Explainer-in-brief: Commonwealth countries looking for freedom September 13, 2022 The end of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign is a momentous event not only for the UK but for the Commonwealth as a whole. Some of these countries have been thinking about independence for some time, and might find the near future is just the right moment to make that decision. Gaston Browne, the prime minister [...]
Queen Elizabeth II: A front-row view to almost a century of history September 8, 2022 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away after a lifetime that has seen everything from World War II to the Covid-19 pandemic. City A.M. look back at the extraordinary events she lived through as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. 1952: Elizabeth becomes Queen following the death of her father, George VI, [...]
Solve the housing crisis and net zero? Your home might be built Ikea-style September 8, 2022 If you find yourself on a walk in West Hampstead, it’s worth checking out a two-bedroom apartment called Camden Passivhaus. With its wooden exteriors, it is simple and elegant – a small gem hidden among terrace houses. It’s the first net zero house in the UK – meaning there were no emissions produced during its [...]
Explainer-in-brief: A lengthy election battle finally drawing to a close August 30, 2022 After an excruciatingly hot summer of Tory hustings, there are now three days left to the end of the ballot to decide who will be the next Conservative leader – and prime minister. The vote will close this Friday at 2 pm. The final result will be announced next Monday, as MPs return to Westminster [...]
Explainer-in-brief: The problems with freezing the energy price cap August 25, 2022 In the UK, the energy price cap – decided by Ofgem – sets the maximum price you can be charged for kilowatt hour. In short, it doesn’t put a cap on how high your total bill can get, but it regulates how it is calculated. The cap is reviewed every three months. In response to [...]
Explainer-in-brief: A new kind of University challenge over fees August 23, 2022 Last week, British students got their A-levels results. But they barely had time to celebrate before they were thrown into a quarrel over university tuition fees over the weekend. Some university bosses are calling for an increase in the fees that British students pay, arguing that as things currently stand it makes more sense for [...]
Leaky pipes, raw sewage and blame shifting. Water firms need to wake up August 23, 2022 There has been much talk about 1976 these days. During that summer the UK experienced a severe heatwave with grave droughts. People had to resort to standpipes on the streets to get water. Kids had to bathe in the same water used by their siblings, as reservoirs dried up. Luckily, today we have a better [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Leave cyclists out of your culture wars August 18, 2022 This government is a small state government, Conservatives tell us. People don’t like it when politicians intrude too much in their life choices, they say. Yet Transport Secretary Grant Shapps thinks there’s one area where it is worth intervening: the dangerous, unruly lycra-clad cyclist community. He called for speed limits in residential areas, and insurance [...]
Our kids are getting their news from TikTok – and Putin is using it against us August 17, 2022 Every year, telecoms regulator Ofcom releases a survey on how people consume the news. This year’s winner was TikTok, the fastest growing news source between 2020 and 2022. In the UK, the Chinese-owned app was as popular for news as Sky News’ website and app. Among teenagers in particular – those between 12 and 15 [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Instagram’s attempt to outshine TikTok August 16, 2022 Instagram is scrambling to keep up with its competitor TikTok – and events last month showed how trying to copycat the latter can fall flat. Instagram had to reverse some of its new features after users complained the app was becoming too much like TikTok. Users were also aggrieved their home feeds got inundated by [...]
