How AI could make us work even harder
TechAnimationStock/Shutterstock Technological progress has taken more than its fair share of the workload from humans over the years. Washing machines clean our clothes, tractors plough the fields and computers sort out the admin. Meanwhile, economic growth and redistribution of wealth means most workers in industrialised countries do not need to spend most of their waking […]
Himalayan hazards are becoming more complex. Our warning systems need to catch up
The exact timeline of the recent Nepal flooding disaster is becoming clearer. At 8:37am, instruments recorded what was initially interpreted as an earthquake near Nepal’s border with China. Seven minutes later, CCTV recorded the Gyirong Port border post being destroyed by a massive debris flow and flood. Nepal’s flood authorities learned about the incident at […]
Nepal floods: Khalte residents knew the river could take their camp – and then it did
Khalte, a settlement close to the bank of the Trishuli River in northern Nepal, was completely destroyed in the flash flooding of late August. Khalte housed around 257 families who had been displaced by a previous disaster, when Nepal was rocked by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015. I spent time working with families there in […]
Journeying Syria’s shattered cities as they move from war to peace
Entering Ghouta Osman Bahadir Dincer It was around seven o’clock in the evening when we arrived at a church in the city of Hama, Syria, to attend the wedding of a friend. As guests gradually filled the courtyard, music began to echo through the building. One by one, the bride, groom, and their relatives entered […]
Andy Burnham’s first PMQs: here’s what we learned from this bloodless affair
Burnham leaves Number 10 for his first PMQs. Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, CC BY-NC-ND For Andy Burnham, walking into the bear pit that is Prime Minister’s Questions, it must have been hard to stay calm. His audience was a room of closely packed MPs, some hostile, some friendly – all very loud […]
Is Germany’s far right AfD about to take over a state government for the first time?
Germans in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt will go to the polls on September 7 to elect a new parliament. With forecasts indicating that the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is on course to win around 40% of the vote, which would double its support there compared to five years ago, there is a real chance […]
Leviticus: deadly desire stalks queer teens in this rural Australian horror
You can imagine being a queer teen in a Christian fundamentalist community in rural Australia is not an easy ride. In his debut feature Leviticus, writer and director Adrian Chiarella imagines how much harder that would be if there were also supernatural forces conspiring against you. The film centres on the burgeoning romance between 17-year-old […]
Giardiasis cases are rising in England: should we be worried?
Corona Borealis Studio/ Shutterstock Cases of giardiasis, an intestinal infection that causes diarrhoea, bloating and gas, have reached their highest level in England since 2016 according to newly published data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The agency reported 6,069 lab-confirmed cases of giardiasis in 2025, an 11.4% rise from 2024. It is the […]
Iraq’s archaeological discoveries have shaped understanding of human civilisation – but its scientists have been sidelined
The early bronze age (21st century BC) Ziggurat of Ur in southern Iraq. Abbas Al Yasiri/Shutterstock In recent years, archaeologists from around the world have marked the centenaries of some of Iraq’s most influential archaeological discoveries. The excavation of the ancient city of Ur, for example, transformed understanding of early urban life, long-distance trade, royal […]
The lesson Canada’s prime minister learned from Brexit is helping in its trade rift with US
The trade conflict between Canada and the United States is heating up and has moved beyond rhetoric. After the latest round of negotiations failed, the US imposed 50% tariffs on around C$27.6 billion (£14.68 billion) of Canadian goods on August 22. Canada is responding swiftly with dollar-for-dollar retaliation to take effect on September 8. Two […]