Train Operator LNER has recently set twitter alight after a non-binary rail union representative complained about the gender language a conductor chose to use. Passengers were greeted with ‘good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls’. LNER’s apology has caused a lot of debate, with some praising them on their response, and some calling it […]

Live music has become a distant memory. Standing alongside other music lovers singing lyrics back to your favourite artist word for word, in a baking hot arena or club a thing of the past. But Radio One may be about to change that. Hopefully, by June 21st, the curtain will once again be up on […]

Every cloud has a silver lining. And in this pandemic era, that silver lining has arguably been the copious amount of time we’ve all had for self reflection. Lockdown life has given a lot of us time to focus on things we’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to get around to.  […]

Mastering Politics is back with an explanation of the Israeli air strikes currently happening in Gaza City. As a little disclaimer, we know that this issue is far more complex than just what’s happening today. A more in-depth look at the Israel-Palestine conflict will be coming to Beep in the next few weeks. What’s happened? […]

With the news that Greggs sales have beaten pre-pandemic levels, we thought it would only be fair to rank their best pasties that have been a staple of North East cuisine for decades. The bakery chain saw profits looking healthier after what it called “pent-up demand” for non-essential retail items. So, which pasties are best? […]

It is hard to imagine rocking a crop top or even going out without a big coat at the minute. May temperatures plummeted to below zero in many places around the country with snow and hail battering us here in the North East. But here we are with some of the trends to expect when […]

Last night was quite an eventful one for the Labour Party in England at the local elections. By eventful, I mean terrible for their so-called Red Wall. Keir Starmer’s Labour was “under new leadership”, he promised, and it was going to be all about winning back voters who’d turned Tory for the first time at […]

NHS England has written to Instagram urging the platform to clamp down on sales of a “dangerous” weight-gain drug. The drug, Apetamin, is unlicensed but is sold and promoted on Instagram as a way of achieving the currently popular hour-glass figure. Recommended Reading: A message to Kim Kardashian about young women NHS England said in […]

If you cast your mind back to last summer, you will remember weeks of fury from students, their teachers and parents about the exams fiasco. Well, it turns out that one student used some pretty forward-thinking initiative, found Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’s phone number on Google, and left him a voicemail. Writing in the Mail […]

In the past ten years, more than £96 billion worth of health service funding has gone to non-NHS care providers. These include private firms such as Virgin Care – owned by billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Group – and for-profit healthcare providers. For the sake of clarity, the NHS is a not-for-profit service. It is not […]

In our good news reporting trend this week, the news that hugging could be allowed on 17th May certainly fits the bill. According to The Times, ministers are expected to plough ahead with the third step of the ‘unlocking’ roadmap set out by the government. This includes approval for people to make physical contact with […]

For the first time in history a malaria vaccine has achieved the World Health Organisation-specified (WHO) 75% efficacy goal. The vaccine, developed by researchers from Oxford University and their partners, reported a 77% effectiveness among African children. Trials took part with 450 participants aged between five and seventeen months. They were recruited from the catchment […]

Irish singer-songwriter Hozier rose to fame in 2013 after a smash-hit debut EP (named below). Since then, his career has gone from strength to strength: his debut album has been certified platinum six times in his home country, multi-platinum around the world; and have been nominated for a Grammy. So we’ve whittled down the top […]

The government’s Kickstart scheme – intended to create 250,000 jobs for young people following the devastating impact of the pandemic – has led to just 490 jobs in the North East, according to figures from the Observer. The North East entered lockdown with the highest unemployment rate of any region in England and a recent […]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reported to have said he would rather “let the bodies pile high in their thousands” than order a third lockdown during a heated exchange with his No 10 advisors. The Daily Mail led its front page today with the exclusive, which is said to have come directly from those who […]

After almost two decades at Radio One, acclaimed DJ and music extraordinaire Annie Mac announced her departure this week. The Northern Irish Mac took over the infamous evening drive-time spot from Zane Lowe six years ago. She has throughout her career launched the presence of some of today’s top stars. With an illustrious deejaying career […]

Helen McCrory, the prominent big sister of Thomas Shelby in the BBC cult show Peaky Blinders, lost her battle with cancer last week. Having kept her illness secret, the 52-year-old actress appeared to battle the dreaded disease with as much determination as she did her roles on screen and stage. Comments from fellow thespians and […]

Never one to see a person sit on the bench for long, Marcus Rashford is now ready to take on literacy after tackling child hunger last year. Teaming up with powerhouse publisher, Macmillan, the England footballer is launching a book club that will provide books to disadvantaged children in 850 primary schools across England and […]

Claude Monet is renowned the world over for his Water Lilies painting series, captivating minds for many years. Now one of his “monumental” paintings from that series is set to be auctioned in New York for around £29 million. Le Bassin aux Nympheas, a 40 inch x 79 inch work was painted from 1917 to 1919 […]

Apple announced the release of their new over ear AirPods Max on the 8th of December 2020. Having purchased the headphones only yesterday, this review will include my initial impressions of the product, and a more in-depth review will follow in the weeks to come.  Apple price the AirPods Max at £549, offering five different […]

You might have heard a lot about David Cameron in the news recently but not quite know the details of why, and what has happened. Worry not – that’s why Mastering Politics is here today. Let’s get into it. What has David Cameron done? Greensill Capital, a now insolvent financial services company, is at the […]

Well, the first thing I have to say about this book is that it is an absolute cracker. Tom Bradby returns on top form for the final instalment of his spy thriller with Triple Cross and I was, in no uncertain terms, hooked from the off. Triple Cross picks up where Double Agent left off. MI6 […]

There is a timely, outdated belief that has parents wanting their sons to go to mixed-sex schools to benefit from the civilising influence of girls, and for their daughters to go to single-sex schools, to protect them from the corrupting influence of boys. Or, as reported now, to protect them from sexual harassment. Of course, […]

Taylor Swift’s second album, Fearless, released in 2008, received critical acclaim and established Swift as one to watch. Now, almost 13 years later, Swift has become one of the most successful artists of the 21st century, and her re-recordings have stood the test of time – Fearless (Taylor’s Version) showcases Swift at her best, with […]

A recent Sky News report has detailed that a wealthy minority of people are responsible for the majority of global air travel, with frequent leisure flights rather than the average family holiday. In the last few years, there appears to have been a surge in climate change activism: figures such as Greta Thunberg and organisations […]

Well, here I am at ten to one in the morning having completed Three Women. Before I proceed, this book – and so this review – is not suitable for a younger audience. Three Women is at its core, a reportage-novel hybrid about sex and power, which manifests itself in the following trigger warnings: rape, […]

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth has said that vaccine passports are essentially “a digital ID card” and that Labour cannot support them in their current form. Boris Johnson announced yesterday that vaccine passports – or ‘Covid status certificates’ – will be trialled this month at upcoming events, including the FA Cup final and a range […]

Following the Corbyn era, the position of Labour leader was going to be difficult to fill. Low and behold Sir Keir Starmer. Starmer has noticeably reached out to former Labour voters who turned their backs on the party in 2019 by wrapping himself in a union jack. When making a speech, he will often emphasise […]

The problem of climate change is out of control, and Netflix’s new documentary Seaspiracy explains why.  Having watched my fair share of animal-agriculture related documentaries, it is Seaspiracy which has truly shocked me to the core. I have avoided eating meat and fish for several years now, and have always been aware of how damaging […]

Many need little reminder about the death of George Floyd last May. It sparked a worldwide anti-racism movement when police officer Derek Chauvin was videoed by onlookers kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes as he pleaded with the officer, telling him, “I can’t breathe”. Now the man accused of George Floyd’s murder, […]

Roughly three children in every classroom have a diagnosable mental health condition. In 2017, suicide was the most common cause of death for young people, both male and female, aged between five and 19. But what is it like for young people who are trying to access support from the NHS? The picture, tragically, is […]

Domestic abuse reports in the Northumbria Police region have risen by over 1,000 (5%) in lockdown, according to a Freedom of Information request filed to the force by Beep. 33,118 reports of domestic abuse were made during the period of 30th March 2020 to 30th January 2021, compared to 31,524 during the same period in […]

It comes as no surprise that the Royal Family is a controversial topic. Drama from every drop of the bloodline. Prince Andrew’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s exit — and crucially, the couple’s allegations that their son was subjected to racism from within the royal household— begs the question […]

Netflix has begun to test a feature that asks viewers whether or not they live in the same household as a Netflix account holder. This feature is intended to crack down on those who share passwords between family and friends. It is reported that some users of the streaming service have encountered a message asking […]

In short: yes. Climate change should absolutely be taught in schools. This should not be up for debate, but sadly here I am writing an article regarding the continued discussion surrounding climate change and the curriculum. Education is an essential element of the global response to climate change. It helps young people understand and address […]

Lana Del Rey has recently released her highly anticipated seventh studio album, titled Chemtrails over the Country Club, which continues to explore the Americana aesthetic she has carefully crafted throughout her career. At first, I’ll admit, I felt almost let down by the album as it felt so similar to her previous work, but as […]

I can guarantee that we have something in common. Regardless of background, age or interests. We’re all sick of Covid. This Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of the UK lockdown and, honestly, it was nice to have some new way to keep track of time. We’ve all gone through so much in the past […]

Today marks one year since Prime Minister Boris Johnson took the decision to put the UK into its first lockdown. Since then, we’ve had a tiered system, a summer free-for-all which likely contributed to the increase in cases throughout August and September, and another full-force lockdown. But as we pause today to remember the 146,487 […]

Sarah Everard’s tragic story has sparked such a valuable conversation, with many women sharing their experiences surrounding sexual harassment and discussing how vulnerable they feel walking the streets alone. According to a survey from UN Women UK, 97% of women between the ages of 18-24 said they had been sexually harassed, with 80% of women […]

I don’t think I have visited the delights of New York City in a novel since Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so Brooklyn has been a lovely, warming return to the one location that literature never fails to personify. In other words, I’ve been in a tiny village hardly seeing anyone for a year and I read […]