Climate justice for Africa: 3 legal routes for countries that suffer the most harm: Climate change lawsuits have become a new way for countries to assert their rights against actions that degrade the environment. But African countries have yet to fully exploit this route. In the Netherlands, the court found that greenhouse gas emissions breached …
Social media’s push for the perfect muscular body is fuelling a new form of disordered eating — and young men are most at risk: Young men are most likely to follow eating habits consistent with Mode. Elkhophoto/ Shutterstock From celebrities and influencers to everyday people, social media is full of content that showcases perfectly toned, …
Most South African farmers are black: why Trump got it so wrong: When world leaders engage, the assumption is always that they engage on issues based on verified facts, which their administrative staff are supposed to prepare. Under this assumption, we thought the meeting at the White House on 21 May between South Africa’s president, …
Barry Lyndon at 50: why Kubrick’s most overlooked masterpiece deserves another viewing: Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, which marks its 50th anniversary this year, struggled at the box office when it was released. It remains one of the director’s most under-appreciated films. Unlike 2001: A Space Odyssey or The Shining, which have been endlessly dissected in …
Delhi: how weather patterns and faraway mountains made this the world’s most polluted megacity: Delhi is perhaps the most polluted of the world’s megacities. Every winter, the city’s 30 million residents breathe air so toxic that visibility drops to mere metres. If you stand on top of one of Delhi’s monuments you can barely make …
Most of Britain’s peat bogs could stop forming new peat as the climate changes – new study: Joe Dunckley / shutterstock By the 2080s, climate change will mean most of Britain’s peatlands could be too dry to form new peat. That’s the stark warning from a new academic study my colleagues and I just published in …
The world’s most bizarre secret weapons: how pigeons, cats, whales and even robotic catfish have acted as spies through the ages: The death of a spy is rarely newsworthy, due to the secrecy surrounding it. But when a white beluga whale suspected of spying for Moscow was found dead in Norwegian waters in September, the …
Most businesses won’t pay more national insurance. But the UK’s small employers still need support: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock There are nearly 5.5 million businesses in the UK. It may come as a surprise, however, to learn that most of these (about 4.1 million) are not employers. They might be, for example, the sole traders we call to …
Most food waste happens at home – new research reveals the best ways to reduce it: Kmpzzz/Shutterstock The EU and UK pledged to reduce food waste, in line with the UN’s goal to halve global food waste by 2030. With most (approximately 53%) of total food waste in European countries occurring in homes, this stage …
Displaced by violent conflict: the world’s most neglected crises are in Africa – six essential reads: The Norwegian Refugee Council recently released a report highlighting the 10 most neglected displacement crises in the world in 2023. Nine of the 10 countries are in Africa – the only non-African country on the list is Honduras in …
Small but mighty, plankton are some of the most powerful creatures on Earth: Choksawatdikorn/Shutterstock If you go to the beach and dip a bucket in the sea, you might at first think it contains lifeless water. But examine that water under a microscope and you will see your bucket contains a universe of microscopic life, …
A Labour landslide could make this the most disproportionate election since universal suffrage – time for electoral reform?: Flickr/UK Parliament, CC BY-NC-ND Polls ahead of the UK election not only point towards defeat for the government, but a veritable trouncing. With some showing below 20% support, the Conservatives have never polled worse. Some multiple regression …
Nervous Conditions: on translating one of Zimbabwe’s most famous novels into Shona: The publishing journey of Zimbabwean writer and film-maker Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions wasn’t easy. Yet the novel is today considered by many as one of Africa’s 100 best books of the 20th century and is studied at universities around the world. When she …
Alexei Navalny: reported death of Putin’s most prominent opponent spells the end of politics in Russia: Reports of the death of Russia’s most famous opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, in an Arctic prison camp are shocking, but not entirely unexpected. It draws a line under Russia’s political development over the past two decades by highlighting that …
It’s a myth that England was created on the battlefield – most of it happened at the negotiating table: The story of the making of England is often represented as a battleground between the English and the Vikings, with waves of plunder, conquest and combat. Of the multiple English kingdoms, only one, Wessex (based in …
#JeSuisCharlie was one of the most viral hashtags in history – here’s why it wouldn’t happen today: conejota/Shutterstock It will be nine years on January 7 since a shooting at French weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo killed 12 and injured 11 of its employees. The attack led to an immediate and unprecedented outpouring of solidarity …
How scientists are helping plants get the most out of photosynthesis: italianestro/Shutterstock Photosynthesis is the starting point for almost every food chain, sustaining most life on Earth. You would be forgiven, then, for thinking nature has perfected the art of turning sunlight into sugar. But that isn’t exactly true. If you struggle with life goals, …
Being humble is a good new year’s resolution – but it requires knowing what you value most: Clay Knight|Unsplash As the new year gets going, many of us make resolutions to better our lives and our selves. Counsellors and psychologists alike will tell you that the key to self-improvement is being humble. Author and coach …