Ann Widdecombe killing: why police have told the public – including Nigel Farage – not to speculate
The death of 78-year-old Ann Widdecombe would have been surprising no matter the circumstances. The former Conservative minister and ex-Reform UK spokeswoman appeared to be in good health, giving an interview just minutes before her suspected killing. Yet, it is the nature of her death – now being investigated by counter-terrorism police – that is […]
What if disabled astronauts are just better suited to space?
yucelyilmaz/Shutterstock The UK Space Agency and space startup Vast just signed an agreement to send Paralympic sprinter and below-knee amputee John McFall into orbit as early as 2027. Most coverage framed it as a victory for inclusion. As a space health researcher, I think something far more interesting happened. For 70 years, spaceflight has assumed […]
Confused about your building’s energy performance? Here’s how to understand Europe’s new labels
Bartolomiej Pietrzyk/Shutterstock Imagine an apartment that could be teleported across Europe. In Spain, its energy certificate might read D. In Germany, the same apartment could earn a C on a scale that runs to H. In Brussels, it might land on B, one of more than 15 subclasses. In the Netherlands, where the scale climbs […]
Ukraine war: Belarus’s highwire act teeters under Russian pressure
The Belarusian dictator, Alexander Lukashenko, spoke at a ceremony for military graduates and officers on July 6. He predictably mentioned the war in neighbouring Ukraine. “No one is going to send you into this slaughter,” he assured them, “we do not need war; it is tragic that it is going on in Ukraine.” Yet, arguably, […]
Confessions II: a euphoric return to form that reveals a more vulnerable Madonna
Madonna’s much-anticipated Confessions II has just broken official chart records, making her the first American woman to earn number one albums across five decades. It’s her tenth number one record. A kind of sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dancefloor, it marks a euphoric return to form, released seven years after her last album, Madame […]
Taxi Driver at 50: how Martin Scorsese’s film foreshadowed the manosphere
As plumes of steam rise and dissipate from the grates of New York in the opening frames of Taxi Driver, we see the unsettled brown eyes of Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro in a career-defining role. The second of Martin Scorsese’s successful collaborations with De Niro, the pair went on to make another […]
How Thomas Tuchel thinks differently: by an expert in football coaching
As a football coach, Thomas Tuchel has done things differently to many of his colleagues. For example, it is extremely rare for lower league footballers to become the head coaches of top sides. But that’s what Tuchel did, playing as a defender in Germany’s bottom tiers, before going on to manage elite teams like Paris […]
Donald Trump is running out of options in Iran
Serious hostilities between the US and Iran have resumed. On July 8, Donald Trump said that the ceasefire agreed by the two countries in June was “over”. Since then, he has ordered the US military to carry out intensive airstrikes on Iran and has reimposed an economic blockade of the country. The US president has […]
Newborn screening: why clear communication matters as testing expands
Sebw/Shutterstock “I think you always believe it’s never going to happen to me.” That is how one parent described learning that their newborn baby had been identified as being at possible risk of a rare genetic condition through routine newborn screening. Known as the newborn blood spot test, or heel prick test, this involves taking […]
Competitive youth sport: how to be a supportive parent
wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock “Concentrate!” A stern face, intense look and arms across the chest. A one-word order for primary-aged daughters. It’s the start of a tennis lesson, and the children have already clocked two hours of practice with their dad beforehand. It doesn’t stop there. The stories of unkind adult behaviour at youth sport events are endless, […]