Cookstoves feed the world. But they’re also a killer
Cookstoves and open fires are the main cooking and heating methods for three billion people globally. Each year, they cost millions of livesContinue Reading
2021-10-01
Germany election winners, losers, and how the Greens emerged as kingmakers – Podcast
After Germany’s recent election, coalition talks are now underway to determine the composition of the next government and who will succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, we explore what the results tell us about German voters’ priorities – and we dig into theContinue Reading
2021-09-30
Rent increases may suggest ‘unacceptable level of non-compliance by landlords’
A 7 per cent increase nationally in rents for the second quarter of 2021 may “indicate an unacceptable level of non-compliance by landlords,” according to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). The latest RTB report, which covers April to June 2021, revealed a national increase of 7 per cent which isContinue Reading
2021-09-30
North Korea: the rise and rise of ‘first sister’ Kim Yo-jong
When the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, called for an end to the war on the Korea peninsula recently, the initial response was a rebuff from North Korea’s vice foreign minister. This has been the standard response from Pyongyang whenever the idea has been raised of turning the 1953 armisticeContinue Reading
2021-09-30
Keir Starmer’s first conference speech as Labour leader was a serious affair – here’s what you need to know
Keir Starmer’s first in-person conference speech as Labour leader covered a lot of ground, though there was no single piece of rhetoric to act as a governing idea. It wasn’t an Ed Miliband “one nation” moment. There was, though, a clear message: that Starmer represented a “serious” politics. He usedContinue Reading
2021-09-29
HMP Bronzefield stillbirth proves prison is not safe for pregnant women
Sakhorn/Shutterstock “Ms A”, an 18-year-old woman held on remand in HMP Bronzefield women’s prison in Middlesex, England, gave birth to her first child alone in her cell after her calls for help were ignored. A new report from the prisons and probation ombudsman provides details on Ms A’s case andContinue Reading
2021-09-29
China: removing ‘Arab-style’ features from country’s biggest mosques the latest move in campaign of Muslim assimilation
Islamic landmark in China: the Dongguan mosque in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, western China. David Stroup, Author provided In the normally quiet city of Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai province, everyday interactions between the city’s ethnic groups – Han Chinese, Hui Muslim, Tibetans, Turkic Salars and othersContinue Reading
2021-09-28
How the pandemic has changed holidaymaking in Britain
Daniel Gale/Shutterstock Restrictions on foreign travel have had a big impact on British holidaymakers over the last 18 months. In the first quarter of 2021, outbound international flights taken by UK tourists were down 94% compared to the year before, while UK cruise passengers fell from almost 2 million inContinue Reading
2021-09-28
Cork couple reveal trauma of learning their baby’s organs were incinerated
Warning: The content below contains details which may be distressing A Cork couple has spoken of the trauma of learning that their baby’s organs were incinerated abroad without their knowledge or consent. An investigation is underway at Cork University Maternity Hospital after it emerged the organs of 18 babies sentContinue Reading
2021-09-28
Labour conference: members aren’t quite tearing chunks out of each other but a distinct air of unease remains
Getting off the bus and walking to the Brighton Centre, the main venue for this year’s Labour conference, it was hard – impossible even – not to ponder on the pathetic fallacy. I’m not referring to a party that won only 202 seats in 2019 fooling itself into thinking itContinue Reading
2021-09-28