UK
From Eritrea to Tanzania, the world’s strictest – and most – relaxed lockdowns
Jennifer Bell A year into the coronavirus pandemic, and some remote parts of the world remain in some of the strictest lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus, according to the Government Response Stringency Index developed at Oxford University. The platform… »
UK and Spain reach last-minute agreement on Gibraltar border, before Brexit kicks in
Britain and Spain have reached an agreement on their border at Gibraltar, according to Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya. The agreement will see the rocky peninsula join the EU’s Schengen zone. With the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union set to begin on New Year’s Day, British and… »
Coronavirus new variant – genomics researcher answers key questions
A new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, is thought to be driving increased transmission of the disease in parts of the UK. The government has placed some regions including London under new, stricter coronavirus restrictions, known as Tier 4. People in Tier 4 areas will… »
“Universities have turned into landlords”: UK students plan biggest rent strike in 40 years
By Sara Mohammadi Students from at least 20 universities across Britain are planning to to go on rent strike when they return from the Christmas break – unless their universities agree to negotiate on rent reductions. They insist that they should not be made to… »
Confronting colonial legacies in London’s ‘Little India’
Addressing the legacies of colonialism and slavery has been a prominent narrative throughout 2020. A number of calls to recognise, remove, rename, repatriate, and redress have underlined the extent to which Britain’s history of slavery and colonial exploitation are woven into, and layered over, the… »
Young people reveal the struggles of lockdown – and how they coped
The COVID-19 lockdown upturned the lives of teenagers at a time when they are usually becoming more independent and taking steps toward their future. Instead, they were confined to their homes, exams were cancelled, and their next steps looked suddenly less certain. Our research on the TELL Study – Teenagers’ Experiences… »
UK government’s tiered COVID-19 alert systems are all flawed, warns disaster expert
Alert systems need to be clear and easy for everyone to understand. Yet, to date, the UK’s national alert system has created confusion and been largely ignored. Now, a second local alert level system has been introduced in England. I’m not convinced it will do any better. Other countries, from New… »
Tide Might Be Turning in Britain’s Ties with Germany and the EU
Viewpoint by John Kampfner The writer is author of ‘Why the Germans Do It Better; Notes from a Grown-Up Country’. This article was first published in the International Politics Society Journal of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The fall of the Berlin Wall could and should have been a great moment… »
Coronavirus: divide-and-rule tactics are clearly not working for the UK’s exhausted, fractured population
The UK government has introduced hefty fines for those not following the latest rules brought in to manage the COVID-19 crisis. It has also told bars and pubs to close at 10pm and reduced the number of people that can congregate together to six. The devolved governments have introduced different… »
Brexit: as the deadline looms, why are negotiations stalling?
The UK left the EU on January 31 this year. Yet, the trading relationship between the two parties will not change until January 1 2021, when the transition period agreed by both sides expires. And with negotiators heading into their eighth round of talks to decide what the future relationship… »