The project conducted research across five diverse schools - two secondary, two primary and one alternative provision – with each the subject of a comprehensive case study.

“Challenges such as inadequate facilities, socio-economic barriers and gender disparities were found to hinder participation,” MacQuarrie and Hennessey explain. “Yet the study recognised schools’ creativity in addressing these issues through tailored programs, community partnerships and student-centred approaches.”

Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) face “unique challenges” including limited access to appropriate and properly funded facilities.  But the authors add: “Inclusive practices - such as adapting sports to accommodate diverse abilities - demonstrate the potential for PESSPA to serve as a vital bridge in reducing inequities and promoting inclusive practice.”

The study revealed “concerning trends in prolonged sedentary behaviour” with 43% of pupils surveyed found to be spending over four hours daily on screens and 23% engaging in “extended sedentary activities.”  Further, 7.2% of pupils reported feeling lonely often or all of the time compared to , with pupil happiness at 6.4 compared to .

“Physical activity offers a powerful counterbalance to these challenges, enhancing mood, reducing feelings of loneliness,” MacQuarrie and Hennessey argue. “Schools should actively address concerns by integrating engaging, movement-based activities into daily routines. Programmes that emphasise the fun and social aspects and create comfortable and accessible opportunities for physical activity can shift behaviours and cultivate healthier lifestyle patterns among students.”

In their article, the academics set out a series of recommendations for policymakers and educators to harness “the transformative potential of PESSPA to uplift communities and catalyse generational change.”

These include advice to the Department for Education to “prioritise safe, versatile and inclusive facilities for all schools.”  This could be achieved, they suggest, by launching a consultation to gauge the views of “educators, practitioners and school leaders to build a national picture of how this infrastructure in schools needs to be developed and maintained at scale.”

To embed physical activity in school culture, the Department is encouraged to “integrate PESSPA across curricula and extracurricular activities, recognising its role in fostering holistic development.”  MacQuarrie and Hennessey continue: “Community assets can also be leveraged here, and local authorities should support schools to strengthen partnerships with local sports organisations to enhance reach and impact.”

To promote equity, they urge policymakers to offer tailored programmes for underserved groups, including girls and children with special educational needs. They add: “As the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill progresses, there is opportunity to embed this into legislation.”

And to tackle sedentary behaviours, the authors advocate “the development of policies and programmes to drive awareness regarding screen time and promote active lifestyles that are valued by children and young people.”

 by Dr Sarah MacQuarrie and Dr Alexandra Hennessey is available to read on the Policy@91ֱ�� website. It was included in the Youth Sport Trust's recent , along with which identified locations across England where access to play and sport need more support and encouragement.

·&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����; The unique Saint Christopher woodcut, dated 1423 – the oldest known dated example of European printing.

·&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����; The Gutenberg Bible of 1454/55 - the first major book printed in Europe and a masterpiece that revolutionised the book world.

·&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����; The Mainz Psalters of 1457 and 1459 - two of the most beautiful books ever printed, both with handwritten musical notation.

·&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����;&�Բ�����; Fifteen very rare blockbooks - in which the images and text on each page were printed from a carved block of wood.

The release forms part of the ongoing Incunabula Cataloguing Project, which will eventually see all of the library's approximately 4000 15th century printed books fully catalogued, of which around 300 of the rarest and most important will be digitised and made available online. While of immense value to scholars of early print culture, the collection is also designed to engage curious members of the public with some of the most beautiful and significant books ever printed.

The Early European Print collection is part of a longstanding commitment by The University of Manchester and the John Rylands Library to share cultural heritage with the widest possible audience through 91ֱ�� Digital Collections.

“Sadly, recent media coverage about our study has been inaccurate - while more frequent sex is linked to higher relationship satisfaction, this could just as likely be because those in more satisfying relationships tend to have sex more often - not that increasing frequency alone will necessarily boost happiness. Therapeutic interventions therefore need to focus on exploring any underlying dynamics and barriers to intimacy, rather than just encouraging people to increase frequency.”

These findings align with similar studies conducted in other Western populations, suggesting these insights are likely applicable beyond Aotearoa/New Zealand. For sex and relationship therapists, the research suggests that focusing on interventions that increase the frequency of sex and/or improve orgasm consistency (rather than aiming for 100% every time) may be more beneficial for helping women improve their sexual relationship satisfaction - however, the authors highlight that this requires further research.

Ultimately, removing the pressure and goal-oriented mindset around orgasm may enhance both sexual pleasure and overall satisfaction.

To mark its 60^th anniversary, Alliance 91ֱ�� Business School (AMBS) is bringing back its Festival of Business, expanding on the success of last year’s inaugural event.

Taking place across four days from the 16^th to 19^th June, the festival will bring together industry leaders, policymakers and academic experts to discuss the role businesses have to play in helping society respond to the pressing challenges and opportunities of our time.

Headlining the festival will be the ‘Innovate 2050’ day on Thursday 16^th featuring panel discussions exploring the future of media, finance and digitalisation.

Alongside an impressive line-up of AMBS’s leading thinkers, the day will see the likes of Siobhan Morgan, head of development at the producers of hit TV show, Adolescence, Warp Films; Kerris Bright, chief customer officer at the BBC, and Jess McCreadie, investment director at Northern Gritstone, coming together to discuss how their industries are innovating to respond to the world’s biggest challenges including the climate crisis and the emergence of new technologies like AI.

Alongside this, other events will be running throughout the festival focussing on themes including professional development, the future of the Third Sector and empowering entrepreneurs. The Festival of Business comes as AMBS celebrates six decades of empowering leaders, thinkers and visionaries across the globe to deliver transformative and innovative change.

Ken McPhail, Head of Alliance 91ֱ�� Business School, said: "We are currently living through a critical period as we face challenges including economic growth and regional disparities, global geopolitical upheaval and climate change. Rising to these challenges won’t be possible without business playing key leadership role in finding solutions and capitalising on opportunities."

Further details about the Festival of Business, along with information on how to get tickets to the events running throughout it, can be found .

The conference on 29-30 May will bring together world experts in Dante studies, early print culture, and digital humanities. Attendees will explore groundbreaking interdisciplinary research, including the project’s pioneering use of artificial intelligence and computer vision to analyse page design and layout in early modern books - offering a new lens through which to view the evolution of print culture.

The JRRIL Dante Collection includes all but three of the known pre-1650 printed editions of the Divine Comedy, with highlights such as the very first Italian editions printed in 1472, richly illustrated editions from 1481 and 1487, and later translations in Spanish, French, English and Japanese. The collection also features 19th-century illustrations by Gustave Doré, and a giant hand-illuminated manuscript created in 1902.

The 91ֱ�� Digital Dante Library is hosted on 91ֱ�� Digital Collections, a state-of-the-art platform developed in partnership with Cambridge University Library and supported by the Research Lifecycle Project. It exemplifies a new model for digital scholarship, merging humanities research with advanced imaging techniques and setting a new standard for cultural heritage digitisation.

For more information on the conference, visit .

If you visit 91ֱ��, one of the first things you’ll notice is the great number of bee images throughout the city. Born in the Industrial Revolution, the “worker bee” symbol captured the city’s tireless spirit and its legacy as a buzzing hive of industry. Today, the symbol is more often associated with collective resilience and remembrance following the 91ֱ�� Arena attack on May 22 2017.

The bee became a of the “Mancunian spirit”, emerging almost instantly on murals, on bodies as tattoos and on public memorials. Over the last eight years, it has become a core part of Manchester’s identity.

As part of my ongoing PhD research, I set out to understand why the bee is everywhere in 91ֱ�� and what it means to people. I interviewed 24 Mancunians who were living in the city at the time of the attack, including some who were directly affected.

Conducted in 2023, seven years after the attack, these interviews aimed to capture how the symbol’s meaning had evolved as the city continued to process and commemorate the event.

For many, the bee still stands as a symbol of resilience, a reminder of how the city came together in the face of tragedy. But for others, its presence throughout 91ֱ�� has become more of a burden than a comfort.

Appearing on buses, shop windows and public spaces, it serves as a constant and eerie reminder of the events and aftermath of the attack. Eight of my interviewees described these as memories of “trauma”. Over time, what once felt comforting has become more unsettling.

Fifteen of my interviewees expressed discomfort with how the bee has become more commercialised in the years since the attack. Some described feelings of “exploitation”.

Both independent businesses and large companies have embraced the symbol, integrating it into their branding in public spaces. Many sell bee-themed gifts and souvenirs, such as .

91ֱ�� city council has played a key role in this commercialisation, promoting the image through various initiatives, including the Bee Network transport system and the Bee Cup – a reusable launched in 2023.

In June 2017, shortly after the attack, the council moved to trademark several versions of the bee as an official city symbol. This was made public in March 2018, after the period for .

Initially, the council allowed people and businesses to use the symbol for free, but later introduced a . Now, anyone wishing to use the of the bee must apply for permission from the council, and commercial use comes with a £500 fee. Businesses that want to use the bee are also asked to donate to charity.

The council described the trademarking of the bee symbol as a way to protect its use and support local good causes, such as the , which helps fund community projects and youth opportunities across the city.

But some of my participants noted that this transformed the bee from something personal and meaningful to something more corporate. In their view, it is as if the city itself is commodifying the attack rather than honouring it.

This can be viewed as an element of “dark tourism”, which involves visiting places where tragedy has been memorialised or commercialised. this manifests not through visits to the attack site but through the bee symbol, which has been commodified in murals, merchandise and public spaces. Tourists buy into collective grief through consumption, turning remembrance into a marketable experience and the bee as a managed and profitable commodity.

Some 91ֱ�� Arena bombing survivors I spoke to feel that their personal grief has been repackaged into a public identity, one that does not necessarily reflect the complexity of their experiences.

The use of the bee in products and souvenirs raises questions about how the city commercialises its identity, especially when considering the layered histories that the symbol carries.

Uncomfortable history

For some, the discomfort around 91ֱ��’s bee goes even . Today, the bee symbolises resilience and unity, but it originally represented hard work during 91ֱ��’s industrial boom.

This era wasn’t just about progress — it also involved especially through cotton by enslaved people in the Americas. 91ֱ��’s role in the industrial revolution would have never been possible without slavery.

My participants pointed out this hidden history, noticing that these stories rarely appear in 91ֱ��’s public commemorations in the city. The bee’s visibility today reveals how cities tend to highlight positive histories, while uncomfortable truths .

A painted window in 91ֱ��’s Victoria station. Ashley Collar

Focusing solely on resilience risks creating a simplified version of Manchester’s past. , overlooking how historical injustices, like the city’s links to the transatlantic slave trade, still shape their lives today.

This selective storytelling makes it harder for some communities to commemorate 91ֱ��’s identity. They can’t do so without acknowledging past legacies of slavery and the city’s history of division.

While some see the bee as a proud symbol of unity, others feel it erases their history. As the bee continues to dominate public spaces, 91ֱ�� faces an important challenge: making sure this symbol genuinely acknowledges the varied experiences and histories of all residents.

This might be through dedicated plaques or exhibits that explore some of these hidden histories, and the bee’s complex meaning. Only by confronting its past can the city ensure that commemoration includes everyone.

, PhD Candidate in Sociology at The University of Manchester and Associate Lecturer in Criminology at MMU
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The PACE programme marks a major shift in how UK policing engages with science and evidence. The initiative will create a collaborative, nationwide research infrastructure that reflects policing’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) - from public protection to digital transformation. Each centre will act as a gateway to independent academic advice, helping forces to navigate complex issues and adopt effective, ethical strategies that serve diverse communities.

As the UK faces fast-changing demands on its police services, the launch of the PACE network signals a long-term commitment to smarter, safer, and more responsive policing - backed by the best that British academia has to offer. 

“This is about making sure policing decisions are grounded in the best available knowledge,” said Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, NPCC Chair. “It strengthens our commitment to evidence-based practice and shows our determination to be more transparent, accountable and effective.”

Stian Westlake, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), said: “The Policing Academic Centres of Excellence will forge closer relationships between police forces and researchers, providing the police with data and evidence to make the justice system work better.

“By bringing experts in policing practice together with social scientists and data scientists across the country, the centres will provide knowledge and insights to drive service improvement. These centres of excellence demonstrate our commitment to reducing crime and making Britain a safer place.”

“It’s rare to see a project where everyone - researchers, artists, students, and audiences - walks away changed,” says Helbig. “We’re not just making theatre. We’re co-creating new ways of thinking, feeling, and connecting across difference.”

Each play is infused with the distinctive voice of its creators - from poetic monologues to ensemble movement, to satire and sensory storytelling. Following the performance, audience members are invited to stay for a candid conversation with the creators, discussing the themes, the process, and what it means to tell stories across cultures.

In a time of global complexity and cultural tension, it offers a rare chance to pause, reflect and connect. It celebrates the diversity of lived experience and invites audiences to engage directly with the kinds of questions anthropology is uniquely positioned to ask. 

Tickets for the event can be purchased at . 

Tiny Human Dramas is part of an expanding vision - the team is currently developing a short documentary film about the creative process and exploring opportunities to take the project to national festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe and the ESRC Festival of Social Science.

Building upon his 2024 book, , the unsettling history of role-playing in ‘constructed situations’ is explored through his commentary on the performative dynamic of the experiment and its wider societal implications. Students from the School of the Arts, Languages & Cultures also feature in the reenactments shown in the series. 

To mark the UK premiere, the , in partnership with , will be hosting an in-conversation event on Wednesday 4 June titled ‘’.&�Բ�����;

Professor Stephen Scott-Bottoms will be joined by from the , who is also among the expert commentators featured in the series, alongside , Director of the docuseries. An internationally recognised expert on social identity, collective behaviour, intergroup conflict, and leadership influence, Professor Stephen Reicher co-led the BBC’s partial reconstruction of the Stanford Prison study,  

The event will feature behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the series, a discussion on the enduring relevance of the Stanford study and a live audience Q&A. It is open to the public and promises a compelling dialogue on truth, myth, and morality in psychological research.

Register for

The documentary series, The Stanford Prison Experiment: Unlocking the Truth, is set to air on .

The treaty suspension reflects a growing regional trend: South Asian countries are increasingly treating water as a strategic asset rather than a shared resource amid rising mistrust, climate stress and geopolitical competition.

The region is home to nearly a quarter of the global population, and relies on huge transboundary rivers fed by Himalayan glaciers – the so-called of freshwater reserves. A breakdown in water diplomacy could trigger environmental collapse, humanitarian crises and geopolitical instability. The weaponisation of water must be urgently addressed as a global climate justice issue.

A flashpoint occurred in August 2024 when devastating floods affected in Bangladesh. Some Bangladeshi officials accused India of releasing excess water from a large dam upstream without warning. India , citing extreme rainfall and standard dam operations. Nevertheless, the incident reignited longstanding tensions between the two countries.

Complicating matters further is China recently approving the construction of the on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, which becomes the Brahmaputra in India. This massive project has about China’s ability to exert control upstream, and the ecological risks for India and Bangladesh downstream.

China hasn’t signed formal water-sharing agreements with its neighbours, but its growing presence in regional water infrastructure signals a dramatic shift in south and east Asian hydro-politics.

Climate change is making things worse

Recent climatic trends are making transboundary rivers an increasing focus of geopolitical friction. These trends include accelerated , , and intensifying extreme weather.

While melting glaciers will temporarily boost the flow of rivers, the long-term prognosis is bleak. If emissions and warming trends continue, many glacier-fed rivers – including the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra – could see by the end of the century. This will directly affect hundreds of millions of people who depend on them.

The crisis is being intensified by changes in the Himalayas. The region is warming faster than the global average, with a shift from snowfall to rainfall that disrupts the timing and volume of water that flows down from the mountains to the fields and cities below.

At the same time, has pushed South Asia’s reserves of underground water toward collapse, threatening both food and water security.

A dangerous precedent

A collapse or suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty could set a dangerous precedent. Importantly, the threat is less about India cutting off water flows – an unlikely and technically challenging act – and more about the erosion of trust, transparency and data sharing.

One of the treaty’s most valuable features has been the routine sharing of data on things like water levels, river flow and dam operations. Pakistan needs this data to forecast floods and droughts, plan its irrigation, generate hydropower effectively and manage its drinking water, yet India is indicating it will no longer honour these obligations.

But India’s strained water relations are not limited to Pakistan. Bangladesh and Nepal have often felt sidelined or pressured in negotiations, and India’s indication that it may reconsider longstanding treaties raises concerns in both countries.

This is especially the case as the Ganges Water Treaty nears its 2026 expiration: the vast Ganges river flows through India and irrigates much of Bangladesh – and the treaty guarantees Bangladesh a minimum river flow.

Other key agreements, such as the and with Nepal, and the with Bangladesh, remain largely unimplemented, breeding mistrust. These failures undermine confidence in regional water diplomacy and cast doubt on India’s commitment to equitable cooperation.

None of this is helped by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh all continuing to rely on outdated irrigation methods that mean they use more water than necessary. As climate change intensifies floods, droughts and glacial melt, there is an urgent need to reform existing water treaties to reflect present-day climate, hydrological and geopolitical realities.

The Indus Waters Treaty, negotiated in the 1960s before the emergence of modern climate science, no longer accounts for these transformations. Indeed, most water treaties in the region remain rooted in technocratic, engineering-centric frameworks which fail to address extreme climate variability and its cascading impacts.

The upcoming expiration of the Ganges Water Treaty, and the pending negotiation of other basin agreements, present a critical opportunity to rethink water governance in South Asia.

Though the Indus flows through India before Pakistan, in other basins, India is downstream. This is the case with the Brahmaputra, where it demands upstream cooperation from China.

Undermining the Indus treaty could weaken India’s own position in future negotiations and strain its relations with Nepal and Bangladesh, while giving China more influence in South Asian hydro-politics. China is already expanding its footprint by offering billions in loans to Bangladesh and strengthening ties with Nepal, particularly around water infrastructure.

Weaponising water is a perilous strategy that may backfire. The weakening of water diplomacy in South Asia is not just a regional threat; it endangers global climate security.

In the face of escalating climate change impacts and recurring disasters, updating transboundary agreements like the Indus Waters Treaty, Ganga Water Treaty, and Kosi and Teesta accords is no longer optional – it is an urgent necessity with enormous consequences.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Geography,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

Stark inequalities in the workforce continue. People from more middle-class backgrounds continue to dominate the sector, and fresh policies are needed to truly shift the dial. For audiences, the report points to a worsening picture with widening engagement gaps in class and ethnicity over the last year. Perhaps the most significant findings are the variations in terms of engagement by locality within England.

The report makes clear the scale of the challenge facing policymakers.

Key findings by place:

• There are only 13 English local authorities where over 50% of the population have been to an art exhibition in the last twelve months – all 13 are in London.
• The local authority with the highest percentage of residents visiting an art gallery in the last 12 months was the City of London, at 70%; the local authority with the fewest was Boston, Lincolnshire, at 11%.
• Other local authorities where the figures are high were Brighton and Hove (49%) and Oxford (46%); outside of the south of England, the highest figure was for York (37%).

Key findings by demographics:

• There has been a widening gap in the last year between who engages with arts and culture by socio-economic background (comparing 2022/23 with 2023/24). For example, there has been a 9% increase in the gap between ‘middle class’ and ‘working class’ people attending a live music performance, and a 7% increase in the gap for ‘attending an art exhibition’.
• There is a large variation in engagement in cultural activities by socio-economic background, e.g. 51% of people in ‘managerial/professional households’ have been
• to the theatre in the last 12 months, whereas the figure for ‘semi-routine / working class’ was 26%.
• The class differences are largest for museums and galleries, with 54% for managerial/professional and 31% for semi-routine/working class. In nearly all cases, Black and Asian people are less likely than people in other minority ethnic groups to have engaged in the DCMS categorised arts, culture and heritage activities. For example, 23% of Black people and 19% of Asian people had attended live music, compared with 42% of White people.
• Local authorities with more people working in arts, culture and heritage also have greater rates of engagement in most forms of arts and culture. For example, six out of the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people working in arts, culture and heritage occupations are also in the ten local authorities with the largest percentage of people having visited an art exhibition.
• The activities most strongly associated with people working in Arts, Culture and Heritage and people ‘engaging’ are visual arts (attending exhibitions), literary events and live dance.
• The majority of areas showing this relationship were found to be London boroughs, with the next highest areas outside of London being Cambridge, Brighton and Hove, Oxford, Bristol and Waverley (in Surrey).

, Head of Policy, Creative PEC, said: “Place-based approaches to supporting culture are high on the agenda, especially in England, as new Strategic Authorities and local powers unfold. Our latest report highlights that local areas with higher rates of cultural engagement also tend to have a higher proportion of people working in the sector, suggesting a possible relationship between the two.

As policymakers and cultural bodies develop locally responsive culture and heritage strategies, this research adds further weight to the idea that such plans should aim beyond solely boosting engagement for local communities. In addition, they should also consider how opportunities within the local arts, culture and heritage workforce can be nurtured and sustained as a part of a more holistic approach.” The report ‘’ was co-authored by Professor Dave O’Brien, University of Manchester and and , from the . The report is published by Creative PEC, which is funded by the .

• Creative PEC has published an interactive dashboard to support those responsible for local growth and cultural planning to delve further into regional and local data. .

Key Findings

• Contrary to common belief, and consistent with other recent large-scale studies, loneliness decreases with age. 29% of Gen Z feel lonely compared to 14% of Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. Yet, most interventions still focus on the elderly — highlighting a gap for products, services, and workplace cultures that prioritise belonging amongst young people.
• Perhaps surprisingly, more than 50% of people find positive alone time a helpful way of overcoming loneliness — revealing a powerful opportunity for businesses to design environments, products, and experiences that support solitude, not just social interaction.
• 14% of people who completed the survey say they have nowhere to go when they feel lonely, but want to connect with others — a clear opportunity for businesses to create connection-friendly spaces in places such as cafés, retail stores, and offices.
• 60% report experiencing ‘relational’ or ‘collective’ loneliness, not just ‘intimate’ loneliness — opening the door for brands to design experiences that foster everyday social connection.
• People not belonging to a group are 1.6x more likely to feel lonely — giving businesses a chance to build community through memberships, loyalty programs, and shared identity experiences.
• Dissatisfaction with income doubles the likelihood of loneliness, regardless of actual earnings — suggesting companies can drive loyalty and retention among their workforce by improving perceived financial well-being, not just financial status.

The report launch invites purpose-driven business leaders to join the Business vs. Loneliness change platform, working together with public and non-profit partners to help create a more connected world through business.

To access the report and for more information, visit . 

“The other circumstance for unwanted behaviour was while they were working in their first part-time job as a teenager, with adult male customers making sexual or otherwise inappropriate comments to them while they were working. A young girl working her first job probably isn’t going to feel able to challenge this behaviour or speak to someone about it.”

Ms McFalone also carried out interviews with affected women. One told her she was 13 years old when she first was “cat-called in a school uniform” by “fully grown men.” Another said: “I worked for a pizza place as my first job – surprisingly the worst sort of male attention I got, which was borderline illegal, was when I was 15.”

#BeeWell is a youth-centred programme led by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud. The #BeeWell survey listens to the voices of thousands of young people in secondary schools every year to understand and improve their wellbeing.

China recently of the world’s largest hydropower dam, across the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. When fully up and running, it will be the world’s largest power plant – by some distance.

Yet many are worried the dam will displace local people and cause huge environmental disruption. This is particularly the case in the downstream nations of India and Bangladesh, where that same river is known as the Brahmaputra.

The proposed dam highlights some of the geopolitical issues raised by rivers that cross international borders. Who owns the river itself, and who has the right to use its water? Do countries have obligations not to pollute shared rivers, or to keep their shipping lanes open? And when a drop of rain falls on a mountain, do farmers in a different country thousands of miles downstream have a claim to use it? Ultimately, we still don’t know enough about these questions of river rights and ownership to settle disputes easily.

The Yarlung Tsangpo begins on the Tibetan Plateau, in a region sometimes referred to as the world’s third pole as its glaciers contain the largest stores of ice outside of the Arctic and Antarctica. A series of huge rivers tumble down from the plateau and spread across south and south-east Asia. Well over a billion people depend on them, from Pakistan to Vietnam.

Yet the region is already under immense stress as global warming melts glaciers and changes rainfall patterns. Reduced water flow in the dry season, coupled with sudden releases of water during monsoons, could intensify both water scarcity and flooding, endangering millions in India and Bangladesh.

The construction of has historically disrupted river flows, displaced people, destroyed fragile ecosystems and increased risks of floods. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Dam will likely be no exception.

The dam will sit along the tectonic boundary where the Indian and Eurasian plates converge to form the Himalayas. This makes the region particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, , and .

Downstream, the Brahmaputra is one of south Asia’s mightiest rivers and has been integral to human civilisation for thousands of years. It’s one of the world’s most sediment-rich rivers, which helps form a huge and fertile delta.

Yet a dam of this scale would trap massive amounts of sediment upstream, disrupting its flow downstream. This could make farming less productive, threatening food security in one of the world’s most densely populated regions.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, a Unesco World Heritage Site that stretches across most of coastal Bangladesh and a portion of India, is particularly vulnerable. Any disruption to the balance of sediment could accelerate coastal erosion and make the already low lying area more vulnerable to sea-level rise.

The Brahmaputra eventually flows into a region of fertile fields and mangrove forests. Sk Hasan Ali / shutterstock

Unfortunately, despite the transboundary nature of the Brahmaputra, there is no comprehensive treaty governing it. This lack of formal agreements complicates efforts to ensure China, India and Bangladesh share the water equitably and work together to prepare for disasters.

These sorts of agreements are perfectly possible: 14 countries plus the European Union are parties to a , for instance. But the Brahmaputra is not alone. Many transboundary rivers in the global south face similar neglect and inadequate research.

Researching rivers

In our recent study, colleagues and I analysed . We wanted to assess how much academic research there was on each, what themes it focused on, and how that varied depending on the type of river. We found that, while large rivers in the global north receive considerable academic attention, many equally important rivers in the global south remain overlooked.

What research there is in the global south is predominantly led by institutions from the global north. This dynamic influences research themes and locations, often sidelining the most pressing local issues. We found that research in the global north tends to focus on technical aspects of river management and governance, whereas studies in the global south primarily examine conflicts and resource competition.

In Asia, research is concentrated on large, geopolitically significant basins like the Mekong and Indus. Smaller rivers where water crises are most acute are often neglected. Something similar is happening in Africa, where studies focus on climate change and water-sharing disputes, yet a lack of infrastructure limits broader research efforts.

Small and medium-sized river basins, critical to millions of people in the global south, are among the most neglected in research. This oversight has serious real-world consequences. We still don’t know enough about water scarcity, pollution, and climate change impacts in these regions, which makes it harder to develop effective governance and threatens the livelihoods of everyone who depends on these rivers.

A more inclusive approach to research will ensure the sustainable management of transboundary rivers, safeguarding these vital resources for future generations.

, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Geography,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

For years, nature has been blamed as a blocker of economic growth. After some ministerial about not letting get in the way of growth ambitions, the UK government released more details of its plans to .

The centrepiece of its aspirations to balance both nature and economic growth is a , to be set up in England through changes to habitat regulations. This should allow developers to stay within their legal obligations towards nature through a payment scheme without delaying their projects.

The is that, as an alternative to relocating important species or improving habitats on the site of a proposed development, a developer could pay into the nature restoration fund. This would pay for larger, more strategically located schemes to protect the species in question.

The fund simplifies and streamlines the regulations while collecting funds to promote more, bigger, better and increasingly .

Protecting nature is not just about bats and newts. According to trade association the Home Builders Federation (HBF), there are 160,000 homes being delayed by what are known as measures. These rules were a response to growing public concerns about land and water pollution caused by nutrient loads – pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus – associated with livestock farming and spillages from sewage works.

Government agency 74 local authorities that they should not allow any more house building in their areas unless this pollution could be mitigated. But this has led to lengthy and expensive project-by-project reviews to identify potential damage.

How will a fund help?

The fund will build on some schemes that are already known to work. One such scheme works for the protection of . Another successful scheme is project, working to protect and enhance heathland sites where rare birds such as nightingales breed. Crucially, this scheme allows new development to go ahead in adjacent areas.

The fund will be run by Natural England, which aims to draw on these experiences to unblock development at a large scale rather than at single-site level, pooling contributions from developers to pay for mitigation measures when there is a risk to nature.

If a particular “blocking” issue is identified, experts from Natural England will produce a plan, which must be approved by the environment secretary. A levy on developers will then pay for mitigation measures “in perpetuity” (often 30 years), allowing the development to get under way.

Environmental experts have the general principles and approach of the nature restoration fund. But there has also been about whether the plan is well enough thought through. There are also questions on how well it will integrate with other schemes.

A widespread worry is for the future of – which includes measures for creating and improving using biodiversity units, effectively a form of “nature market”. This approach sets a target of 10% for biodiversity improvement based upon the combined distinctness, condition and significance of affected habitats over the lifetime of the development. But these measures are only just .

The concern is that providers of sites for these habitat banks – which might be councils, landowners, charities or private businesses, for example – might get cold feet and if they can’t be certain that their plans will be compatible with the nature restoration fund.

There is concern, too, about how payments from the nature restoration fund would be calculated. These will need to be locally appropriate and not pit nature restoration and biodiversity net gain against each other if, for example, landowners are forced to choose a particular scheme for their land that they are then . With two parallel systems in play, the relationship between them must be crystal clear, otherwise shared goals could be missed.

Another question is whether Natural England can be both regulator and financial beneficiary of the new scheme. There have been calls from some of those already involved in nature markets for some form of .

And it will also be vital that the new scheme respects what’s known as the “mitigation hierarchy”. This hierarchy aims to avoid, reduce and then mitigate any impacts on nature on-site in that order. Then developers should consider off-site measures in areas where there could be greater .

But a danger here is that this could disconnect people from nature even further by mitigating ecological loss miles away from the site of the damage. This disconnection is considered to be a critical underlying cause of .

There is much to like about the nature restoration fund, but there is a risk that little will be achieved without the government showing genuine ambition and allocating enough money and staff to properly monitor and enforce it over the long term. Only time will tell whether it achieves the government’s goal of speeding up development.

At the moment, it is not clear how the fund will complement similar schemes and there is a danger of creating a complex patchwork in nature restoration funding. But if it works well, it could provide a richer funding ecosystem for nature recovery – a much-needed boost for England’s nature-depleted landscape.

, Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning and , Senior Lecturer in Planning and Environmental Management
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Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive at Youth Sports Trust said:  
 
"At the Youth Sport Trust, we know a child's wellbeing is the foundation for their success, both in and out of the classroom, and physical activity including PE, sport and play is vital to their physical, social, and emotional development. When children are healthy and happy, they are ready to learn. It’s encouraging to see through these results more parents are recognising the critical link between wellbeing and academic and personal development, with many now prioritising it when choosing a secondary school. We believe measuring wellbeing can help track progress as well as ensuring support is targeted towards those with the greatest needs. 

“Through our development of the Well School and Well School Trust movement, a growing collection of schools and trusts taking positive action to improve education outcomes by supporting the health and happiness of their staff and pupils, we are committed to helping make this a reality. In June, we’re introducing a free Well check service for schools which will help parents easily identify schools committed to nurturing wellbeing, while also supporting schools in creating environments where every young person can thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally."  

Ben Levinson OBE, executive headteacher at Kensington Primary School and chair of the Well school collective, said:

"As a parent, headteacher and chair of the Well School Collective, I have always been a strong advocate for prioritising children's wellbeing within schools. Supporting positive mental and physical health has been at the heart of my approach at Kensington Primary School, and I’m proud to say that this focus has played a key role in our Outstanding Ofsted grade. By establishing strong wellbeing practices in primary schools, we help parents see the importance of continuing this focus as they look ahead to secondary education. Wellbeing and school excellence are not competing priorities; they are complementary, essential elements that drive success. That is why it’s so encouraging to see more parents recognising this; when we support wellbeing, we’re creating the conditions for every young person to flourish, and it’s vital that schools and parents work together to make this a priority." 

The experts also say that investing in wellbeing is not just a moral imperative - it also makes economic sense. They point to research from  which highlights the substantial financial benefits of prioritising wellbeing, estimating that tackling low wellbeing among young people could deliver billions  
 
To find out more about the national wellbeing measurement programme campaign, visit .  

“Through her work, Jackie has foregrounded disability inclusion, ensuring that disabled staff and students have a voice in shaping a more inclusive culture,” said Vicki Baars, Head of Culture Transformation at Culture Shift. “She truly leads by example and lives the principle of ‘Nothing about us without us’ -  her work remains a vital force for creating lasting change at the university.”

New findings from the latest #BeeWell survey highlight the importance of ensuring every young person has access to everyday support in their wider community. This supports the broader Live Well commitment which seeks to tackle inequalities and improve wellbeing for all residents across the city-region.

Since launching in 2021, the #BeeWell programme, a partnership between Greater 91ֱ�� Combined Authority (GMCA), the Gregson Family Foundation, The University of Manchester and Anna Freud, has engaged almost 100,000 young people in Greater 91ֱ�� to listen to their needs, understand their wellbeing, and drive action to ensure they receive the support they need.

The report highlights areas where Live Well, Greater 91ֱ��’s innovative vision for a shift in how public services and community organisations collaborate, will play a crucial role in ensuring no young person is left behind.

One of the key findings in this year’s report identified urgent challenges around food insecurity, with one in ten young people reporting that on most days, food in their house didn’t last and there wasn’t enough money to buy more.  The survey also found that only one in ten young people are consuming the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

The #BeeWell Youth Steering Group highlighted the need for greater awareness of how nutrition affects energy levels and wellbeing, alongside increased support for families to make healthy choices.

Mayor of Greater 91ֱ��, Andy Burnham, said:

“The #BeeWell findings make it clearer than ever why our Live Well ambition is so important. We are listening to young people, and they are telling us that access to support in their neighbourhoods, safe spaces to go, and someone to talk to are vital to their wellbeing.

“Through Live Well, we are ensuring that every young person, regardless of their background, can get the help they need to thrive. Wellbeing is everybody’s business, and Greater 91ֱ�� is leading the way in putting young people at the heart of this mission.”

Physical activity among girls also remains a concern with the trend continuing from previous years, with just one in four girls meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guideline of one hour of activity per day.

Young people raised concerns about the sports offered in PE, gendered PE kits that make participation uncomfortable, and a lack of access to free and enjoyable activities in the community.

Live Well will work alongside GM Moving, local councils, and community partners to address these challenges, removing barriers to participation and increasing opportunities for young people to stay active.

Hayley Lever, CEO of Greater 91ֱ�� (GM) Moving said:

“Movement, physical activity, and sport is fundamental to young people’s mental wellbeing.

“The #BeeWell findings highlight the urgent need to accelerate our collective efforts to make physical activity more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for all young people.

“I’m so proud of #FeelGoodYourWay and how it shines a light on how movement, physical activity, and sport is changing young lives for the better.

“The right opportunities to move can transform a young person’s life.”

The survey also identified that while 60% of young people feel like they belong at school, the report found lower levels of school belonging reported among girls and LGBTQ+ young people. It also showed lower scores for Year 10 pupils in metrics including sense of school belonging and feeling hope and optimism, when compared to Year 7s.

This drop-off in wellbeing and hope has been a large driver in the development of the Greater 91ֱ�� Baccalaureate (MBacc) which launched this year. The MBacc is transforming technical education in our city-region, supporting all our young people to fulfil their potential and help give them hope for the future.

This year’s survey introduced new measures on access to trusted adults, revealing that while 75% of young people say they have someone to talk to about their worries, boys are less likely to feel that they have someone to confide in than girls.

The #BeeWell Youth Steering believes that improving feelings of school belonging would have a positive impact on overall wellbeing, including increasing hope and optimism for the future.

Saint, from the #BeeWell Youth Steering Group, said:

“It is incredibly important that we run #BeeWell surveys so we can accurately determine where young people need more support.

“By analysing these key headlines, we can target the most significant factors impacting the mental wellbeing of young people and aim for improvements within those areas.

“Every young person should be given the opportunity to flourish and succeed and ensuring this not only provides an environment of safety and belonging for the individual, but will collectively help us progress into a more cohesive and compassionate society in the long run.”

The Live Well ambition aims to tackle these disparities head-on by ensuring every young person has somewhere to go and someone to talk to.

Councillor Mark Hunter, GMCA Portfolio Lead for Young People, said:

“Every young person in Greater 91ֱ�� deserves access to great everyday support. The #BeeWell data provides us with the evidence we need to take action—whether that’s tackling inequalities in school belonging, increasing access to healthy food, or ensuring young people feel safe and supported in their communities.

“We want to bring services and communities together to make our vision for Greater 91ֱ�� a reality, and we are committed to making a real difference to young people’s lives across our city region.”

In response to the findings, #BeeWell will work with Greater 91ֱ��’s ten local authorities to support the development of an action plan to improve young people’s wellbeing across the city-region.

An event will be held in the coming weeks bringing together young people, schools, and community partners to co-design a plan for action based on the #BeeWell insights.

The Summit reinforced that tackling the inequalities that shape how we age, linked to place, gender, class, race, disability and migration, must be central to age-friendly work. MUARG's ongoing work is crucial in driving research and collaboration to improve the experience of ageing and to build fairer, more inclusive and connected cities for all. 

Learn more about the 91ֱ�� Urban Ageing Research Group’s work in building an age-friendly future by .

Also named as a Fellow is Professor Toni Haastrup, a leading expert in feminist international studies. Her work has explored contemporary Africa-EU relations, feminist foreign policy and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. With over 80 published works, her work seeks to bridge theory and practice, which has led to collaborations with UN agencies and EU institutions. Passionate about inclusion in the sector, Toni is currently chair of the . Her contribution to feminist knowledge in Europe was recognised with an Emma Goldman Award in 2022. She is also a mid-career fellow of the Independent Social Research Foundation.

“I am deeply honoured to be recognised by the Academy of Social Sciences,” Toni said. “This recognition further validates the importance of feminist perspectives within the humanities and social sciences, at a time we are increasingly seeing a backlash within and outside the academy. Yet, this work is essential to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, and I am grateful to the colleagues and collaborators who have supported my work over the years.”

Our final new Fellow is Professor Sophie Woodward, a distinguished sociologist who carries out research into material culture, consumption and everyday life. Sophie is the author of several books including Why Women Wear What They Wear (2007), Blue Jeans: The Art of the Ordinary (2012), Birth and Death: experience, ethics and politics (2020) and Material Methods: Researching and Thinking with Things (2019) who co-directs the , as well as serving as Vice-Director of the National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM). She is also one of the founding editors of the new Journal of Creative Research methods. 

“I am delighted to be made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences - it is wonderful to receive recognition like this,” said Sophie. “I look forward to working with other fellows at a time when the world needs social science methods, perspectives and critiques more than ever. I look forward to continuing to develop critical engagements with methods and the data they can generate and my research into everyday lives.”

“I’m delighted to welcome these outstanding social scientists to the Academy’s Fellowship, whose research and practice are helping to develop solutions to pressing societal issues,” said Will Hutton, President of the Academy. “We look forward to working with them to further promote the vital role the social sciences play in all areas of our lives.”

To secure the future of bus services, the expert panel has put forward a series of recommendations including investment in more frequent and reliable buses, long-term funding settlements, a new statutory requirement to provide socially necessary services and continued support for affordable fares.

The panel urged the Transport Select Committee to ensure their report to the Government includes a focus on the ‘four As’ - Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, and Acceptability. Without addressing these key issues, they point out that millions of people will continue to face transport-related exclusion.

“Buses are an essential public service, yet too many communities are cut off from the bus network - this needs to change,” said Silviya Barrett from Campaign for Better Transport. “The Government must identify gaps in the current network, provide targeted funding to plug those gaps and introduce of a ‘bus service guarantee’ to ensure all communities have access to a good, affordable and reliable bus service in the future.”

“There is an urgent need for reform,” added Professor Lucas. “If the Government takes action now, we can create a sustainable, well-connected bus network that benefits communities, the economy, and public health.”

As the honorary chair of creative writing, Lemn will joined by fellow judges John McAuliffe, Professor of Poetry at The University of Manchester and 91ֱ��-based poet and critic, Maryam Hessavi.

The theme for 2025 is ‘Connections’ and the challenge is simple - write a ‘micro poem’ of no more than 280 characters, and submit using the official competition entry form.

Lemn said: “The Micropoetry Competition sets a wonderful yet challenging task of translating a theme into a short work of art. It’s a craft to tell a story in such a manner and I’m looking forward to reading the 2025 entries, centred around the chosen theme. As someone who published a book of tweets in the form of quatrains, I urge you to pen your poem and enter the competition.”

Entries must be submitted by 23:59 on Saturday 21 June 2025, with winners to be announced by Friday 25 July 2025.

Prizes will be awarded for first place (£500) and the two runners-up (£250), with a £25 book token for winner of the under-18s category.

Professor of Poetry at The University of Manchester, John McAuliffe, said: "World Poetry Day celebrates all that is fascinating about poetry and its manifold forms. Our Micropoetry Competition explores the art of translating a set theme into a condensed poem that captures attention and shares a story.”

For the full entry details as well as the terms and conditions, 

The most recent statistics show that violence against women and girls affects one in 12 women in . A quarter of domestic abuse incidents reported to police involve known, repeat perpetrators. But despite being to identify and control the most serious perpetrators, police do not currently have systems good enough to do that.

Currently, police forces use an algorithm to determine which offenders pose the greatest risk to women and girls. This is known as the – perpetrators are propelled up or down a list based on the recency, frequency, gravity (seriousness) of reported incidents, and the vulnerability of the victim.

The gap in this approach is that it largely treats incidents as isolated, when they should be looked at as a whole. Research has also found it is used between forces.

Most police perpetrator lists contain hundreds or even thousands of people, making them difficult tools to use. They also do not seem to be able to distinguish who the most serious offenders are, with men with very similar profiles near the top, middle and bottom of the lists.

We propose an , which would assess the whole of a perpetrator’s record of incidents. This would allow police to identify not only the most dangerous perpetrators, but also opportunities to better address their offending earlier on. This might be with diversion to programmes designed to support better choices and rehabilitation, or arrest and incarceration to prevent them harming other people.

By joining together incidents recorded by police for individual perpetrators, we constructed detailed case studies using police officer’s notes. Here is a summary of two people who appear in one force’s perpetrator list.

1. Male born mid 1980s, involved in 340 incidents over 20 years

His offending begins with an indecent assault on a young teenage girl when he is 19. He is increasingly involved in drug-related offending in his 20s. He is later sentenced to six years in jail for arson endangering life. Released on conditional licence, he is re-convicted of the harassment of his ex-partner and recalled to prison.

Release is followed by further offences until the mid-2010s when he is imprisoned again. When released, his offending is erratic (low-level public order, violence, threats, drug-related offending).

Throughout his 30s, he frequently victimises partners and ex-partners. He has no settled address and is homeless at various points of his life. He is still subject to frequent mental health episodes.

2. Male born early 1980s, involved in 396 incidents over 25 years

In his teens he was involved in low-level thefts, criminal damage and breaches of an antisocial behaviour order. He was also suspected of selling drugs to schoolchildren, and imprisoned, aged 18, for drug-related violence.

In his 20s he “associates with” children and is found with a missing vulnerable schoolgirl hiding in his house. He continues to commit offences of criminal damage, drug dealing, and stealing vehicles. Another missing teenage girl is found to be living with him.

In his early 20s he very violently assaults and harasses much younger partners. He continues to commit public order offences and to threaten, harass, and assault current and ex-partners, kicking his pregnant partner in the stomach.

In the early 2020s, police attend his ex-partner’s house following abandoned 999 calls – they find him with his hand over her mouth to stop her calling out to the police. He continues to be violent to ex-partners and his involvement in drug-related offending deepens. He is currently in prison for a violent offence.

Who is the danger?

Both men pose a real and severe threat of violence to women and girls as well as the public. But the RFGV algorithm places the first man more than a thousand places higher than the second. Clearly treating the offences they commit in isolation is not sufficient to distinguish which man poses the greatest risk.

A life-course approach, which takes into account the type and pattern of offending as it develops over time, is less susceptible to fluctuations which move an offender rapidly up or down the priority lists. Therefore, it more reliably reflects who poses the greatest risk.

A better ranking system is clearly required. The RFGV algorithm provides a “score”, but a more sophisticated system would also evaluate the direction of offending of individuals – is it escalating, more frequent, more serious?

A life-course approach could be used separately or together with RFGV to allow police analysts to identify the most serious perpetrators. It may also be possible to use artificial intelligence to identify trends in offending and escalation of risk through analysis of thousands of police incident reports in real time.

The system could then identify opportunities for which have been shown to be effective in reducing re-offending against current and future victims. It could also automatically trigger warnings to neighbourhood officers, specialist domestic abuse-trained officers, mental health services and so on.

We won’t really know the full capability until new systems are tried, and evaluated. This also means including the voices of survivors and focusing on the lives of persistent perpetrators – often substance use, homelessness, estrangement, imprisonment and mental health problems are at play. The possibilities of learning from artificial intelligence or other technology should not be privileged over the very sources of the data such intelligence relies upon: victims’ experiences.

, Professor of Criminology, and , Professor of Social Justice,  
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The UK government has published its , a cornerstone of its strategy for growth. The bill aims to and includes the hugely ambitious target of building in England over this parliament.

The bill is ambitious in scope – 160 pages long and very technical. But what does it promise exactly?

On , it outlines reforms to limit vexatious repeat use of judicial review to block development. There are also some measures for a stronger electricity grid to ease the move towards renewable energy. While the plan to reward people living with £250 off their bills grabbed headlines, just as important are measures for energy storage to level out peaks in demand and supply.

On the side, planning departments will be allowed to charge more to those making applications. This should speed up decisions by funding more planning officer roles. But there are no measures to increase funding for drawing up local plans. This is important because councils often fall behind schedule in producing these. And where there is no up-to-date plan, there is a danger that developers will push through controversial proposals.

The bill also provides for more decisions to be delegated to planning officials rather than planning committees – this means council staff rather than elected representatives. This already happens for smaller planning applications, so is not entirely new. But it does raise concerns about democratic scrutiny.

The government argues that local democracy will not be undermined, as planning officers will be making their decisions in the context of democratically approved local plans as well as national legislation. But this could be misleading, unless planning authorities have the funds to update local plans regularly.

There are also changes to existing legislation, to support the building of new towns. Particularly welcome is the responsibility on development corporations – government organisations dealing with urban development – to consider climate change and design quality. This is in order to hit net-zero targets and avoid cookie-cutter housing estates.

Other measures are aimed at ensuring appropriate infrastructure is built to serve these new towns.

There are changes planned too on when orders can be used to buy sites that are broadly to be used for the public good. This could be for affordable homes, health or education facilities, for instance. It would work by reducing payments to the actual value of the land rather than its “hope value” (when landholders hold out for price rises once planning permission is granted).

There is also a commitment to creating a fund, which the government hopes will overcome some of the delays to approving new housing caused by potential threats to wildlife.

The fund will aim to unblock development in general rather than specific sites, as happens at the moment, and will pool contributions from developers to fund nature recovery. Where there are concerns for wildlife, experts will develop a long-term mitigation plan that will be paid for by the fund while allowing the development to go ahead in the meantime.

Will it work?

As a professor of urban and environmental planning, the question for me is will the bill encourage development to progress more speedily? Almost certainly – probably mostly in terms of bringing forward improvements to critical national infrastructure schemes such as the electric grid. For residential development, some incremental speeding up is likely as developers crave certainty in planning decisions.

But on their own, these measures are unlikely to be enough to provide the 1.5 million new homes set out in the government’s target. They offer nothing to tackle critical bottlenecks in terms of both . It is also difficult to see the target being met without much more government involvement – by building social housing in particular.

Will the bill result in better quality development? There is surprisingly little in the plans about improving design quality, other than in areas. This is disappointing, and a missed opportunity to ensure that developers raise their game in residential building and neighbourhood quality.

And might it override local democracy? Arguably yes, but in practice not as much as some critics might argue. Most of the reforms are finessing existing practices, such as delegated powers to planning officers. Much depends on what the national government guidance turns out to be.

The biggest concern is that it might increase invisible political pressures on planning officers by councillors and senior officials. It would have been good to have seen more measures to protect their independence and professional judgement.

Hopefully the bill will speed up delivery of nationally important schemes for critical infrastructure. This means things like modernising the electricity grid and removing repeated use of judicial review to block a development. These elements should create jobs sooner and support economic growth.

Where the bill will make absolutely no difference is in improving living standards for people with older homes. This bill is focused on new builds and has little to offer those hoping for support in retrofitting ageing housing stock with more energy-efficient features or creating green spaces in areas where new development is increasingly in demand.

Despite some of the ministerial bluster about , much of the content of this bill is not about removing planning regulations. It is much more about improving them. Some measures will work better than others, but overall, given the government’s electoral mandate to deliver growth and protect the environment, this is a reasonable balancing act.

It’s unlikely to deliver much growth in its own right, but as an enabler of growth, it is promising. More worrying is whether it will lead to poor-quality housing built at pace and massive scale to inadequate energy-efficiency and design standards. This would fail to deliver on net-zero and biodiversity ambitions. It is very much a minor win for facilitating growth, but for nature it is nothing more than maintaining the status quo.

, Professor, Urban and Environmental Planning,
This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

The River Rescue Kit is designed to support individuals and grassroots organisations in holding polluters and policymakers accountable. It offers guidance on gathering water quality data, lobbying decision-makers and raising public awareness.

Professor Woodward highlights the impact of groups like Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP), whose campaigning efforts have brought national attention to the issue and helped shift public and political discourse. “Community activism works,” he said. “We need more people to step up, challenge the status quo, and demand urgent action to clean up our rivers.”

River Action and Professor Woodward urge the public to engage with the River Rescue Kit and join the fight against river pollution. By equipping communities with specialist knowledge and tools, this initiative aims to drive meaningful change and restore the UK’s rivers to health.

For more information and to access the River Rescue Kit, visit . 

In addition to her fiction, Sarah frequently publishes journalistic reviews, op-eds and provocations; she has written feature length radio plays and scripts and adapted her own work for radio. She commentates for culture programmes including primetime shows on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and has presented radio and television documentaries for the BBC and Sky Arts. Currently, Sarah is working on a film adaptation of The Wolf Border with AC Chapter One/Climate Spring and an original TV series concept for Bonafide Films.

Sarah was previously Professor of Practice at the University of Cumbria, and has taught masterclasses and workshops for The Arvon Foundation, The Faber Academy, The Guardian, and universities including Cambridge and St. Andrews.

For more information about the centre, please visit  

The partnership paves the way for collaborative research and teaching initiatives between two world-leading universities. Both universities recognise the importance of global engagement and the shared research expertise across the disciplines including engineering, nanotechnologies, cancer research, digital humanities, social sciences and creative industries.

The partnership builds upon joint research projects already in progress, with a view to expanding and fostering new initiatives.

The signing took place at a ‘Meet the Mayors’ event at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, attended by Mayor of Greater 91ֱ��, Andy Burnham. Mr Burnham signed the Austin-91ֱ�� ‘Sister Cities’ Memorandum of Understanding with the Mayor of Austin on 7 March, officially forging a friendship between the two cities.

Also in attendance at the signing was Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council and an alumnus of The University of Manchester.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Faculty of Humanities Associate Dean for International, led the delegation from The University of Manchester which included senior academics and leads for business engagement. The delegation joined other colleagues from The University of Manchester at the South by Southwest Expo 2025 where the University hosted two panels on: ‘Second Cities: Culture Beyond the Capital’ and ‘Art Not Evidence: Free Expression on Trial’.

Professor Stephen Flint, Associate Vice-President International, said: “I am delighted we have signed this strategic partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, a powerful and innovative university in a creative city that draws parallels to The University of Manchester and the powerhouse city we call home.

“This new relationship with the University of Texas at Austin will make an impact across all of our faculties. We look forward to driving forward collaborative research and enhanced opportunities for two-way student and staff mobility, as we work together to tackle key global challenges."

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater 91ֱ��, said: “The new partnership between The University of Manchester and the University of Texas is really exciting and a valuable outcome from Greater 91ֱ��’s visit to Texas.

“Both institutions are powerhouses of innovative research, and contribute a great deal to their regional economies – through commercialising start-ups and spin-outs and wider business support. Combining their expertise can only lead to significant economic and educational benefits for both places.”

Sonia Feigenbaum, Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Chief International Officer at The University of Texas at Austin said: "The University of Texas at Austin is proud to formalize this partnership with The University of Manchester, a renowned institution in a city that mirrors Austin’s creative energy and spirit of innovation. By bringing together our expertise across disciplines, this collaboration will spark groundbreaking research and new opportunities for students and faculty on both sides of the Atlantic."

The University of Manchester is recognised globally for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university – ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings – and our community includes more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff, and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries working together to tackle the world's biggest challenges.

Sign up for our e-news to hear first-hand about our international partnerships and activities across the globe.

The University of Manchester’s Professor Joyce Tyldesley OBE has won the 2025 Archaeologist of the Year award, as voted for by readers of Current Archaeology magazine.

As Professor of Egyptology, Joyce has a career-long determination to make the past accessible to all. With support from the Egyptology team, Joyce has developed a pioneering suite of online programmes designed to reach students who, for various reasons, could not attend traditional, face-to-face lectures.

Joyce studied the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean at Liverpool University, then obtained a D.Phil in prehistoric archaeology from Oxford University. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton and is a Research Associate of the 91ֱ�� Museum. Joyce is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In 2024, she was awarded the OBE in recognition of her services to Egyptology and heritage.

Dr Nicky Nielsen, Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at The University of Manchester, said: “This is a very well-deserved honour. Professor Tyldesley has shaped the study of Egyptian archaeology here at 91ֱ�� for decades, as well as her extensive work in outreach and scholarly communication, and it’s wonderful to see her get recognition from the wider field.”

The Current Archaeology awards celebrate the projects and publications that made the pages of the magazine over the past 12 months, and the people shortlisted have made outstanding contributions to archaeology. The awards were voted for by the public, with Joyce being named the people’s winner at the ceremony on Saturday 1 March.

"Joyce’s work and its impact are highly valued by all her colleagues in the department, and the University as a whole," said Professor Peter Liddel, Head of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology. “Congratulations Joyce on another hugely deserved recognition of your achievements and contributions.”

Reflecting her interest in outreach, Joyce has published a series of books and articles on ancient Egypt, including three television tie-in books and Cleopatra, Last Queen of Egypt, which was a Radio 4 "Book of the Week". Her book Tutankhamen: The Search for an Egyptian King, won the Felicia A Holton Book Award from the Archaeological Institute of America.

Professor Carter’s remarks reinforced the essential role that data plays in driving social change. The Pankhurst-Fawcett Scorecard has been a crucial tool for measuring progress across key sectors, identifying both victories and areas where further action is needed. This year’s findings provided insights into persistent gender disparities while also highlighting positive strides towards equality.

The event featured dynamic discussions, including a keynote address from Professor Helen Pankhurst - a direct descendant of Emmeline and Sylvia Pankhurst - who echoed Professor Carter’s message, stating: “Turning data into action is our greatest challenge and opportunity.”

As the event concluded, GM4Women2028 reaffirmed its commitment to pushing for systemic change. The next Dialogue and Action Event will take place in Bolton on Saturday, July 5, providing another opportunity for communities, policymakers and activists to collaborate and plan actionable solutions.

“Ukrainians will not react well to attempts to undermine their views and preferences and will rally behind their leaders," Olga added. "Opposition forces will also find a way to come together and show unity - everyone in Ukraine understands what is as stake - it is an existential matter. Ukrainians have been fighting to protect their independence for years, and they will not give up now.”

“By inventing low approval ratings, Trump is preparing the ground for a call for quick elections in Ukraine - in line with Putin‘s references to Zelensky as an illegitimate president and negotiation partner,” said Gwendolyn Sasse. “Our findings show that for Ukrainians, holding elections now is not a preferred priority.”

“When the war ends, we can expect normal political competition to reemerge if Ukraine remains free,” added Henry Hale. “But with the Russian threat still looming large, Ukrainians continue to rally strongly around their leader.”

As Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression and misinformation campaigns, the researchers say these must be called out and rejected. Their findings demonstrate that Ukraine still stands with Zelensky, and they say that efforts to delegitimise him only serve the interests of Vladimir Putin.

Beyond medicine and science, this research has real-world implications for everyday people. If synDNA is widely adopted, it could lead to groundbreaking medical treatments and innovations, such as designing genes to combat hereditary diseases. 

However, it also raises concerns about genetic privacy, ownership, and potential misuse. Could individuals’ genetic information be recreated without their permission? How might this affect legal rights or personal identity?

The researchers emphasise the need for governments, policymakers and scientists to collaborate on ethical guidelines to ensure responsible development and use of synDNA. By addressing these issues now, society can prepare for the transformative impact this technology may have on healthcare, reproduction and human identity itself.

The study was funded by the Víctor Grífols i Lucas Foundation.