The brutal exploitation of farmworkers in Italy has come into sharp focus following the horrific death of Satnam Singh, a 31-year-old labourer from India who lost his arm in a farm accident and was allegedly abandoned by his employer, left to die on the roadside. This tragedy highlights the severe exploitation and abuse that many… Continue reading Exploitation on Italian farms: the tragic case of Satnam Singh and countless others
Sharks off the coast of Brazil’s party city Rio de Janeiro have tested positive for cocaine. 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… 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?
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
The United Nations verified 3,688 cases of conflict-related sexual violence around the world last year, a significant increase of 50% from 2022. This is certainly a vast underestimate of the true number of cases. A report by the UN secretary-general in April mentioned a number of specific countries where sexual violence – and conflict –… Continue reading In Myanmar’s brutal war, the military is weaponising sexual violence against women, children and LGBTQI+ people
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
The idea that sending less emails would have a significant impact on the environment was popularised by the book ‘How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything.’ This, released in 2020, was by Professor Mike Berners-Lee, a respected authority on the topic. Professor Berners-Lee mentioned that every email creates something from 0.3 to 50… Continue reading Are emails bad for the planet?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will sweep away the remaining hereditary peers as the first step to reforming the House of Lords. New legislation will end what officials called the “outdated and indefensible” presence of members of the upper chamber who are there by right of birth. The Government also plans changes to the Commons, with… Continue reading Hereditary peers to lose seats in House of Lords under new plans
