
Five things at the top of China’s agenda for 2025
2024 has been a challenging year for China. As its government has tackled economic problems at home, internationally it has handled the complexities of an alliance with Russia. And, while China has continued to play a...

How to survive winter by hacking your light habits
Many people who live in the northern part of the world suffer extended periods of darkness this time of the year and often the winter blues. But there are things you can do to boost your health and wellbeing, and prevent...

The Post Office: an emblem of the UK’s relationship with the state, sliding into dystopia
The Horizon scandal, which led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of subpostmasters, has severely dented the publics perception of the Post Office as an institution. Against this backdrop, branch closures are planned...

What if every pet was vegan? Here’s how much it would help the planet
At least a quarter of all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions to date can be traced to the livestock industry. Vast tracts are used to grow feed crops and to graze the worlds 92 billion cows, pigs, chickens and other...

How ‘sad’ bananas could help tackle food waste
Bananas are a sociable fruit. They thrive in bunches, bound by a unifying stalk which joins them happily together in curvy yellow brightness. But what about the ones which get separated from the bunch? Cast aside as single...

Hard Truths: Mike Leigh’s bleakly comic take on depression offers no easy answers
If you were to ask a computer programme to come up with a title for a new Mike Leigh film it could do no better than Hard Truths. Echoing the title of his very first film in 1971, Bleak Moments, Hard Truths represents a...

In 2025, let’s make it game on – not game over – for our precious natural world
Its just past midnight in the cool, ancient forests of Tasmania. Weve spent a long day and night surveying endangered Tasmanian devils. All around, small animals scurry through bushes. A devil calls in the darkness....