Sharks are vacating struggling reefs as oceans heat up
As ocean temperatures rise, sharks are starting to abandon degraded coral reefs. Researchers warn that this shift could have devastating effects on both endangered shark populations and the survival of the reefs. As the climate crisis intensifies and ocean temperatures rise, sharks are leaving their coral reef habitats for the...
Current in Change
‘Our Cow Angus’ is a project that tests society’s moral compass
When given the chance, will we make an ethical decision? Art is meant to challenge society's way of thinking. Every now and then, a project comes along that does exactly that. Famously known as creators of the Big Red Boots and the ATM leaderboard installed...
Houthi attacks in Red Sea raise alarm over potential major oil spill
The Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged tanker ‘Sounion’ in the Red Sea has sparked serious concerns about a potential catastrophic oil spill with widespread environmental and economic impacts. Last year marked the beginning of turmoil in the Red Sea with the Yemeni Houthi rebels dragging the region into limbo...
Is the UK government being indecisive with arms sales to Israel?
Foreign Secretary David Lammy announces a suspension of arms sales to Israel following the Palestine V Israel conflict. He states that this was ‘not an arms embargo’ – but there was a ‘clear risk’ of UK weaponry being used for violations to international law. The Israel-Palestine conflict, which has intensified...
Ofsted scraps its one-word grading system
Following the suicide of Caversham Primary School headteacher, Ruth Perry, Ofsted is to scrap its vague one-word rating system. ‘Outstanding’, ‘Good’, ‘Requires Improvement’, or ‘Inadequate’ – have been axed with prompt effect. The case of Ruth Perry, the former headteacher of a primary school in Reading, has deeply troubled regulators...
Strikes begin after huge anti-government protests erupt in Israel
The Israeli government is facing pressure for not doing enough to retrieve hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv to protest on Sunday, while widespread labour strikes are planned for the rest of the week. Hundreds of thousands...
Taliban’s first morality law aims to erase women from society
The Taliban's Virtue and Vice law prohibits women from showing their faces and speaking out loud in public. Picture an ordinary day - singing in the shower, reading aloud at home, or perhaps making brief eye contact with someone of the opposite gender while grocery shopping. If you were a woman in Afghanistan, these simple acts, under the new morality law, could result in punishment. Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in...
Opinion – ‘man or bear’ debate reflects misogynistic violence
‘Would you rather be stuck in the forest with a man or a bear?’ is the intriguing theoretical discussion that played out on social media in May. Met with nearly complete unanimity among women, many men tellingly reacted with the kind of gaslighting and deflection that’s painfully familiar to survivors of sexual assault. If you were alone in the forest, would you rather encounter a bear or a man? This...
Ofgem faces backlash over energy price hike
The energy company has announced plans to increase prices by October, just in time for the winter period. Summer in the UK feels like it left as quickly as it arrived. In what seemed like a blink of an eye the leaves are falling, Halloween memorabilia is filling supermarket shelves, and coats are sneaking back into rotation. Spooky season is officially upon us. And it seems UK energy supplier Ofgem got...
Black children in England & Wales four times likelier to be strip searched
Following the high-profile case of Child Q, a new report by the children’s commissioner finds a shocking disparity with white counterparts in the year 2023. Child Q, a young 15-year-old black schoolgirl, was unjustifiably and falsely accused of possessing cannabis, then strip searched at school while on her period without an authorised adult present. This led to mass protests in Hackney. Later, the case was deemed racially motivated and indefensible. This...
