Who are the Baloch Liberation Army? Pakistan train hijacking was fuelled by decades of neglect and violence: Pakistan’s army has freed hundreds of hostages from a passenger train that was seized by armed militants in the south-western province of Balochistan on Tuesday, March 11. A number of those on board were military officials and police …
Kenya’s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management: Floods in Kenya killed at least 169 people between March and April 2024. The most catastrophic of these deaths occurred after a flash flood swept through a rural village killing 42 people. Death and destruction have also occurred in the capital, Nairobi, …
Being child-free has been deemed ‘selfish’ for decades – the history of this misconception explained: Waiting By The Window by Carl Holsøe. Wiki Commons Choosing to be child-free is more common than ever before in some countries, including the US. Many people see not having children an ethical and ecological choice, made to protect the …
Florence Bell died unrecognised for her contributions to DNA science – decades on female researchers are still being sidelined: Almost 80 years ago, Florence Bell quietly laid the foundations for one of the biggest landmarks in 20th century science: the discovery of the structure of DNA. But when she died on November 23 2000, her …
UK newspaper coverage of the 1967 six-day Arab-Israeli war foresaw decades of conflict in Middle East: How The Guardian covered the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Guardian Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, describes his country’s war against Hamas as Israel’s “second war of independence”. The first was fought in 1948, but the war that gave Israel …
Party conference season is here – but decades of polling evidence suggests these events barely move the dial: From late September to early October, the UK’s political parties gather for their autumn conferences. The Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party will be among the parties bringing their members and MPs together …
Nigeria at 63: four reasons for persistent disunity six decades on: Protesters in Lagos during Nigeria's 60th Independence Day anniversary on 1 October 2020. Olukayode Jaiyeola/NurPhoto via Getty Images At 63 the story of Nigeria can be anything from the “celebration of greatness to an act of barbaric cruelty”. These are the words of Nigerian …
Rishi Sunak has ripped up decades of cross-party consensus on climate change: The acclaimed 1990 film Awakenings tells the story of a neurologist who discovers a drug which rouses catatonic patients from decades of “sleep”. It’s a true story, based on Oliver Sacks’ 1973 memoir of the same name. Sadly, the awakening doesn’t last. The …
Don’t blame postwar school building programmes for concrete crisis – the fault lies with decades of neglect and ineffective policy: Physical spaces make a difference to education. There are small but fairly reliable correlations between the quality of the buildings where students learn and student behaviour, attendance and academic achievement. In particular, inadequate buildings are …
Libya floods: the drowning of Derna was a man-made disaster decades in the making: In the early hours of September 11, residents of Derna in north-east Libya woke to the sound of loud explosions. After more than a decade of conflict – initially between the Gaddafi regime and local factions, then among militias fighting for …
70 years ago, an Anglo-US coup condemned Iran to decades of oppression – but now the people are fighting back: The 1953 coup d’etat in Iran ushered in a period of exploitation and oppression that has continued – despite a subsequent revolution that led to huge changes – for 70 years. Each year on August …
US-Israel relations the coolest for decades after ‘terror’ attack by settlers kills 19 year-old Palestinian: For most of Israel’s 75-year history, its closest ally has been the United States, prepared to use its UN security council veto and invariably willing to encourage military collaboration as well as providing plenty of direct aid. But that relationship …
Cambodia: five decades on from the Khmer Rouge, Hun Sen proves himself the ultimate survivor with his plan to hand power to his son: Cambodia’s newly re-elected prime minister, Hun Sen, has confirmed he will hand over the premiership to his son, Hun Manet, in August after 38 years at the top of the country’s …
A ‘black box’ AI system has been influencing criminal justice decisions for over two decades – it’s time it was opened up: Shutterstock/Orla Justice systems around the world are using artificial intelligence (AI) to assess people with criminal convictions. These AI technologies rely on machine learning algorithms and their key purpose is to predict the …
Shaka Zulu is back in pop culture – how the famous king has been portrayed over the decades: From left Neo Magagula, Ntando Zondi, Senzo Radebe and Sibonile Ngubane in the forthcoming South African TV series Shaka iLembe. Courtesy Mzansi Magic Shaka Zulu is one of the most famous figures in South African history, even …
Gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses are at their highest in decades – here’s what you need to know about these STIs: Gonorrhoea is now the second most commonly diagnosed STI in the UK. Peddalanka Ramesh Babu/ Shutterstock The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency shows that diagnoses of gonorrhoea and syphilis have surged in …
West African countries show how decades of working together build peace, and stop wars breaking out: From left; Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire Patrick Achi, President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe, President of Benin Patrice Talon, and President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo. Nipah Dennis/AFP via Getty Images Africa is often portrayed as a continent ravaged by …
Cholera in South Africa: a symptom of two decades of continued sewage pollution and neglect: Preventing cholera is more than just making sure your hygiene practices are in order. Michele Spatari / AFP via Getty Images South Africans have expressed outrage at the deaths of at least 15 residents of Hammanskraal, in the city of …