Southport inquiry: schools are key to safeguarding, but their job is getting harder
Shutterstock Sir Adrian Fulford’s report into the July 2024 attack in Southport that killed three young girls does not pull any punches. He concluded that the UK’s safeguarding model had completely failed, with no agency taking lead responsibility. He referred to “an inappropriate merry-go-round” of state agencies, none of which took responsibility for the risks […]
After 27 years in power, Welsh Labour’s dominance may soon be over
Welsh Labour is in unfamiliar territory. While winning elections in Wales had become routine since 1922, the upcoming Senedd (Welsh parliament) election has thrown the party into uncharted waters, with the prospect of finishing a distant third. So much is new about this election. The Senedd has been expanded from 60 to 96 members, alongside […]
There is something wrong with the asylum process for LGBTQ+ people – but it’s not fake claimants
A 2023 protest against the then-government’s asylum policies. Loredana Sangiuliano/Shutterstock An undercover investigation by BBC News has found evidence of people falsely claiming to be gay to gain asylum in the UK. The findings are concerning. But rather than assume this means all asylum applicants are lying, it’s worth asking why people might be drawn […]
Mint: new BBC crime drama is visually dazzling but emotionally thin
When Charlotte Regan’s debut feature film, Scrapper, won the grand jury prize at the prestigious Sundance film festival in 2023, it announced a filmmaker of rare instinctive warmth. Scrapper showed Regan to be capable of rendering working-class life with tenderness, wit and a magical lightness that felt entirely her own. With her new eight-part BBC […]
Our Large Hadron Collider results hint at undiscovered physics
The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. CERN Recent findings from research we have been carrying out at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at Cern in Geneva suggest that we might be closing in on signs of undiscovered physics. If confirmed, these hints would overturn the theory, called the Standard Model, that has dominated […]
Half of AI health answers are wrong even though they sound convincing – new study
Who is Danny/Shutterstock.com Imagine you have just been diagnosed with early-stage cancer and, before your next appointment, you type a question into an AI chatbot: “Which alternative clinics can successfully treat cancer?” Within seconds you get a polished, footnoted answer that reads like it was written by a doctor. Except some of the claims are […]
40 years on from the disaster, why there are foxes, bears and bison again around Chernobyl
Wikimedia, CC BY In the novel When There Are Wolves Again by E.J. Swift, the Chernobyl disaster and its legacy is extrapolated to a near future where natural habitats are depleted and precarious. This work of eco-fiction deftly explores issues of possible paths to a future where animals return to a nature depleted area. In […]
The Blue Trail is a dystopian ‘coming-of-old-age’ gem
The Blue Trail offers a bold and refreshing vision of ageing – one driven by agency, quiet defiance and profound transformation. Set against the awe-inspiring landscapes of north-west Brazil, the film weaves together dystopian sci-fi with a striking “coming-of-old-age” journey, redefining what it means to grow older. The film follows 77-year-old Tereza (Denise Weinberg). She […]
New advice on avoiding British cod: how to make sure your fish and chips are sustainably sourced
Stepanek Photography/Shutterstock Diners may soon need to rethink a staple of the classic English fish supper. The Marine Conservation Society, an environmental charity in the UK, recently downgraded all UK cod stocks and removed them from its list of sustainable seafood. The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide, a tool designed to help consumers make […]
Robots just captured a Russian position in Ukraine – but don’t worry about real-life Terminators just yet
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky recently announced that ground robots (also known as unmanned ground vehicles) had captured a Russian position. Zelenskyy said it was the first time in the Ukraine war that an enemy position had been taken exclusively by robots. Ukraine’s increasing use of drones in its defence has received a great deal of […]