• News Novak Djokovic v. The Australian Government
    It has been an interesting few weeks for tennis’ world No1, Novak Djokovic. Usually, we would be discussing the odds of him winning the Australian Open. But now we’re discussing if he will be even allowed to compete. Bear with me, it’s a long story with a lot of twists and turns. Last week, he […]
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  • News Should we be more concerned about Omicron?
    With every passing day, it feels like we somehow end up further away from an end to Coronavirus. With the rapidly rising numbers of infections with the Omicron variant in the UK, should we be becoming more concerned by this new strain? With the announcement of Omicron making its way into the UK, many people […]
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  • News Pet theft set to become a criminal offence
    Pet theft is without question one of the most harmful crimes. Unlike regular theft, you aren’t losing material goods, but a family member. Despite this, up until now, pet theft has simply been deemed as a loss of property to the owner. This, however, is looking like it is set to change. During the course […]
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  • Editorials What if we stopped using cash?
    With the advent of smartphones, many people have slowly begun to move away from cash payments instead of opting to use services like Apple Pay and Google Pay. While these services are convenient for many, the removal of cash payments can impact certain groups. For many people, the pandemic has been the perfect incentive to […]
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  • Editorials Should the world ban wet markets?
    For many of us, Coronavirus opened our eyes to the world of wet markets. In the aftermath of the pandemic, a lot of people are looking at these marketplaces and wondering whether they should be banned to prevent future virus outbreaks. Before you can consider the idea of a global ban on wet markets, it […]
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  • News Wuhan lab leak cannot be ruled out
    Having emerged in Wuhan, China in late 2019, Covid-19 has proven to be extremely deadly and has had a profound impact globally on us all. While it hasn’t ever been confirmed, could the virus have emerged from research labs in Wuhan? The common explanation for Covid-19 is that a coronavirus mutated by transmitting between both […]
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  • Editorials Is Covid vocabulary changing our attitude?
    In the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a shift in the vocabulary used to describe the Covid-19 pandemic. On 24 July, Health Secretary Sajid Javid was met with swift criticism after he tweeted (and later deleted) that people should “learn to live with, rather than cower from, this virus.” News outlets have also begun […]
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  • health Women’s vaccine symptoms ignored
    As more women get their vaccines, most notably in the 18-29 age bracket, the common side effects experienced differ to those identified by vaccine providers. A change in periods, breast pain, and even breast cancer symptoms have been some of the serious side effects that women are facing – but with no warning. The lack […]
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  • Editorials Why I’m Still Wearing a Mask
    Last Monday, the long-awaited “freedom day” came to pass, and all Covid-19 restrictions on social contact were lifted in England. Many are cheering on the elimination of the requirement to wear masks indoors, with mask policies now being in the hands of venues and individuals rather than the government. But for many, including myself, “freedom […]
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  • Editorials Lockdown: The Damage on Children
    A study conducted by University College London has concluded that the harm of lockdown school closures extends to children, with the most common illness being anxiety. Around 60% of boys and 47% of girls are said to be the major casualties. It has long been known that lockdown has had a tremendous impact on mental […]
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  • Sport Should the Olympics go ahead?
    The Olympic Games is the greatest sporting event on the planet. Across the globe, millions of people tune in to watch the most elite athletes compete in the most prestigious competition. With the recent state of emergency announced in host city Japan, should the Olympics still go ahead? This is certainly a tough situation for […]
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  • Education Exam appeals could cause admissions chaos
    Schools have taken a serious hit as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. With working from home being introduced, many students may feel that their academic learning has taken a hit. Now, staff and students are concerned about potential appeals chaos. The impact on education from the coronavirus pandemic also further extends beyond primary and […]
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  • Editorials Covid shows governments care most about profit
    As we draw towards what we hope will be the end of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is important to reflect upon the relationship economy and profit has had with public health over the past fifteen months. Most importantly, what does it what tells us about that same relationship in normal times? Across the world, governments […]
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  • News Why governments are taking UFOs seriously
    United States intelligence bodies are expected to deliver a report within the week where all the U.S. government knows of “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP) – commonly known as UFO – will be made public. UFOs have dominated debate and media once again after former President Donald Trump signed a 2020 Coronavirus bill, setting into motion […]
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  • Editorials Is wild camping the answer to travel restrictions?
    With the future of travel being so unclear as a result of ongoing Coronavirus restrictions, many people have found themselves unable to take much-needed holidays. For anybody who lives in Scotland, the existence of the right to roam provides the ability to access all lands freely for recreational purposes – including wild camping. This right […]
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  • Politics Trapped in lockdown with yet another delay
    Since March 2020, the UK has found itself trapped in what seems like a never-ending lockdown. With the recently emerging news that lockdown will be further delayed until the 19 July there have been many questions raised about whether it is necessary to continue the delays. Despite the disappointment surrounding the news, is there solid […]
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  • health Overvaluation of services from NHS Test and Trace provider Serco
    NHS Test and Trace provides a system that aims to minimise the spread of Coronavirus. While on paper this system is extremely useful for stopping the spread, there have been numerous reports of underlying issues within the system. The most recent headline that Test and Trace has been caught up involves the government’s supplier, Serco, […]
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  • Editorials Is EURO 2020 using vaccine passports a good idea?
    It has recently been revealed that for the upcoming group stages of EURO 2020, vaccine passports will be used as a means of allowing fans into Wembley for the group stages. But is this fair for most supporters? Although the initial headlines may have created concerns for younger fans who haven’t had an opportunity to […]
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  • News AstraZeneca scientist: vaccinating kids before world’s poorest is wrong
    Professor Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, has said that it is “morally wrong” to offer the jab to children in wealthy countries before adults in poorer nations. Professor Pollard is the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and told a group of MPs that global vaccine inequality is “plain to […]
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  • News Hugging could be allowed this month
    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 […]
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  • News Labour opposes vaccine passports
    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 […]
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  • Editorials Is Keir Starmer doing a good job as Labour leader?
    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 […]
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  • health The reality of young people’s mental healthcare today
    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 […]
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  • Editorials Easing into life after Covid
    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 […]
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  • Editorials National Day of Reflection: An Avoidable Disaster
    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 almost […]
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  • Editorials How Coronavirus favours the wealthy
    This week, a study was released by Sheffield council suggesting that the working poor has been the worst hit by Coronavirus. The study shows people in low-paid jobs, with insecure contracts and thus unable to afford to take time off work to isolate, have been hardest hit by the disease in the city. The council […]
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  • Editorials Dealing with Lockdown: Annie’s Story
    As part of Beep’s ‘Dealing with Lockdown’ series, Annie shares her experience as a student at the University of Manchester – from rent striking to starting a brand new university in a pandemic. September 2020. The beginning of a new academic year, which meant for many students a reunion with people actually in their age […]
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  • News Dealing with Lockdown: Nicholas’s Story
    Over the coming weeks here at Beep, we are running a number of stories about the impact of lockdown on our young people. Kicking off our series is new writer Nicholas. My name is Nicholas Cornwell, I am 21 years old and lockdown has had a drastic impact on the way I live my life. […]
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  • Editorials Our Top Stories of 2020
    Beep has been here all through this year in one form or another. We’ve even re-launched a YouTube channel. But, of course, our love of the written word prevails and we have collated our top stories of 2020. Believe it or not, they aren’t all about C*VID-19. So, without further ado, here are Beep’s top […]
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  • Editorials An Ode to 2020
    When we sat around television last year on New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks boom in London at 12am on 1st January 2020, there was a sense of hope. I remember hoping that this would be a good year – that things would be a little bit brighter for everyone than they had been before. […]
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  • Editorials The Crucial Next Stage of COVID
    Boris Johnson and his government have come under serious fire over the course of the pandemic because of their response (or sometimes lack of) to the severity of rising cases of COVID-19. Now that a new variant of the virus has been discovered, and its transmission rate is faster than the original variant, there is […]
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  • Editorials Use COVID to save the planet
    David Attenborough‘s witness statement, A Life on Our Planet, is strong stuff. It always is from the 93-year-old TV veteran, but with his most recent documentary now available on Netflix, you can sense there’s an urgency to Attenborough’s message this time. He is serious – he’s almost desperate. For many years now, we have known […]
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  • Editorials What to Do in Lockdown… Again
    With the news today that the North East is going to be put in lockdown again, we’ve come up with a little list of things to do to keep you occupied. While a lot of folks are still working throughout this bout of tighter COVID-19 restrictions, there’s a lot of elderly and young people who’ll […]
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  • Editorials Eat Out To Help Out – Now Don’t Go Out
    It seems awfully strange, doesn’t it, that just last month we were vigorously encouraged to go out, spend money at restaurants and do, as The Sun (and thus the Tories) put it, our ‘civic duty’? Even stranger when, now, a matter of weeks later, I can’t go inside of my grandmother’s house because the North […]
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  • Editorials Coronavirus: Where lockdown went wrong
    Coronavirus has been, undoubtedly, one of the most shocking and unexpected (unless you’re Bill Gates) things to happen to the world since World War Two. It has shut down normality in one swift, succinct wave – and with this, it has claimed the lives of many thousands. But did as many lives have to be […]
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