Global pharmaceutical supply derailed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
A regional war that first threatened oil supplies is now threatening the lifeline of the healthcare industry: medicines. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is widely framed as an energy crisis, but its consequences extend far beyond oil. Beneath the headlines a larger, potentially more dangerous disruption is...
Current in Change
Breaking down the UK-France £662m migration pact
With irregular migration rates on the rise, the new deal involves aggressive physical intervention and conditional pay to prevent the influx of migrants afflicting the UK. Though it peaked in 2015, the European migration crisis continues to dominate many parliamentary discussions to this day. With millions being displaced by...
Dynamic pricing is coming for the World Cup
Ticket prices for the tournament final have reached the tens-of-thousands, and fans have been left clamouring for overpriced, poorly positioned seats. As FIFA squeezes out every dollar, does the organisation risk alienating a dedicated fanbase? Football is a global phenomenon. And for all the team rivalry, it’s a sport that...
Addressing youth mental health in conflict zones
For communities living through ongoing conflict, mental health is not a separate crisis. It is built into the conditions of everyday life. At present, there are 61 active conflicts happening across the globe. So, let’s not dress this up in a polite way: communities grappling with constant wars and hostilities...
Countries convene in Colombia on breaking fossil fuel reliance
Governments from nearly 50 countries will gather in Santa Marta this week to discuss the global move away from oil, gas, and coal. Will it prove useful, or are we looking at more COP-esque posturing? International climate diplomacy reminds me of my own tendency to hit the snooze button on...
What a failing Atlantic Current means for Europe and North America
Recent studies have found that the AMOC is approaching a collapse sooner than expected, prompting concerns over unstable weather patterns, rising in sea levels, and critically, national security threats. When we think of climate change, we usually think about increased heat and the resulting melting ice sheets. In recent times, it...
Parenthood is costing women their academic careers
Studies show a direct correlation between motherhood and a decline in academic tenure, with one in three women leaving academia after becoming mothers. When I was a student, I remember being struck by how many women were on my Art History course. Out of our 50-or-so cohort, I could count the men on one hand. But it was a very different picture when you looked at the staff. We had several...
Meet Gen Z talent Gout Gout: the fastest U20 athlete ever
At just 18 years old, Australia’s Gout Gout has arguably become the world’s fastest under 20 in 200 metres race With an amazing time of 19.67 seconds for the 200 metres event, Gout Gout holds the fastest world under-20 time, making him the fastest athlete under twenty years old in history. But it is not only the fastest among the youngsters, it places him alongside the best sprinters period. At the...
Meet the first woman manager in men’s major-league football
Marie-Louise Eta has been appointed as head coach for one of Germany’s top-tier clubs. Women’s sport has come a long way in the past five years. With major victories for the Lionesses and an upswing in attendance at women’s sporting events, the playing field is finally levelling out. But for an industry so deeply entrenched in outdated gender ideals, and framed by income inequality, female wins within the sporting world...
How did Mississippi transform its education system?
One of the poorest US states has steadily transformed its education system since 2013, in what many have dubbed ‘the Mississippi miracle’. In 2013, Mississippi recorded some of the lowest numbers when it came to children’s reading ability. But through a global pandemic, which hit education nationwide, the state (one of the poorest in the US), has pulled off what some have dubbed ‘the Mississippi miracle’. Moving from the bottom of...
