Category: The Conversation
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The US Environmental Protection Agency’s retreat from science endangers the health of people and the planet
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Scott Glaberman, Associate Professor of Comparative Toxicology, University of Birmingham Andromeda stock/Shutterstock Pollution causes more illness and early death than any other environmental threat, accounting for one in six deaths worldwide. For decades, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) has…
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Israel is exploiting the vacuum left by southern Syria’s sectarian clashes and a weak state
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rob Geist Pinfold, Lecturer in International Security, King’s College London Several days of bitter sectarian fighting in the south of Syria has brought the fledgling government in Damascus dangerously close to direct conflict with Israel, after Israeli warplanes launched strikes against government buildings in the Syrian…
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Automatic voter registration: a huge step forward for democracy – and a chance to bring missing millions into elections
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Toby James, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of East Anglia Shutterstock/Melinda Nagy The UK government has announced planned changes to elections which it claims to be “the boldest and most ambitious change to our democracy for decades”. This includes extending the franchise to 16-…
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Britain’s ban on lead ammunition could save tens of thousands of birds from poisoning
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Deborah Pain, Visiting Academic, University of Cambridge; Honorary Professor, University of East Anglia, University of Cambridge CHUYKO SERGEY/Shutterstock The UK’s environment minister Emma Hardy has announced a ban on toxic lead ammunition to protect Britain’s countryside. This ban includes the sale and use for hunting of…
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Going on holiday? What you need to know about taking your meds with you
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock As summer holidays begin, many travellers are packing more than just swimsuits and sunscreen – for millions, medicines are essential. But taking them abroad isn’t always simple. From legal pitfalls to temperature-sensitive drugs, here’s how…
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Bluetongue outbreak endangers UK livestock – what you need to know about the virus
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Cate Williams, Knowledge Exchange Fellow at Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University Bluetongue causes illness and death in cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants. Juice Flair/Shutterstock A tiny midge, no bigger than a pinhead, is bringing UK farming to its knees. The culprit?…
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How to understand the row between Angela Rayner and Unite – and what it means for Labour’s relationship with the unions
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Eric Shaw, Honorary Research Fellow in Politics, University of Stirling At its recent conference in Brighton, the union Unite voted overwhelmingly to expel deputy prime minister Angela Rayner from membership. The successful motion denounced the way Birmingham’s Labour council has handled a pay dispute with the…
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Lions rugby tour: why visual training, including juggling, can be a secret weapon in elite sports
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Zoe Wimshurst, Senior Lecturer of Sport Psychology, Health Sciences University Odua Images/Shutterstock Much of the pre-series attention on the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia has been on injuries, player omissions and personal rivalries. One of those rivalries involves the Australian sensation Joseph-Akuso Suaalii…
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Afghan data leak: how selective state secrecy and cover-ups can harm civilians
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Victoria Canning, Professor of Criminology, Lancaster University In 2022, somebody in the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) mistakenly shared a spreadsheet containing the personal information associated with 18,714 Afghans and their family members. This data breach, and the efforts to cover it up, raises serious questions…
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Going on holiday? Here’s how to make sure your trip is sustainable
Source: ForeignAffairs4 Source: The Conversation – UK – By Sayed Elhoushy, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Queen Mary University of London Anna Om/Shutterstock With the rise of sustainable tourism (travelling in a way that minimises harm to the environment, and benefits local communities), words such as “sustainable”, “”eco” and “green” appear on countless holiday brochures. From…