Kenya’s ride-hailing drivers say their jobs offer dignity despite the challenges: Many argue that gig work involves exploitation, as research and media coverage have highlighted. But that doesn’t seem to deter ride hailing drivers on platforms like Uber and Bolt. In Kenya, in fact, many new drivers continued to join platforms even as fares were …
How gas keeps the UK’s electricity bills so high – despite lots of cheap wind power: The UK has become a world leader in offshore wind power. iweta0077 / shutterstock Gas and electricity bills will rise again for millions of UK households on April 1, when the latest energy price cap takes effect. A typical …
Coughing won’t save you if you’re having a heart attack, despite what people claim on social media: P.Kasipat/Shutterstock A recent trend on social media has revived a curious technique from the late 1970s called cough CPR. A post claims that this method can help people, if they are alone, to survive a heart attack by …
South Africa’s Agulhas long-billed lark: adapting and surviving despite farming taking over their nesting grounds: The Agulhas long-billed lark (Certhilauda brevirostris) is only found in South Africa. It builds nests on the ground mainly in Renosterveld fynbos, a type of vegetation filled with grasses and wild spring flowers that is critically endangered by agricultural expansion. …
The meat and dairy industry is not ‘climate neutral’, despite some eye-catching claims: Cows and sheep produce lots of the greenhouse gas methane. Christian L Sweden / shutterstock Imagine a house is on fire, and someone is actively pouring gas on the fire. They then pour a little less gas and want credit for doing …
US election: Jewish and Muslim votes probably don’t have the power to change the outcome – despite backlash on Gaza policy: Recent polling suggests that Joe Biden’s policy of backing Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian war is hurting him in the eyes of American Muslims. An #AbandonBiden campaign was launched by Muslim voters in Minnesota in …
Genetically modified crops aren’t a solution to climate change, despite what the biotech industry says: Barbara Van Dyck The European Commission launched a proposal in July 2023 to deregulate a large number of plants manufactured using new genetic techniques. Despite extraordinary attempts by the Spanish presidency to force a breakthrough, EU members have not yet …
Ukraine: opening EU accession talks is an important boost for Zelensky despite Orbán’s obstruction: Hungarian prime minister, Victor Orban, threw a major tantrum at the European Council meeting in Brussels on December 14 2023. Essentially doing the Russian president Vladimir Putin’s bidding, he prevented agreement on a major €50 billion (£25.7 billion) financial package for …
Why NHS England is struggling – despite more staff and money: Overall public satisfaction with the NHS in England is currently at a 40-year low of 29%, a recent survey by the King’s Fund thinktank has found. People are not happy with waiting times for GP and hospital appointments. Over half of those surveyed think …
Trade unions in the UK and US have become more powerful despite political interference and falling memberships: In September 2023, Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to join strikers on a picket line. He told car workers that they “deserve a significant raise and other benefits”. Even more surprisingly perhaps, those same workers …
Earth has many objects in orbit but definitely only one Moon – despite what some people think: Wherever you view it from on Earth, it's the same Moon. Fernando Astasio Avila / Shutterstock Big Brother has always chosen its contestants for entertainment value rather than for intellectual debate. This was recently highlighted in a discussion …
King Charles in Kenya: despite past tensions, the visit is a sign of a strong relationship with Britain: King Charles’ visit to Kenya this week is the British monarch’s first to a Commonwealth nation since his coronation in September 2022. The visit comes during the country’s 60th anniversary of independence from Britain. By choosing Kenya, …
Ukraine recap: Ukraine and allies maintain optimism despite slow progress on the battlefield: At a press conference after talks with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, this afternoon, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg sounded like a man determined to take a “glass half full” attitude when he said that “every metre that Ukrainian forces regain is …
Zimbabwe’s election was a fight between men – women are sidelined in politics despite quotas: Zimbabwe’s 2023 harmonised elections have largely been depicted as a battle between the two “Big Men” – President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zanu-PF and Nelson Chamisa of the leading opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Significant media …
Despite domestic political turmoil, Pakistan is well placed to boost regional integration: Karachi could channel exports from central Asia. Asianet-Pakistan/Shutterstock Pakistan is showing clear signs of economic and political crisis. Inflation was recently almost 38%, and the country faces a debt crunch as it tries to manage its trade deficit with the rest of the …
Despite the war, Russia is still part of Europe – for a lasting peace both sides need to remember that: After a year of war in Ukraine it has become commonplace among western commentators to argue that the war is deeply rooted in the “Russian mentality”, history and culture. Russians, it is said have an …
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me — Netflix doc seeks to reclaim model’s legacy, despite problematic contributors: Who was Anna Nicole Smith? In a new Netflix documentary, Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me, director Ursula Macfarlane weaves a tragic web from complex, at times conflicting, accounts of the life of the infamous model. …
Sudan’s people toppled a dictator – despite the war they’re still working to bring about democratic change: Civilians protest in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, in December 2022. AFP via Getty Images While Sudan’s generals have unleashed indiscriminate destruction and occupation on wide swaths of the capital, Khartoum, neighbourhood resistance committees and pro-democracy activists have stepped up …