How Andy Burnham may try to give the UK economy a boost in his ‘10-year plan’
Andy Burnham’s long held ambition to be the UK’s prime minister will come with some daunting economic challenges. Productivity growth is at a virtual standstill, real incomes have stagnated and the cost-of-living crisis has become a permanent fixture for many households. Meanwhile, the government spends around £110 billion a year paying the interest on nearly […]
Germany’s proposal to ease trade tensions with China has not gone down well in Beijing
Trade tensions between the EU and China are deepening. On June 16, the EU’s trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, said the bloc’s unbalanced trade relationship with China “had reached a point that requires a reset”. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, then criticised Beijing days later for what he claimed were its unfair trade practices. In comments […]
Video games are helping players imagine the realities of climate migration
Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock While many people migrate because of social and economic inequalities, forced migration is caused by political conflicts, lack of access to food, and – increasingly – a lack of access to water. Research shows that climate change is making many of these issues worse. Recent research suggests that, for 30 million people who experience […]
Expert Q&A: why did so many buildings collapse in Venezuela’s double earthquake?
More than 500 people have been killed in Venezuela following powerful back-to-back earthquakes, with many more injured. Rescue teams have also been trying to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings. Here, Raffaele De Risi, associate professor in civil engineering at the University of Bristol, answered our questions about the role building design may have played […]
How padel disrupted the genteel world of lawn tennis
Damiano Buffo/Shutterstock Padel has captured the British sporting imagination. Combining aspects of tennis and squash, and played across a net but within a walled court, padel was invented in Mexico in 1969. In the intervening half century, it cultivated a significant following in Latin America and Spain. Padel is the second most popular participation sport […]
King Charles reveals his personal tax bill – here’s what it does and doesn’t tell us about royal finances
Buckingham Palace has disclosed that the king has paid tax of £11.7 million in 2023-24 and £12.9 million in 2024-25. The bulk of this tax liability arises from his income from the Duchy of Lancaster, which for 2023-24 was £27.5 million. This makes him one of the top 100 taxpayers in the country. Kensington Palace […]
Andy Burnham wants to turbocharge devolution. He’ll have to convince the Treasury
Andy Burnham has built his reputation on championing regional devolution – as Greater Manchester’s mayor he was celebrated as the “king of the north”. If, as now seems likely, he becomes prime minister next month, a “devolution blitz” is expected to follow. But it will only succeed if Burnham can bring the Treasury with him. […]
As the temperature rises, so do the risks for people living with interstitial lung disease
voronaman/Shutterstock For most people, a hot summer’s day is uncomfortable. For someone with scarred lungs, it can become a medical risk. People living with interstitial lung disease (ILD) are especially vulnerable during extreme heat. As climate change drives more frequent and intense heatwaves, people with ILD will need better protection from hot weather and related […]
Uzbekistan’s World Cup appearance is a moment of pride and shows off central Asia’s peaceful development
The expanded men’s World Cup in 2026 has given fans the chance to cheer on the exploits of first-time qualifiers, some of which many people might previously have struggled to locate on the map. Standout moments have already included Curaçao’s goal-keeping heroics in earning a draw against Ecuador and Cabo Verde’s upset by pegging back […]
A goat’s tooth may have solved a 100-year debate about ancient Greek farming
The agricultural economy was the backbone of wealth in ancient Greece. Food brought people together, whether in smaller groups at a wine-drinking symposium, or the entire community in a sacrificial feast of epic proportions. In The Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic poem, Odysseus’s son joins one of these early feasts – a community barbecue of […]