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Is Sunak Ready for the Guillotine? July 4 marks the British General Election, promising a ‘historic’ result that will see the Conservative Party take the backbenches as Labour moves into Number 10. However, despite the 20-point gap between the two parties, Keir Starmer’s popularity rating sits at minus 17, suggesting that many voters will be facing an awkward choice between a party they dislike and one whose leader does not inspire much confidence.
Inflation Falls to 2.3% but What Does it Mean? From a staggering 11.1 per cent in October 2022, inflation now stands at 2.3 per cent in the year to April. But what does this mean for the cost-of-living crisis? A falling inflation rate does not mean a reduction in prices, but a decline in the rate of their increase. Nominal wages need to be assessed in terms of ‘real’ pay to understand how far your money will go against the rate of inflation. So, someone earning £1,000 will have a ‘real wage’ of £977 (given the 2.3% inflation rate).
Can Exercise Help With Mental Trauma and Addiction? Around 3.9 per cent of people worldwide suffer from PTSD. Therapy and medication are the usual routes to treating mental trauma, but they are not always effective. New research finds that mice with PTSD behaviour can begin to forget ‘fear memories’ by forming new neurons in the hippocampus (the area of the brain responsible for memory formations) through exercise. The takeaway: ‘In our experiments, exercise had the most powerful impact on reducing symptoms of PTSD and drug dependence in mice, and clinical studies in humans also show it is effective.’
AI Prompts Rise in Exam Cheats: Expertly crafted essays are increasingly in demand by students seeking higher grades for their coursework. Compliments of ChatGPT, anyone can now type in a question and get a tailor-made answer in minutes, without having to sacrifice time and energy. Christopher McGovern, Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: ‘AI is undermining the integrity of assessment exams.’
Who’s with Israel? More than seven months and over 35,000 Palestinian deaths later, Benjamin Netanyahu has called Norway’s, Ireland’s and Spain’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state ‘a reward for terrorism,’ arguing that an independent Palestine would repeat the attacks of October 7.
Can Geoengineering Save Our Planet? Can technology be used to control the climate and mitigate many of the predicted consequences of global warming? Concerns are being raised that geoengineering will distract us from a more central goal: ‘aggressively slashing emissions,’ through structural economic change. In a report ranking 61+ climate mitigation ideas for the Arctic, rewilding and reforestation came top. However, a few geoengineering ideas, including introducing artificial glaciers, also scored well. The takeaway: ‘Climate change in the Arctic is multifaceted, and there is no silver-bullet solution.’