African countries are bad at issuing bonds, so debt costs more than it should: what needs to change: Over the past two decades, African countries have increasingly turned to international capital markets to meet their development financing needs. For example, Kenya and Benin raised a combined US$ 2.5 billion through bond issuances during the first …
Moving graves and people for coal mines: the devastating costs of mining in South Africa: About 80% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal. The country’s 108 coal mines have resulted in many communities being forced off their land from the 1970s to date. They have not only lost their homes and land, …
A double whammy of winter fuel payment cuts and scrapping a planned cap on social care costs is set to hit older people: Many older people will lose out financially under the government's policies. PeopleImages.com – Yuri A Before the general election, former prime minister Rishi Sunak was asked on TV why he “hated pensioners”. …
A single person on universal credit now receives 20% less than what it costs just to eat and keep warm: Shutterstock The UK’s income safety net is in tatters. In principle, anyone without income can escape destitution by claiming universal credit or, if above pension age, pension credit. In reality, the value of working-age benefits …
Raising a child to 18 in the UK costs more than £200,000 – here’s why: Pixel-Shot/Shutterstock Before having our first baby last year, we wondered whether we had the money, time and necessary skills to raise a child. Perhaps you find yourself contemplating the same? Many people certainly have, as birth rates have been declining …
The most vulnerable shoulder rising energy costs because their homes aren’t efficient enough – here’s why that’s so hard to tackle: Maren Winter/Shutterstock In September 2023, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that landlords will no longer be required to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The announcement marked a departure from decades …
Concerns over pet food and vet costs affordability are as old as pet keeping itself: Bonnie Kittle|Unsplash Ever since domestic companion animals first became popular in the west, people’s ability to provide for their healthcare needs has been closely linked to their own economic situation. In October 2022, the British animal charity, the RSPCA, reported …
Rising costs and delays don’t necessarily mean HS2 is failing – an expert in new infrastructure development explains: The UK government is reportedly considering scrapping the second phase of its long-term high-speed rail project, HS2. It has been revealed that a cost analysis outlining the benefit of doing so was prepared ahead of Prime Minister …
Net zero: direct costs of climate policies aren’t a major barrier to public support, research reveals: Amid headlines of wildfires raging across Europe and Africa and flooding in China, the UK government took the bewildering choice to expand fossil fuel extraction. Prime minister Rishi Sunak declared that more than 100 new oil and gas drilling …
University is expensive – how a mid-course work placement can help with costs and careers: fizkes/Shutterstock Students are struggling financially. A 2022 survey from the Office for National Statistics found that half of students in England felt they were were facing financial difficulties, and that one-quarter of students had borrowed more to cope with the …
Would better buildings help fix the NHS? The story of Britain’s hospitals, from grand designs to counting the costs: When St Helier Hospital in Carshalton opened just before the second world war, it was regarded as the last word in modernist design. Imperial War Museum Archives via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-NC Outpatients at St James’ …
How a UK hydrogen car industry could cut fuel costs and carbon emissions: A bright future for hydrogen cars. Scharfsinn/Shutterstock British car company Jaguar Land Rover’s owner, the Indian conglomerate Tata, is expected to finalise a deal soon to build a multi-billion pound electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the UK. This is a welcome …
Price inflation: five ways stronger UK supply chains can help reduce rising food costs: Denis Belitsky/Shutterstock Annual price inflation has recently fallen below double digits, but food costs are still rising rapidly. Official UK figures show food prices rose by 19.1% in the year to April 2023. To prevent further increases, the UK needs to …
Illegal immigration: cracking down on smuggling makes gangs more organised – and costs migrant lives: The illegal migration bill is the government’s latest proposal to tackle the rise in small boat Channel crossings, by detaining and removing anyone who arrives in the UK without valid permission to enter. The government hopes the bill, currently in …
Monitor Kubernetes cloud costs with open source tools: Monitor Kubernetes cloud costs with open source tools mattray Mon, 03/13/2023 – 03:00 Kubernetes is a powerful platform for managing dynamic containerized applications in the cloud, but it may be difficult to understand where costs are incurred. Managing the cost efficiency of Kubernetes resources can be a …
Why prey animals often see threats where there are none – and how it costs them: For a nervous horror fan, an evening watching HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic television show The Last of Us might be followed by a restless night under the duvet. The silhouette of a coat slung over the back of a chair …
Russia–Ukraine war has nearly doubled household energy costs worldwide – new study: Sodel Vladyslav/Shutterstock The Russia–Ukraine war has exacerbated an energy crisis that directly affects the costs of heating, cooling, lighting and mobility, and indirectly pushed up the costs of other goods and services throughout global supply chains. While all households are affected, they are …
Breast cancer patients in South Africa are battling to maintain treatment because of high transport costs: Transport is the most common reason a patient doesn't follow their treatment regimen. Hoberman Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images South Africa has a two-tiered health system. Public health services – which are largely provided free of charge – …