Companies are mitigating labour shortages with automation — and this could drastically impact workers

By Geraint Harvey1

Last month, unemployment in Canada reached a record low of 5.2 per cent. Alongside low unemployment, many industries saw and are still seeing a worker shortage, with the number of job vacancies in Canada reaching 900,000...

Ukraine recap: why words are important – and truth must triumph over propaganda

By Jonathan Este

Its eight weeks since the Russian military rolled across the border into Ukraine, telling the world that this was just a special military operation aiming to free an oppressed people from what Vladimir Putin called a gang...

Many young French voters are approaching the presidential runoff with a shrug and vow to 'vote blank'

By Julia Khrebtan-Hörhager

The race for the presidential post in France began with 12 candidates. It will conclude on April 24 with the same choice that confronted voters five years earlier: the centrist Emmanuel Macron or the far-right Marine Le...

From 'biologically dead' to chart-toppingly clean: how the Thames made an extraordinary recovery over 60 years

By Veronica Edmonds-Brown

It might surprise you to know that the River Thames is considered one of the worlds cleanest rivers running through a city. Whats even more surprising is that it reached that status just 60 years after being declared...

Warmer summers threaten Antarctica’s giant ice shelves because of the lakes they create

By Jennifer Arthur

During the Antarctic summer, air temperatures get warm enough to melt snow and ice on the surface of the great ice sheets that make up around 99% of Antarctica. This melted water collects to form thousands of lakes around...

African cities can do more to protect children from climate change

By Rongedzayi Fambasayi

Six in 10 people will be living in cities by 2030. This is concerning. Cities are responsible for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet cities can also do a lot to mitigate climate change and help people adapt...

Green policies are in place for South Africa's major port city: but a key piece is missing

By Richard Meissner

The floods of April 2022 in the South African city of Durban (eThekwini municipality) placed the spotlight on the management of urban areas and their vulnerability to natural disasters. That homes had been built close to...

Why wealthy countries and companies need to do more to clean up global toxic chemical pollution

By Mohamad Mova AlAfghani

Keeping the environment safe is a shared responsibility between nations. But when it comes to harmful substances, especially persistent organic pollutants, advanced industrial nations should put more effort into reducing...

Anti-satellite weapons: the US has sworn off tests, and Australia should follow suit

By Cassandra Steer

When United States Vice-President Kamala Harris was at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California earlier this week she said the US would not conduct tests of destructive, direct ascent anti-satellite missiles. This...

Defunding the police is a move towards community safety

By Kevin Walby

Defund should not be a dirty word. In fact, defunding public police is a step towards choosing real safety for communities across Canada. Defunding means taking funds from police budgets, while shrinking the size and...

Did governments around the world initially over-react to the COVID-19 pandemic?

By Sofiane Baba Et Al

The COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about the dangers of the virus have diverted attention from the primary response to the crisis the decision to lock down entire populations. Yet there are important questions to ask....

Three priorities Africa's newbie on the World Bank board should focus on

By Danny Bradlow Et Al

President Cyril Ramaphosa recently appointed a senior South African politician, Ayanda Dlodlo, to serve a two-year term as a member of the World Banks 25-person Board of Executive Directors. She will represent a...

Christians hold many views on Jesus' resurrection – a theologian explains the differing views among Baptists

By Jason Oliver Evans

Every year, Christians from around the world gather for worship on Easter Sunday. Also known as Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, Easter is the final day of a weeklong commemoration of the story of Jesus final days in the...

Senator Dianne Feinstein faces pressure to end her 30 years representing California

By Lincoln Mitchell

On Nov. 27, 1978, Dianne Feinstein then the 45-year-old president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and two-time failed mayoral candidate effectively announced her retirement from politics. It was a foggy...

Elon Musk argues Twitter would be better off in private rather than public hands – corporate governance scholars would disagree

By Bert Spector

Billionaire Elon Musk says he wants to take Twitter private by buying 100% of its publicly held shares in a deal worth US$43 billion. In a letter to the board, he said that Twitter cant serve as a platform for free...

Just Stop Oil: protests will be even more disruptive if they kick off panic buying

By Tom Stacey

Protesters from the climate activist groups Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have blocked at least 11 fuel depots across England and disrupted supplies (though its always tough to quantify exactly how much disruption...

Ukraine war: while most Americans express outrage, Putin's spell continues to hang over Republicans

By Jerome Viala-Gaudefroy

A majority of US citizens across parties now condemn Moscows invasion of Ukraine and support the sanctions adopted by the Biden administration. However, talk of unanimity would be stretching it. The Republican Party is a...

Want to know why India has been soft on Russia? Take a look at its military, diplomatic and energy ties

By Sumit Ganguly

As global democracies lined up to condemn the actions of Russia in Ukraine, one country was less forthcoming in its criticism and it was the largest democracy of them all: India. Throughout the ongoing crisis, the...

Manifesto published in Russian media reflects Putin regime's ruthless plans in Ukraine

By Susanne Sternthal

Shortly after footage emerged of the carnage Russian troops left behind in the town of Bucha, Ukraine, an article was published April 4, 2022, in one of the largest Russian state-run media companies. The article called...

Canada's new climate plan is reckless, but a better way forward is still possible

By Jason MacLean

Canadas new climate plan is reckless. The federal governments Emissions Reduction Plan doesnt meet the criteria of credible net-zero emissions plans, and it lacks any vision of a future capable of inspiring Canadians to...

Jesus the faithful Jew: How misreadings of the Gospel miss this and fuel anti-Judaism

By Matthew Thiessen

This year, Easter and Passover, holidays central to Christianity and Judaism, respectively, begin on the same weekend. This timing provides an ideal opportunity to address faulty and often dangerous misconceptions that...

Xenophobia is on the rise in South Africa: scholars weigh in on the migrant question

By Steven Gordon

International migration in South Africa, particularly as it relates to the labour market, is a highly contentious topic. We, the undersigned migration scholars, want to share relevant information about this important...

Ukraine war: Sweden and Finland eye the Nato option, but it's a security dilemma for the west

By Caroline Kennedy-Pipe Et Al

The Kremlin has issued an ominous warning to Nato about the consequences for the Baltic if it allows Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, as has been widely reported. Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and a close...

Esports: how the struggling hospitality industry could capitalise on this massive business

By Jamie Thompson Et Al

During the pandemic, the sporting world ground to a halt. Global events such as the Olympics, Formula 1 racing, the UEFA Champions League and American basketball were all postponed. As an alternative, Formula 1 launched...

Simulating Earth's changing climate: why some models exaggerate future warming

By Olaf Morgenstern

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released overnight, shows a viable path to cutting global emissions by half by the end of this decade. It follows earlier reports in the IPCCs...

What will the fuel excise cut save you? Not as much as the Treasurer says

By John Hawkins1 Et Al

As an appeal to middle Australia, to the voters politicians routinely describe as working families or battlers, the Morrison governments centrepiece budget move to halve the fuel excise for six months has obvious...

Does Alcoholics Anonymous actually work?

By Nicole Lee

Alcoholics and narcotics anonymous are 12-step peer support groups where people who have alcohol or other drug problems are supported by others who have had similar problems (peers), rather than professionals. They are...

How do planets form? A 'baby Jupiter' hundreds of light-years away offers new clues

By Peter Tuthill Et Al

How do planets form? For many years scientists thought they understood this process by studying the one example we had access to: our own Solar System. However, the discovery of planets around distant stars in the 1990s...

Fixed or variable mortgage? The choice of home loan isn't as simple as you might think

By Kevin Davis

In times like these, when there is great uncertainty about what will happen to interest rates, borrowers get lots of advice about whether to go fixed or variable. Unfortunately, a lot of it is not well founded. For...

Could better regulation reconcile trading and ethics?

By Bernard Leca Et Al

For 30 years, financial scandals have been making front-page news. Among the most memorable were the fraud committed at Barings Bank in 1995, Sumitomo Bank in 1996, UBS in 2011 and JPMorgan in 2012. In France, the most...

What the invasion of Ukraine means for the IPCC’s latest climate change report

By Myles Allen Et Al

The UNs new IPCC report on the mitigation of climate change says that immediate and deep emissions reductions are needed to limit global warming, along with removing carbon dioxide back out of the air in future. Meanwhile,...

Drones and driverless cars could help with Ukraine's humanitarian crisis

By Muhammad Azmat

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a serious humanitarian crisis. Of Ukraines 44 million people, almost one-quarter have been displaced. Around 3.7 million have escaped to neighbouring European countries, while...

War-time media reporting is shaping opinions about Russia's Ukraine invasion

By Anton Oleinik

Propaganda has been an important element in Russias war against Ukraine. Whats been happening in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022, is seen in a different light and interpreted in different ways, using different terms,...

Most distant star to date spotted – but how much further back in time could we see?

By Carolyn Devereux

The Hubble Space Telescope has observed the most distant star ever seen Earendel, meaning morning star. Even though Earendel is 50 times the mass of the Sun, and millions of times brighter, we would not normally be able...

Revolutionary changes in transportation, from electric vehicles to ride sharing, could slow global warming – if they’re done right, IPCC says

By Alan Jenn

Around the world, revolutionary changes are under way in transportation. More electric vehicles are on the road, people are taking advantage of sharing mobility services such as Uber and Lyft, and the rise in telework...

Pakistan: extra time for Imran Khan as parliament rejects no-confidence vote

By Parveen Akhtar

Pakistans parliament has been dissolved by its president Arif Alv, after a vote of no confidence in prime minister Imran Khan did not go ahead. Elections are likely to follow and the question of who will lead Pakistan into...

Ax-1: why the private mission to the International Space Station is a game changer

By Ian Whittaker

Its not long since billionaires were competing to get to the edge of space. Now, the first set of private citizens are getting ready to take a SpaceX shuttle up to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike the short...

Hong Kong: British judges leaving top court is a strong condemnation of the end of civil liberties

By Eric Yan-ho Lai

Lord Robert Reed and Lord Patrick Hodge, the UK supreme court president and deputy president, have resigned from their roles on Hong Kongs top court. On their departure, they criticised the state of civil liberties and the...

Cyberattacks have yet to play a significant role in Russia’s battlefield operations in Ukraine – cyberwarfare experts explain the likely reasons

By Erik Gartzke Et Al

Throughout the latter half of 2021, as it became clear that Russia was massing a large portion of its conventional combat power on the eastern borders of Ukraine, analysts offered contrasting predictions about the role...

Amazon, Starbucks and the sparking of a new American union movement

By John Logan

April 1, 2022, may go down as a pivotal day in the history of American unions. In a result that could reverberate in workplaces across the U.S., the independent Amazon Labor Union first formed in 2020 by Chris Smalls,...

Nuclear fusion hit a milestone thanks to better reactor walls – this engineering advance is building toward reactors of the future

By Livia Casali Et Al

Scientists at a laboratory in England have shattered the record for the amount of energy produced during a controlled, sustained fusion reaction. The production of 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds at the Joint...

What is a dwarf planet?

By Vahe Peroomian

The word planet came from the ancient Greek words that mean wandering star. That makes sense, because for thousands of years, people have watched planets change position in the night sky unlike stars, which appear fixed...

Ukraine war: inside the complex web of Russia's warring intelligence agencies

By Stephen Hall3

Russian intelligence chief Sergey Beseda and his deputy, Anatoly Bolyukh, were placed under house arrest on March 9. Beseda and Bolyukh oversaw the foreign intelligence branch of the FSB, which is the Russian security...

These energy innovations could transform how we mitigate climate change, and save money in the process – 5 essential reads

By Stacy Morford

To most people, a solar farm or a geothermal plant is simply a power producer. Scientists and engineers see far more potential. They envision offshore wind turbines capturing and storing carbon beneath the sea, and...

3 things Indonesia needs to ensure the transparency of its emission trading scheme

By Fikri Muhammad Et Al

Indonesia, one of the worlds biggest coal producers and greenhouse emitters, plans to launch its pilot emissions trading scheme in July, which can possibly lead to the implementation of the first national carbon market in...

The metaverse has been heavily hyped – but it could enable entirely new ways of screen production

By Darren Paul Fisher Et Al

Screen production was hit hard by the pandemic, with delayed releases and interrupted or cancelled production. One day we might even get to see Mission Impossible 7. But, like your typical screen hero, it might just be...

Australia plans to be a big green hydrogen exporter to Asian markets – but they don’t need it

By Andrew Blakers Et Al

In its latest budget, the federal government has promised hundreds of millions of dollars to expand Australias green hydrogen capabilities. Green hydrogen is made by electrolysis of water, powered by solar and wind...

Stolen real estate — like blood diamonds — is funding deadly conflicts

By Jon Unruh

The use of conflict resources to finance wars is expanding into new commodities with much more severe consequences. An example is the successful trafficking in conflict diamonds colloquially known as blood diamonds ...

What countries have nuclear weapons, and where are they?

By Miles A. Pomper Et Al

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has raised fears among the public about the use of nuclear weapons in Europe or against the United States. This level of concern has not been seen since the end of the Cold War. NATO...

Will Intel save Europe's struggling semiconductor industry?

By Andrew Johnston Et Al

Intels proposed US$30 billion (23 billion) investment in semiconductor manufacturing capacity across Europe has the potential to significantly boost the continents struggling chip industry. The US giant is poised to...