Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote. Austria, Belgium and Malta have already enfranchised 16 and 17-year-olds, and Greece is… Continue reading Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections – but is it playing into the far right’s hands?
Fires being used as a weapon in Sudan destroyed more villages and towns in the country’s west in April than in any other month since the conflict began more than a year ago, an analysis by a U.K.-based rights group said Monday. Sudan Witness, an open-source project run by the nonprofit Center for Information Resilience,… Continue reading Fires used as weapon in Sudan conflict destroyed more towns in west than ever in April
The ongoing struggle for housing affordability threatens to hollow out local communities, restricting Cornwall’s accessibility to only those who can afford it Every year, as the countdown to summer intensifies, Cornwall basks in the limelight, its charm captivating the imagination of holidaymakers. In 2022, it ranked in the top ten most searched for holiday destinations… Continue reading Potemkin Towns: Cornwall’s hidden housing crisis
University campuses around the world have become the site of tiny tent cities in recent weeks, with student activists protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Though the protests on Australian campuses have been largely peaceful, tensions are starting to rise. There have been allegations of hate speech and clashes between student groups in recent days.… Continue reading What is it about Gaza? Wars are raging around the world, so why are young people so passionate about this one?
What if you never saw the stars again? In fact, you’ve probably never seen a real night sky in your entire life due to the damage that urban areas have on the light. We all find a starry night mesmerising. So why do we all ignore the immense issue that is progressively getting worse: Light… Continue reading Let there be night: how light pollution is destroying our sky
Record low sea ice in late 2023 led to breeding failures in one-fifth of Antarctica’s emperor penguin colonies. Emperor penguins suffered mass breeding failures due to record low sea ice in 2023, according to scientists with the British Antarctic Survey. “We’re predicting that we’ll lose around 99 percent, possibly at least all the emperor penguins… Continue reading “We’re predicting that we’ll lose around 99 percent, possibly at least all the emperor penguins by the end of this century — that’s 75 years from now.”
The Portuguese government said Friday it would turn public buildings into housing and help young home-buyers in a bid to ease a housing crisis that has hit major cities. Housing Minister Miguel Pinto Luz said “thousands” of public buildings could be turned into apartments and homes under the plan of the centre-right government. Prime Minister… Continue reading Portugal to turn ‘thousands’ of public buildings into housing
Electric vehicles are often seen as the panacea to cutting emissions – and air pollution – from transport. Is this view correct? Yes – but only once uptake accelerates. Despite the recent boom in EV purchases, they’re still a tiny minority of the cars on the road. We would get more immediate benefit by focusing on electrifying… Continue reading Electric vehicles will start to cut emissions and improve air quality in our cities – but only once they’re common
There are only around 22,000 lions left in Africa, compared to about 100,000 in 1965. Kruger National Park has some of the best access to wild animals in all of Africa and is possibly the most famous game reserve in the continent. South African National Parks – Sanparks – has acknowledged that poachers have poisoned… Continue reading Lions in South Africa are being poisoned for their body parts
Residents of Devon have been instructed to boil tap water before drinking it after 46 confirmed cases and over 100 suspected cases of parasitic disease in the water. The primarily waterborne parasite, cryptosporidium, informally known as “crypto”, can cause cryptosporidiosis, impacting between 3,000 and 6,000 people in the United Kingdom every year, with symptoms developing… Continue reading Devon residents must boil tap water to avoid parasitic disease
