Why the UK government is relaxing rules for river pollution: New homes under construction in Rochester, Kent. Flyby Photography/Shutterstock The UK government has announced plans to enable the delivery of 100,000 new homes by 2030 that are currently being held up by a controversial EU law designed to protect water bodies from pollution. This move …
How new ‘consumer duty’ rules for financial products could reduce debt-related stress: Grusho Anna/Shutterstock New “consumer duty” rules introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) aim to set clear standards for the protection of financial consumers. Banks, building societies, investment and insurance firms, as well as many other types of business, are being told to …
How new UK immigration rules will separate more international students from their families: Daisy Daisy/Shutterstock The UK government has changed its policy on international students, restricting them from bringing their families with them during their studies. This change to how student visas are allocated, the government argues, will help reduce net migration. Scottish MP Carol …
Mortgage lenders are relaxing their rules — here’s why that could be risky for borrowers: Budgeting to buy a home. Tero Vesalainen/Shutterstock The Bank of England increased its base rate yet again in May 2023 to 4.5%, pushing borrowing costs to the highest level in almost 15 years. More than 6 million UK households will …
Eurovision: even before the singing starts, the contest is a fascinating reflection of international rules and politics: Shutterstock The Eurovision bandwagon has firmly arrived in Liverpool. During a week of two semi-finals, 37 competing countries will be whittled down to 26. Around 160 million people are then expected to tune in to the grand final …
South African doctors are bound by many rules. Criminal charges for mistakes may have unintended consequences: Shutterstock Claims for financial compensation for medical mistakes in South Africa have been on the rise since 2007. Recently, however, criminal charges for medical errors have also become more prevalent. One such case is that of Dr Danie van …
Pupils protest over toilet rules: why school responses should consider children’s rights: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Many people across the UK have been protesting in 2023. Teachers on strike over pay and working conditions marched through London with placards and listened to speeches on March 15. Protests against the government’s illegal migration bill took place in Glasgow, London …
Wars in cities: three rules for protecting the built environment during conflict: This is a digitally generated image of what a city might look like after a war. Getty Images During the course of wars, the infrastructure of cities faces destruction. Fighting, regardless of its intentions, destroys roads, bridges, commercial and residential buildings, as well …
Ukraine war: ‘false flag’ operations – long used as weapons of mass distraction under the rules of conflict: The alarmist tone of recent tit-for-tat reports from the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on so-called “false flag operations” and their legality under international law. At the beginning of March, Ukraine dismissed as “provocation” a Russian …
Basmati rice: the new authenticity rules aiming to remove sub-standard varieties from the market: Giving a whole new meaning to dodgy curry. StockImageFactory.com Basmati is the most popular speciality rice in the UK, adding extra flavour and subtlety to everything from curries to pilafs to kedgerees. Nearly three-quarters of the world’s basmati is produced in …
Banking reforms expert Q&A: will relaxing the rules help the UK economy and what are the risks?: Jeremy Hunt, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has unveiled a package of measures aiming to protect the City of London’s position as one of the world’s leading financial capitals. With the UK having lost nearly a tenth …
Ian Blackford resigns: five times the SNP’s leader in Westminster used parliamentary rules to shake things up: Ian Blackford speaks during the state opening of parliament in 2019. UK Parliament/Flickr, CC BY-NC Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster, has announced that he is resigning from the post. Having survived two attempts by …
How to impeach a president: Ramaphosa case puts new rules to the test in South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua via Getty Images South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa faces possible impeachment in the country’s parliament over the illegal stashing of thousands of US dollars at his farm in 2020. This is not the …
World Cup concussion rules may be putting players’ lives at risk: In the eighth minute of their Fifa men’s World Cup match against England, Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand collided face-first with a teammate. The clash left the keeper bloodied, unsteady on his feet, and apparently disoriented – in no state to play. But after lengthy …
UK supreme court rules Scotland cannot call a second independence referendum – the decision explained: The UK supreme court has ruled that the Scottish parliament does not have the power to unilaterally call a second referendum on Scottish independence. The judgment comes in response to a request from the lord advocate (the senior law officer …
Voter suppression: how democracies around the world are using new rules to make it harder to vote: Attempts to stop voters getting to polling stations, increase waiting times to place a ballot or add restrictions on who can vote are becoming issues in democracies around the world. Techniques vary, but the intention is the same …
Ukraine war: Putin is rewriting the rules of siege warfare this winter: The bombed ruins of buildings in Mariupol after Russian attacks. Shutterstock The Russian military – under instruction from Vladimir Putin – is rewriting the rules of siege warfare for the 21st century. The classic definition of a siege is: “The process of surrounding …
Ghana’s illegal mining continues because the rules and reality are disconnected: Illegal gold mining is spreading rapidly in Ghana Wikimedia Commons/Flickr Artisanal and small-scale mining – a low-tech, indigenous mining subsector – is taking on increasing economic importance in many developing countries. Over 150 million people worldwide are estimated to derive their livelihoods from this …