Five easy ways to use less water at home – and not just in a drought: Wait for starchy cooking water to cool and then use it to water your plants. VH-studio/Shutterstock With so much of the world suffering from drought, you might think your ability to help is minimal. But when you consider the …
Five reasons why the four-day week won’t work: Will it stand up? Randy Fath/Unsplash, CC BY-SA The four-day working week continues to gain momentum, with pilots taking place in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and Australia. Over six-month periods between February and November, employees at participating businesses are working only 80% of their time but …
Five books to read that bring Naples to life: Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock Napoli, or Naples for English speakers, is my favourite city. It’s a city of stark contrasts – glorious architecture competing with multi-layered graffiti, hidden piazze surrounded by piled-up rubbish. Naples might be the only place where, late in the evening, you can see a …
Five historical summer drinks to keep you cool: Li Ding / Alamy We all have our favourite summer cold drinks, from fruity British favourites like a cup of thirst-quenching Pimms or a refreshing goblet of Italian Aperol spritz to non-alcoholic favourites such as a tall glass of lemonade or squash. But this summer, why not …
Kenya’s election red flags in five essential reads: Kenyans take to the streets in the capital, Nairobi, to call for peaceful August 2022 elections. Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images Kenya is no stranger to highly contested elections. Several of the country’s past polls have seen high levels of conflict. The violence that broke out after …
Ethiopia’s dam dispute: five key reads about how it started and how it could end: A view of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive hydropower plant built on the River Nile. Minasse Wondimu Hailu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The US has revived diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute sparked by Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam …
Five essential reads on Russia-Africa relations: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L). Photo by Sean Gallup – Pool /Getty Images Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, will visit four African nations – Ethiopia, Egypt, Uganda and Congo-Brazzaville – from Sunday 24 July. The visit comes ahead of the second Russia-Africa …
Five dating tips from the Georgian era: Wikimedia If there was one thing the Georgians loved, it was the idea of love itself. The Georgian era, from the coronation of George I 1714 to the death of George IV in 1830, saw a celebration of love and marriage in popular culture, including in bestselling novels …
Five ways to help wildlife in heatwaves: Extremely hot weather is becoming more common. The top ten warmest years since 1884 all happened in the last two decades. While experts can help people take adequate precautions to beat the heat, who’s looking out for the rest of the animal kingdom? Hot temperatures are uncomfortable and …
Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity: five essential reads: Florian Plaucheur/AFP via Getty Images In recent times, security – or, more accurately, the lack of it – has been one of the most prominent items on the news agenda in Nigeria. Hardly a week goes by without a report of a terrorist attack or cases of kidnap for …
South Africa’s crippling power cuts: five essential reads: Making sense of what’s tripping the switch on South Africa’s electricity supply. AJ Paulsen via GettyImages Planned power cuts by South Africa’s state owned power utility, Eskom, have left businesses and households without electricity for close to six hours daily. Eskom introduced the latest round of power …
Five ways that the super-strong US dollar could hurt the world economy: Look out below! cupuuu25 The US dollar has been on a major surge against major global currencies in the past year, recently hitting levels not seen in 20 years. It has gained 15% against the British pound, 16% against the euro and 23% …
Five books to transport you to the Italian Riviera this summer: IgorZh/Shutterstock With its sun-drenched olive groves, sparkling waters and vivid bursts of colour, the Italian Riviera has cast its spell on tourists, painters and authors since the 19th century. Lying in the northwestern corner of Italy, the Riviera stretches along the Ligurian sea and …
Five actions to prepare African countries better for the next pandemic: COVID restrictions measures caused major disruptions to people's lives. Shutterstock Globally, cases of COVID-19 and related deaths are lower in June 2022 than they were at the beginning of the year. But the infection numbers are rising. Africa is no exception. The past two …
Five things you can do to help you have a more positive birth experience: Don't be afraid to make your preferences clear to your care provider. Syda Productions/ Shutterstock Whether you’re a first time parent or have had children before, you’re probably willing to try anything to ensure you have the most positive birth experience …
Five ways you can get involved in fighting for women’s reproductive rights: Participants on a Women's March rally in front of San Francisco's City Hall in 2019. Sundry Photography | Shutterstock Since 2021, hard-won women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy have been rolled back in the US in an alarming fashion. With state bans on …
Five billion people can’t afford surgery – a team of innovators could soon change this: Gasless laparoscopic surgery performed by Dr Biju Islary using the RAIS system. Dr. Hampher Kynjing, Nazareth Hospital, Shillong, Author provided Have you or a loved one ever needed surgery? Imagine what your life would be like if you couldn’t have …
Five ways the pandemic has affected routine medical care: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID has infected at least a third of the UK population and is estimated to have factored in the deaths of almost 200,000 people in the UK. But critically, COVID has also had a devastating impact on our …