The position of the Government therefore needs to be that of an interventionist state - not of the type of generations gone by, but of a strategic, risk sharing state - advocating the policies required for the future, instead of trying to apply the old rules to the new economy.

Why aren't black female directors given more of an opportunity to share their films with audiences? They bring different perspectives, challenging storylines and insightful characters to the forefront and the majority of these characters are people of colour. They bring us stories that would perhaps be left untold.

During a visit to a small German town that housed a large proportion of Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers, I found myself asking a few individuals about their journey to Germany from Syria. Whilst every person had their unique story, there seemed to be one constant feature that stood out to me: the journey to Germany almost always started in Lebanon.

The loss of Carrie Fisher, aged just 60, is a seminal moment in history for those of us who grew up with her Star Wars alter-ego. For me, as a little girl in the seventies, she was part of the holy trinity of badass female icons: Princess Leia, Wonder Woman and Miss Piggy.

I'm angry that in resorting to easy stereotypes Ms Sarler takes attention away from the vital central point. This is that some adopted young people are traumatised. Some have terrible trouble coping. Some families struggle. Many cry out for help and face a wall of indifference in return.

It's not ok to say 'she'd look so much nicer if she'd just...' That is an individual's perception. Just because someone would personally never wear something that revealing or never wear something that shade of yellow, doesn't mean they shouldn't.

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A single game today has the potential to reach and entertain millions of people. However, the impact of most games usually stops there. They exist solely for entertainment and leisure. This didn't sit well with us, especially when we considered how many important problems there were all around us that were going unaddressed.

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While the Spice Girls have grown up and apart, one of them remains a role model of mine to this day - Victoria Beckham. For me, she is the epitome of Girl Power and fully deserves the OBE she has reportedly been given in the New Year Honours list. In fact, I think it is a long time coming.

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The startup is called Chatterbox. By training and employing refugees ​as language tutors, the venture catalyses refugee integration into the UK labour market whilst tackling the country's language skills deficit.

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In future, as artificial intelligence becomes more widespread, surgery may be conducted entirely by robots. This means time can be freed up for doctors to devote their time to tasks which specifically require human interaction and emotions when treating patients.

Hearing these 'jokes' from a TV presenter gives this bullying homophobia credence. Mr Mackenzie suggests these comments are throwaway and are best forgotten. If we follow this logic to its conclusion, he is suggesting we should just put up with homophobia.

I use as examples my old constituency hospitals simply because I know them personally. Hull Royal Infirmary, York, Doncaster, Leeds all have massive hospitals in or close to city centres. How do you differentiate between shoppers and hospital patients or visitors? How could you police free parking?

The race to project our mourning the loudest on social media is unedifying and, in some cases, just part of the attention seeking done by a number of people online. Workaday suffering is drowned out by what you might call fashionable grief.

This year, we've put girls firmly in the spotlight. We've encouraged them to speak out on a global stage, share their stories with the world and be the change they want to see.

If you ask anyone about Celebrity Big Brother, you are almost guaranteed to be met with the same response. The screwing up of noses and the exhalation of snorts of disgust is the default reaction as it is expected that for one, you think that the show is below you and two, there is no way you would watch it.

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The always-on, connected world makes the difference between seniors being able to stay in their home and having to make the move to assisted living. Especially in the age of the IoT, where smart devices are connected via the web to ensure a seamless transfer of information and automation of processes.

As a Professor of Behavioural Addiction I know how easy people can fall into bad habits, and why on trying to give up those habits is easy to relapse. NYRs usually come in the form of lifestyle changes and changing behaviour that has become routine and habitual (even if they are not problematic) can be very hard to break.

Unfortunately, career changes mean starting at the bottom. Or they mean working evenings and weekends, building up a business or working freelance, and missing out on family time. What's the other choice? Oh, yeah. Work part-time for peanuts whilst paying what feels like a billion pounds for childcare.

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The key thing I noticed was that once a volunteer gave a bit of time to a cause, they generally then started to give money, or bring their networks in to help, to fundraise, and give other stuff. I dreamt of a technology platform that would bring all that under one roof to facilitate what I was currently doing, patchily, by phone and email.

Perhaps many of us will be glad to see the back of 2016. But it's important to differentiate between national/international events and the events in our own individual lives, many of which, hopefully, will be positive.