China: Xi’s new year’s address wasn’t a threat against Taiwan – it was a strategic move for legitimacy: Kaliva/Shutterstock In his new year address, Chinese president Xi Jinping claimed that Taiwan would “surely be reunified” with China. Against the backdrop of increased Chinese military posturing in the Taiwan Strait, some western journalists are framing Xi’s …
Going for a walk wasn’t really a thing 300 years ago – the Victorians turned it into a popular pastime: Daniel Gale/Shutterstock Going for a walk is always a good idea. Perhaps, if you are lucky enough, this might be a hike along ragged cliffs or trudge along a chilly beach with family. Many of …
Morocco’s earthquake wasn’t unexpected – building codes must plan for them: More than 2,000 people died when a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco on 8 September. The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, 71km (44 miles) south-west of Marrakesh. Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked José A. Peláez, a professor in geophysics …
Inquiries differ on why the 2017 Manchester bombing wasn’t prevented – here’s why: How can you hold the intelligence and security services accountable, when what they do is secret? The third and final report from the public inquiry into the 2017 Manchester arena bombing is a useful guide. Sir John Saunders, the retired judge in …
The last invasion of Britain wasn’t in 1066: It was an unusually warm and sunny morning when the people of Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire, Wales, arose on February 22 1797. Little could they have realised that over the next three days, their local area would play host to what is now described as the “last …
What does the Bible say about homosexuality? For starters, Jesus wasn’t a homophobe: Getty Images Pope Francis was recently asked about his views on homosexuality. He reportedly replied: This (laws around the world criminalising LGBTI people) is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them … condemning …
Neanderthals: the oldest art in the world wasn’t made by humans: Maltravieso Cave replica with Neanderthals four fingers hand-prints, Caceres, Spain WH_Pics/Shutterstock One of the most hotly debated questions in the history of Neanderthal research has been whether they created art. In the past few years, the consensus has become that they did, sometimes. But, …
2022 wasn’t the year of Cleopatra – so why was she the most viewed page on Wikipedia?: At the end of every year, I gather statistics on the most viewed Wikipedia articles of the year. This helps me, a computational social scientist, understand what topics captured the most attention and gives me a chance to …
Ronaldo leaves Manchester United by ‘mutual agreement’ – here’s why he wasn’t sacked: Ronaldo reacts after Manchester United's November Premier League match with Aston Villa. Peter Powell Cristiano Ronaldo’s televised interview with Piers Morgan, aired in November, drew the curtain on the player’s second coming at Manchester United. In the 90-minute interview, Ronaldo launched an …
Truss cut the most popular taxes — this wasn’t an accident, but it may be a mistake: The recent U-turn on cutting the top rate of income tax has shown that even a government willing to “do unpopular things” to grow the UK economy is constrained by the need for public support. The negative public …
Furlough had a protective effect on mental health – but it wasn’t as good as working: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock In March 2020, a few days before lockdown was introduced, the UK government launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, widely referred to as “furlough”. This scheme provided employees who were unable to work due to the pandemic with …
Defying Ghana’s lockdown rules wasn’t simply stubborn: here’s what was going on: Head porters from the northern part of Ghana are victims of institutional weakness Quami/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Ghana imposed lockdowns in the Accra and Kumasi districts on 30 March 2020 to limit community transmission of the new coronavirus. But members of the public …
South Africa in the news: It’s Virat Kohli vs BCCI on captaincy: ‘I wasn’t told not to step down’: At the end of the media briefing on the eve of the Test team’s departure to South Africa, it was about the captain’s word versus the president’s word. “Whatever was said about the communication that …: …
Mask wearing wasn’t disputed in previous crises – so why is it so hotly contested today?: Men wearing masks outside a military hospital in New York during the 1918 influenza pandemic. /Shutterstock Across western countries, people are polarised over wearing masks. While some support wearing them as an effective counter to the virus, others believe …
South Africa in the news: Our candidate selection process wasn’t without its difficulties – Cyril Ramaphosa: Statement by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa at preview with candidates on the eve of the ANC manifesto launch. 26. Candidates for the local government elections, Fri …: “South Africa” – BingNews We’re tackling barriers to tourism recovery in WCape …
South Africa in the news: Our candidate selection process wasn’t without its difficulties – Cyril Ramaphosa: Statement by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa at preview with candidates on the eve of the ANC manifesto launch. 26. Candidates for the local government elections, Fri …: “South Africa” – BingNews Cloud-based Database Market May See a Big Move …
‘You couldn’t leave your husband. It wasn’t done’ – the story of the women behind the first domestic violence refuges: The women who set up the first women’s refuges in the UK in the 1970s changed the world. They saved the lives of many women. And the projects and political actions they began have grown …
The year that wasn’t – what e-learning did for corporate training: Advocacy Photo: Advocacy The global pandemic and subsequent lockdown halted traditional learning and training opportunities for many organisations. This disruption forced key-decision makers to re-think traditional training methods and how to upskill their employees while they worked remotely. A simple but inadequate approach is …