Since the post-COVID reopening of the economy, staffing shortages in the care sector in England have been of increasing concern. In October 2021, British charity Skills for Care warned that, at 8.2%, adult social care vacancy rates in England were exceeding pre-pandemic levels (which in 2019, stood at 8%). ThatContinue Reading
MediaPunch Inc/Alamy The decision by K-pop sensations, BTS, to take a hiatus is breaking hearts globally. But, unlike the Beatles or One Direction, their decision is tied to Korean peninsula politics and the challenge of balancing national security and Korea’s soft power ambitions. The seven members of BTS broke theContinue Reading
For decades, Whitehall has pondered how to make use of the Commonwealth, without tangible results. There was an expectation in some quarters that Brexit would increase its significance to the UK. But it was never clear why this would, in itself, suddenly transform an under-resourced and notoriously unfocused organisation intoContinue Reading
Cowriter Chris Hayward finds most real-life robots terrifying. But if the future looks like the film’s sentient droid, he says, “we’ll be fine.”Continue Reading
The Taoiseach has said the country must wait until the next budget for the cost-of-living crisis to be comprehensively addressed. Micheál Martin said the October budget will make a substantial difference to those experiencing economic hardship but all but ruled out further measures over the summer. Speaking in the wakeContinue Reading
Plus: Firefox adds new privacy protections, a big Intel and AMD chip flaw, and more of the week’s top security news.Continue Reading
Low lying islands in the Pacific are threatened by climate change. Shutterstock The island states of the Pacific – from large Papua New Guinea to the smaller island state of Tuvalu – find themselves in a newly influential position as the west and China battle for their strategic backing. TheirContinue Reading
One of the keys to planning a military campaign is to take into account the type of terrain the war will take place on. The frontlines of the Ukraine conflict underline how important this is – they are mainly defined by rivers and other land-based obstacles. To progress, Russian forcesContinue Reading
Tributes have poured in for a mother who died after giving birth at her home in Co Limerick. The tragedy has lead to a suspension of home birth services pending a HSE review. The mother, named locally as Laura Liston, who was aged in her 30s, died after giving birthContinue Reading
Shutterstock Almost four months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s policy is becoming clear. The war between Ukraine and Russia is likely to be a long one. It is becoming obvious that the western states, and particularly the countries of Europe, will have to provide assistance on an unprecedentedContinue Reading
