Oil drilling threatens the Okavango River Basin, putting water in Namibia and Botswana at risk: Oil exploration could put the Okavango Delta at risk. Photo: Sergio Pitamitz/VWPics/Universal Images/ Getty Images The Namibian and Botswana governments may be risking their water resources for oil and gas revenue. They have licensed a Canadian firm, ReconAfrica, to prospect …
Conscientious objectors in the second world war: little-known stories of pacifists plagued by doubt but willing to risk their lives: Second world war conscientious objectors attend a course in mechanised agriculture in Essex. Wikimedia Commons Like many conscientious objectors during the second world war, John Corsellis was acutely aware of the complex and conflicted position …
The Atlantic is at risk of circulation collapse – it would mean even greater climate chaos across Europe: andrejs polivanovs / shutterstock Amid news of lethal heatwaves across the Northern Hemisphere comes the daunting prospect of a climate disaster on an altogether grander scale. New findings published in Nature Communications suggest the Atlantic meridional overturning …
Measles: it’s not just London that’s at risk of an outbreak – it’s all of the UK: Since the start of 2023, measles has been reported in a third of countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region. And in the first five months of the year there were 5,699 cases reported there – …
How the UK’s new immigration law will put more people at risk of modern slavery: Shutterstock The UK’s illegal migration bill is set to become law after going back and forth between the two houses of parliament. The final sticking point, which the House of Lords tried to address in a series of amendments, was …
Mental illness in fathers may increase the risk of preterm birth – new research: MiniStocker/Shutterstock Mothers with a mental illness are more likely to give birth too early, according to research. But the risk of preterm birth can also be affected by a father’s mental health. In our new study published in the journal PLOS …
COVID in kids: younger children and those from deprived areas are at higher risk of being hospitalised – new research: Rido/Shutterstock At the heights of the pandemic, particularly since 2021, many children and teenagers admitted to hospital had COVID. However, it was never clear what proportion of them were in hospital because of COVID, indicating …
The lesser-known risk factors for heart disease: Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock Most people know that the risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, smoking, raised cholesterol and being overweight. However, many people who have a heart attack do not have any of these traditional risk factors. Research has suggested that conditions such as gout, psoriasis, …
Refugee camps are at higher risk of extreme weather – new research: Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, home to one million Rohingya refugees, is prone to flooding. Sk Hasan Ali/Shutterstock Around the world, climate change, violence and poverty are forcing people from their homes. The UN’s refugee agency estimated that by mid-2022, there were 103 million …
Black women are at greater risk of maternal death in the UK – here’s what needs to be done: Poorer maternity care may be one explanation. zulufoto/ Shutterstock Black women are four times more likely to die while pregnant or just after childbirth than white women, according to the latest figures published by Mbrrace – …
If we’re going to label AI an ‘extinction risk’, we need to clarify how it could happen: This is not the first time that AI has been described as an existential threat. Nouskrabs/Shutterstock This week a group of well-known and reputable AI researchers signed a statement consisting of 22 words: Mitigating the risk of extinction …
Accra’s market fires are devastating to informal traders – but they don’t trust or understand what they’re being told about managing risk: Market fires cause significant upheavals in the heavily informal Ghanaian economy Wikimedia Commons Ghana’s informal urban markets play a key role in the country’s economy. They employ more than 80% of the people …
Thousands of badgers being farmed in South Korea could be a disease risk: Photographer wishes to remain anonymous , Author provided Campaigners in South Korea are celebrating news that the country will ban bear farming by 2026. This follows three decades of uncertainty over an industry dogged by claims of poor welfare conditions, animal abuse …
Flooding in Nigeria is on the rise – good forecasts, drains and risk maps are urgently needed: Forecasting, risk plans and effective drainage systems can mitigate the impact of severe floods. Photo by Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images. Getty Images Nigeria is one of the most flood-prone countries in west Africa. Many areas experience …
Sudan: the longer the conflict lasts, the higher the risk of a regional war: Saudi security officers stand guard off the seaport of Port Sudan in April 2023. Fayez Nureldine/AFP via Getty Images The 2019 Sudan uprisings that ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir and installed a military-civilian transitional government gave hope that the northern African …
‘Statistically impossible’ heat extremes are here – we identified the regions most at risk: Ed Connor / shutterstock In summer 2021, Canada’s all-time temperature record was smashed by almost 5?. Its new record of 49.6? is hotter than anything ever recorded in Spain, Turkey or indeed anywhere in Europe. The record was set in Lytton, …
Oral sex is now the leading risk factor for throat cancer: Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the west, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal …
UK plan to give vape kits to help smokers quit means swapping one health risk with another: The scheme would offer smokers vape starter kits to help them quit. ducu59us/Shutterstock The UK government set out ambitious plans in 2019 to make England smoke free by 2030. To achieve this, they recently announced plans to offer …