Worldwide, air pollution is second only to tobacco as the leading cause of lung cancer. Delhi customarily sits atop lists of the world’s most polluted capitals. Pollution season in Delhi commenced earlier than usual this year on account of lower rainfall than normal. The problem always worsens in winter, when farmers living in neighbouring states… Continue reading Pollution in Delhi so bad people are getting smokers’ lungs
The section of the Seine running through Paris garnered unusually good headlines in 2009 when salmon were caught there for the first time in decades. The river, polluted by industry since the beginning of the 20th century, boded well for Paris’s ecological recovery and since swimming has been formally banned in the river since 1923,… Continue reading Swimmers to return to the Seine for the first time in a century
It used to be that when deaf people wished to discuss “carbon footprint” or “greenhouse gases”, there was a necessity to spell out long complicated scientific terms, one letter at a time. Now, however, they are some of the 200 scientific terms related to the environment granted new official signs in British Sign Language (BSL).… Continue reading How sign language is changing in response to climate change
The London neighbourhoods of Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Chelsea and Kensington have become so exclusive that owners have become visitors London is known to be one of the wealthiest cities in the world, however, amidst its wealth and abundance, there is a curious phenomenon – the abundance of empty houses in wealthy places. Over the last… Continue reading The empty houses of SW1
“It is possible that a part of Eastern England would have become a desert” In early 2022, mysterious upgrades began at Lakenheath Air Base in Suffolk, United Kingdom. Military analysts, after pouring over satellite photography of the construction work being done, came to one conclusion. Lakenheath, ever so silently, was preparing to welcome nuclear weapons… Continue reading The return of nuclear weapons to the uk
‘The longest period for which anyone has gone without solid food is 382 days in the case of Angus Barbieri of Tayport, Fife, who lived on tea, coffee, water, soda water and vitamins from June 1965 to July 1966’ Angus Barbieri consumed no food for 382 days to no ill-effect. In 1965 the 27-year-old from… Continue reading The successful therapeutic fast that lasted 382 days
Globally, one-third of food is wasted, estimated to cost £2.9 trillion a year. That’s enough food to feed every hungry person in the world twice over The most infuriating contradiction of our time is also the easiest to solve. The contradiction of surplus food and surplus hunger attributed to food waste is a disgrace imposed… Continue reading As 10% of humans are affected by hunger 1/3 of all food is wasted
Leprosy is a chronic condition affecting the skin, nerves and mucous membranes. It can be treated with a combination of antibiotics over six to 12 months, but if left untreated, it can lead to severe complications such as crippled hands and feet, paralysis and blindness. While leprosy has not been reported in the United Kingdom… Continue reading Did leprosy come from squirrels?
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a student asked: Why does racism still exist against Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour when we have national and international mechanisms built upon notions of human dignity, equal rights and freedom? National and international human rights mechanisms do not seem to provide… Continue reading Overcoming racism depends on respect for every person’s dignity
In early 2021, a Ghanaian migrant known as Faruku died in the northern Mexican city of Tijuana, near the Mexico–United States border, of an apparent stroke. This was after being turned away from a hospital and later being asked to pay for an ambulance before it would assist him. A report from Refugees International notes… Continue reading In Mexico, erasing Black History fuels anti-Black racism
