Author: Liam Porter

Piles of trash-filled caves in Zhangjiajie, China, famous for its towering sandstone pillars.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has said the government is stepping up preparations for temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, indicating it will reject pleas from the company’s creditors for leniency from fines and penalties.Thames Water’s largest creditors control the utility and have made a bid to cut some of its debts and provide £5.3bn in new funding to try to turn it around.However, the creditors have said their plan needs considerable leniency from the water regulators Ofwat and the Environment Agency over fines for environmental failings.The Guardian this month revealed that the creditors had asked for immunity from prosecution for…

Many Uber drivers are earning “substantially less” an hour since the ride hailing app introduced a “dynamic pricing” algorithm in 2023 that coincided with the company taking a significantly higher share of fares, research has revealed.The findings are in a study released on Thursday by academics at the University of Oxford. They analysed data provided by 258 UK Uber drivers responsible for 1.5m trips.Having initially taken a fixed 20% cut of the UK fares charged, which subsequently rose to 25%, Uber introduced dynamic pricing in 2023, an algorithm that variably sets pay for drivers and fares for passengers. It is…

When Billy Porter talks, people listen. They have no choice. The actor, fresh from a stint as Emcee in the London run of Cabaret, and about to reprise the role on Broadway, speaks in a poised, purposeful, regal fashion. Each word is selected with care and weighed in his hand as if it were an avocado in the fruit and veg aisle, the gaps between words so lengthy that it isn’t always clear when he has finished speaking. Seated around the table in the south London studio where Porter is overseeing rehearsals for This Bitter Earth, which marks his UK…

An unprecedented planetary-scale seismic event caused the earth to vibrate for nine days straight back in 2023, but the reason why was unclear. Scientists initially had more questions than answers, labelling the event an unidentified seismic object and undertook a mammoth scientific collaboration across multiple countries and institutions to get to the bottom of what really happened. Josh Toussaint-Strauss looks into the mystery at the heart of this scientific investigation 

You’ve got your go-to travel outfit down pat. It’s cozy yet refined, warm but lightweight. As a professional airport outfit admirer, my favorites include a pair of sleek, $100 joggers. Am I right? Like you, tons of travelers turn to premium joggers when a big commute calls. But some have branched out in search of that same buttery-soft feel at a fraction of the price.  Smart shoppers have found it in these $33 Libin joggers at Amazon. Dozens of reviewers say these pants rival cult-favorite pairs from Lululemon, known for their barely-there softness. Style-wise, they have the same clean, streamlined…

Hurricane Erick, a Category 3 storm, has made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.Erick hit the extreme west of Oaxaca state early on Thursday local time with maximum sustained winds near 205km/h (125 mph), shortly after being downgraded slightly from an “extremely dangerous” Category 4.Forecasters warned of its destructive winds and said it could cause life-threatening flooding in Oaxaca and neighbouring Guerrero before moving inland over southern Mexico, where it is expected to weaken rapidly. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told people in the storm’s path to “stay tuned to official communications, to stay indoors,…

Decisions relating to lone child asylum seekers should be removed from Home Office officials because of fundamental problems with the way they treat this vulnerable group, a report has found.The report calls for root-and-branch reform of the treatment of thousands of children who have fled persecution in their home countries and made hazardous journeys in search of safety, often crossing the Channel in a dinghy or concealing themselves in the back of a lorry.Once they arrive in the UK many are wrongly classified as adults by the Home Office and sent to adult accommodation where they may be exploited or…

Getty/BBC3D-printed guns could become “the weapon of choice” for criminals and violent extremists around the world, an expert has told the BBC. These DIY, untraceable firearms have been recovered in several recent criminal cases, including the alleged use of a partially 3D-printed gun in the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.BBC Trending has investigated the global spread of 3D-printed guns across social media platforms including Telegram, Facebook and Instagram, as well as websites offering how-to guides.3D-printed guns, often described as a type of “ghost” gun, are untraceable firearms that can be assembled using a 3D printer, downloadable blueprints and…

Before being handed the reins at Ann Demeulemeester in 2023, Stefano Gallici—still shy of 30—cut his teeth briefly interning under Haider Ackermann in Antwerp. Call it karma, Antwerp was in the cards. He’s now the heir to the queen of the legendary Antwerp Six, stepping into her ’90s legacy of poetic, elegant grit. Demeulemeester’s signature was always more than fashion; it was a mood, a sound. Through her bond with Patti Smith, she channeled a kind of raw, androgynous, sonic minimalism. Gallici seems to get it — his high-wired bohemia pulses with the frequency of today’s music communities. Rumor has…