Each week, Ben Hopkinson looks back at a serious, crazy, and happy news story from the past week.
Serious News
The new Labour government is set to reverse what John Major passed in 1993 – privatising the railways.
The decision has been regarded by unions as the cause of many of the problems that commuters are facing – rising costs, frequent delays, service cuts and timetable issues included.
The promise made is to return rail journeys to public ownership within five years - South West Rail, c2c and Greater Anglia being the first companies to do so.
Great British Railways (GBR) is set to be established to run the network’s tracks and trains.
It hasn't been explicitly stated if the move will save money and filter down to subsidising fares.
Crazy News
Oxford University Press has unveiled that the 2024 word of the year is “brain rot”.
The phrase has “gained new prominence in 2024” with it being used 230% more than 2023.
The Oxford dictionary defines the word as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging”.
The word came out victorious among five other words being: “demure”, “slop”, “dynamic pricing”, “romantasy” and “lore”.
Meanwhile, Collins Dictionary have decided their word of the year is “brat” after Charli XCX’s album turned it into a summer-loving ideal.
Happy News
Transport for London have displayed range of posters created by children to help encourage commuters to give up their seats to those who are deemed as priority.
The competition which launched in September was open to those aged between 6 and 14-years-old as TfL classed it as part of efforts to make the network more inclusive.
The winning trio were from Cecilia Lewis, 8, Lily Watkins, 11, and 13-year-old Ayaan Hoque – decided by TfL’s independent disability advisory group.
The TfL’s chief customer officer says: “The children’s work is a clear reminder that small actions, like offering a seat, can make a big difference”.
Comments
Add a comment