Burlingham/Shutterstock Drones have become the signature tool of 21st-century warfare, particularly by US forces in the “war on terror”. The fundamental rationale for drone use relies on their “surgical precision”, supposedly saving civilian lives. But headlines show us this isn’t true. A recent US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan mistakenlyContinue Reading
Why on Earth does Apple’s iPhone 13 still have an intrusive black slab cut out of its screen? Many others manage just fine withoutContinue Reading
In the two decades that followed the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, significant progress was made in education in Afghanistan. By 2017, the number of schools had more than quintupled. School enrolment, from grades one to twelve, had reached 9.2 million pupils, 39% of whom were girls. ThisContinue Reading
Only a few weeks after the Haiti earthquake, aid agencies on the ground are only starting to deal with the challenges. In doing so they need to apply the lessons they should have learned from the response to the previous catastrophic earthquake in January 2010. At the end of AugustContinue Reading
Luigi Di Sarno was part of a team of specialist advisers brought in to help the government of Haiti prepare for future earthquakes after 200,000 people were killed in 2010. Over a decade later, very few of their recommendations had been adopted. It was about 8.30am, local time, on AugustContinue Reading
Halfpoint/Shutterstock The UK government has opened consultations on mandatory vaccination for frontline health and social care staff in England. The plans could require vaccination against COVID-19 and flu for workers who come into contact with patients and those receiving care. A policy like this will have implications for the humanContinue Reading
Shutterstock/BasPhoto Unemployment levels will be an important test of the economic impact of COVID-19. Some sectors have seen employees furloughed en masse, and the longer-term effect on businesses could mean that many lose their jobs permanently. Aside from causing financial difficulties, unemployment can take its toll emotionally and psychologically. ResearchContinue Reading
Britain’s birth rates are plunging. The number of babies being born has been in steep decline since 2017. Now, researchers are investigating early signs that the pandemic may have caused rates to drop even further. This is not totally surprising given the difficult economic conditions that have come with theContinue Reading
The chairperson of one of Ireland’s largest hospital groups has quit her role, citing government failures to deliver reforms in the health service as the reason for her departure. As the Irish Examiner reports, Professor Geraldine McCarthy, chair of the board of the South/SouthWest Hospital Group, has become the latestContinue Reading
As TikTok goes from strength to strength, Instagram is suffering from an identity crisis under the ever-closer control of FacebookContinue Reading
