The Best of BBC News (World)
20+ most popular BBC News (World) articles, as voted by our community.
News, features and analysis from the World's newsroom. Breaking news, follow @BBCBreaking. UK news, @BBCNews. Latest sports news @BBCSport
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Illeism: The ancient trick to help you think more wisely
It’s hard to reason through problems, but there are ways to be more objective and less biased in your thinking.
«The idea makes intuitive sense: by switching to the third person, our descriptions of the situation will start to sound as if we are talking about someone else rather than ourselves. This sense of detachment would allow us to see the bigger picture, rather than getting caught up in our own feelings.»
Why some people wake up unable to move
Sleep paralysis has inspired paintings and horror stories. Now scientists are starting to understand why people wake from dreams unable to move.
«Some see angels and later believe they have had a religious experience. Researchers think these hallucinations may have fuelled belief in witches in Early Modern Europe, and could even explain some modern claims of alien abductions.»
Hustle culture: Is this the end of rise-and-grind?
The #grindset mentality has long endured – but some people are finding hustle culture is losing its lustre.
Can lucid dreaming be harmful?
Controlling the action in a dream is an appealing concept that has attracted enormous attention over the years, but there could be risks if inducing them infringes on sleep quality
«schizophrenia, psychosis or bipolar disorder, or manic phase, should avoid inducing lucid dreams as it might exacerbate those conditions»
Why teaching robots to blink is hard but important
Blinking conveys more information than you might think and it's hard to make robots do it properly.
BBC News (World) on Aviation
Is seaweed the future of flying?
Aircraft currently leave a major footprint on the world's climate, so can the aviation industry hope to reach net zero by the middle of the century?
The giant hangar poised for an aviation revolution
Airships could offer a much cleaner and quieter alternative for some aspects of the aviation market. In a former airship factory, a new generation are taking shape.
BBC News (World) on Disability
Paralysed man moves in mind-reading exoskeleton
A man who had not walked for two years was able to move all his limbs thanks to new technology.
Why much of the internet is closed off to blind people
Retailers are struggling to make their products accessible, and customers are taking them to court.
BBC News (World) on Environment
Do single-use plastic bans work?
The problems caused by plastic waste are rapidly increasing around the globe, but it still serves a useful purpose in food packaging. Can plastic still be a green option?
«brands have transitioned away from refillables to single-use packaging faster in the global North than in the South; it simply made more economic sense,»
Spain's ingenious water maze
Invented by the region's Moorish rulers 1,200 years ago, Valencia's irrigation system is now a model for sustainable farming.
BBC News (World) on Food
Why there's no 'Dijon' in Dijon mustard
France is facing a widespread dearth of Dijon mustard, which news outlets wasted no time in attributing to the war in Ukraine. But the story is a whole lot spicier than that.
Is eating fish healthy?
We know fish as a healthy food, but pregnant women are told to limit consumption. Do the health benefits of eating fish outweigh the risks, particularly as stocks grow more depleted?
BBC News (World) on History
Do we need a better understanding of 'progress'?
A growing and influential intellectual movement aims to understand why human progress happens – and how to speed it up. Garrison Lovely investigates.
The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'
For millennia, people slept in two shifts – once in the evening, and once in the morning. But why? And how did the habit disappear?
BBC News (World) on India
Why south India outperforms the north
What are the consequences of southern India outperforming the rest of the country?
From Maruti to Amul: Five brands that shaped India after independence
The homegrown brands that have found their way into the homes and hearts of millions of Indians.
BBC News (World) on Nature
Why don't humans have fur?
Most mammals, including our closest living relatives, have fur. So why did we lose ours?
Edward Burtynsky's photos show the scars of human-altered landscapes
Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky discusses his startling and unexpectedly sublime photos – 'an extended lament for the loss of nature' – with Gaia Vince.
BBC News (World) on Procrastination
Why procrastination is about managing emotions, not time
Address the real reasons you procrastinate and you’re more likely to start achieving your goals.
«“make your focus as simple as ‘What’s the next action – a simple next step – I would take on this task if I were to get started on it now?’”.»
The four keys that could unlock procrastination
Procrastination gets the best of all of us, to the detriment of our work, happiness and health. But a new theory could provide us with the easiest way to kick the habit.
BBC News (World) on Russia
'My city is being shelled, but my mum in Russia won’t believe me'
These Ukrainians say their Russian relatives only trust the narratives they see on TV at home.
Ukraine war: Putin has redrawn the world
Because of his miscalculations, there's a new iron curtain at the Russian leader’s door - writes Allan Little
BBC News (World) on Travel
The Danish tradition we all need now
In Denmark, the Nordic concept of friluftsliv – or unwinding in the outdoors – includes troll hunts, shoreline biking and stargazing in Scandinavia's first International Dark Sky Park.
«the Nordic concept of friluftsliv – or unwinding in the outdoors»
Pakistan's lost city of 40,000 people
In the dusty plains of present-day Sindh in southern Pakistan lie the remains of one of the world's most impressive ancient cities that most people have never heard of.
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How colours affect the way you think
Our world is awash with a rainbow of colours, but certain shades can have a surprising impact on our ability to concentrate, our mood and even our taste.
«And if you want a child to concentrate, you might consider painting a classroom in a vivid palette and so bolster their reading scores.»
How our brains cope with speaking more than one language
Speaking a second or even a third language can bring obvious advantages, but occasionally the words, grammar and even accents can get mixed up.
«our languages aren't just static throughout our lives but shifting, actively competing and interfering with each other.»
A mysterious cult that predates Stonehenge
Spread over a vast, remote landscape in north-western Saudi Arabia are millennia-old archaeological remains that could change our understanding of prehistory.
Can you delay ageing by refusing to act your age?
When old age starts depend on where you live in the world. But it may also partly depend on how you view ageing. Can you delay it with a positive attitude?
How our eyes can change colour throughout our lives
Through apparently spontaneous change or through mishap or illness, our eyes can change colour in surprising ways.
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