Protests that started as a student movement driven by longstanding dissatisfaction over a quota system to allocate government jobs in Bangladesh have precipitated a change in the country’s political leadership. These jobs, of which 30% were reserved for independence war veterans and their relatives, are highly sought after. The rate of youth unemployment in Bangladesh… Continue reading Unrest in Bangladesh reflects young people’s struggle to find work in the poorest nations
Air pollution is an unseen menace that poses a major threat to human health and the climate. We have created the air quality stripes, a visual tool that captures global air pollution trends, to bring this hidden threat into sharp focus. Inspired by professor of climate science Ed Hawkins’ climate warming stripes, the air quality… Continue reading How air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850
Thousands of students in Bangladesh have taken to the streets over the past few weeks to demand an overhaul of how public sector jobs are distributed. The government had sought to reintroduce quotas that reserve 30% of these jobs for descendants of veterans from Bangladesh’s war of independence with Pakistan in 1971. The quotas, which had initially… Continue reading Bangladeshi students rise up in revolt, but a wider movement against the government looks unlikely
In the midst of a polarised and tense political landscape, Venezuela has once again become a focal point for international observers as its recent elections unfolded with high stakes and fervent expectations. The preliminary outcomes, though not yet fully confirmed, have already set the stage for significant political, social and economic repercussions in the country.… Continue reading Venezuela’s contentious election stirs hope and fear for the nation’s future
That quick “thank you” email might seem polite, but it is quietly cooking the planet. The idea that curbing our digital chatter could help save the environment was popularised by Professor Mike Berners-Lee in his 2020 book How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything. The respected authority on carbon foot-printing dropped a bombshell:… Continue reading Think before you thank — the hidden carbon cost of your inbox
Climate change is not just reshaping the planet’s geography; it is rewriting the rules of human health. One of the many conditions it has exacerbated is hay fever. For the millions who dread the arrival of spring, the symptoms are all too familiar: coughing, itchy eyes, a runny nose and relentless sneezing. But this is… Continue reading How climate change is supercharging hay fever
Cape Town is famous for its great white sharks, but a new terror has surfaced in the shallows. In the world’s first major outbreak of the disease among marine mammals, 11 seals in South Africa have tested positive for rabies. The discovery has turned the city’s beloved coastline into a potential biohazard zone. Gregg Oelofse,… Continue reading Jaws with fur — the rabies outbreak turning seals into killers
Fast-moving stars seen in a nearby star cluster within the Milky Way suggest the presence of an elusive black hole which may be the closest one to Earth, researchers say. The star cluster, Omega Centauri, is a collection of around ten million stars, visible as a smudge in the night sky south of the equator.… Continue reading Astronomers find nearest massive black hole to Earth
A recent study by the University of Queensland’s School of the Environment has found that humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the country’s eastern coast were less stressed and healthier generally in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were fewer people in the ocean at this time. Stress is as bad for animals as… Continue reading Reduced human activity during early Covid pandemic lowered stress levels in whales
On Park Walk, tucked into one of Chelsea’s most quietly charming stretches, HUŎ Chelsea has the feel of a neighbourhood secret that has no real intention of staying secret. The restaurant presents itself as a home of fresh Asian cooking, drawing from China and Southeast Asia, and that sense of breadth is exactly what makes… Continue reading HUŎ — fire, freshness and finesse
