By Frank Boers, Professor of Applied Linguistics, Western University
Idioms are an often invisible barrier to understanding and inclusion for second-language speakers because their meanings rely on shared culture as well as language.
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By Sara Hoummady, DMV, PhD, Associate professor in ethology and animal nutrition, UniLaSalle
How can we support dogs and cats as they age? Practical advice from veterinary science specialists (nutrition, living arrangements, behaviours to watch out for, etc.).
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By Amnesty International
Reacting to the European Parliament vote on the EU’s sustainability regulations package (Omnibus I) which rolls back hard-won climate and human rights protections, Eve Geddie Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said: “In a rush to close the deal in Strasbourg just days before the winter break, MEPs voted through a sweeping deregulation package […] The post EU: Deregulation deal on climate and human rights ‘betrays people and the planet’ appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Amnesty International
Responding to a video circulating on social media allegedly showing the Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar pulling down Nusrat Parveen’s hijab during a government function, Aakar Patel, Chair of Board at Amnesty International India, said: “This act was an assault on this woman’s dignity, autonomy, and identity. When a public official forcibly pulls down […] The post India: Chief Minister’s removal of woman’s hijab demands “unequivocal condemnation” appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image European activists march in Brussels on September 23, 2025 to protest EU governments’ efforts to weaken the EU’s corporate accountability law, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. © 2025 Friends of the Earth Europe/Flickr (Brussels) – The European Parliament’s approval on December 16, 2025, of final amendments watering down the European Union’s flagship corporate accountability law severely undermines the EU’s ability to hold businesses accountable for human rights and environmental harms, Human Rights Watch said today.The vote on the Corporate Sustainability…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Wednesday’s budget update will project a deficit of $36.8 billion for this financial year, which is $5.4 billion better than forecast in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) issued before the May election.
The update projects deficits that are slightly better in every year over the forward estimates than forecast at the election. Cumulatively, the deficit is $8.4 billion better than over the four years to 2028-29 than PEFO.
The government earlier revealed the update will contain $20 billion in savings.
Despite critics attacking the level of federal…
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By Ashleigh Percival-Borley, PhD Candidate in the Department of History, Durham University
Germany has unveiled plans to introduce voluntary military service. From January 2026, all 18-year-old men will be required to complete a questionnaire asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. Women will not be required to fill out this form.
Across Europe, the pattern is similar. In countries where military service is compulsory such as Austria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Ukraine, women’s enlistment remains voluntary.
The German government’s move, which has sparked…
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By Irina Rets, Research Fellow, Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
The government has recently released its national youth strategy, which promises better career advice for young people in England. It’s sorely needed: for teenagers today, the future of work probably feels more like a moving target than a destination. Barely three years after ChatGPT went mainstream, the labour market has already shifted under young people’s feet.
In the US, job postings for roles requiring no degree have dropped by 18% since 2022, and roles requiring no prior experience by 20%. Administrative and professional service jobs – once key entry points for school-leavers…
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By Andrew Crome, Senior Lecturer in History, Manchester Metropolitan University
Why not wrap up in a warm blanket, grab a mulled wine and settle down to consider the end of everything this Christmas?
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By Rachel Scarfe, Lecturer in Economics, University of Stirling
There are nearly one million young people in the UK who are not in employment, education or training (so-called Neets). After falling in number during the 2010s before the pandemic, this cohort of 16 to 24-year-olds has grown from 750,000 only six years ago. This is a worrying shift, for several reasons.
Research shows that a spell of unemployment at a young age can have outsized negative effects on the young person. Workers who were unemployed for even a short time at a young age have to contend with…
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