While the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine has been fast and widespread in many rich countries, it is still very low in the world’s poorest nations.More than 3 billion doses of the various vaccines have been administered across the globe, but only 0.9 per cent of...
The World Health Organization has certified China as malaria-free. Given that the country was reporting 30 million cases per year of the disease in the 1940s, it’s a major milestone in the worldwide campaign to eradicate the killer disease completely.How has China...
A new report has found disturbing evidence that ageism remains a last bastion of ‘acceptable discrimination’ in the UK. Six in 10 people feel it is a big problem that needs fixing and two-fifths feel that more funding is needed for older people, alongside other...
Around 112 million women across the world started using mobile phones to access the internet in the last year. But there’s still a gender gap of 234 million compared with use by men.South Asia saw the biggest rise in use by women, according to the GSMA in its...
Go back just 10 years and most bosses of big businesses would have said that their primary responsibility was to increase shareholder value. Fast forward to today and there has been a dramatic shift, with the majority taking a broader view of their purpose so that...
A new study from recruiter Robert Walters has indicated wide disparities in remuneration and sentiment towards employers among black and minority professionals compared with their white counterparts.The findings from the Driving Diversity & Inclusion in the...
Sending and receiving payments in cryptocurrencies is commonplace. But people haven’t taken the plunge to get paid their monthly salaries in crypto, until now.A company called NFT Investments claims to be the first in the world to pay the salaries and bonuses of...
A new study has found that the value of the world’s top 50 most valuable cosmetics brands has declined by 9 per cent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not surprising, you might think, as there have been more limited occasions to bring out the lipstick and eye-shadow....
If you subscribe to the notion that property is theft, then the shift to subscription-based living is perfect for you: we’re moving some way to a world where the concept of ownership is being fundamentally redefined.The last few years have seen a dramatic increase...
We're flushing away or binning an astonishing 11 billion wet wipes every year in the UK. Some 9.3 million of them head down the loo every day, accounting for a staggering 93% of all sewer blockages. That’s a real problem, as they can take up to 100 years to...
This year’s Earth Day was bigger than ever, with politicians, businesses, celebrities, NGOs and activists all using it as a moment to announce new initiatives addressing climate change.It would be an impossible task to summarise everything, but we’ve pulled...
As if we haven’t all got enough to worry about, the cost of food is continuing to rise across the world.The United Nations food agency has reported that world food prices rose for the tenth month in a row in March, hitting their highest level since June 2014....
The pace of sales of electric cars is accelerating across the world. Last year, around 3.24 million electric cars were sold in comparison with 2.26 million in 2019.Europe pulled ahead in terms of uptake, overtaking China, with nearly 1.4 million battery electric...
Policy responses to COVID-19 from different governments across the world have varied wildly. Decisions have been made at different times, with varying degrees of severity.A new resource has been created by Oxford University to collate these responses into one...
A fundamental change in how we think about and approach economics is needed if we are to reverse biodiversity loss and protect and enhance our prosperity, an independent, global review on the economics of biodiversity has found.Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s...
A new list of hope-inspiring people under the age of 40 has been published by The World Economic Forum. The world’s most promising 112 ‘Young Global Leaders’ are involved in activities ranging from advocating for public healthcare to campaigning for inclusivity in...
If you’ve become more picky about which brands to buy from, you’re not alone. The trend towards conscious consumerism - where people make choices equally, or mostly, on the corporate behaviour of brand owners - has accelerated over the course of the last year. The...
Bees are probably the most important insect on the planet. Not just because of the honey and other products they produce directly, but because they are the most prolific pollinators we have.Quite simply, without them, many plants would die. Ever watched The Bee...
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unexpected health benefits to some people. There are very few silver linings to find amidst the terrible havoc wrought by the disease, but it has had positive effects on the prevalence of other diseases and conditions.Don’t pass it...
