I attended SB62 and was disappointed by the Africa agenda ahead of COP30
As the curtains fall on the UNβs 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) in Bonn, Germany, one thing is clear: Africa is running out of patience. Hailed as the technical prelude to COP30 in Brazil, SB62 was meant to set the tone for what many hope will...
Current in Change
Does Notting Hill Carnival have a future?
The beloved street party is at risk due to funding cuts and public safety concerns. But protecting it is in our best interests. Sunday 22nd June marked Windrush Day, an annual commemoration of the date thousands of Caribbeanβs were shipped over the the UK in the 1950s. A large portion of...
Is Iran about to disrupt the global oil and gas industry?
With tensions in the Middle East reaching boiling point, Iran intends to escalate the situation globally by taking steps to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime point for oil trade. Just days ago, the United States decided to dip its feet into the currently disordered Middle...
Why both Hotspur Press Building and Manchesterβs residents are gutted
Irresponsible and unprosecuted fires in historical buildings are putting peopleβs lives and wellbeing at risk so that development companies can continue to increase the wages going into their pockets. On Monday the disused Hotspur Press Building in Manchester city centre, left derelict for decades, went up in flames. The fire...
The rise of the billionaire βmega-weddingβ
Lavish ceremonies and grotesque budgets are still on the rise, despite the social and environmental fallout. In case you missed the Parisian bachelorette, flanked by a star-studded girl group of Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry, plus Kris Jennerβs new face β or perhaps the firm backlash from Venetian residents, who...
What Franceβs syringe attacks say about fear, femininity, and freedom
Hundreds of guests at the annual FΓͺte de la Musique were stabbed with syringes this weekend β the majority of them were women. Millions of people took the streets of France on Saturday to celebrate the annual FΓͺte de la Musique, a day dedicated to music, dancing, and collective self-expression. But as...
Vaccine progress for children stalling worldwide say experts
A combination of vaccine scepticism, cuts to international aid budgets and the pandemic has lead to a stall and even reversal of vaccination programmes for children, experts warn. A new global study has revealed that progress in vaccinating children against various life-threatening diseases has stalled over the past two decades. It has even reversed in some countries. Experts are urging for a greater effort to provide more accessibility to vaccines across...
Experts warn two years left of carbon budget to meet 1.5C targets
We only have two years left to lower our global carbon emissions if we want to meet the 1.5C of warming target, experts have warned. More news about the climate crisis this week and, unfortunately, itβs not exactly positive. Scientists are warning that the globe has only two years left of carbon budget if we are to keep worldwide temperature increases below 1.5C. This means that we can still emit...
Dutch government returns historical artworks looted from Nigeria
With countries increasingly reflecting on their colonial history, museums face a serious question: is it moral to keep historical artefacts that were taken in bad faith? More than 130 years after they were stolen by British troops, 119 Benin Bronzes have been repatriated by the Dutch government to their country of origin: Nigeria. Around the world, those campaigning for museums to return artifacts stolen during war and colonial conquests have celebrated...
Was Primavera Sound more about commercial gain than political activism?
As part of a festival overtly expressing their support for Palestine and the LGBTQ+ community, did some of Primavera Soundβs acts fall short when it came to using their platforms this year? With the slogan βNobody is Normalβ, and a lign-up made up, deliberately, of 40% male, 40% female, and 20% mixed/non-binary artists, as well as all-female headline acts, Primavera Sound Festivalβs progressive stance on identity politics and gender representation...