Latest Stories
-
Forecasters see a new world after the pandemic
After Covid-19, will the world be reborn as a better place? Though the crisis is taking a terrible toll, some predict it will bring about far-reaching changes that will benefit humanity.
-
‘Nobody deserves such bad luck as Boris’
Does luck really exist? Three months ago, Boris Johnson was riding high. Now, he is in intensive care and his government at bay, as Britain is battered by its worst crisis since World War Two.
-
Stricken Boris Johnson in intensive care
Can government carry on with a sick leader? The tradition of covering up and carrying on is tenacious. But history shows that there is little to fear from a period of illness at the top.
-
Happy birthday to Wordsworth the eco-hero
Was Wordsworth the first ‘green’? England’s great poet of nature was born 250 years ago today, and a new biography argues that the environmental movement owes its whole existence to him.
-
Queen invokes Blitz spirit in message of hope
Can war metaphors be a mixed blessing? The Queen, last night, movingly evoked memories of World War Two. But many politicians worldwide have been less subtle in their choice of words.
-
Coronavirus, capitalism, and the cure business
Are the giant drug companies the solution not the problem? Multinational pharmaceutical companies want to make money from the pandemic, but their research may be essential to finding a vaccine.
-
Mass bleaching of Barrier Reef could go global
Are all the coral reefs going to disappear? The Great Barrier Reef has just suffered its third mass bleaching event in five years, causing huge loss in the world’s largest living structure.
-
‘The cure could be worse than the disease’
Is it worth sacrificing the economy for the coronavirus? An increasing number of experts now say that the long-term impact of Covid-19 could be more devastating than the pandemic itself.
-
All you need is love – and a cheese sandwich
Are food and love the only real things in life? At the age of 82, Britain’s greatest living painter, David Hockney, has written a moving letter telling the world his deepest convictions.
-
Keep us safe – we don’t mind how you do it
Is herd mentality creating police states? Governments have been allowed to tackle the pandemic with measures which stifle personal freedom. Many worry that these could become permanent.
-
Ice reveals mysteries behind medieval murder
Is our history written in the air? Scientists have dug up evidence in the Swiss Alps that shows how the death of an archbishop in the 12th Century led to a drop in medieval air pollution.
-
It must be true – I saw it on the internet
Can we defeat the misinformation virus? Efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic are being undermined by fake news and scams – and it is not the first crisis to be aggravated in this way.
-
Cash use halves in one week over virus fears
Will the virus be the death of cash? Last week, the use of notes and coins in the UK halved due to fears of contamination, and a new banking app was launched – for seven-year-olds.
-
‘The reckoning’: China and the virus blame game
Does China deserve to be blamed for Covid-19? As Western nations are brought to their knees, recriminations are mounting. The Chinese government is under fire as never before.
-
Brexit, Athens, and a lesson from history
Can an ancient Greek general shine a light on Britain’s future? Coronavirus has suddenly made Boris Johnson’s career look uncannily similar to that of his hero, the Athenian leader Pericles.