Trump pulls out of WHO and Paris – how did international bodies get through deglobalisation last time around?: Donald Trump has ordered the US to leave the World Health Organization. Skorzewiak / Shutterstock Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, much attention has been given to his plans for tariffs on imported goods, deportations …
Switching to plant-based diets means cleaner air – and it could save more than 200,000 lives around the world: Foxys Forest Manufacture/Shutterstock Adopting a healthier diet will probably feature prominently in many of our New Year’s resolutions. But it’s often challenging for people to live up to their intentions. But there are good reasons to …
Rats are more human than you think – and they certainly like being around us: Gallinago_media/Shutterstock Rats have a somewhat unfortunate tendency to enjoy living where people live. That’s how a biologist tried to explain people’s hatred for the rodents in a television news feature about rats gnawing electrical cables in parked cars in the …
Around a million children in the UK are living in destitution – with harmful consequences for their development: spixel/Shutterstock Millions of people in the UK are unable to meet their most basic physical needs: to stay warm, dry, clean and fed. This is known as destitution. Recent analysis from charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) …
Farming tuna on land heralded as a win for sustainability – but there are serious concerns around animal welfare: Intense fishing pressure has taken a toll on Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks. Steven4z/Shutterstock Atlantic bluefin tuna used to be caught only relatively rarely, mainly by sports fishermen in North America. But this all changed in the …
Deepfakes in warfare: new concerns emerge from their use around the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Visitors to a Ukrainian news website on the evening of February 18 2022, were greeted by a familiar sight, a video of their president giving a speech. While the resemblance was there, the face seemed slightly out of sync with …
Nobel peace prize 2023: award for Iranian women’s rights protester highlights fight against declining democracy around the world: One hundred days after Iranians first protested the killing of 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini for wearing her hijab incorrectly, Narges Mohammadi sat down in her prison cell to write a letter to the country’s women. She …
Dengue: why is this sometimes fatal disease increasing around the world?: Something unusual seems to be happening with dengue, a potentially fatal mosquito-borne viral disease found across swathes of tropical Africa, Asia and the Americas. As with most infectious diseases, the number of cases tends to rise and fall over the years as epidemics come …
The silence around vulval cancer means people are missing the signs that they have it: DenisZav/Shutterstock Most people have heard of cervical, ovarian, and perhaps womb cancer, but there is one gynaecological cancer that is seldom mentioned: vulval cancer. That silence is deadly. According to Cancer Research UK, 69% of vulval cancers are considered preventable. …
The secret world of rhododendrons: a plant more ancient than the Himalayas that inspired fables and stories around the world: Rhododendrons look pretty but there is so much more to them. Richard Milne, Author provided If you have a rhododendron in your garden or pass one by on an afternoon walk perhaps you think of …
Three medieval tales about adventures to the Moon from around the world: We have always wondered what was up there. Wikimedia With the Japan mission to the Moon just beginning and with the space race to its south polar region, we are reminded of the wonder and excitement of travelling to the Moon. Of course, …
BBC presenter scandal: an expert explains the law around exchanging sexually explicit images: William Barton/Shutterstock The developing scandal surrounding allegations that a BBC presenter paid a 17-year-old for explicit images is full of questions – the identity of the presenter (who remains unnamed in the media), the age of the young person when the alleged …
Plastic pollution: campaigners around the world are using the courts to clean up – but manufacturers are fighting back: Jose Calsina / shutterstock Plastic pollution has become such major problem that it’s threatening our human rights. That’s the view of two UN special rapporteurs (human rights advisers) who recently issued a joint statement, warning against …
An ‘extreme’ heatwave has hit the seas around the UK and Ireland – here’s what’s going on: Sea surface temperature anomaly around the UK and Ireland, June 18 2023. Areas in dark red are 5°C warmer than usual. NOAA / Google Maps, CC BY-SA One of the most severe marine heatwaves on the planet is …
The silence around unwanted sexual attention in LGBTQ+ venues is making safe spaces less safe: Astrastudio/Shutterstock In many parts of the world, unwanted sexual attention has become a normal, though disturbing, part of a night out. In bars, pubs and clubs, sexual harassment and assault happens regularly to people of all genders and orientations. But …
Climate change increases the risk of extreme wildfires around Cape Town — but it can be addressed: Fire at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by Brenton Geach/Gallo Images via Getty Images Across the globe, many recent severe wildfires have moved from wildlands into the urban periphery (the “wildland urban interface”). In their …
Why democratic countries around the world are not prepared to support Ukraine – and some are shifting closer to Russia: After over a year of the Ukraine war, efforts at building a global consensus against Russia seem to have stalled, with many countries opting for neutrality. The number of countries condemning Russia has declined, according …
Italian government wants to stop businesses using English – here’s why it’s the lingua franca of firms around the world: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock The Italian government has proposed new legislation to crack down on the use of foreign languages in government, business and public life. The draft bill is particularly aimed at the use of English, which …