Society
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Volatile virtual currency causes a stir online
Bitcoins exist only on the internet, are unregulated, untraceable and unpoliced, and may soon be worth millions. Could lines of code be the money of the future?
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Rare youth voices raised in party politics
As conference season draws to a close, youth political engagement is in the public eye. New stars like Rory Weal have taken the stage – but what does politics mean to most teenagers?
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Urge to be a parent fuels global baby trade
Infertile, gay and older couples are going to great lengths to become parents. Their family plans have created a growing international industry: IVF, egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy.
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Amanda Knox declared innocent after four-year fight
After an extraordinary trial that featured accusations of Satanism, police brutality and drug-fuelled violence, a controversial murder conviction has finally been overturned.
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Big Issue celebrates 20 years of helping homeless
Founded in 1991, the magazine sold by the homeless offered 'a hand up, not a handout.' Now part of an international network of newspapers in 40 countries, it is a major success story.
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After the Arab Spring, democracy still distant
Election campaigns were launched this weekend in Tunisia, where a wave of Middle Eastern uprisings began ten months ago. Across the region, freedom struggles to take hold.
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Family refused permission to turn off life support
A judge has ruled that a 'minimally conscious' patient must be kept alive, in spite of opposition from the family. It's an important legal ruling; but does it make her life worth living?
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Internet to become ‘global brain’, says billionaire
When Yuri Milner invested $200m dollars in Facebook people said he was crazy. Since then he has got it right again and again. Now he has made his boldest prediction of all.
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City boy ‘dreams’ of making money from recession
Financial trader Alessio Rastani has caused outcry with his frank TV admission that he plans to get rich off global financial disaster. Some now call for a radical overhaul of capitalism itself.
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How your mobile phone fuels rape in Congo
A shocking new film links consumer electronics to the horrifying conflict in Congo, a country which experts say could be on the brink of a savage new war.
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Germany falls out with US over Euro crisis
The US is getting impatient, and the rest of the world looks on in horror as the Euro debt crisis continues. Any resolution depends on Germany, the giant economy at the heart of Europe.
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Rihanna’s field day censored by Irish farmer
Filming of a risqué music video was interrupted by a devout 65-year-old, who insisted that the scantily-clad singer cover up. Was he right to object to the salacious scenes?
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Miliband’s plan for Britain: where does he stand?
As British opposition leader Ed Miliband lays out his vision for Britain, we explain where he has placed himself on the left-right spectrum, compared to Governments across other leading nations.
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UK Muslims hold rally against terrorism
This weekend, 12,000 Muslims attended the Peace for Humanity conference, urging peace and understanding between religions. Will a new Fatwa against Terror be successful?
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Palestinians force UN debate on ‘member 194’
America is determined to block attempts by the Palestinians to achieve full membership of the United Nations. But this hasn't stopped them forcing the world to debate their status.