Medical advances and an increasingly ageing population meant that the National Health Service, which used to provide health care for the vast bulk of the British population, became unaffordable in its original form - as a universal tax-based system - in the 2010s. Now, a century after it was created, the NHS, which has kept its name, provides last-resort backup to insurance-backed private health care. The NHS's 100th birthday was celebrated at a special ceremony held in central London for some of the tens of thousands of centenarians still alive who were born in its first few months. DS
Combining maps and data from weather satellites, the latest virtual-reality computer technology allows viewers to 'fly through' weather fronts approaching their region. No longer limited to sitting through forecasts in the hope of correctly guessing whether to prepare for rain or shine, viewers can zoom in on their own area and experience the weather at first hand. The technology is also being used in schools, enlivening geography lessons with virtual journeys inside tornadoes and hurricanes. SC
The Southern African Federation, a seven-nation trading group formed in 2047, is expected to lead to rapid economic growth across the region, led by a buoyant South Africa. PR
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