2018 Winter Olympics set to begin against the backdrop of warm words and cold politics
Feb 08, 2018 13:30 pm UTC| Insights & Views Sports
Mega sporting events are always heavily infused with politics, but the impending Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, have almost been buried in a geopolitical avalanche. Global tensions over North Koreas...

Sense, think, act: the principle that governs everything from rocket landings to interest rates
Feb 08, 2018 13:28 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
The successful first test flight of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle Wednesday morning was an amazing technological feat and fantastic theatre. The Falcon Heavy is the second most powerful rocket ever launched,...

Does a sugar tax cause alcohol sales to spike? The research doesn't give a decisive answer
Feb 08, 2018 13:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law
Consuming sugar-sweetened drinks is associated with a range of health issues including weight gain and obesity. These are risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes and certain...
Police mugshots: millions of citizens' faces are now digitised and searchable – but the tech is poor
Feb 08, 2018 13:16 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology
The steady march of technological progress has finally shone its light into the dingy world of the mugshot the commonplace name given to the photograph of a police suspect. The mugshot represents one of the earliest...
Why stock markets crash – lessons from recent history
Feb 08, 2018 13:10 pm UTC| Insights & Views
Stock markets around the world suffered sudden, heavy losses on February 5 and 6. Following a 4.6% drop in the Dow Jones on the Monday, the Japanese Nikkei index fell by 4.6%, and European markets followed suit, with the...
How labels like 'addict' and 'junkie' mask class contempt for drug users
Feb 08, 2018 13:06 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
Terms such as drug user, addict or the blatantly pejorative junkie, dope head or stoner, are loaded with moral bias. They suggest that people who consume psychoactive substances are mentally weak and dangerous when in...
Is full transparency good for democracy?
Feb 08, 2018 13:03 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics
With the approval of President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives released the so-called Nunes memo on Feb. 2. In it, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes describes alleged abuses of surveillance...