Electric motorcycles gain traction in Benin
In Benin’s capital city, Cotonou, motorcycle taxi drivers are switching to electric vehicles to reduce air pollution and promote sustainable green urban transport. In Africa, motorcycles are largely the vehicle of choice as they’re quick, convenient, and cheap. More than 250,000 motorcycle taxi drivers reside in Benin’s capital city of Cotonou...
Current in Change
Understanding India’s Maoist insurgency
The Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s and is one of India’s biggest internal security issues. These rebels fight against the neglect of tribal people and the rural poor, aiming to eventually establish communist rule using force. Over the last couple of years, they have seized control over certain...
Jack Wills capitalises on Blackness in cringeworthy rebrand
The preppy-cool brand that dominated the early 2010s is distancing from its past after major losses. But Jack Wills has come under fire for commodifying the same people it originally excluded. Jack Wills was once king of the high-street. The brand’s navy gilets and polo shirts, striped bedding and matching...
Tate gallery pays six-figure settlement to three artists
In a huge breakthrough, Tate – one of the biggest institutions in the world – has payed a six-figure legal settlement to three artists after the gallery was sued for victimisation and race discrimination. When I read on Sunday that Tate had agreed to pay Amy Sharrocks and Jade Montserrat...
Cities are becoming too hot for trees
According to a new study, climate change is threatening the health and survival of trees grown in urban areas to keep them cool, with more than half of the species already feeling the heat. If you spent your summer in a city, likelihood is you were forced to endure...
Exclusive – Sophia Kianni on why knowledge is key to climate justice
Gen Z activist Sophia Kianni founded Climate Cardinals; a non-profit organisation dedicated to closing the climate translation gap. She believes that education is the most valuable tool in the fight to safeguard our planet’s future. At just 20 years old, Sophia Kianni is both the youngest member on the...
How the climate crisis has changed perspectives on city design
Architectural innovation will be absolutely vital to help us withstand life in a warmer world. What will future buildings look like and how can we adapt the ones that currently stand? Cities are nothing without their multi-storey buildings and iconic, shiny, glass skyscrapers. We’ve become accustomed to gawking at their modern, funky shapes (the Shard and Gherkin come to mind) and hardly hesitate to kink our necks to admire their...
Everything you need to know about International Youth Day
Established in 1999, International Youth Day occurs every year on August 12. Here’s everything you need to know, including this year’s theme and the rundown on which online webinars to look out for. Friday August 12 is International Youth Day, an annual event designated by the United Nations to bring attention to cultural and legal issues related to young people such as mental health, the climate crisis, education, safe spaces,...
High fashion brands remix their logos for sustainable collections
As consumers demand increased transparency from the fashion industry, high fashion brands are reimagining their iconic logos for sustainable collections. But are these logos simply pretty tokens designed to mask shady practices? Logomania isn’t dead, despite what fashion editorials and blogs want you to think. With the emergence of every new season comes claims that apparel printed with name brands are ‘out’, only to be later refuted by handfuls of...
London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for UK government to freeze rent
As housing prices soar and moving becomes near impossible due to increased competition, the mayor of London is asking the government to freeze rent – potentially saving city-dwellers £3,000 over the next two years. Finding a home in London right now is nothing short of crisis-inducing. Locating a flat that doesn’t induce claustrophobia or bankruptcy, securing a viewing, and having an offer accepted are three separate hurdles – none of which...
