People love to vote in a new democracy – and then they rapidly lose interest: Poland’s recent election has been hailed as a great triumph of democracy in a global environment of democratic backsliding. It brought to power a coalition of pro-democratic forces led by Donald Tusk, the former president of the European Council. This …
Trade rules and climate change: Africa stands to lose from proposed WTO policy tools: The World Trade Organisation launched its Trade Policy Tools for Climate Action during the COP28 conference. International economic law expert Olabisi D. Akinkugbe discusses whether the new Trade Policy Tools benefit Africa. What are the WTO’s new Trade Policy Tools? The …
Biden’s low approval ratings don’t mean he is bound to lose the 2024 US election — here’s why: US Democrats have been spooked by some recent polling which suggests that voters intend to pick Donald Trump ahead of Joe Biden in some key states in the 2024 presidential election. A CNN poll reported on the …
How oil and gas company tax reliefs could lose the UK billions: The recently-approved Rosebank oil field in the North Sea has been touted as a way to boost the UK economy and its energy security. But even with its windfall tax on energy company profits, the project is a good example of how the …
How HS2 caused the UK to lose focus on ‘levelling up’ during years of high-speed rail delays: Pressure on the UK government to confirm its plans for the controversial HS2 high-speed rail project is growing as the Conservative party prepares for its annual conference. Much of the country is keen to hear about the fate …
One in six UK species threatened with extinction – here’s what we could lose (plus how to save them): Water voles are endangered mammals in the British Isles. Ben Andrew/RSPB The UK is considered one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. This is not surprising given its history of early industrialisation and agricultural …
Existential crisis: how long COVID patients helped us understand what it’s like to lose all sense of identity and purpose in life: Celiafoto/Shutterstock Lucy* used to be known fondly as the “iron lady” by colleagues at work. In her mid-50s and still the main breadwinner for her family, she had always thought of herself as …
Weight loss: drinking a gallon of water a day probably won’t help you lose weight: Water is important for your health, but it can't boost weight loss. Prostock-studio/ Shutterstock It’s often claimed that if you’re trying to lose weight, one of the things you should do each day is drink plenty of water – with …
Weight loss: why you don’t just lose fat when you’re on a diet: Muscle loss can slow your metabolism. Felipe Mahecha/ Shutterstock When you go on a diet, you don’t just lose fat – you lose muscle too. This can have many repercussions – not only on your fitness and strength, but on your metabolism. …
EU’s carbon border tax: a new report shows Africa stands to lose US billion every year: Melanie Lamprecht / Shutterstock A new European law that imposes the first ever carbon border tax in the world comes into force in October 2023. It will be applied gradually over the next three years before it is fully …
Boris Johnson resignation: why Rishi Sunak can’t afford to lose more than one of three impending byelections: The turmoil in the Conservative party unleashed by Boris Johnson’s abrupt resignation from parliament has triggered three separate byelections. The first is in the former prime minister’s London seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip, where he had a …
The UK government does have a legal case for withholding WhatsApp messages from the COVID inquiry — but here’s why it will probably lose in court anyway: The UK government has decided to challenge, via a judicial review, a ruling on document disclosure by Baroness Hallett, the chair of the public inquiry which is looking …
The UK needs a new industrial strategy or it will lose the global green subsidy race: Making industry greener — and stronger petrmalinak/Shutterstock UK businesses have criticised the government for the lack of a clear industrial policy. Industry body Make UK has warned the country “risks being squeezed” by US and EU green subsidy packages. …
Medical students lose their empathy – here’s what can be done about it: Empathy can save lives. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock A lack of empathy in healthcare can be disastrous. In the UK, between 2005 and 2009, hundreds of avoidable deaths occurred at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust. The Francis report, which investigated the causes …
Why some people lose their accents but others don’t – linguistic expert: FGC/Shutterstock The way a person speaks is an intrinsic part of their identity. It’s tribal, marking a speaker as being from one social group or another. Accents are a sign of belonging as much as something that separates communities. Yet we can probably …
Why thousands of people who thought they were British could lose their citizenship: Max_555/Shutterstock Confusion has arisen around the British government’s own understanding of its citizenship laws, following a judgment by the UK’s high court. In a ruling handed down on January 20 2023, in the case of Roehrig v Secretary of State for the …
How to cope when you lose access to a digital world you love: US games developer Blizzard Activision has become embroiled in worldwide litigation relating to its proposed acquisition by Microsoft. It has also fallen out with its Chinese distributor NetEase. This might sound like news for the business pages only. But it has had …
Foster children can easily lose their first language – but giving it a place in daily life can make a big difference: Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock Imagine a ten-year-old girl who has been through things no child should ever have to endure. She is told that there is a nice couple who will take care of her, but …