If he wants to secure legitimacy for electoral reform, Andy Burnham must stick to these rules
Andy Burnham has announced a national commission on electoral reform, and made a commitment to put changing the voting system in Labour’s next general election manifesto. The implication seems to be that he wants to enact reform without a referendum. That aspiration is understandable. The UK last held a referendum on the voting system in […]
America’s final military withdrawal from Iraq is a major bonus for Iran
The last of the US-led coalition forces are leaving Iraq. It’s a significant bonus for Iran. The withdrawal date, September 30, was also the date by which Baghdad had pledged to bring numerous powerful Iran-backed militias under state control. But this deadline looks certain to be missed. This effectively means that, at a moment when […]
Burnham delivered honesty and emotion – but what about the promises? Our experts assess his plans
In his first party conference speech as prime minister, Andy Burnham pledged to change the country – but warned of pain ahead as he puts his ideas into action. A panel of experts assesses his chances of success. Risking it all for social care Catherine Needham, Professor of Public Policy and Public Management, University of […]
How can the same El Niño cause drought in one part of the world and floods in another?
Sea surface temperatures on August 25, 2026, compared to 1991-2020. The red streak of hot water is evidence of a strong El Niño. EU Copernicus Marine Service, CC BY-SA The Pacific Ocean is warming unusually quickly, and this year’s El Niño has already surpassed previous records. Forecasters expect it to strengthen even further before approaching […]
US tech leaders are urgently calling for rules on AI – China already has them
Recent warnings from American AI leaders have created the impression that the world is only beginning to confront the dangers of advanced artificial intelligence. Dario Amodei, chief executive of tech company Anthropic, has called for governments to intervene to slow the development of increasingly powerful AI models. His proposal begins with independent evaluators embedded inside […]
Wolves did not save Yellowstone – why were we so desperate to believe they did?
You might be among the 46 million people who’ve seen a video showing how wolves changed Yellowstone, or you may have heard some other version of this story. Yellowstone, which covers nearly 3,500 square miles of the western United States, was the world’s first national park. Its pioneering reintroduction of wolves, which began in 1995, […]
AI has made borrowing more expensive – an expert explains how bond markets are changing
Sven Hansche/Shutterstock The global bond markets are a sensitive lot. And they’ve been having a particularly tricky time lately. Spooked by high inflation, high interest rates and high levels of government debt across the world, those markets have become less stable over the summer. The prices of government bonds – what governments sell to investors […]
Taylor Swift: my database of her 123,553 lyrics reveals hidden patterns
“It seems like all I ever do is change”, Taylor Swift writes in the prologue to the bestselling album 1989 (Taylor’s Version), released in 2014. In fact, change is a core part of the Swift marketing machine, which revolves around the evolution of her “eras”. Since the release of her debut album in 2006, Swift […]
From sausage rolls to full breakfasts, class has shaped the foods that define English identity
Breakfast by Alfred Janes. Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales, CC BY-NC English food is often perceived as ancient and reassuringly unchanging. Podcast host Lewis Bassett’s new book The Full English: The Ways We Eat and Why makes that view harder to sustain. Bassett’s sociological approach shows how urbanisation, empire, industry and […]
Sudden confusion in an older relative? Don’t assume it’s a urine infection
Sudden confusion in an older person needs urgent medical assessment, even when a urine test finds bacteria. Inside Creative House/Shutterstock Urinary tract infections can cause sudden confusion, known as delirium, in older people. But finding bacteria in someone’s urine does not necessarily explain their confusion, and the real cause may lie elsewhere. An older person […]