UK changes its tune on Israeli policies in the West Bank
There’s been a broad spectrum of reactions to the UK government’s decision to introduce a ban on trade in goods and services from illegal Israeli settlements. These have ranged from “it’s about time”, to “too little, too late” to “pathetic undergraduate politics” (this last from someone I was chatting to after the announcement was made […]
Practical Magic 2 will bewitch fans despite its flimsy premise
It’s gen X nostalgia in full swing. I’m with my sister, who’s dressed in a floral maxi dress and slim-knit cardigan, surrounded by satin baby-dolls and goth-light outfits worn by the tattooed gen Zees and witchTok millennials. Three generations all queuing for Practical Magic 2 in gleeful anticipation, after a gap of 27 years. Nicole […]
How to help your garden recover from a heatwave
Hydrangeas struggle with moisture but may re-shoot from the base of the plant. Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock UK gardens took a battering this summer as a heat dome settled over western Europe, and much of the green and pleasant land turned a dusty beige. Some areas went without rain for almost two months. The “joy of gardening” […]
Heatwaves are making toxic algae worse, but the real problem is what we are putting into our rivers and lakes
This summer’s heat brought warnings about harmful algal blooms across Britain and Ireland. In August, swimmers were warned not to enter a newly designated bathing site on the River Thames at Ham and Kingston after blue-green algae were detected. The swimming section of an Ironman event in Leeds was also cancelled because of a bloom […]
Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history – from witch bottles to ‘hag stones’
Woodcut of witches flying from The History of Witches and Wizards (1720). Wellcome Library Virtually all cultures and epochs fizz with magic. You might call it a secret ingredient of human life, because magic takes so many forms and serves so many functions. One relatively new area of research among historians and archaeologists focuses on […]
Cate Blanchett’s Electra/Persona at the National Theatre is a surreal triumph
Written and directed by Benedict Andrews, Electra/Persona is two plays conjoined. The first is a version of Sophocles’ ancient Greek tragedy Electra, and the second is a stage adaptation of the 1966 Ingmar Bergman film Persona. In Sophocles’ play, Electra seeks vengeance for her father, Agamemnon, who upon returning from war was murdered by her […]
Twenty-five years after 9/11: an over-reliance on technology is leaving us vulnerable
It has been 25 years since the devastating attacks of September 11 2001. Amid the reflection that followed emerged the most comprehensive examination of any terrorist attack in history, the 9/11 Commission Report. Several statements in this forensic diagnosis continue to shape our understanding of those events. These range from the intelligence systems that were […]
Why a small leftist party may help the radical right to power in Germany
The extreme right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has won a decisive victory in a regional election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, gaining nearly 44% of the vote. However, it fell just short of the outright majority needed to govern alone, so negotiations are underway to determine who will run the state. One small party, […]
How Donald Trump’s war in Iran is failing the legitimacy test in the eyes of US voters
Donald Trump now has a new proposed timetable for his war with Iran, albeit without a clear purpose. Heading to the Republicans’ midterm convention in Texas this week, the US president told reporters the war would end “immediately after the election”. This is coming from a president seven months into a conflict that he predicted […]
Snakebites kill tens of thousands every year, could our new research change that?
Every year, between 80,000 and 140,000 people die from snakebites worldwide. Hundreds of thousands more are left with amputated limbs or permanent disabilities. India accounts for roughly half of these deaths, with around 58,000 people dying from snakebites each year. Many of the victims are farmers, labourers and children in rural communities, bitten while working […]