Promoting vocational training over ‘rip-off degrees’ won’t work – a degree is now the measure of success: The number of students going to university has increased significantly over the past 25 years. Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock The UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is putting measures in place to restrict student numbers on what he has termed “rip-off …
Giving AI direct control over anything is a bad idea – here’s how it could do us real harm: NicoElNino / Shutterstock The release of the advanced chatbot ChatGPT in 2022 got everyone talking about artificial intelligence (AI). Its sophisticated capabilities amplified concerns about AI becoming so advanced that soon we would not be able …
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 …
No Hard Feelings: a sex comedy that makes the case for friendship over romance: This article contains spoilers. Jennifer Lawrence’s new film No Hard Feelings is a modern-day feminist sex comedy, enlivened by ribald humour and occasional gross-out moments. But it’s also a crucible for working through a range of cultural anxieties dogging both romantic …
Nato: Vilnius summit will reflect fresh sense of purpose over Ukraine war — but hard questions remain over membership issues: The US president, Joe Biden, struck a bullish note during a recent meeting at the White House with Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, declaring: “The allies have never been more united.” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine …
Controversy over poems at British Museum shows urgent need for more recognition for translators: Interior of the British Museum. MarkLG/Shutterstock The British Museum has had to apologise after a translator’s words were used without permission. Writer and translator Yilin Wang shared on Twitter that their translations of work by the Chinese feminist poet Qiu Jin …
920 million people could face conflict over the world’s rivers by 2050: what our study found in Africa: The Blue Nile river passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River started operating in February 2022. It reinforced tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan …
Woman jailed over abortion – an expert on what UK law actually says and what needs to change: fizkes/Shutterstock Many people assume that because abortion is relatively accessible in England, it is not a crime. The fact that a woman has now received a 28-month prison sentence for taking abortion pills past the ten-week legal …
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 …
Europe has lost over half a billion birds in 40 years. The single biggest cause? Pesticides and fertilisers: Farmland birds like the corn bunting have seen their numbers plummet since 1980. Aurélien Audevard, Author provided A trickle of studies warning that the enormous variety of living things on Earth is diminishing has turned into a …
Kenya’s starvation cult left over 100 dead – a psychologist’s view on how to support people as they process tragedy: A Kenyan investigator at a mass gravesite in Shakahola in April 2023. Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images In early April 2023, Kenyan police discovered a mass grave linked to a Pentecostal church in the coastal …
Can Rishi Sunak save the Tories? Voting behaviour over time suggests it will take more than personal appeal to win the next election: One of the key findings of research into elections is that there is a close relationship between the popularity of party leaders and support for their parties in elections. The reason for …
King Charles III coronation: what the controversy over an ancient stone tells us about historical symbols in the modern age: The coronation of King Charles III will see history play out in the modern age. From the venue of Westminster Abbey to the coronation oath, the symbolism is steeped in centuries of tradition. One symbol, …
Sudan’s conflict has its roots in three decades of elites fighting over oil and energy: The opening of a hydro-electric dam on the Nile River at Merowe, north of Khartoum, in 2009. Ashraf Shazly/Afp via GettyImages Sudan stands on the brink of yet another civil war sparked by the deadly confrontation between the Sudan Armed …
Western anger over China’s ambiguity on Ukraine cannot hide growing divisions in EU over support for Kyiv: Much like Washington’s stance on Taiwan, China’s position on the invasion of Ukraine has been one of “strategic ambiguity”. China has consistently emphasised the importance of sovereignty and territorial integrity while failing to condemn the invasion and reassuring …
Inside the music industry’s battle with the UK government over AI song generators: Universal Music Group has been asking music streaming services like Spotify to stop developers from scraping its material to train AI bots to make new songs. The label, which controls about a third of the recorded music industry, has also been issuing …
The Taliban is not playing straight with the west over easing of sanctions – and women and girls are paying much of the price: The economic and political isolation of Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in August 2021 has worsened a humanitarian crisis in the country. The World Food Program has projected that between November …
Carmakers are mistaken if they think chip shortages are over – they need to reinvent themselves while there’s time: The chips are down. Ju Jae-Young Finally, carmakers got a break. Those in the UK boosted their output by over 13% in February as supply-chain pressures subsided, especially the persistent global shortage in microchips, also known …