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Ireland tops euro zone countries for economic growth
Euro zone gross domestic product (GDP) grew by slightly more than initially estimated, with Ireland showing the strongest growth at 2.3 per cent. Data from the European statistics agency Eurostat revealed household spending and business investment is propping up the economies of the 19 euro zone members. Eurostat said GDPContinue Reading
Labour’s plan to reform politics doesn’t go far enough – here’s what evidence shows will really stop governments hoarding power
In a major report for the Labour party, former prime minister Gordon Brown has proposed a number of reforms to address some of the UK’s glaring institutional problems. He recommends reforming the House of Lords, so that it is elected and far smaller than its current size, as well asContinue Reading
Ian Blackford resigns: five times the SNP’s leader in Westminster used parliamentary rules to shake things up
Ian Blackford speaks during the state opening of parliament in 2019. UK Parliament/Flickr, CC BY-NC Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster, has announced that he is resigning from the post. Having survived two attempts by his own MPs to remove him already this year, there is speculationContinue Reading
Code-switching: the pressure on people to change how they speak
mentatdgt/Shutterstock Have you found yourself altering how you speak when you find yourself in a more formal situation? Do you tone down your accent or stay away from words that may only be known in the area you are from? If so, you may already be experienced in code-switching. InContinue Reading
The Netflix of narrative gaming? Meet London-based studio ElectricNoir
Combining the capital’s iconic landmarks with cutting-edge storytelling, ElectricNoir is a studio on a mission: to create mobile-first video games in which the player is the hero of their own story. This week, it will be releasing a version of its interactive story platform, Scriptic, on Netflix’s new dedicated gamingContinue Reading
A liver disease drug could be repurposed to protect against COVID – new research
This drug could be effective regardless of the COVID variant. Explode/Shutterstock Almost three years into the pandemic, we’re still regularly seeing hundreds of thousands of new COVID cases recorded each day worldwide. In a new study, involving a combination of miniature organ models, donor organs, animals and humans, we’ve shownContinue Reading
What’s really going on when a child is ‘overtired’ – and how to help them go to sleep
G-Stock Studio/Shutterstock Anyone who’s cared for a young child will recognise the signs. They’ve had too little sleep or missed a nap, they’re cranky, tearful, and stroppy, and they can’t or won’t fall sleep. They are “overtired”. But is such a thing really possible – to be more tired thanContinue Reading
Horse trainer hit with huge string of ‘proven’ charges including ‘corrupt’ passing of insider info for betting purposes
HORSE trainer Ronan McNally has been hit with a massive string of ‘proven’ charges – including the alleged passing of insider info for betting purposes. The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board released a giant charge sheet aimed at McNally and several others on Tuesday. 1 McNally has been accused of doingContinue Reading
Measles: why the World Health Organization has declared it an ‘imminent global threat’
One consequence of the pandemic was reduced access to routine healthcare and lower uptake of immunisations. As a result, in November 2022, the World Health Organization declared measles to be an “imminent threat in every region of the world”. They described how a record number of nearly 40 million childrenContinue Reading
Crabs have evolved five separate times – why do the same forms keep appearing in nature?
Full size blue crab Charles Darwin believed evolution created “endless forms most beautiful”. It’s a nice sentiment but it doesn’t explain why evolution keeps making crabs. Scientists have long wondered whether there are limits to what evolution can do or if Darwin had the right idea. The truth may lieContinue Reading