Oxford Street, London, empty in May 2020. CK Travels/Shutterstock The most COVID-19 lockdowns were accompanied by sobering news from the UK’s high streets. The Arcadia Group, which owns some of the UK’s most iconic high street clothing retail outlets – Topshop, Topman and Dorothy Perkins, among others – has goneContinue Reading
Motortion Films/Shutterstock Imagine leaving your job, moving house and trying to find a new social identity all at the same time. Most of us never have to do all of these things at once, but this is the experience of many people as they leave the Armed Forces in theContinue Reading
Wozzie via Shutterstock Local newspapers have seen sales of their print copies in decline for decades and, with regional newspaper groups regularly cutting staff, it has felt like UK local news journalism might be on the way out – to be replaced by WhatsApp groups or Facebook chat. But interestContinue Reading
The diet could reinforce bad eating habits. Bon Appetit/ Shutterstock The “metabolic confusion” diet is one of the latest fad diets to be blowing up on social media. Like many fad diets, it promises you can lose weight while still eating what you want. Fans of the diet claim thatContinue Reading
Australia vs India: Australia beat India by 12 runs in the third and final T20I in Sydney.© AFP Former England skipper Michael Vaughan said India’s fielding during the third T20I against Australia was “atrocious” and he compared the visitors’ performance to his own fielding abilities. “India’s fielding is atrocious … It’sContinue Reading
Shutterstock A UK citizen who has been living in France for 36 years has brought a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union that could have profound implications for British people living in European countries after Brexit. The woman is hoping to retain some citizenship rights afterContinue Reading
The trafficking of counterfeit and illegal medicines is a growing global challenge, with many criminal organisations involved and huge amounts of cash changing hands. In our recent research, we propose a new method for testing and tracing illegal counterfeit medicines. The solution is nuclear. Counterfeit medicines are attractive for criminals.Continue Reading
Luca Santilli/Shutterstock The first batch of COVID vaccine has arrived in the UK, and the NHS has embarked on the largest vaccination campaign in the country’s history. Many other countries are also gearing up for this mammoth task. At first, there will only be a limited number of doses, soContinue Reading
Refugee holding a mobile phone at a refugee accommodation centre in in Berlin, Germany, 2016 EPA/Kay Nietfield New technologies deployed on borders for migration management and border security under the umbrella of smart border solutions are ignoring the fundamental human rights of migrants. Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones, for example) areContinue Reading
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, at least 95 countries declared a national emergency, empowering governments to act in ways they would not normally to protect citizens. Such exceptional periods pose major risks for democracy and human rights, providing opportunities for leaders and states to consolidate power. Here areContinue Reading