Four crucial climate targets the new UK government should adopt immediately: Deemerwha studio / shutterstock The UK is not on track to meet its climate targets and has no credible pathway to get there. However, a new set of more specific targets would provide some clarity for the country’s new government and would ultimately help …
Ukraine war: stakes are high for EU and Ukraine ahead of crucial European summit: When the EU’s heads of state and government come together in Brussels for their final European Council meeting of the year on December 14 and 15, their agenda is likely to be dominated by the war in Ukraine. As you’d expect, …
Madagascar’s 2023 presidential election is crucial for the island’s future, but it’s off to a rocky start: Madagascar is set to elect its president on 16 November 2023, for the next five years. There’s a lot at stake. I’ve studied Madagascar’s politics – focusing on democratisation and political transitions – and believe that this election …
Wild plants may edit their genomes in the same way we make GM crops – and it could be crucial to evolution: zhukovvvlad/Shutterstock Genetically modified (GM) crops may be controversial, but similar processes happen naturally with wild plants. However, scientists have long been puzzled about how these processes happen. Our recent study may help researchers …
Nigerians with HIV are stigmatised: study shows support from family and friends is crucial to well-being: People living with HIV need support from family and friends to overcome stigma. Getty Images Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions most affected by HIV. In Nigeria alone, an estimated 1.8 million people are living with the virus. …
Ivy, dandelions and other common wildflowers are often seen as weeds – but they’re a crucial resource for pollinating insects: A bumblebee flying over a blooming bramble bush. Legonkov Vladimir Since the end of the second world war, factors such as more intensive farming and urbanisation have reduced the abundance of wildflowers in Britain. In …
Census data in West Africa is badly out of date: 5 reasons fresh population statistics are crucial: Guineans living in Ivory Coast wait for their turn during a census on March 26, 2010 in Adjame, a popular district in Abidjan. SIA Kambou/AFP via Getty images West Africa, an area composed of 16 countries, is one …
Melting glaciers in the Alps will eradicate some invertebrates that are crucial for alpine ecosystems – new research: A glacier-fed river from the Odenwinkelkees glacier, Austria. Jonathan Carrivick, CC BY-NC-ND Glaciers across the European Alps are melting at an alarming rate. Between 2000 and 2014, glaciers in the region thinned by up to 0.9 metres …
Esol English classes are crucial for migrant integration, yet challenges remain unaddressed: In the year ending September 2022, more than 70,000 people had claimed asylum in the UK. The vast majority were from countries that do not use English as a first language. Being able to communicate in English is essential for newly arrived migrants. …
King Charles III’s coronation oath is a crucial part of the ceremony – experts explain: The crowning is perhaps the most famous part of British coronations. Yet easily overlooked – and equally important – is the coronation oath, which has been a fundamental component of the ceremony since medieval times. It is of such significance …
Ukraine war: history shows why Zelensky’s mission to secure modern jet fighters is so crucial: The recent bout of shuttle diplomacy around the capitals of Europe by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, appears to be yielding results. Zelensky’s appearances in the UK, France and Brussels had two main aims. The first has been constant since the …
Grayson Perry’s Full English shows why England’s regions are crucial to its identity: In his Channel 4 series, Full English, artist Grayson Perry travels around England in a white van searching for an answer to the question: “Is there a viable version of England and Englishness that will feed my soul?” What Perry discovers in …
Mangrove forests won’t be able to spread further in South Africa, so protecting them is crucial: A mangrove seed at Nxaxo estuary on South Africa's Wild Coast. J. Raw Mangrove forests are a common sight in some tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world like Indonesia, Florida in the US, parts of Brazil and Australia. …
Child sexual abuse review: listening to children and young people is crucial: The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris scandals, has published its final report. Commissioned by then home secretary Theresa May in 2014, the inquiry has spent seven years examining how …
Why it’s crucial to safeguard the ancient practice of finding wild honey with birds: Yao honey-hunters harvesting a honeybee nest in Niassa Special Reserve, Mozambique, where human-honeyguide cooperation still thrives. Photo by Jessica van der Wal In parts of Africa, a small bird called the Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) helps people search for honey. It …
Urban gardens are crucial food sources for pollinators – here’s what to plant for every season: A bumblebee visits a blooming honeysuckle plant. Sidorova Mariya | Shutterstock Pollinators are struggling to survive in the countryside, where flower-rich meadows, hedges and fields have been replaced by green monocultures, the result of modern industrialised farming. Yet an …
The impact of school closures: why reception year is so crucial to a child’s development: DGLimages/Shutterstock The pandemic has held back the learning of the youngest schoolchildren. A recent report has found that children in year one in the 2020-2021 academic year – those who had missed significant periods of their reception year education during …
Countries may be under-reporting their greenhouse gas emissions – that’s why accurate monitoring is crucial: Luciann Photography / Pexels Pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions are very welcome – but accurate monitoring across the globe is crucial if we are to meet targets and combat the devastating consequences of global warming. During COP26 in Glasgow, …