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After the Beirut blast, the international community must stop propping up Lebanon’s broken political system
The finger of blame for the Beirut explosion is pointing at Lebanon’s corrupt and criminally negligent political leadership. Amid continuing protests, the government of prime minister Hassan Diab resigned on August 10, though ministers will stay on in a caretaker role until a new cabinet is formed. The international communityContinue Reading
Boxgrove: how we found Europe’s oldest bone tools – and what we learned about their makers
Tool made out of horse bone. UCL Institute of Archaeology, Author provided Boxgrove in Sussex, England, is an iconic, old stone age site. This is where the oldest human remains in Britain have been discovered – fossils of Homo heidelbergensis. Part of an exceptionally preserved 26km-wide ancient landscape of stone,Continue Reading
Coronavirus: does the common cold protect you from COVID?
Grzegorz Placzek/Shutterstock An article in Science recently generated a lot of interest by providing a possible explanation of why COVID-19 can be deadly to some yet go virtually unnoticed in others. Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California showed that infection with common cold coronaviruses can generate anContinue Reading
What the coronavirus pandemic looks like for Colombia’s former FARC fighters
Communities all over the world are trying to manage the coronavirus crisis, with varying amounts of support from governments. We contacted people who used to fight in the guerrilla movement The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), to see how they were coping. These men and women often live communallyContinue Reading
Young people’s mental health deteriorated the most during the pandemic, study finds
Fizkes/Shutterstock Public health responses to the pandemic have focused on preventing the spread of the virus, limiting the number of deaths and easing the burden on healthcare systems. But there’s also potentially another, less visible epidemic we should be focusing on: mental illness. Our recent study found that people’s mentalContinue Reading
To reduce unemployment, companies should cut hours instead of laying off staff
Coronavirus is causing a spike in unemployment. Shutterstock.com Unemployment is rising sharply in the UK. Large sections of the workforce also face redundancy as the furlough scheme is phased out. It is clear that, without a radical shift in policy, many millions of workers will confront real hardship. We knowContinue Reading
Belarus shuts down internet as thousands protest election results · Global Voices
Alexander Lukashenka has secured a sixth consecutive term as president Screenshots of attempts to access Apple’s App Store, YouTube, and the Golos website during presidential elections in Belarus on August 9, 2020. Photo (c): Franak Viačorka. Used with permission. A loudspeaker on a stage in Minsk plays Viktor Tsoi‘s “Change,”Continue Reading
Human rights defenders and journalists under attack in Southeast Asia · Global Voices
The crowd in front of the Criminal Court flashing the three-finger ‘Hunger Games’ salute after the ruling on Anon and Panupong’s temporary detention request. Photo and caption from Prachatai, a content partner of Global Voices. Since July 31, several human rights activists and journalists across Southeast Asia have been arrested,Continue Reading
Scotland’s exam result crisis: assessment and social justice in a time of COVID-19
Shutterstock Anger and confusion followed the release of this year’s Scottish Qualification Agency (SQA) results, the first of the UK nations to publish school results in the aftermath of COVID-19. About one quarter of teacher-recommended grades were changed: most were downgraded, and this was more likely to happen to pupilsContinue Reading