Sprint for electric vehicles picks up as their batteries outperform what car firms thought they’d do
Plenty of Americans are confused about the basics of electric vehicles (EVs), says Jeff Allen, the executive director of Forth, an advocacy and research organisation focused on electric mobility. A question he still hears from drivers: “Can I take it safely through the car wash? Spoiler: Yes,” he says. Fears...
After years of hesitancy, demand for electric vehicles has soared with used cars tipping the balance
A few years ago, Greg Platt, an electric vehicle salesperson in Portland, Oregon, was having extraordinary success with a particular type of customer: foreigners. For a $250 fee, he’d ship cars north, where they usually crossed to western Canada by ferry. Other interested buyers would fly in from Europe. Platt...
African economies belt up to avoid crash as China’s appetite for large investments abroad wanes
Deep in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, members of the National Youth Service tirelessly swing machetes to clear dense shrubs obscuring railway tracks more than a century old. It’s a distinctly low-tech phase for China’s Belt and Road drive in Africa to create the trade highways of the future. There’s not...
Free speech: Alternative data is a powerful bulwark against attempts to erode the democratic space
On October 3 the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released the ‘Pandora Papers’ – a treasure trove of documents exposing attempts by wealthy elites to hide their assets and cash in offshore tax havens. Thirty-five current and former heads of state were named after 2.9 terabytes of leaked data that...
Musical chairs: Another revolt looms at Man United as senior players ‘reject’ stand-in manager Carrick
Manchester United’s senior star have reportedly expressed major concerns to the board over their decision to place Michael Carrick in temporary charge. The Red Devils are beginning the complicated process of finding a new manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer parted ways with the club on Sunday morning, his exit coming as...
Research points to serious concerns about carbon emissions reduction despite signs of optimism
Some projections of climate change raise the possibility of even more carbon emission reductions. The Climate Action Tracker, a consortium of scientific and academic organisations, estimates that warming would be limited to 2.4 °C if countries follow through on their latest pledges under the Paris agreement. One of the goals of...
Top climate scientists are sceptical that nations will rein in global warming despite Glasgow meet agreements
As a leading climate scientist, Paola Arias doesn’t need to look far to see the world changing. Shifting rain patterns threaten water supplies in her home city of Medellín, Colombia, while rising sea levels endanger the country’s coastline. Arias isn’t confident that international leaders will slow global warming or that...
Brainy bunch: How dad and mum in US home-tutored their 10 children into university by age 13
‘Brainy bunch’ family in the US has mastered home schooling, with all 10 children starting university the same year they became teenagers. High school sweethearts Monalisa and Kit Harding, both 53, have made a name for themselves as home schooling experts after getting their 10 children through high school and...
Hedgegrows attract beneficial bird species that eat pests, lure flies and wasps that feast on crop-damaging insects
In recent years, researchers in California have learned that hedges can actually be financially worthwhile. Rather than attracting starlings, which prefer open, treeless habitats, hedgerows of native shrubs and herbaceous plants can attract beneficial bird species that eat pest insects, as well as lure flies and wasps that feast on...
Ole Gunnar finally shown red card, but Man United owners come under fire promising to hire ‘interim manager’
Manchester United’s top bosses have been roundly lambasted for their decision to announce that an ‘interim manager’ will take charge of the club for the rest of the season after the exit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Solskjaer was sacked on Sunday morning following United’s crushing 4-1 defeat at Watford on...
