Does teaching people aged over 65 years a foreign language promote heathy brain function?
For a long time, it was thought that the only way to really learn a language was to do it early. It was thought that after adolescence, you couldn’t learn a language perfectly. You were always going to be accented. But we now know that that’s not true, because there...
Colombia ‘crop substitution’ programmes: Reality on the ground is the illicit drug business is thriving
As part of the Colombia peace agreement, the government pledged to invest heavily in rural infrastructure and in crop substitution programmes for coca growers like Pípe under what was called the Plan for Development and Territorial Focus, known by its Spanish initials, PDET. Since the plan was launched in 2017,...
Five years on Colombia’s coca regions remain at war, narcotics trade rebuilding and distrust is growing
Colombia’s 2016 peace deal was lauded for bringing to an end the longest-running war in the Americas. But five years on, aggressive counter-narcotics tactics and unkept government pledges are blamed for fuelling distrust in rural areas and driving a new cycle of violence. President Iván Duque’s administration has launched a...
White supremacism: Taliban success in Afghanistan is a model for Americans who believe in civil war in the US
As the United States-backed government in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban and US troops raced to leave the country, White supremacist and anti-government extremists have expressed admiration for what the Taliban accomplished, a worrying development for US officials who have been grappling with the threat of domestic violent extremism. That...
India’s DNA Covid vaccine is a world first and experts are optimistic ‘this is really the future of vaccinology’
India has approved a new Covid vaccine that uses circular strands of DNA to prime the immune system against the virus SARS-CoV-2. Researchers have welcomed news of the first DNA vaccine for people to receive approval anywhere in the world, and say many other DNA vaccines may soon be hot...
Afghanistan: Humanitarian work at risk after Taliban took control of ‘keys to the server room’ with biometric data
From ethical dilemmas on data security to worst-case scenarios unfolding in real time – the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan is spurring urgent concern about the safety of data that aid groups have collected over the past 20 years. Data protection experts warn that aid groups must quickly review...
Largest study yet on Covid spread puts to rest doubts about effectiveness of masks in reining in transmission
A study involving more than 340,000 people in Bangladesh offers some of the strongest real-world evidence yet that mask use can help communities slow the spread of Covid-19. The research, conducted across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, is the largest randomised trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of surgical masks, in...
Paralympian Keula Semedo missed out 200m gold, but sprinted into the heart of her man – forever!
The Paralympics are all about incredible sporting moments and fairy-tale stories – and this latest moment is up there with the highlights of the Games so far. T11 runner Keula Nidreia Pereira Semedo’s Tokyo Paralympics will live long in the memory thanks to the romantic gesture of her guide. Visually...
DR Congo army says it’s pursuing Islamist group that killed four people, kidnapped dozens in the east
Four civilians were killed and dozens taken hostage in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo when suspected Islamist militants ambushed a convoy and set fire to the vehicles, the government said. Congo’s army has freed more than 50 of the hostages in Ituri province and operations are underway to recover the...
UK parliamentary group wants greater inclusion of women, minority ethnic groups in sciences
A cross-party group of UK parliamentarians is urging the government to increase the diversity of the nation’s workforce in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Among other recommendations, a report issued by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths...
