This year’s Venice Biennale marks a major shift in European cultural politics
I was texting a museum director friend in Asia recently. We were discussing whether a trip to this year’s “artworld Olympics”, the Venice Biennale, justified the carbon release. I felt ambivalent. The main exhibition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, whose 2016 edition of Ireland’s Biennale, EVA International, on the 1916 Easter Rising centennial I had […]
Why Putin will have been watching the Trump-Xi summit nervously
The opening headlines from the summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing signal an openness on the Chinese side towards stabilising relations with the US. In his opening remarks, the Chinese president noted that China and the US “should be partners not rivals”. But he warned Trump that a crisis over Taiwan could […]
Eurovision Song Contest: what the science of statistics reveals about an infamous voting scandal
Georgia’s entry Circus Mircus during the controversial second semi-final of the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. Michael Doherty/Wikimedia, CC BY-NC-SA The Eurovision Song Contest was founded 70 years ago as a way for Europe, divided after war, to come together by celebrating its music. Every year, several dozen countries across the continent – and, more recently, […]
Heatwaves are now everyday disasters – governments need to do more to protect people
Heatwaves are a growing global threat to human health, wellbeing and livelihoods. Across 12 major European cities during the summer of 2025, a ten-day period of extreme heat led to 2,300 deaths – 1,500 of them were attributed to climate change amplifying temperatures by 1-4°C. Heatwaves were responsible for nearly half a million global deaths […]
Depressed mice successfully treated with smart contact lenses that zap their brains – new study
New Africa/Shutterstock.com Scientists in South Korea have developed experimental contact lenses designed to send electrical signals through the retina and into brain regions linked to mood. In mice, the technology appeared to improve depression-like behaviour. The idea sounds futuristic: a contact lens that could one day help treat depression by stimulating the brain through the […]
A new voting system meant the Welsh election couldn’t have been further from a two-horse race – so why was it portrayed as one?
Even before votes were counted in this year’s Senedd (Welsh parliament) election, speculation among commentators was rife that one campaign narrative had firmly taken hold – that the contest had become a two-horse race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. Both parties promoted that framing during the campaign, urging voters to see the election as […]
The Music Is Black: A British Story – it’s little wonder this emotional exhibition took over four years to complete
I can only marvel when I consider that the footprint upon which the newly erected V&A East museum now stands was, for many decades, characterised by hard labour and heavy industry. The area, once full of factories, warehouses and poverty, was described by novelists such as Charles Dickens in deeply unflattering terms. In 1857, he […]
Why a new Plaid Cymru government in Cardiff may pose a fresh challenge for Westminster
After emerging as the largest party in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) election, Plaid Cymru is now establishing itself as the next Welsh government. It’s the first administration not led by Welsh Labour since devolution began 27 years ago. For UK Labour, Plaid’s breakthrough could become one of the most significant constitutional and political challenges of […]
Trump-XI summit: in a high-stakes meeting the two leaders can’t afford to misread each other
The summit between Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and US president, Donald Trump, reportedly covered a lot of ground. The two leaders are said to have discussed trade, technology and the war in Iran, agreeing that Strait of Hormuz should be kept open. But the most potentially hazardous issue they covered was the future of Taiwan, […]
The Humber region and its cities are a hub for carbon removal – here’s why
Mike Seaman/Shutterstock The Humber estuary in northern England is ideally suited to access abundant clean energy and massive carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage sites. This region is home to the world’s largest offshore wind farm, which will generate enough electricity for up to 6 million homes when completed by 2027. Further from the coast in the […]