King’s speech: much-needed water industry reforms do not go far enough
JU.STOCKER/Shutterstock Water bills are rising, public anger over sewage pollution has not abated, and the government has now set out a major overhaul of water regulation in the king’s speech. The proposed water reform bill signals a shift in emphasis. Rather than focusing solely on water companies, the legislation aims to address pollution more broadly, […]
What a list of Black Death survivors reveals about the way people recovered from plague
The Dance of Death by John of Kastav (1490). National Gallery of Slovenia In our research in the British Library’s medieval collections, we have identified a previously unnoticed document that provides fresh insights into the survivors of the outbreak of plague known as the Black Death (1346–53). The document – a scrap of parchment inserted […]
Eric Morecambe at 100: the beloved British comedian with an anarchic northern spirit
For many people over the age of 50, the first few bars of an old 1960s song will always prompt a smile. Bring Me Sunshine, adopted by comedians Morecambe and Wise as their theme tune in 1969, came to define the pair who sang it at the end of every show. May 14 2026 marks […]
Cannabis: it’s medicine if you’re rich enough – a crime if you’re not
elenavolf/Shutterstock.com In Britain, whether cannabis is treated as medicine or a crime may depend less on medical need than on the ability to pay. In 2018, the UK government changed drug policy, allowing specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products. The decision was presented as a move towards evidence-based healthcare, recognising cannabis may have therapeutic […]
Other countries can learn from the UK’s successful shift to fortnightly bin collections
Maulana Noriandita/Shutterstock The government has recently introduced simpler rules on recycling in England, planning to end the confusion of different types of waste being collected in different postcodes. Scotland and Northern Ireland already operate (or are updating) their own devolved recycling laws that are equivalent to England’s simpler recycling system. This should also mean the […]
The Christophers explores the world of art fakes, but leaves its hardest questions unresolved
A former artist turned art forger, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) poses a deceptively simple question at the heart of Steven Soderbergh’s new film, The Christophers: does it really matter who paints an artwork? She is commissioned by the adult children of renowned painter Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) – Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning) […]
After a complete collapse, where does Welsh Labour go from here?
May 7 will go down as the worst election in the history of Welsh Labour. More than a century of electoral dominance ended with the party sitting in opposition in the Senedd (Welsh parliament) for the first time. Given Welsh Labour’s once-hegemonic position, the scale of the defeat is astonishing. This was not simply a […]
Europe is rearming itself without addressing the political consequences
Compounding the alarm triggered by Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the erratic unpredictability of the second Trump administration has made the need for European security autonomy obvious. On a number of occasions over the past year, Donald Trump has loosely intimated that he might leave the Nato defence alliance. Washington’s recent move to withdraw […]
From AirTags to AI nudification: the growing toolkit of technology-facilitated abuse
LightField Studios/Shutterstock It’s hard to overstate the impact that artificial intelligence has had since the release of generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT just three years ago. While they have led to countless advances in how we live and work, they have also been at the centre of controversies around domestic and sexual abuse. The […]
Why was an Egyptian mummy stuffed with a fragment of Homer’s Iliad?
Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus by Gavin Hamilton (1760-1763). National Galleries of Scotland Collection Archaeologists have found something unexpected inside a 1,600-year-old Roman-era Egyptian mummy: a fragment of Homer’s Iliad. It wasn’t placed beside the body, but inside the mummy’s abdomen. But the real surprise isn’t just where the fragment was found. It’s how […]