Many presidents have had a bad press – but Donald Trump’s decision to ban selected media from the White House is extreme
Donald Trump’s fight with the media has escalated with the news that five major broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC, have suspended their pool coverage of the White House. Their decision comes after the Trump administration banned CNN, along with MS Now and Politico, from the White House for alleged “fake news” […]
The challenge ahead for Andy Burnham if he wants a codified UK constitution
Flickr/House of Commons, CC BY-NC-ND Andy Burnham’s call for a codified UK constitution has revived debate about how the UK is governed. It would be a huge departure for the UK, and a major undertaking. But beyond its historic significance, there is another question: how do you make sure the population understands what the constitution […]
Two more election defeats pile pressure on German chancellor Friedrich Merz
Friedrich Merz’s demeanour was grim as he stepped before the cameras on Sunday evening to address his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party after two more disappointing state election results. Following what the German chancellor had called the CDU’s “worst defeat in many years” in Saxony-Anhalt two weeks ago, Merz described the result of Sunday’s Mecklenburg-Western […]
‘Small, flowering islands’: German city reveals how nature thrives when neighbours care for street tree beds
DirkVG/Shutterstock When Olivia Besters began caring for the patch of soil beneath the chestnut tree outside her home in Freiburg, Germany, more than 35 years ago, biodiversity was not on her mind. “It was the optics,” she told me. The ground was compacted and littered with trash and dog “legacies”. Besters simply wanted the space […]
Inclusion is central to England’s education policy – but what it means is changing
Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Inclusion has become one of the most prominent concepts in contemporary education policy in England. Its position at the centre of the Department for Education’s ambitions can be seen in recent guidance on the creation of “inclusion bases”, spaces that support pupils with additional needs, in mainstream schools. It is also present in wider […]
How a love of gossip could make you a better reader
Gossip by Charles Haigh Wood. Wikimedia In case you missed it, Rachel Cusk’s new novel Life of M has been the centre of heated online debate. Dubbed a “biogossip” (biography based on gossip) allegedly inspired by the actress Natalie Portman, the novel investigates fame, power and truth with a particular emphasis on storytelling. Much of […]
No surprise as Putin’s party wins election billed as ‘referendum’ on war in Ukraine
In one of the least surprising pieces of election news this year, preliminary results indicate that the ruling party, United Russia, is on track to retain its overwhelming majority in the national parliament, or Duma. There is a striking degree of continuity in the results of this election with the previous one. United Russia, the […]
Why the start of your run feels so difficult
Don’t give up just yet. EugeneEdge/ Shutterstock Many runners describe the first ten to 15 minutes of a run as the hardest of all. Breathing can feel laboured, the legs can feel heavy and a pace that would normally seem manageable may suddenly feel surprisingly difficult. It might be easy to assume the reason your […]
End of humanity? Blow-by-blow account of what would happen if the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted now
Around 631,000 years ago — a geological blink of an eye — catastrophe unfolded in what is now north-western Wyoming, US. During what is thought to have been a series of immense volcanic eruptions, life within hundreds of kilometres of the blasts was shattered. Ash was dispersed across much of North America and the effects […]
Can nutrients in our foods mimic calorie restriction and increase our healthspan?
Tatjana Baibakova/Shutterstock Scroll through social media and you will soon encounter advice about living longer, from fasting plans and supplements to elaborate daily routines. Yet reaching an advanced age tells us little about how healthy or independent those later years will be. Researchers often use the term healthspan for the years spent in good health, […]