hostility

Feb 1, 2022
Boris Johnson's government may scrap the national license fee that's funded the UK broadcaster for generations.
The BBC's primary revenue source, a compulsory annual fee paid by the British people, is  stirring vigorous opposition.
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Eyes in the sky: Air traffic control turns 100

Feb 25, 2020
The world's first air traffic control tower was commissioned at Croydon Airport in the U.K. on Feb. 25, 1920, revolutionizing what would become the airline industry.
Croydon Airport in South London. (Victoria Craig/BBC)

Parents and protests in Hong Kong

Nov 21, 2019
"I will encourage them to join in the demonstration because Hong Kong is our city," the mother of a protester said.
Stella, the mother of Hong Kong protester Sher.
Courtesy of Stella

Why women hold the key to India's prosperity

May 21, 2019
India’s rapid growth has not yet encouraged more women to look for jobs. According to the World Bank, India has one of the lowest female labor participation rates in the world. Less than a third of women 15 years and older are working or actively looking for a job. The non profit Kamalini is on […]
Victoria Craig/BBC

The Indian schools where failure isn't an option

May 20, 2019
Fierce competition for university spots has led to an increase in "cram schools."
Abhair (L) sits with fellow pupils at a cram school just outside Delhi.
Victoria Craig/BBC

Four things you should know about Brexit

Mar 25, 2019
We know you’re probably wondering why it matters. And if it matters to you.
EU and Union Jack flags are waved as anti-Brexit demonstrators gather outside the Houses of Parliament on June 11, 2018, in London.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Bitcoin miners are optimistic about the future

Dec 21, 2017
There’s been a little dip in the bitcoin market this week. The cryptocurrency has dropped about 10 percent against the dollar. Of course, that’s in the face of a 1,700 percent rise in the past year, so those tulip bulb analogies still apply. Speculators, however, (investors, if you prefer) are just one side of the […]

For public good, not for profit.

The Great British Bake Off crumbles

Sep 13, 2016
We've got another Brexit on hands...Too soon?
Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, hosts of the Great British Bake Off.  
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

HP waves goodbye to its software side in $8.8 billion deal

Sep 8, 2016
Why does a little-known British company think its worth that much?
Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlitt Packard Enterprise, rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in 2015. HPE will sell the software portion of its business to Micro Focus in a deal worth $8.8 billion.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Dispatches from a Crude Collapse: Venezuela

Feb 11, 2016
How low oil prices are impacting politics in Venezuela