‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity: Adélie penguins rely on Antarctic sea ice for habitat. Nick Dale Photo/Shutterstock The ocean around Antarctica is rapidly getting saltier at the same time as sea ice is retreating at a record pace. Since 2015, the frozen continent has …
South Africa’s wattled cranes are no longer critically endangered: why the birds’ numbers are rising: Cranes are some of the world’s most majestic birds, with 15 species found globally. Four of these are found in Africa. The wattled crane in South Africa was in decline, but seems to have turned a corner. Its numbers have …
Beating malaria: what can be done with shrinking funds and rising threats: Healthcare in Africa faces a perfect storm: high rates of infectious diseases like malaria and HIV, a rise in non-communicable diseases, and dwindling foreign aid. In 2021, nearly half of the sub-Saharan African countries relied on external financing for more than a third …
Sudan’s war isn’t nearly over – armed civilian groups are rising: Sudan’s war, now entering its third year, has taken another unexpected turn. In March 2025, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), also known as the Janjaweed, withdrew from Khartoum, abandoning the presidential palace and airport. This retreat marks a significant contrast to the paramilitary group’s …
Violence in South Sudan is rising again: what’s different this time, and how to avoid civil war: A rise in political tensions in South Sudan and an escalation of violence in the Upper Nile State have raised fears of a return to civil war in the world’s youngest nation. In early March 2025, neighbouring Uganda …
‘There has never been a more dangerous time to take drugs’: the rising global threat of nitazenes and synthetic opioids: US Drug Enforcement Administration images accompanying a warning about the emergence of nitazenes in Washington DC, June 2022 USDEA In the early hours of September 14 2021, three men parked in a quiet car park …
Consumer confidence is rising amid gloomy economic news – here’s what that means and why it matters: Photomika-com/Shutterstock People’s confidence in the UK’s economic outlook improved towards the end of 2023, despite continuing to battle a cost-of-living crisis. Although it has strengthened over the year to December, “consumer sentiment” as this confidence is called, is …
Interest rates have stopped rising, but 2023 hikes could still cause recession for some economies: Central banks in the US, UK and Europe have been trying to slow inflation without creating a recession. eamesBot/Shutterstock Central banks on both sides of the Atlantic kept their main interest rates unchanged for the fourth successive month in December …
The most vulnerable shoulder rising energy costs because their homes aren’t efficient enough – here’s why that’s so hard to tackle: Maren Winter/Shutterstock In September 2023, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that landlords will no longer be required to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The announcement marked a departure from decades …
Queer film in Africa is rising – even in countries with the harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws: A recent book, Queer Bodies in African Films, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from film-makers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its …
Rising costs and delays don’t necessarily mean HS2 is failing – an expert in new infrastructure development explains: The UK government is reportedly considering scrapping the second phase of its long-term high-speed rail project, HS2. It has been revealed that a cost analysis outlining the benefit of doing so was prepared ahead of Prime Minister …
Cancer is rising in under-50s – but the causes are a mystery: Breast cancer was the most common early-onset cancer in 2019. Juice Flair/ Shutterstock Cancer is often thought of as a disease that mostly affects older people. But worrying new research shows that cancer in younger adults is a growing problem. The study found …
DRC: rising Twirwaneho rebel group highlights the unending volatility of the country’s east: A soldier guards a camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in January 2023. Guerchom Ndebo/AFP via Getty Images The three-decade conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the proliferation of hundreds of armed …
Rising From Township Roots To Top Tech Powerhouse: The Inspiring Journey Of Amohelang Lebele: 24 August 2023, Johannesburg: From modest beginnings in the heart of one of South Africa’s largest townships, Amohelang Lebele’s resilience and determination has culminated in a position at one of the world’s most powerful cloud computing platforms. Instead of faltering in …
How rising interest rates are affecting UK businesses: Stock-Asso/Shutterstock From chip shops to tech start-ups, and even large, well-established companies, rising interest rates have had an impact right across the business world. After 14 consecutive base rate hikes by the Bank of England since 2021, this is causing particular problems for companies with a lot …
Civilian support for military coups is rising in parts of Africa: why the reasons matter: The clamour for coups among citizens is rising Wikimedia Commons On the night of 13 January 1963, Togo’s President Sylvanus Olympio was shot dead by rebels in the first military coup staged in Africa. A long list, as shown below, …
Rising temperatures mean more air conditioning which means more electricity is needed – rooftop solar is a perfect fit: Douglas Cliff / shutterstock On June 12 this year, the UK’s last remaining coal-fired power station was awoken from a 46-day slumber to meet demand for electricity to run air-conditioning units. These were rare circumstances as …
Dog attacks on adults are rising – but science shows blaming breeds won’t help: Playing can sometimes be stressful for dogs Kashaeva Irina/Shutterstock Another terrifying dog attack video has just gone viral on social media. It shows three large bull breed dogs jumping up and grabbing onto a screaming woman in a park. It is …