The rise of solo weddings in Japan
In a striking departure from tradition, single young women across the country are marrying themselves to celebrate personal milestones without a partner. This unconventional trend – which reflects shifting social norms and a pivot to independence – is reshaping the industry and has sparked a cultural debate. During the last...
Current in People
What is happening in Venezuela?
Following the disputed result of the country’s presidential election – which saw Maduro secure another term in power – fresh protests have broken out in the capital. Home to the largest oil reserves in the world and once the richest nation in South America, recent decades have seen Venezuela ‘collapse...
Typhoon Gaemi devastates several countries in Asia
Worsening the torrential monsoon rains that are currently lashing China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, the tropical cyclone has triggered massive flooding and landslides, killing hundreds, injuring thousands, and even sinking ships. A freak weather event in parts of Asia is devastating China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Since it initially developed on...
Cattle farmer fined $50 million for damaging Amazon rainforest
A Brazilian rancher has been ordered to pay a whopping $50 million fine after destroying a large swathe of the Amazon rainforest to make space for cattle farming. He’s also been ordered to restore the area, which will be no small feat. Last week, a Brazilian federal court froze the...
The failings that caused the tragic school collapse in Nigeria
In a heart-wrenching tragedy, The Saint Academy in the Jos North district of Plateau State, Nigeria, collapsed last Friday leading to the death of 22 students and leaving hundreds more injured. The Saint Academy, in central Nigeria, had its two-storey building collapse when students were having their exams last Friday. Locals...
Waterstones controversy highlights the power of social media
The popular bookseller has been criticised for transphobic behaviour, after book-tok came out in support of a former employee. Waterstones has been a mainstay of the British highstreet for decades, but the beloved bookseller has sparked significant online backlash over its stance on LGBTQIA+ issues. Over the past few years, Waterstones...
Could Biden’s exit from the presidential race upend international politics?
Joe Biden has pulled out of running for presidential re-election, with Kamala Harris expected to take his place. How might his sudden exit impact global politics, including the US’ stance on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as its relationship with China? In a moment that it seemed like everyone had been anticipating, Joe Biden announced that he will no longer be running for president in the 2025...
The Labour Party lifts longstanding ban on onshore wind projects
The UK’s Labour Party is wasting no time advancing its sustainable agenda, lifting a longstanding ban on onshore wind projects just days into its leadership. Ending our reliance on fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy resources has been touted as the number one way to mitigate climate change. In some good news, the UK’s new Labour government has lifted the longstanding de facto ban on onshore wind farms in England,...
What is ‘Project 2025’ and will it ever see daylight?
A think tank called the Heritage Foundation is urging Trump to make the US a Christian nationalist state, should he get a second term in charge. Liberals are laughing and the former president is emphatically distancing himself. Imagine a ‘Land of the Free’ where watching porn is enough to land citizens in jail. That is a future the Heritage Foundation, a major US think tank, is hoping to secure by as...
Severity of Just Stop Oil prison sentences causes a stir
Five supporters of the JSO climate campaign have just been handed the longest jail terms ever meted out in the UK for a non-violent demonstration. This has sent shock waves through the protest community and wider British public, who consider the punishment to be too harsh. In November 2022, forty-five Just Stop Oil protestors climbed gantries on the M25, forcing police to stop traffic. Their aim was to...
