Plans to tamper with the pension triple lock might not be as dangerous for Labour as some believe
When Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the Labour conference that he is going to change the state pension’s triple lock mechanism, the backlash was immediate. For 15 years, the triple lock has been one of the few genuinely untouchable policies in British politics. Sharon Graham, general secretary of the Unite union, warned that Burnham’s plans […]
Seaweed strandings cause a stink – here’s why they harm your health
Workers remove massive accumulations of _Sargassum_ seaweed from a Caribbean beach in the Riviera Maya near Cancun, Mexico, in June 2025. elena.tres/Shutterstock Seaweed piling up on a beach might look harmless, but as quantities begin to rot, they can release gases that are toxic to people. In recent years, two people and several animals (including […]
Mangrove restoration is becoming big business, but benefits don’t always reach local people
On Pakistan’s Indus delta coast, a 350,000-hectare mangrove project is turning a growing forest into something that can be sold to companies thousands of miles away: carbon credits. Carbon credits allow companies to pay for projects that store carbon or prevent further emissions, with each credit equalling a certain amount of carbon. Restoring mangroves can […]
Renoir and Love is a wonderful celebration of the fleeting joys of life
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 to 1919) is popularly misunderstood as a slightly dodgy painter of kitsch nudes. Renoir and Love at the National Gallery in London sets the record straight. As Chiara di Stefano, co-curator for the exhibition admits, she grew up “hating Renoir somehow”. She says it can “be troubling for some, especially women viewers, […]
National Year of Reading: linguistic diversity should be central to reading for pleasure intiatives
The UK’s National Year of Reading is asking people across the country to “go all in” on reading. But this invitation raises questions for many families: reading what, in which language and in what form? These questions matter because nearly one in four pupils in English primary schools (23.8%) is recorded as having a first […]
Women in architecture: the damaging workplace culture pushing talented professionals out
It’s been more than 20 years since the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) and the the Fawcett Society published a landmark 2003 study, Why Do Women Leave Architecture? And one thing is unmistakably clear: the profession has not moved far enough or fast enough to support women. Build It Together, commissioned by Riba in […]
Marie Antoinette at 20: Sofia Coppola’s playfully postmodern period drama is finally getting the praise it deserves
This autumn, a unique event is taking place in the Petit Trianon, the small summer house tucked among the formal flowerbeds of the sprawling Château de Versailles estate. Walking through its rooms, visitors can admire bold pink floral arrangements while listening to music by New Order. It’s been created in homage to Sofia Coppola’s 2006 […]
Substance-use disorders linked to sixfold higher risk of suicidal behaviour – new study
Support from family members and healthcare professionals can be important for people with substance-use disorders who may also be at increased risk of suicidal behaviour. Pormezz/Shutterstock In my work as an addiction psychiatrist, I meet people whose lives have been severely affected by alcohol or drug use, often alongside other forms of mental distress. Some […]
What your eyes could reveal about your heart health
AYO Production/Shutterstock More than 2,000 years ago, the Greek mathematician Euclid began his treatise Optics with an assumption that now sounds peculiar: visual rays travelled out from the eye towards the objects we see. We now know that vision works the other way around. But modern imaging has given the old idea an unexpected twist: […]
Lab-grown ‘mini-bladder’ helps explain why urinary tract infections keep coming back
DimaBerlin/Shutterstock For many people, a urinary tract infection (UTI) doesn’t really end when the antibiotics run out. The burning and constant trips to the toilet fade, then return weeks or months later. UTIs affect more than 400 million people worldwide each year, according to a global analysis of UTI incidence. More than half of adult […]