Berg winds in South Africa: the winter weather pattern that increases wildfire risks: After a fire. Hendrik van den Berg, via Wikimedia Commons., CC BY Winter in some parts of South Africa is a time of low (or no) rainfall and high fire danger. Sheldon Strydom studies the relationship between weather and fire, in particular …
The online world comes with risks – but also friendships and independence for young people with disabilities: Kleber Cordeiro/Shutterstock “In the real world, I’m a coward. When I’m online, I’m a hero.” These words, paraphrased from a conversation with a young man with autism, have stayed with us throughout the years of research that underpin …
China’s support for Mali’s military carries risks: researcher outlines what they are: Mali, a landlocked Sahelian nation of 25 million people, has faced significant instability since 2012, marked by terrorism, state neglect and armed conflicts. That year a Tuareg rebellion started in northern Mali and President Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a military coup. …
Eating wild meat carries serious health risks – why it still happens along the Kenya-Tanzania border: Pastoralist communities, their livestock and diverse wildlife species coexist within a biodiversity-rich landscape stretching along the Kenya–Tanzania border. However, at this wildlife-livestock interface, local communities face mounting challenges. Shifts in land use, prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall patterns and increasing …
In her first budget, the chancellor faces a minefield of risks: Ahead of the new government’s first budget on October 30, chancellor Rachel Reeves has revealed her determination to change borrowing rules that will allow her to boost investment spending. The overriding goal of the government is to promote economic growth, after more than a …
Antifungal resistance is not getting nearly as much attention as antibiotic resistance – yet the risks to global health are just as serious: TopMicrobialStock/Shutterstock Fungi are known for causing superficial infections of the nails, skin and hair, but they can also cause systemic infections that can have much more serious health implications. Indeed, over 6.5 …
The UK risks missing out on the coming AI boom – here’s how it can get back on track: Rachel Reeves, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has been making cost-cutting announcements ahead of a crunch October budget to deal with what she says is a black hole in the country’s finances. Along with scrapping winter …
Assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders is a gamble for Benjamin Netanyahu that buys him time but risks wider wars: The missile that struck a building in southern Beirut on Tuesday, killing Hezbollah’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr, had been widely anticipated. Three days earlier, a Hezbollah rocket – which had no doubt missed its …
UK ‘taking back control’ of its borders risks rolling back human rights protections: The High Court in Belfast has ruled that key elements of the UK’s Illegal Migration Act are incompatible with the Windsor framework and should not be applied in Northern Ireland. Once again, Northern Ireland appears to be a block on the Brexit …
Owning a gun in South Africa offers some safety, but risks run high for users and society – expert: South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, eclipsed only by Honduras and a handful of Caribbean island states. Furthermore, South African police crime data shows that South Africans experience above average …
How a programme giving millions to residents to improve their neighbourhoods also risks entrenching inequality: Over the past quarter century, the idea has taken hold among politicians across the spectrum that one of the best ways to address inequality is to give local communities the resources to do the work themselves. Provide them with funding …
Climate change risks triggering a spike in infectious disease outbreaks: three reasons why: Climate change is our planet’s most immediate existential threat, and will likely only worsen for the foreseeable future. Among its numerous adverse effects on human health, there is strong evidence linking climate change to infectious disease outbreaks. A recent analysis revealed that …
Most investors aren’t paying attention to climate risks – the financial system needs to change: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. For example, extreme sea-level events, where large storm surges and high tides temporarily push the sea much higher than normal, currently occur once a century. However, they are projected …
PFAS forever chemicals found in English drinking water – why are they everywhere and what are the risks?: husjur02/Shutterstock PFAS chemicals (per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances), also known as forever chemicals, are rarely out of the news at the moment. The latest concern about this chemical group is their presence in drinking water in England. The …
Southern African troops versus M23 rebels in the DRC: 4 risks this poses: The security situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deteriorate. The region comprises North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri provinces. It’s about seven times the size of neighbouring Rwanda. The violence in North Kivu has …
Health risks at home: a study in six African countries shows how healthy housing saves children’s lives: Housing is a critical social determinant of health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy housing as a shelter that supports physical, mental and social wellbeing. The WHO has developed guidelines outlining the attributes of healthy housing. These …
Flame retardant chemicals can cause serious health risks – and they only slow fire by a few seconds: Many flame retardant additives have been banned. Aleksandar Malivuk/Shutterstock House fires are many people’s worst nightmare. But chemicals created decades ago to protect people’s homes from out of control flames opened our front doors to a new …
Women take fewer risks because they think about losing more than men, research suggests: Roman Tarasevych/Shutterstock One difference between men and women has been well documented by economists, psychologists and biologists – that women are tend to be more cautious and take fewer risks. Evidence has also been gathered about how this difference affects women’s …