9 h. ago Biologist whose innovation saved the life of British teenager wins $3m Breakthrough prize

Prof David Liu is among the winners of 2025’s ‘Oscars of science’, with honours also going to researchers for landmark work on multiple sclerosis, particle physics and ‘skinny jabs’For the past five years, David Liu – a professor at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a biomedical research facility in Massachusetts – has marked Thanksgiving by handing over his entire annual salary, after taking care of taxes, to the staff and students in his laboratory.It started as the pandemic broke and Liu heard that students who wanted to cycle instead of taking public transport could not afford bicycles. Given how hard they worked and how little they were paid, Liu stepped in. He couldn’t unilaterally raise their incomes, so emailed them Amazon eGift cards. This ran into problems too, however. “Everyone thought they were being scammed,” he recalls. And so he switched to writing cheques. Continue reading...

Economics

47 h. ago Leading the charge: how a drive for electric vehicles is cleaning up Nepal

With air pollution causing a fifth of deaths in Nepal, growing EV use could add nearly three years to Kathmandu residents’ livesIn a rundown hangar in the heart of Kathmandu, the remains of a dozen electric trolley buses stand abandoned and corroding. Caked in dust and bird-droppings and lined with rubbish, they are a reminder of a bold experiment, launched 50 years ago, to electrify the city’s public transport system. Down the side of one is written, “Keep me alive”.Today, that plea is being heard. More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles – largely cars and minibuses – imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world. The figure reflects a remarkable growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the country import more than 13,000 between July 2023 and 2024, up from about 250 in 2020-21. Continue reading...

Politics

49 h. ago Germans are SHOCKED by one thing Brits and Americans commonly do in restaurants and on public transport

Expats working in Germany have shared a common perception among Germans on how Brits and Americans behave in public - including how loudly they speak in restaurants.

Events

3 d. ago First look inside the completed Silvertown tunnel, days before it opens to motorists

TfL says toll income will be reinvested in other public transport schemes

Politics

4 d. ago New rail links needed if Heathrow Airport expands, London Assembly warned

Solutions include extending the Elizabeth line to Staines - dubbed an ‘absolute game-changer’ for access to the airport from Surrey and south-west London

Events

4 d. ago Brits planning to take public transport in France given 'luggage fine' advice

Tourists who decide to opt for the environmentally friendly option and take the train could find themselves out of pocket if they don't follow the rules

Politics

5 d. ago First look inside the completed Silvertown tunnel, one week before it opens to motorists

TfL says toll income will be reinvested in other public transport schemes

Politics

8 d. ago Public transport in Cardiff labelled 'embarrassing' and 'not fit for purpose'

Liberal Democrats councillors have called for a re-think on public transport, complaining that some people can't get a direct bus from one end of the city to the other

Politics

1 week ago Two in five Britons still reliant on their cars to get to work

The RAC said that despite the Government's 'focus on improving public transport' the research proves that the car 'remains central to so many people's lives'.

Politics

1 week ago Spicy Audiobooks: These Scottish cities listen to the most 'spicy audiobooks' on Spotify

If you’ve ever wondered what the person sitting next to you on public transport is listening to, Spotify might just have the answer for you.

Politics

1 week ago Government urged to seek new funding models for London’s public transport

Government urged to seek new funding models for London’s public transport  ianVisits

Politics

1 week ago The 'momentous, hidden' change for the Bee Network 'you might not want to know about'

The update gives Greater Manchester 'an integrated public transport system, the kind this city deserves', according to Andy Burnham

Politics

1 week ago Want to start a new life abroad? From education to healthcare and quality of life, the best countries for immigrants to move to in 2025 (and Britain only just ranks inside the top 20)

This nation triumphed with a score of 58.4 out of 100 based on 24 key criteria, including economic strength, living costs and the quality of healthcare and public transport.

Events

1 week ago TikTok 'Tube girl' puts TfL ban rumours to bed in candid video confession

Sabrina Bahsoon, known as the 'Tube Girl', gained a lot of popularity by filming videos of herself using London's public transport - until she stopped. So, what happened to her?

Politics

3 w. ago 'Active bystander' training to help passengers stand up to harassment on public transport

Sessions rolled out as deputy mayor says ‘everyone should be able to use public transport without fear of abuse’

Events

3 w. ago Daybreak is a magical time in a big city, no matter how tired you are | Adrian Chiles

London, Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham – I have favourite early-morning memories from each of themI’ve had enough of city living. London has been my home on and off since I came to university in 1986. I’m tired of it. But there’s one bit I still love. That’s when I find myself right bang in the middle of town early in the morning. I feel the same way about all the other cities in which I ply my trade: Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester, mainly. At about 6am, all cities have a similar character.I write this in a cafe on Old Compton Street in Soho, in central London, at 6.30am. Here more than anywhere, it feels as though you’re in the eye of a storm. There aren’t many people about because the people, millions of them, are all jammed up on the roads and crammed on to public transport, getting in each other’s way, trying to get here. So for another hour or so we have it to ourselves. “We” being the early starters and a few late finishers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago US rock star Jack White goes unnoticed as he travels on public transport in between gigs

Rock star Jack White, 49, said he took the train from Birmingham to Glasgow ahead of his gig at the Barrowland Ballroom - and some fans were surprised that he used public transport

Events

3 w. ago New Bee Network and Metrolink ticket system available in two weeks

It's set to be a huge change to how we use public transport - but how do you use it?

Politics

3 w. ago Lothian bus and vehicle apprenticeship scheme now open to interested applicants

The award-winning public transport operator’s apprentice programme lasts four years

Politics

3 w. ago Five years on from the pandemic, the right’s fake Covid narrative has been turbo

Before the next outbreak, we need a serious conversation about how to cope, but first, the more strident, misguided voices must be mutedLaura Spinney is a science journalist and the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the WorldOnce, we all respectfully listened to what epidemiologists said. We queued up for vaccines, observed distancing lines and confidently asked unmasked passengers on public transport to cover their faces. A tyrannical virus ruled over us, and we did everything in our power to limit its ravages.Five years on from the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s the masked passenger who is suspect, nobody notices the scuffed distancing lines and trust in vaccines has taken a tumble. A different narrative has invaded the conversation: it wasn’t the virus that ruined our lives, but the response.Laura Spinney is a science journalist and the author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the WorldDo you have an opinion on th...

Events