Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better

Caron Gentry, Northumbria University, Newcastle All too often, hope is equated to a desire for something fleeting: good results on an exam, the win of a favourite team, the wanted present. Quite whether something so insubstantial can actually be called “hope”, though, is a question that has taken on particular poignancy over the last twoContinue reading “Hope from despair: how young people are taking action to make things better”

Coronavirus weekly: where next for globalisation after the crisis?

Camille Khodor, The Conversation; Gemma Ware, The Conversation, and Thibault Lieurade, The Conversation As lockdown measures start to be eased in most countries around the world, the experts of The Conversation’s global network have focused this week on the major trends that are reshaping trade and the global economy. Just before the pandemic struck, theContinue reading “Coronavirus weekly: where next for globalisation after the crisis?”

Insights from Zimbabwe on how to link formal and informal economies

In 2003, Thabo Mbeki–then president of South Africa – described South Africa’s economy as being like a two-storey house. The top floor was quite plush, with all the fittings packed neatly together. He referred to this as the modern, diversified economy within South Africa. Below that level, however, was an informal economy where the poor were trapped in poverty, with little or no skills.

Making COVID Vaccines in Africa: Advances and Sustainability Issues

The history of vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa dates back to 1881, when Egypt’s Vacsera company was established. Before the COVID pandemic was declared, there were eight African countries that, to our knowledge, had a record of vaccine manufacturing facilities (see the map).

Removing Alien Plants Can Save Water: We Measured How Much

Humans’ relationship with nature is broken. We’re transforming the Earth so dramatically that almost one million plant and animals species face extinction. Losing species unravels the tapestry of nature, changing how ecosystems function and, ultimately, damaging society too.

Clean hands may make the difference between life and death – WHO report

When good hand hygiene and other infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are followed, 70 percent of infections can be prevented in health care settings, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report published on Friday.