Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have different war aims – can the Iran peace deal survive?
The clock is ticking on the Iran peace deal. A memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US is due to be signed in Geneva on June 19, allowing for a 60-day ceasefire extension and the opening of the strategically vital waterway, the Strait of Hormuz. But key questions remain unresolved that could yet scupper […]
Travel anxiety: five tips from major thinkers to calm your nerves
The Departure: Second Class by Abraham Solomon (1855). National Railway Museum, CC BY-NC As an academic and journalist who has travelled extensively over the last 20 years – but also a diagnosed sufferer of generalised anxiety disorder – I’ve been researching the myriad triggers of travel anxiety. Many readers will be familiar with the dread […]
Millions of people can’t access civil justice – my new report shows why four decades of reform have failed
nampix/Shutterstock Every year, more people in England and Wales are involved in disputes before the civil courts in England and Wales than in the criminal courts. Over 1 million claims a year – for personal injury, debt, housing disrepair, faulty consumer goods or breach of contract, for example – are dealt with in the county […]
Overnight trains: why sleeping all the way to your holiday destination is a growing (and green) option
More sleeper trains are being launched in 2026. Madhourse/Shutterstock They may not have the luxurious cabins and glamorous restaurant service of the famous Orient Express, but new European sleeper train routes are offering tourists an alternative to short-haul flights and busy airports. Services setting up in 2026 include a new sleeper train between Paris and […]
With social media ban, Starmer attempts an emotional rebrand
In politics, very often a speech about one topic is actually designed to deliver a very different and far broader message. This was certainly the case with Keir Starmer’s statement on banning social media for under-16s. This was not just an announcement about the government’s proposals. It was an announcement of Starmer’s intention to fight […]
If you’re feeling down, maybe don’t pet your cat, new study suggests
Kulkova Daria/Shutterstock.com You come home after a stressful day and reach out to your cat for a bit of comfort. It hisses. Maybe takes a swipe. Or simply flicks its tail and saunters off without so much as a meow. A dog, by contrast, greets you as though they’ve just won the lottery. Of course, […]
UK social media ban: tech restrictions for teens can’t be the only approach
EF Stock/Shutterstock The UK government’s decision to introduce restrictions on children’s access to social media marks a significant moment in the evolution of online safety policy. For supporters, it represents a long-overdue response to growing concerns about children’s wellbeing. For critics, it raises questions about effectiveness, enforcement and unintended consequences. Yet regardless of where one […]
Eco-literate children can be stewards of nature – here’s how to boost environmental education
Thx4Stock team/Shutterstock Most of my ecology and evolution undergraduates have never held a pair of binoculars or looked at a bug through a magnifying glass. They don’t know how to use a key to identify a plant or insect, let alone why they should bother. They struggle to name common garden birds. They expect to […]
Beyond the waiting list: the real challenges facing the Welsh NHS
SS STD/Shutterstock For someone waiting for a hip replacement, the NHS waiting list is not an abstract policy problem. It is the difference between walking to the shops or staying indoors, sleeping through the night or waking in pain, returning to work or putting life on hold. Across Wales, there are signs that some long […]
Ferrari’s first electric supercar has proved controversial – a car designer explains why
Ferrari’s new sportscar, the Luce (pronounced Loo-che), raises some interesting questions about the future of hi-tech, high-cost supercars in the electric era. The Italian sportscar maker’s first move into the electric vehicle (EV) segment – with an eye on the Chinese luxury market – signals strategic pragmatism rather than ideological continuity. Compounding this is the […]