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 …
How we’re using evidence to tackle net zero, slow economy and new hybrid working – sign up for Conversation partnership events and reports: Shutterstock Civil servants around the world are wrestling with a vast web of incredibly complex social problems. From meeting net zero targets in cash-strapped economies, with often low levels of political support, …
Ukraine recap: Ukraine and allies maintain optimism despite slow progress on the battlefield: At a press conference after talks with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, this afternoon, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg sounded like a man determined to take a “glass half full” attitude when he said that “every metre that Ukrainian forces regain is …
Why delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars won’t slow UK’s shift to electric vehicles: Husjur02/Shutterstock The UK has delayed its ban on the sale of new cars which burn petrol or diesel in internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2030 to 2035. In some ways, this is no surprise: the original plan was to …
Biden’s answer to Mexican border crisis might slow crossings but is not winning support: President Joe Biden has been negotiating a new deal with Mexico in the hope of mediating the long-running immigration crisis on the US southern border. There is no doubt that Mexico has played a role in reducing migrant numbers on the …
Ukraine war: after two months of slow progress the long-awaited counteroffensive is picking up speed. Why has it taken so long?: Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive was the subject of speculation for months before it officially began at the beginning of June. So far, only modest progress has been made and there have been concerns from Kyiv’s …
eNaira: Nigeria’s digital currency has had a slow start – what’s holding it back: Adoption of eNaira has been slow. Shutterstock Nigeria was the first country in Africa to roll out a central bank digital currency. The eNaira was launched in October 2021. The main reasons were to promote financial inclusion, increase cross-border transactions, facilitate …
Belgium’s AfricaMuseum has a dark colonial past – it’s making slow progress in confronting this history: DRC Prime Minister Jean-Michel Lukonde (L) at Belgium's AfricaMuseum in 2022. Jasper Jacobs via Getty Images Racist displays and stories remain on display in several western European museums. They include grotesque objects depicting African people as “savage” and “wild”. …
Ukraine recap: counteroffensive makes slow progress while diplomacy fails to make any ground at all: So the Ukrainian counteroffensive is well and truly underway, even if progress is measured in metres rather than the rapid advances that characterised Ukraine’s highly successful push last autumn. Volodymyr Zelensky himself has confirmed this, saying progress has been “slower …
Keto diet may slow cancer tumour growth in mice – but not without potentially deadly consequences: The keto diet is very low in carbohydrates. SewCreamStudio/ Shutterstock The ketogenic (keto) diet has been popular in recent years among people looking to lose weight and keep fit. But what many people don’t realise is that this low …
Methane must fall to slow global heating – but only 13% of emissions are actually regulated: Methane leaks across oil and gas supply chains are speeding up climate change. Hkhtt HJ/Shutterstock Methane – a potent greenhouse gas and the second biggest driver of global warming after carbon dioxide (CO?) – had its moment in the …
How to avoid falling victim to an online scam — research says slow down: It's easy to fall for an online scam if you're in a hurry Bits And Splits/Shutterstock Keeping up with the latest digital cons is exhausting. Fraudsters always seem to be one step ahead. But our study found there is one simple …
Strikes: how rising household debt could slow industrial action this year: William Potter/Shutterstock After decades of declining real wages and deteriorating working conditions, strike activity has spiked over the last year, particularly in the United Kingdom. From nurses and teachers to railway and postal workers, employees are demanding wage increases and improved working conditions – …
Jeanne Dielman: ‘greatest film of all time’ is a masterpiece of slow cinema that richly details life’s quiet intricacies: Every ten years the British Film Institute’s (BFI) in-house magazine, Sight and Sound, polls a large number of critics and film-writers to produce a list of the greatest films of all time. The number one slot …
Go slow and accept your limitations – how to exercise if you’re recovering from long COVID: StratfordProductions/Shutterstock A significant proportion of people who contract COVID are left with ongoing symptoms, commonly termed “long COVID”. The nature of these symptoms and the duration of the illness differ between people. While some people are still suffering more …
Direct air capture: how advanced is technology to suck up carbon dioxide – and could it slow climate change?: Humanity must remove up to 660 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO?) from the atmosphere by the end of the century to limit global warming to 1.5°C. That’s according to the most recent report by the …
Five problems that could slow supplies of food, computers, cars and other goods this winter: Global supply chains could experience delays this winter. AppleZoomZoom / Shutterstock The pandemic highlighted how interconnected the world is right now. Multiple bottlenecks have disrupted global supply chains – the networks of people, companies and modes of transport that order …
Integrated education in Northern Ireland: why progress is slow despite support: Support in Northern Ireland for integrated education – schools attended by both Protestant and Catholic children – is high. There are many factors behind this, including the view that separate schools perpetuate divisions and are an anachronism in an increasingly secularised society. There also …