Florida’s heat protection ban sparks fierce worker safety debate
In a contentious move, state governor Ron DeSantis approved a law banning local heat protection mandates for outdoor workers. Affecting over two million Floridians, the decision has raised concerns about safety, employer accountability, and climate change. Florida is renowned for its scorching summers and humid climate. In spite of this, state...
Current in People
Kate Middleton’s cancer battle highlights chasm of health privilege
Princess Kate’s return to public life has been met with gracious applause. But hers is a tremendous privilege. When the Princess of Wales emerged from her carriage at Trooping the Colour on Saturday, the rain-sodden crowds cheered in support. After revealing her cancer diagnosis earlier this year, news which explained a...
A mobile library provides youth learning during DRC conflict
The mobile library initiative, spearheaded by the French Institute of Bukavu, is transforming the landscape of literacy and education for children in the conflict-affected country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eastern DRC has been a hotspot for conflict for decades, with civil war and armed groups causing widespread instability. This...
Opinion – we are entering a new age of love
Have the tides of love found a new course in which to break? An ever-changing and adapting modern world is witnessing a new trend in how folks purport to love. Relationships continue to remould, and marriage seems to be on the way out. Since the 70s, the number of weddings has...
The ICC’s problem with convicting war criminals
The ICC’s top prosecutor recently stated his intention to seek arrest warrants for Israel and Hamas leaders associated with the war in Gaza. Yet, the court's history of challenges raises doubts about its effectiveness in convicting war criminals. The International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002, is a judicial institution...
Queer inclusivity remains hugely tokenistic in India
The Indian state's paradoxical stance on queer rights – oscillating between tokenistic reforms and harsh crackdowns – underscores the profound disconnect between political rhetoric and lived realities for the LGBTQ+ community. The recent ban imposed by the Pune Police, prohibiting transgender individuals from ‘congregating at traffic junctions and forcibly...
How Putin’s recent visit to Beijing fortifies the Sino-Russian relationship
In Beijing, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirmed their complex partnership and promoted a multipolar world order in opposition to US leadership. In mid-May, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin to Beijing for a bilateral discussion on their comprehensive strategic partnership. The two-day ordeal placed significant emphasis on the growing bond between both nations, bolstered by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and a shared ambition of countering the US-led...
Nigerian students ordered to leave UK amid currency crisis
A number of Nigerian students have been ordered to leave the UK after Teesside University reported their inability to pay tuition fees to the Home Office. This comes as the Nigerian naira continues to depreciate sharply against major global currencies. Teesside University, located in Middlesbrough, has confirmed that it took the difficult decision to report Nigerian students after numerous attempts to secure tuition payments proved unsuccessful. University officials stated that while...
Were Just Stop Oil’s protesting tactics effective?
In 2022, Just Stop Oil made headlines after two of its members threw soup over a Van Gogh painting. In the following weeks, the internet was divided over the activists’ radical means of drawing attention to the climate crisis, some calling it ‘alienating,’ others ‘justified.’ In 2022, controversy sparked when two young activists threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London. ‘What is worth more, art,...
The Vatican apologises over Pope Francis’s ‘homophobic’ language
The Pope reportedly used a slur during a conversation about gay men. The internet’s response has once again reckoned with the archaic structure of religious institutions. Pope Francis recently caused a stir by using a homophobic slur during a conversation about gay men. After immense backlash, the Vatican has now issued an apology, insisting the Pope ‘never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms’. The damage, nonetheless, has been done....
