Issue 1168

30 Jan 2017
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About this issue: Overview

From drones delivering your post to robotic chefs, automation looks set to eliminate a chunk of the workforce – but could also free us from dangerous jobs. Ryan Fletcher asks what life side by side with machines will look like.

Leading climber Paul Pritchard, from Bolton, was left partially paralysed after an accident at the Totem Pole, a notorious Tasmanian climbing spot. So how did he get back up it 18 years later? By Saskia Murphy.

Gary Ryan talks to gay men taking PrEP, a preventive medicine that guards against HIV transmission. The NHS has refused to fully fund it but, after a court case, has agreed to pay for a large-scale clinical trial. Is this recognition of equality for gay men’s healthcare?

We’re in Liverpool to preview the British Music Experience, telling the story of British pop since the Second World War through interactive exhibitions – without overdosing on the Beatles. Elsewhere in the arts and entertainment section, there are reviews of TV, on demand, albums and independent theatre, as well as our books page.

On the news pages, find out about ambitious plans to re-introduce the lynx to the wilds of the Kielder Forest for the first time in 1,300 years – and the opposition of farmers’ groups.

Columnist Ali Schofield calls for compulsory CCTV in slaughterhouses to prevent the abuse of animals, Big Issue North fave Julie Hesmondhalgh writes a candid letter to her younger self (jealousy – bad) and we finish things off with our crossword, Sudoku and the chance to win great Big Issue North merchandise.