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IEA says electrification offers cost and emissions gains, but barriers remain
The IEA says electricity is increasingly able to offer a combination of lower costs, greater energy security and lower emissions, strengthening the case for electrifying more of the economy. Its director, Fatih Birol, presented this as a shift in the long-standing energy “trilemma”, while researchers cautioned that economic advantages alone will not make the transition…
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What to know about Brazil’s election pitting Lula against Flávio Bolsonaro
Brazilians have voted in a presidential election centred on incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro. The contest follows Lula’s narrow 2022 victory over Flávio’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, whose conviction for plotting a coup and limits on his public statements continue to shape the political climate. Twelve candidates are standing, but…
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Hardwick Hall shifts from aristocratic estate to community-run charity
Nick Hayes, co-founder of the Right to Roam campaign and artist, describes the transformation of Hardwick Hall in Oxfordshire—the estate that inspired Kenneth Grahame’s Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows—from private aristocratic ownership into a community-run charity. This peaceful transition represents a significant shift in land stewardship and cultural reconnection, addressing what Hayes…
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Antigone reworking explores the human cost of Creon’s rigid laws
Nina Segal’s reworking of Sophocles’ *Antigone* explores how King Creon’s refusal to question his laws affects everyone in Thebes. In Jeff James’s production, a spreading ring of black, tar-like liquid marks the boundary between those accepted and rejected by the king, then stains those caught up in its consequences. The production mixes the Greek tragedy…
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Six jailed for Dale Martin murder; billionaire Reuben heads to Monaco
Six have been convicted of stabbing 21-year-old Dale Martin to death. Billionaire property investor David Reuben is among wealthy Britons relocating abroad under Labour’s government.
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Latin America’s conservative shift faces its biggest test yet in Brazil election
Brazil’s presidential election is a major test of whether the conservative gains seen elsewhere in Latin America will extend to the region’s largest country. Left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is narrowly ahead of conservative senator Flávio Bolsonaro, but neither is expected to win the first round outright. A Datafolha poll put Lula on…
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Supreme Court kicks off new term with fresh questions over its legitimacy and its future
The Supreme Court begins its new term Monday amid intense public and political scrutiny over its legitimacy and reputation as an impartial institution. The court’s first major case involves a federal-state dispute over holding oil and gas companies liable for climate change harms. Chief Justice John Roberts faces mounting pressure as an institutionalist trying to…
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Southern Baptist president calls on pastors to ‘step up’ ahead of midterm elections
Southern Baptist Convention president and pastor Willy Rice has urged pastors to become more involved in politics ahead of the midterm elections. He argues that many political questions have theological and moral dimensions, and that pastors have historically influenced important moments in American political life. Rice said Christians had been encouraged to withdraw from politics,…
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Glasgow council to rehire 23,000 staff on revised terms after talks fail
Glasgow City Council is proceeding with one of the UK’s largest fire-and-rehire schemes affecting nearly 23,000 non-teaching staff after union negotiations collapsed this week. The council plans to sack and rehire workers under less favourable terms to implement a new pay and grading system designed to resolve longstanding pay equality issues. This matters because it…