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Mapmakers are lost as Donald Trump renames the world: ‘Gulf of what?’

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Mapmakers are lost as Donald Trump renames the world: ‘Gulf of what?’

President Trump’s “America First” worldview has extended to renaming geographical landmarks.

Leaving many scratching their heads in confusion, none more so than mapmakers.

Trump’s decision has sparked controversy and ridicule. He declared the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and reverted Denali back to Mt. McKinley, undoing a previous Obama administration decision.

While these changes are largely symbolic, they’ve prompted mapmakers and educators to reconsider established labels.

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis embraced the “Gulf of America” designation on an official document, but other states’ responses remain uncertain.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America “Mexican America.” On Tuesday, she toned it down: “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.”

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House,

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Map lines are inherently political. After all, they’re representations of the places that are important to human beings — and those priorities can be delicate and contentious, even more so in a globalized world where people from many nations share the same information sources.

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“Denali” is the mountain’s preferred name for Alaska Natives, while “McKinley” is a tribute to President William McKinley, initiated in the late 19th century by a gold prospector. And there’s no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features across the Earth. China sees Taiwan as its own territory, and the countries surrounding what the United States calls the South China Sea have multiple names for the same body of water.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. Many Arab countries don’t recognize Israel and instead call it Palestine. And in many official releases, Israel calls the occupied West Bank by its biblical name, “Judea and Samaria.”

A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska

A boat is seen on the Susitna River near Talkeetna, Alaska (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Americans and Mexicans diverge on what to call another key body of water, the river that forms the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. Americans call it the Rio Grande; Mexicans call it the Rio Bravo.

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Trump’s executive order — titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” — concludes thusly: “It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes. The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”

What to call the gulf with the 3,700-mile coastline?

“It is, I suppose, an internationally recognized sea, but (to be honest), a situation like this has never come up before so I need to confirm the appropriate convention,” said Peter Bellerby, who said he was talking over the issue with the cartographers at his London company, Bellerby & Co. Globemakers. “If, for instance, he wanted to change the Atlantic Ocean to the American Ocean, we would probably just ignore it.”

The water in the Gulf of Mexico

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The water in the Gulf of Mexico (© 2023 Jill Karnicki / Houston Chronicle)

As of Wednesday night, map applications for Google and Apple still called the mountain and the gulf by their old names. Spokespersons for those platforms did not immediately respond to emailed questions.

A Google Map of The Gulf of Mexico:

A spokesperson for National Geographic, one of the most prominent map makers in the U.S., said this week that the company does not comment on individual cases and referred questions to a statement on its web site, which reads in part that it “strives to be apolitical, to consult multiple authoritative sources, and to make independent decisions based on extensive research.” National Geographic also has a policy of including explanatory notes for place names in dispute, citing as an example a body of water between Japan and the Korean peninsula, referred to as the Sea of Japan by the Japanese and the East Sea by Koreans.

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In discussion on social media, one thread noted that the Sears Tower in Chicago was renamed the Willis Tower in 2009, though it’s still commonly known by its original moniker. Pennsylvania’s capital, Harrisburg, renamed its Market Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard and then switched back to Market Street several years later — with loud complaints both times. In 2017, New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge was renamed for the late Gov. Mario Cuomo to great controversy. The new name appears on maps, but “no one calls it that,” noted another user.

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Robert Jenrick’s ‘cynical’ call for Attorney General Lord Hermer ‘conflict of interest’ investigation REJECTED

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Solicitor General Lucy Rigby has confirmed Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick’s call for an investigation into Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer has been rejected.

Jenrick had penned a letter to Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald over the weekend demanding answers to the Attorney General’s work with previous clients.


In the letter, seen by GB News, the Shadow Justice Secretary, Lord Hermer’s listed clients included Sri Lankan asylum seekers in the Chagos Islands, ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, Afghan families associated with the ongoing Afghan inquiry and parties interested in Shamima Begum’s citizenship case.

Dismissing Jenrick’s calls for a probe, Rigby told MPs: “I have outlined the rigorous process that exists in the Attorney General’s Office and has existed across administrations of all colours.

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Attorney General Lord Richard HermerAttorney General Lord Richard HermerPA

“The House may be aware that the shadow justice secretary [Robert Jenrick] has written to the Cabinet Secretary [Sir Chris Wormald] seeking clarity… on that process and an investigation into it, the Cabinet Secretary has today confirmed by reply that the Attorney General’s Office has a rigorous system in place to ensure that a law officer would not be consulted on any matter that could give rise to a potential conflict of interest.

“He has restated that these arrangements are long standing and part of a standard practice that has applied in successive administrations.”

Rigby also accused the Tories of being “cynical” by linking the Attorney General to his previous clients, including ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

However, Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty questioned if Lord Hermer’s role as Attorney General remained tenable.

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Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick

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He said: “The current Attorney General has a track record of taking up multiple cases against the British government. Given his previous work both with regard to Gerry Adams and the families of those making claims against UK special forces, on which matters will the Attorney General recuse himself from advising ministers owing to clear conflicts of interests?

“And if he is not able to fulfil the full scope of his role owing to his prior career, is his position even tenable?”

Rigby replied: “I am afraid I couldn’t be more clear. I have already said that where the Attorney General has conflicts he will recuse himself.”

Today’s row came after the Tories secured an urgent question in the House of Commons.

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u200bAttorney General Richard Hermer and Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Smith leave 10 Downing StreetAttorney General Richard Hermer and Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Smith leave 10 Downing StreetPA

Lord Hermer came under fire last week after it was revealed that Labour’s will repeal a law that blocked Adams from claiming compensation for his detention.

The Attorney General represented Mr Adams in a separate case where the former Sinn Fein president was being sued by the victims of three IRA bomb attacks.

However, Hermer insisted his work with Adams was unconnected to the legislation.

Rigby said: “It is a central and well understood aspect of the British legal system… that barristers are required to accept instructions if they are available and qualified to do so.”

She added: “She will also be very aware that put simply barristers are not their clients.

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“As the Bar Council states, barristers do not choose their clients, nor do they associate themselves with their clients’ opinions or behaviour by virtue of representing them.”

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Urgent health warning to anyone who uses hot water bottles

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Urgent health warning to anyone who uses hot water bottles

A woman has urged others to “never use” hot water bottles after her seven-year-old bottle exploded leaving her with third-degree burns.

Karen O’Brien, a 52-year-old retail worker who lives in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, with her husband Daniel, 64, and their two children, suffered severe burns when her hot water bottle burst on her lap in March 2024.

The injury caused her skin to blister and peel away leaving “holes in the skin” that worsened by the hour.

At Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital, doctors removed layers of damaged skin to prevent infection. The burn left her with a large scar on her thigh and permanent skin discolouration.

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O’Brien is now warning others to avoid hot water bottles, and if they are using them to check the age.

The burns on O'Brien's thigh

The burns on O’Brien’s thigh (Collect/PA Real Life)

Hot water bottles perish over time so experts advise to change bottles every two to three years.

If you cannot remember when you bought your bottle, it will have a flower on or near the neck – the number in the middle is the year the bottle was made.

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The petals represent months and the dots weeks, for example if there are three dots in the first petal it was made toward the end of January of that year.

Hot water bottles should be replaced after two to three years

Hot water bottles should be replaced after two to three years (Getty/iStock)

“I’ve never known pain like it, it was horrendous,” she said.

“When I first could see the skin, I had blisters coming up straight away, and then you could see where the skin just melted away.

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“I pulled my trousers down, and as I did that, I could see the skin coming away with my trousers.

“There were holes in the skin but every hour it was looking worse and worse and worse.

“At first I thought, ‘OK, I know I’ve done some damage here’ but it didn’t look that bad.

“After this, I found out you are supposed to replace (hot water bottles) after around a year, and a lot of them have the date they were manufactured on them… mine might have burst because it was so old.”

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O'Brien now has a large scar

O’Brien now has a large scar (Collect/PA Real Life)

O’Brien now has a “big scar” and skin discolouration on the area and if she is cold, the area often goes “bright red”.

She said she is now “so wary” of dealing with anything hot, whether it be making herself a hot drink or cooking.

To people who use hot water bottles, she said: “Never, ever use them, especially don’t give them to children, they are too dangerous.

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“My husband’s bought me a battery-powered fleece that keeps me warm so I don’t need to use a hot water bottle.”

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ChatGPT down as thousands report issues worldwide

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ChatGPT down as thousands report issues worldwide

Thousands of people have reported they are unable to use the world’s best-known artificial intelligence (AI) tool, ChatGPT

Downdetector, which tracks website outages, showed more than 10,000 people reported the AI chatbot, which is made by OpenAI, was not working in the UK on Thursday.

Users attempting to use it were met with a message reading “the web server reported a bad gateway error”.

OpenAI has not yet publicly commented on the outage. The BBC has contacted the firm for comment.

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However, many people have taken to social media to highlight the problem and the disruption it is causing them.

The outage began around 11:00 GMT on Thursday, and users continue to report issues.

ChatGPT’s status page said the app had been “experiencing elevated error rates” and the firm was “currently investigating”.

Though many people use the free version of the chatbot, the firm charges up to $200 per month for its various membership tiers.

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OpenAI boss Sam Altman said in December that ChatGPT is used weekly by more than 300 million people worldwide.

It comes after tech firms including OpenAI pledged a $500bn (£405bn) investment into AI infrastructure in the US.

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Reform UK: Chairman Zia Yusuf REJECTS Suella Braverman’s offer of a Tory-Reform pact: ‘Betrayed British people!’

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Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has expressed disappointment at Suella Braverman’s suggestion for an electoral pact between the populist party and the Conservatives.

Speaking on GB News, Yusuf firmly rejected any possibility of a deal with the Tories, questioning how Reform could work with a group that “deal entirely in deception, in falsehoods, and betrayal”.


Yusuf’s comments came after the former Home Secretary called for unity on the right during a visit to Washington DC for Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Speaking on GB News, Yusuf said: “I agree with her that there isn’t space for two, and the reality is Reform has already overtaken the Conservative Party.

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Zia Yousef

Zia Yousef said that Reform will never have a pact with the Tories

GB News

“Look, how can you do a deal? How can you do a pact with a group, with a tribe who deal entirely in deception, in falsehoods, and betrayal?

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“They have betrayed the people of Britain to such an extraordinary degree that they will fully deserve the extinction event that’s now facing them.

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“The pollsters have a great deal of discretion to flex things up and down and none of the pollsters want to go first, because pollsters largely have no interest in being correct. They just want to not be demonstrably wrong. You’ll see in the coming weeks, Reform surging ahead of the Tory party, as we already have done in several polls.

“But look, just look at the Tories’ track record here. Over the 14 years that they were in government, they grew the size of the population of the United Kingdom by six and a half million people.

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Suella Braverman

Suella Braverman suggested a pact between the parties

PA

“They built no new net prison places, which is why we have violent criminals running rampant around the United Kingdom and people feel terrified to leave their homes, particularly women. The 2010, the 2015, the 2017, and the 2019 manifesto, they promised to bring that migration down to the tens of thousands. What did they do? They left office with that number at one million.”

He added: “We will never do a deal with the Tory party, because they will never again get a chance to betray the British.”

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Braverman made her comments while attending Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC, where she praised the former President’s style of “unfiltered conservatism”.”

“Donald Trump has not just shifted Overton window, he’s shattered it,” Braverman told The Telegraph.

Zia Yousef

Zia Yousef said the Tories have “betrayed the British people”

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GB News

“He’s made the unsayable mainstream and he’s made the radical much more acceptable to the moderates.”

Braverman added she was open to various forms of cooperation, including “a merger, a coalition, a supply and confidence agreement, or a non-aggression pact”.

The former Home Secretary also aligned herself with Reform UK’s position on leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Prince Harry’s legal battles: Who is the duke still taking against and which cases are settled?

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Prince Harry’s legal battles: Who is the duke still taking against and which cases are settled?

The Duke of Sussex settled his legal action against the publishers of The Sun newspaper on Wednesday, receiving a rumoured eight-figure settlement and a “full and unequivocal apology” for intrusion into his private life.

It has been described as a “monumental victory” for Prince Harry against the British press and came after he secured a separate victory against the publishers behind The Mirror in 2023.

But his legal battles are not yet over, as he is still engaged in two other high-profile cases in the British courts against the Home Office and publishers of the Daily Mail.

Here is an explanation of all of Harry’s past and present legal battles:

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Prince Harry leaves the High Court after giving evidence in London in June 2023

Prince Harry leaves the High Court after giving evidence in London in June 2023 (Getty)

What cases are over?

Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN)

In 2023, the High Court ruled in Harry’s favour in his case against the publishers of The Daily Mirror.

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A 386-page judgment found that “extensive” phone hacking had taken place at Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) titles over several years. This included phone hacking, “blagging” (gaining information by deception), and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

The court ruled that the practice was “widespread and habitual” at the Daily Mirror.

The case against MGN was heard over a seven-week trial and included testimony from Harry, alongside other representative claimants.

The court ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at the Daily Mirror.

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The court ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at the Daily Mirror. (REUTERS)

News Group Newspapers (NGN)

On Wednesday, a line was drawn under Harry’s five year legal battle against the publishers of The Sun newspaper, News Group Newspapers (NGN).

The duke settled with the publishers after eleventh-hour discussions on the day his high-stakes trial was set to begin on Tuesday.

Though he did not technically win the case in a court of law, it marked a “monumental victory” for the duke as he received an apology for many of the claims he made against the publisher a “substantial” sum for damages.

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NGN, a subsidiary of News UK owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, said it offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex” for “serious intrusion” by The Sun and for phone hacking by private investigators working for the News of the World.

NGN, a subsidiary of News UK owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, said it offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex”.

NGN, a subsidiary of News UK owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, said it offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex”. (PA Archive)

What cases are ongoing?

Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL)

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Harry’s case against the publishers of the Daily Mail for unlawful information gathering could go to trial in early 2026.

The Duke of Sussex has accused the publisher of allegedly commissioning unlawful activities, including hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, recording private phone conversations “blagging” private records, and even burglaries to order.

He is among a group of high-profile individuals fighting the case, including Stephen Lawrence’s mother, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes.

The group is bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), which firmly denies the allegations, previously telling the court that they are “lurid” and “simply preposterous.

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Harry’s case against the publishers of the Daily Mail for unlawful information gathering could go to trial in early 2026.

Harry’s case against the publishers of the Daily Mail for unlawful information gathering could go to trial in early 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

The Home Office

Harry took legal action against the Home Office over the February 2020 decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK.

In a judgment last February, retired High Court judge Sir Peter Lane rejected the duke’s case and concluded Ravec’s approach was not irrational nor procedurally unfair.

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However, the Court of Appeal said in June last year that it will hear his challenge following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers, who said Harry had been granted permission to appeal.

However, the Court of Appeal has now said it will hear his challenge following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers, who said Harry had been granted permission to appeal.

The appeal is now expected to be heard in the spring.

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Common Sense with Robert Jenrick

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Robert Jenrick has highlighted a severe crisis in England’s court system in his latest episode of Common Sense.

He explained that nearly half of all courtrooms at London’s Central Criminal Court are currently empty in a shocking revelation.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Jenrick pointed to 11 vacant courtrooms in the building, describing it as “the beating heart of our legal system”.

The situation is even more dire in Carlisle, where 67 per cent of courtrooms stand empty, while Bristol sees 40 per cent of its courtrooms unused on average each week.

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The court system is facing a mounting crisis with a backlog of 73,000 cases, which is increasing by 500 cases every month.

In episode two, Jenrick speaks to James from the Criminal Bar Association, and highlights “the right to a fair trial in a reasonable time frame”.

Watch the second episode of ‘Common Sense with Robert Jenrick’ above

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Could you pass a Cambridge English exam from 1913?

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Could you pass a Cambridge English exam from 1913?
Janine Machin

BBC News correspondent, East of England

BBC A book is displayed on a protective cushion. It is open, showing some of the questions from the first Cambridge English exam in 1913.BBC

Three people sat the first Cambridge English exam in 1913, now it is taken by more than a million people a year

Do you remember the feeling of sitting an exam? The halls crammed with desks and the sound of the ticking clock. Cambridge University Press and Assessment (CUP&A), one of the UK’s biggest exam providers, has been setting papers since the 1850s and its English exams have now been taken by more than 100 million people around the world. But today’s exam is very different to that very first paper.

Director of Research at Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Evelina Galaczi, stands in front of a bookcase. She is smiling and wearing a blue shirt and glasses.

Dr Evelina Galaczi, director of research at CUP&A, says learning English “opens doors”

In 1913, three people sat down to take the first Cambridge English exam. They were all teachers and all of them failed. But would you? This is one of the questions – you can find the answers at the end.

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Correct or justify four of the following sentences, giving your reasons:

(a) I hope you are determined to seriously improve.

(b) Comparing Shakespeare with Aeschylus, the former is by no means inferior to the latter.

(c) I admit that I was willing to have made peace with you.

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(d) The statement was incorrect, as any one familiar with the spot, and who was acquainted with the facts, will admit.

(e) It has the largest circulation of any paper in England.

(f) The lyrical gifts of Shakespeare are woven into the actual language of the characters.

The exam comprised a series of papers on phonetics, grammar, and translation, which took 12 hours to complete.

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“At first, it was an exam for a small elite who wanted to study English as an academic subject, like Latin or Ancient Greek,” says Dr Evelina Galaczi, director of research at CUP&A.

“At the time, grammar and translation were considered the most important thing, but now the exam is much more about using English to communicate.

“The shift was gradual, but in the Second World War English became a global language and so speaking and pronunciation became much more important.

“That was a catalyst for change, and I firmly believe that learning English opens doors.”

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A printed page from the 1913 English exam. It gives two hours for candidates to write an essay on a variety of subjects from Elizabethan travel and discovery to The Indian Mutiny

A question from the 1913 English exam which CUP&A says is a reflection of the time

By the 1950s, there had been requests for the English exam to offer translation questions in dozens of different languages, ranging from Arabic to Vietnamese.

Gillian Cooke, group archivist at CUP&A, said: ” I think the take up for each language was quite small and so that probably wasn’t cost effective.

“It might be one of the reasons why the translation paper was dropped in the 1970s.”

Gillian Cooke stands behind an large abacus, about 80cm wide. It has many rows of different coloured beads which were used by examiners to set the grade standards.

Cambridge University Press and Assessment archivist, Gillian Cooke, with an abacus which examiners used to determine students’ grades until the 1970s

The Cambridge English exam has continued to evolve.

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There are now different versions tailored to the needs of schools, higher education, and businesses.

“More than 100 million people across 130 countries have now sat our English exams,” says marketing director for higher education, Ian Cook.

“They’re recognised by more than 25,000 organisations from governments – which use them for immigration purposes – to employers and universities.

“Some universities in Germany, Sweden, and East Asia, for example, deliver IT and healthcare courses in English in order to attract the best candidates and so students need to show they have the language skills to cope with the course.”

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Marketing Director Ian Cook. He is standing in the large open reception area of the Cambridge University Press and Assessment building, wearing a suit.

Marketing director Ian Cook says the exams are trusted by governments, employers and universities across 130 countries

Today, the exams are also available digitally and artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to create adaptive tests.

“In simple terms, the next question you’re served up depends on how well you answered the previous one,” says Mr Cook.

“And by offering a range of slightly more difficult and then easier questions as you go through, the technology will help to find your level.

“Our expertise and research have proven that the more teaching and tests are personalised, the better for students.

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“We want people to have confidence, to pass – and show what they’re capable of.”

Despite the changes, CUP&A insists that its approach is as much about continuity as innovation.

Dr Galaczi adds: “Examiners and AI work together in marking and setting content for the exams, so we harness the strengths of both the human being and the machine.”

How did you do?

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CUP&A says opinions about correct English grammar have changed, but in 1913, these would have been the expected answers:

(a) This is a split infinitive which would have been considered wrong. It should have said “to improve seriously”

(b) This is a hanging participle. It should have read “Shakespeare is by no means inferior to Aeschylus”. Now we would say “Shakespeare is just as good as”.

(c) Wrong tense. It should be “to make peace”.

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(d) “Would admit” not “Will admit”.

(e) Correct

(f) Correct

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Corpse flower: Plant with ‘deadly’ stench pulls huge crowds for rare bloom in Sydney | Offbeat News

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A view of a blossoming Bunga Bangkai, nicknamed the 'corpse flower' for its stench, at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney in Sydney, Australia, January 23, 2025. REUTERS/Cordelia Hsu

People have queued for hours at a Sydney greenhouse to get a whiff of the infamous corpse flower, as it bloomed for the first time in years.

The sizeable flower, officially called the amorphophallus titanium, gets its nickname from its “deadly” stench, described by some as the smell of rotting flesh, though others detect hints of rotting food, sweaty socks or even garlic.

The rare specimen, of which there are only thought to be about 1,000 worldwide, has attracted thousands of admirers at the Royal Sydney Botanic Garden, with its blooming finally happening after a seven-year wait since it arrived at the centre.

When its flower was spotted in December it was just 25cm (10 inches) high. By Thursday, as its flower spike slowly opened, it was 1.6m (5ft 3) tall.

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For a week, the flower fronted a stately and gothic display in front of a purple curtain and wreathed in mist from a humidifier at the garden, attracting up to 20,000 admirers who filed past, hoping to experience the smell for themselves.

People line up to view the blossoming Bunga Bangkai, nicknamed the 'corpse flower' for its stench, in Sydney, Australia.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
People line up to view the smell plant. Pic: Reuters

People take photos of the blossoming Bunga Bangkai, nicknamed the 'corpse flower' for its stench, in Sydney, Australia.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

This particular flower has been nicknamed Putricia by fans – a combination of “putrid” and “Patricia”, and has become something of a social media star, with a 24/7 live stream established by the botanic garden drawing close to a million views in the days approaching its bloom.

When it finally opened on Thursday, fans in attendance took selfies and leaned in for a sniff – and staff prepared for the worst.

“We did have a few conversations early on about whether or not we should have vomit bags in the room,” said garden spokesperson Sophie Daniel, who designed Putricia’s display, adding garden staff ultimately decided against it.

Read more:
Elephants can’t pursue release because they are not people
Cat left on plane ends up taking three flights

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A person takes a photo of the blossoming Bunga Bangkai, nicknamed the 'corpse flower' for its stench, in Sydney, Australia.
Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

“I haven’t heard of anyone actually being harmed.”

The corpse flower only blooms for one to three days despite taking up to a decade to do so.

“The fact that they open very rarely, so they flower rarely, is obviously something that puts them at a little bit of a disadvantage in the wild,” Ms Daniel said.

“When they open, they have to hope that another flower is open nearby, because they can’t self-pollinate.”

The amorphophallus titanum is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra and is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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Sky News reporter cries live on air reading Southport killing evidence | News

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Sky News reporter breaks down in tears reading out Southport killings evidence

Warning: This video contains distressing content.

Sky News reporter Sarah-Jane Mee broke down in tears reading out evidence from court in the sentencing of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana.

Rudakubana, 18, stabbed and killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe., with a 20cm-long kitchen knife as he ambushed a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, Merseyside.

Reporting live from outside Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday (23 January), the broadcaster became visibly emotional as she recounted evidence from police arriving at the scene.

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The broadcaster then had to step-off camera as her voice broke.

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Hamas attack survivor Yuval Raphael to represent Israel

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Hamas attack survivor Yuval Raphael to represent Israel
Annabel Rackham

Culture reporter

Eurovision/Tal Givoni A woman is pictured smiling with bright sparkling lights behind her.Eurovision/Tal Givoni

24-year-old Yuval Raphael, who survived the Nova music festival attack, will represent Israel at Eurovision in May

Yuval Raphael, who survived the 7 October attack in 2023, has been chosen to represent Israel at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Raphael, 24, was at the Nova musical festival when Hamas attackers killed 360 young partygoers and took 40 more hostage.

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The amateur singer was attending with friends and says she survived by hiding under dead bodies inside a bomb shelter for eight hours.

Raphael has been sharing her story while competing on Israeli talent show HaKokhav HaBa (The Next Star) and winning it means she gets to compete at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland in May.

Getty Images A woman appears with confetti around her as she holds the Eurovision trophy.Getty Images

Israeli singer Netta won Eurovision in 2018 after winning The Next Star talent contest

She said after winning the show: “I can’t explain how excited and ready I am! Thank you for giving me this huge honour and trusting me to represent my country on the grand Eurovision stage in Switzerland.”

Raphael, who says she still has shrapnel in her head and leg from the festival attack, only began singing professionally last year.

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During the final of the music competition, she sang a version of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, dedicating it to “all the angels” who were killed at the festival.

She also told viewers that “music is one of the strongest ingredients in my healing process” during the show.

Raphael, who is fluent in English and French as well as Hebrew, has taken part in advocacy for Israel over the last year, including speaking to the UN Human Rights Council about her experience of surviving the attack.

Her official song will be revealed in the coming weeks by Israeli public broadcaster Kan, according to the Eurovision Song Contest website.

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Last year’s winner of The Next Star, Eden Golan, represented Israel at Eurovision with Hurricane, which came fifth in the competition.

The show previously selected Netta, who won Eurovision in 2018 and Noa Kirel, who came third in 2023.

Watch: Eden Golan responds as 10,000 people march against Israel’s participation in Eurovision

Golan’s Eurovision entry was met with criticism, as it was Israel’s first time performing at Eurovision since the outbreak of its most recent war in the Middle East.

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Her team were also forced to alter the lyrics and name of Golan’s song – from October Rain to Hurricane – after it was seen to break rules on political neutrality.

There were several campaigns to block Israel from taking part altogether, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which hosts the event, ruled Israel was allowed to compete.

Golan was booed whilst performing at a dress rehearsal for the competition, which took place in Malmo, Sweden and confined to her hotel room when she wasn’t performing, due to threats of harm to the Israeli delegation.

Israel and Gaza are currently upholding a ceasefire after 15 months of fighting, which began in October 2023 after Hamas gunmen breached Israel’s Gaza perimeter fence at multiple locations and attacked nearby Israeli communities, IDF bases and a music festival.

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About 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

The IDF responded by launching an air and ground campaign in Gaza, during which more than 47,100 Palestinians have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

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