When we conjure up ancient philosophers, the image that springs to mind might be a bald Socrates discoursing with young men in the sun, or a scholarly Aristotle lecturing among cool columns. But what about Aspasia, the foreign mistress of the foremost politician in Athens who gave both political and erotic advice? Or Sosipatra, mystic,… Continue reading Wise women — six ancient female philosophers you should know about
Sudan finds itself in the midst of one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history. Since the eruption of civil war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the nation has spiralled into political chaos, extreme violence and humanitarian devastation. The conflict, originally centred in… Continue reading Sudan’s humanitarian crisis — a nation on the brink
In what is being described as one of the most harrowing crimes in recent memory, the rape and murder of a young trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College has left the city of Kolkata, and indeed the entire nation, reeling. The brutal incident, which occurred on the night of August 9, 2024, has… Continue reading Tragedy strikes Kolkata as trainee doctor’s rape and murder sparks nationwide outrage
The predators were consuming the potent stimulant due to its continuous release from inadequate sewage treatment facilities and clandestine refining operations, scientists wrote in a study published in Science of the Total Environment. Some may also have attacked bricks of cocaine which traffickers had lost at sea off the coast of Brazil, one of the… Continue reading Sharks in Rio de Janeiro test positive for cocaine
Defining what is and isn’t a country is a lot more complicated than many people would realize. Take the case of Taiwan. On Aug. 30, 2023, a committee of the U.K. Parliament referred to Taiwan as an “independent country” in a report. This is the first time any part of the British political system has… Continue reading Is Taiwan a country or not?
While Israeli air strikes continue to devastate the Gaza Strip, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rip families apart in the United States and Russia strikes Ukraine’s second-biggest city, the European Parliament places their attention elsewhere. In the last two weeks, the EU Parliament has voted to ban the words “burger”, “sausage”, “steak” and others from… Continue reading What exactly is a burger? — EU Parliament votes to ban “meat”-related names on plant-based product
In 2025, the world finds itself in the midst of an intense new round of tariff wars, with the United States at the center. These trade battles, marked by sweeping tariffs on goods from China, the European Union, and other key partners, are already reshaping global commerce and daily life for millions of people. The… Continue reading The tariff war — America’s trade battles and the global ripple effect
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
