World breaks hottest day record twice in a week
The record for the world’s hottest day has tumbled twice in one week, according to the European climate change service. On Monday the global average surface air temperature reached 17.15C, breaking the record of 17.09C set on Sunday. It beats the record set in July 2023, and it could break again this week. Parts of […]
Russia’s advance and the return of Trump
BBC/Joe Phua Anastasiia Bolvihina fled the besieged city of Pokrovsk with her two sons As the Russian army slowly advances in eastern Ukraine, it’s driving a tide of human suffering before it. With two months to go before a change of administration in Washington, Ukraine is wrestling with two problems: how to stem the advance, […]
Is Boris Johnson out of touch over household bill fears?
PA Media Boris Johnson may be in New York, but he can’t avoid problems at home Energy price rises have been as dizzying as New York’s skyscrapers – but Boris Johnson was reluctant to acknowledge the squeeze on supply was anything more than a short-term problem. The government has managed to broker a deal on […]
100 Women: Suffragists or suffragettes
Getty Images “Women’s vote won” declared the Manchester Guardian following 6 February 1918. The passing of the Representation of the People Act had extended voting rights to women over the age of 30 who owned property for the first time. In this centenary year a group of women called the suffragettes will be much celebrated. […]
Anti-groping stamp lets victims mark assailants
Shachihata An anti-groping device aimed at tackling sexual harassment on public transport has been launched in Japan. It allows victims to mark their assailants with an invisible ink stamp in the shape of a hand. People can then use the device’s black light to identify those who have been marked. The firm involved says it […]
London 2012: China’s swimmers stand on verge of new era
This year, Sun Yang hopes to change that. Zhang has not made the team; Sun has inherited his mantle and leads the world this year over the 400m and 1500m. In his other event, the 200m free, he is fifth-fastest. He is a relative unknown outside his sport, but undoubtedly a name to watch at […]
How US fraud charges against him impact India’s economy and politics
Getty Images Mr Adani’s sprawling $169bn empire spans ports and renewable energy Just weeks ago, Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, celebrated Donald Trump’s election victory and announced plans to invest $10bn (£7.9bn) in energy and infrastructure projects in the US. Now, the 62-year-old Indian billionaire and a close ally of Prime Minister […]
‘We all have to face up to clothes’ climate impact’
How can fashion become more sustainable? Fashion is the third-largest manufacturing industry in the world and, by some calculations, it produces up to 10% of the world’s emissions. But with climate change coming into sharper focus, for many people the environmental credentials of clothes are fast becoming as important as their style and price. The […]
Is snap election just a contingency or plan A?
AFP Only three days into his premiership and Boris Johnson has a lot to reflect on He’s reckless. He flies by the seat of his pants. He is a circus act. That’s the view not – or not only – of the Labour opposition, but of a Conservative who worked closely with Boris Johnson, former […]
Japan to fund AI matchmaking to boost birth rate
Getty Images Japan has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates Japan plans to boost its tumbling birth rate by funding artificial intelligence matchmaking schemes to help residents find love. From next year it will subsidise local governments already running or starting projects that use AI to pair people up. Last year the number of […]