Articles about Experts

Last April, the president unleashed a tidal wave of tariffs on ‘liberation day’. Analysts say the policy has failed, even by the Trump administration’s own termsBefore Donald Trump declared “liberation day” on 2 April 2025 and shocked the world by raising import tariffs on nearly every country the US did business with, he had spent almost three months causing chaos in Washington.The wholesale slashing of government jobs under Doge (the “department of government efficiency”) and the defunding of US aid agencies had shown White House watchers that the US president was in a hurry to upset institutions he considered profligate or useless. Continue reading...

A huge rise in internet users under the age of 30 has fuelled an increase in online violence against women and girls with devastating real-life effects, activists sayActivists and lawyers in Africa are calling for urgent action to protect women, girls and boys as digital violence surges across the continent.A massive rise in internet users, coupled with huge numbers of people aged under 30, has fuelled an increase in gendered online violence across the continent, according to experts, by giving perpetrators new tools to control and silence women and girls, and influence boys. Continue reading...

More than 850 public demonstrations of support held since start of war and at least 1,400 arrests, research revealsIran’s regime has organised more than 850 public demonstrations of support of the government since the beginning of the war and launched a continuing crackdown on unrest that has led to at least 1,400 detentions, research reveals.The high number of pro-regime gatherings and the increasing number of detentions underlines the resilience of the Islamic Republic despite a month-long campaign of intensive airstrikes by the US and Israel, experts said. Continue reading...

Concern that supply chain disruption could hit health essentials – and prices – from painkillers to cancer treatmentBritain is “a few weeks away” from medicine shortages ranging from painkillers to cancer treatment if the Iran war continues, according to experts, while drug prices could also rise.The conflict has disrupted the supply of a myriad of crucial raw materials, including oil, gas, crop fertiliser and helium – and health essentials could be next. Continue reading...

• Carrie Wolinetz warns in a March 24, 2026, viewpoint that firing credible scientists and dismantling U.S. health agencies poses severe risks to public health and scientific integrity. • The article highlights the broader implications for national research capacity amid ongoing policy shifts affecting federal science funding and personnel. • Such actions undermine peer-reviewed findings and U.S. leadership in health research, potentially delaying responses to emerging threats.

German rescue teams have been trying to ease the humpback’s path back into deeper waters without successA 10-metre-long humpback whale stranded on a sandbar in the Baltic Sea is in danger of dying if rescue workers don’t manage to help it move into deeper waters soon, experts have said.Believed to be a young male, the mammal was spotted by guests of a hotel in Niendorf in Lübeck Bay, northern Germany, on Monday after they heard its deep moans and alerted police. Continue reading...

Bright Line Watch researchers see stabilization in democratic health but at lower levels after sharp declineThe health of American democracy, as measured by those who study it most closely, has settled into a diminished state – stabilizing after a sharp decline last year, but still well below the levels recorded at any point before the start of Donald Trump’s second term, according to a new survey released on Tuesday.The findings, by the nonpartisan democracy-tracking project Bright Line Watch, which surveys hundreds of US scholars at American colleges and universities, suggest that the erosion of norms detected after Trump’s return to the White House last year has hardened into a new baseline. The public also holds a dim view of American democracy, the most recent survey found, but are sharply divided along partisan lines over how well the system is functioning. Continue reading...

New online accounts on Polymarket platform betting a total of $70,000 suggest ‘some degree of inside info’Several accounts on the online platform Polymarket laid bets on a US-Iran ceasefire over the weekend that appeared to show signs of insider knowledge, according to experts.Eight accounts, all newly created around 21 March, bet a total of nearly $70,000 (£52,000) on there being a ceasefire. They stand to make nearly $820,000 if a such a deal is reached before 31 March. Continue reading...

There are flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama and a severe heatwave in the west coastSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US is experiencing a striking mix of weather extremes this March. Flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama, flip-flopping temperatures in the north-east and, perhaps most concerning, a severe heatwave affecting the west coast are raising questions about how strange these patterns really are, and what role the climate crisis is playing.Experts suggested that people around the US need to pay closer attention to the climatecrisis and do what they can to “minimize the impacts”. Continue reading...

Scientific advisory committee to examine impact of offering routine MenB jabs to wider range of peopleThe Kent meningitis outbreak: what is happening and why?Experts are considering expanding the meningitis B vaccination eligibility in response to the fatal outbreak of the disease in Kent.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s review comes after the health secretary, Wes Streeting, asked it to to “re-examine eligibility for meningitis vaccines” for a wider range of people than those who currently qualify. Continue reading...

Fire service warns ubiquity of batteries in everyday products is outpacing public understanding and safety regulationsLithium-ion batteries represent a new technological hazard that one fire science expert has said keeps him awake at night, as fire service chiefs warn the ubiquity of lithium-ion batteries in everyday products is outpacing public understanding and safety regulations.The blaze that devastated a historic building in Glasgow and resulted in the continuing closure of Central Station, Scotland’s largest rail interchange, is believed to have started in a shop selling vapes, which are powered by lithium-ion batteries. The latest data reveals a sharp increase in battery-related fires across Scotland, while firefighters in London attend an e-bike or e-scooter fire every other day. Continue reading...

Food production in many African countries depends heavily on fertiliser imported from the Gulf through the strait of HormuzCountries in Africa, where farmers depend heavily on imported fertiliser and a large share of household income goes on food, are particularly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East, experts have said.The conflict has drastically disrupted trade through the strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane not just for oil and gas but also for fertiliser, which is produced in vast quantities in the Gulf. Continue reading...

• ABC News' Kelley Carter and Variety's Clayton Davis predict Oscar victors ahead of the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026. • Discussion covers tight competitions in major categories like best picture amid high anticipation for Hollywood's biggest night. • Predictions highlight potential surprises in film races, drawing from awards season trends and expert analysis.

Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report findsThe rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.At least $2bn (£1.5bn) has been spent by 11 African governments on Chinese-built surveillance technology that recognises faces and monitors movements, according to a new report by the Institute of Development Studies, which warns that national security is being used to justify implementing these systems with little regulation. Continue reading...