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A court in China held a closed hearing on Monday in the case of a well-known Chinese activist. Wu Gan faces up to 10 years in prison. Legal observers expect the court to announce its decision in a few days. Wu once served in China’s military. He became famous by using unusual campaigns that combine online speech, street performance, and humor to criticize other people’s actions. Wu was first arrested in May of 2015 after he reportedly swore at the head of a court in Nanchang, a city in Jiangxi province. He was officially charged with “inciting state subversion” two months later. However, his detention was reported to be part of the July 9 Crackdown, a government campaign against rights lawyers that began in July of 2015. Wu did work for the Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, a law office that was a main target of the crackdown. His trial on Monday was not open to the public. The court in Tianjin said in a statement that this was because state secrets were involved. ...

Rob Neil, here's a serious question for you, Neil. Have you thought about what you'd like to happen when you die? Neil Interesting way to start the show, Rob… No, I haven't. Rob Well, nobody really likes to talk about death, do they? Neil Well, it isn't a fun topic. So, can we talk about something else, please? Rob Afraid not. Because today's topic is funerals – a  funeral  is a ceremony we hold for a dead person. Neil And a  ceremony  is a formal event performed on special occasions – like a wedding or a graduation – or in this case, a funeral. Rob OK. Well, let's start with a quiz question. According to a UK survey, how many of us would like our funerals to be more of a party or celebration? Is it… a) 5%, b) 25% or c) 50%? Neil Well, I think it's 25%. I hadn't thought about it before – but I'd definitely prefer my funeral to be a celebration. With my favourite music playing – and definitely nobody wearing black… Rob...

A Spanish company has opened the first public napping space in Madrid. Siesta & Go promises Spaniards a quiet and restful getaway in the middle of the city’s business center. Napping spaces are nothing new; places to rest already exist in other big cities, such as Tokyo, London, Brussels and New York. But the idea would appear to work well with the culture of Spain, where people traditionally take an afternoon nap, called a siesta. Siesta & Go invites people to try a different place to lie down and enjoy the qualities of a short rest. The Madrid nap bar recently opened with 19 beds. They can be rented by the minute or by the hour. People can choose either a private or shared room. An hour of napping time inside a private room costs about $15. The company also offers areas to work, as well as armchairs, newspapers and coffee for those not wishing to sleep. Philip Marco is one happy customer. Marcos says he gets tired during the day because he has a ...

Rob Hello there! And today we've got six minutes to talk about honesty and how honest people are – particularly when it comes to spending money. So Neil – what's an 'honesty box'? Neil Well, it's where you pay for something by putting money in a box – but it's up to you to put in the right amount. A small business might use this method to take money for things like parking your car or buying a newspaper because it means you don't need a sales assistant. Rob But that means people could take a newspaper or park their car without paying anything! An honesty box relies on people being honest. The adjective  honest  means truthful and not trying to cheat people. Neil And the noun is honesty – the quality of being truthful. Have you ever cheated an honesty box, Rob? Rob Absolutely not! I've never have! Neil Honestly? Rob Honestly! And to  cheat , by the way, means to trick or deceive someone to get something you want. Honesty is the best polic...

Rob And I'm Rob. Today we're talking about  first impressions  – and how they're often wrong. Neil So let's start with the term  first impression  – it's the idea or opinion you have about someone after meeting them for only a short time. Rob It's very natural to make a quick judgement about someone based on their appearance or facial expression.  Neil We're going to be hearing about the research of Professor Alexander Todorov from Princeton University in the US. First, a question: how long does he say it takes to form an impression about someone's face? Is it... a) under one second b) one second c) six seconds Rob I'll go for b) one second. Neil Well, we'll find out if you're right or not at the end of the programme. Rob So – Alexander Todorov has been researching our impressions. His tests asked people to decide whether they thought faces were dominant, competent,  trustworthy  or  extroverted . Neil Let...