Arandora Star sinking: a lesser known Nazi war crime that spawned generations of conspiracy theories
Just days before the Battle of Britain began in July 1940, more than 800 civilians were killed off the coast of Ireland when a German U-Boat sank a converted five-star cruise ship. The people on board were German, Austrian and Italian internees – deemed enemy aliens by the UK government – who were being deported […]
How freak weather and an old-fashioned grid exacerbate energy insecurity
F01 PHOTO/Shutterstock The Iran crisis is reshaping how the world produces, uses and secures energy. This is no temporary shock. It has become a structural stress test of energy systems, industrial production and government strategy. We’ve seen this in the recent past: household energy bills in 2024 were still about 4% higher than in 2019, […]
Healthy life expectancy falls in the UK – and the decline is worse among women
LittlePigPower/Shutterstock.com Healthy life expectancy in the UK – the years we can expect to live in good health – has fallen by more than two years over the past decade, according to a new Health Foundation analysis. The decline has been larger for women than for men – a finding the report says raises “concerns […]
Shortages, substitutes and uncertainty: the new reality of drugs supplies
Yaroslav Astakhov/Shutterstock.com The reliable supply of drugs is fundamental to any healthcare system, yet shortages remain a persistent problem. Disruptions arise from a range of causes: manufacturing failures, fluctuating demand, regulatory changes and wars. Around 60% of drug shortages are linked to manufacturing bottlenecks, while insufficient reserves of both finished products and raw ingredients continue […]
Headspace: can our brains get full?
Maciej Bledowski/Shutterstock.com My husband was recently describing something that happened on a past holiday. It wasn’t a significant event, but it sounded pleasant. I, however, had no recollection of what he was telling me. He couldn’t quite believe it. We know that “recollections may differ”, but how can it be so different? And why do […]
The Russian resistance no one is talking about
You could be forgiven for thinking everyone in Russia either supports the war in Ukraine or is too scared to do anything about it. A dominant narrative is that Russian civil society is passive, complicit or has been quashed to the point of being neutralised. Some elements of this may be true. Following the full-scale […]
High petrol prices are fuelling interest in EVs. Here’s how this could bring down electricity bills
Vehicle-to-grid storage could unlock lower bills for UK consumers. Southworks/Shutterstock With oil prices skyrocketing following the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran, and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, motorists around the world have been looking for ways to save money. Improvements in electric vehicle (EV) technology, combined with the high price of […]
Orbán’s election loss frees up €90 billion for Kyiv but raises thorny question of EU membership for Ukraine
As widely expected, the EU has unlocked the disbursement of its previously agreed €90 billion (£78 billion) loan to Ukraine. Together with the approval of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia, this is good news for Brussels. It became possible after Hungary dropped its opposition following a change of government after recent parliamentary elections. […]
Prime ministers have always faced political scandals – so why can’t they weather them now?
Left to right: Altopix, Mark Reinstein, 360b, Frederick Legrand/Shutterstock UK prime ministers today are about as secure in their jobs as football managers. In the nearly three decades between 1979 and 2005, Britain had just three prime ministers: Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair. From 2005-2015, we again had three: Blair, Gordon Brown and […]
How to Enter the Art World by Hettie Judah offers a smørgasbord of sage advice
“Most artists work alone, with little to steer them save crummy ‘how to’ guides.” So writes author and curator Hettie Judah in her new book, How to Enter the Art World. At first glance, the book’s presentation might mislead the reader into believing it to be another giant crumb from the loaf of bad guidance. […]