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Huiswerk, sociale druk en bijbaantjes houden tieners nog steeds wakker, maar tegenwoordig stelen schermtijd en sociale media ook hun slaap. Een nieuwe studie van de University of Minnesota School of Public Health laat zien dat tieners vandaag de dag minder slapen dan ooit tevoren.

• Privileges worden aangezien voor competentie, aangezien uit onderzoek blijkt dat er geen bewijs is dat bedrijven die worden geleid door staatsopgeleide collega's slechter presteren. • Chief executives die naar een privéschool gingen, worden door investeerders als een “veiligere keuze” beschouwd, ondanks dat er geen bewijs is dat zij anders presteren of zich anders gedragen dan hun staatsopgeleide tegenhangers. • Bedrijven die worden geleid door privéopgeleide bazen hebben de neiging een lagere volatiliteit op de aandelenmarkt te ervaren, hoewel het onderzoek van de University of Surrey geen significante verschillen vond in hun prestaties, besluitvorming of crisisbeheersing. Lees verder...

Onderzoekers stellen dat een voortdurende stijging van obesitas wereldwijd niet onvermijdelijk is, aangezien de cijfers in sommige landen stabiliseren of mogelijk zelfs dalen.

• Ondanks zorgen dat de superrijken vertrekken vanwege de belastingdruk, was 88% van de ondervraagden trots om in het VK te wonen en zouden zij meer betalen om publieke diensten te financieren • Negen op de tien Britse miljonairissen zijn trots om in Groot-Brittannië te wonen en driekwart zou bereid zijn meer belasting te betalen om ervoor te zorgen dat publieke voorzieningen de nodige financiering krijgen, volgens onderzoek. • Ondanks veelgehoorde zorgen dat vermogenden ervoor kiezen het land te verlaten vanwege hogere belastingen, bleek uit de enquête dat miljonairissen zich veel meer zorgen maakten over medisch personeel dat vertrekt dan over emigrerende rijken. Lees verder...

• Onderzoek van PwC meldt een snelle daling van het consumentenvertrouwen, waarbij mensen zich zorgen maken over de impact van de oorlog in Iran op de economie en persoonlijke financiën • Britse huishoudens bereiden zich voor op een nieuwe kosten-de-leven-crisis, aangezien de impact van het conflict in het Midden-Oosten het vertrouwen in de economie en persoonlijke financiën dempt, suggereert een enquête. • Het consumentenvertrouwen in het VK is in de afgelopen drie maanden in het snelste tempo gedaald sinds juni 2022, toen de inflatie in het VK sterk steeg als gevolg van de Russische invasie van Oekraïne en de piek in de grondstofprijzen. Lees verder...

‘In just a few weeks homelessness has killed a baby, a young mother and a student,’ head of advocacy group says, calling for more investment in upcoming budgetGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFourteen rough sleepers are dying in public parks or countryside areas each year on average in Australia, an analysis of hidden death reports reveals.The deaths of a young international student sleeping rough in Hyde Park, a young homeless mother who died of sepsis in Western Australia, and a newborn baby at a makeshift homeless camp near Wagga beach have prompted an outpouring of grief and shock in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is preferred choice of new leader for 42% of those surveyedFull results from England, Scotland and WalesThe majority of Labour members say they do not believe Keir Starmer can turn around the party’s fortunes, while 45% say the prime minister should step down.The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was the first preference for 42% of members, who were asked to rank their preferred successor. Continue reading...

Harassment reported by 35% of students at ‘high tariff’ institutions compared with 17% at those with lowest entry gradesStudents at England’s leading universities were more than twice as likely to experience sexual harassment than those at “lower tariff” institutions, according to analysis.Data from a national survey of undergraduates shows that 35% of students at “high tariff” universities – those requiring the highest A-level grades for entry – reported experiencing sexual harassment, compared with just over 17% of those at universities requiring the lowest grades for entry and 26% of those at “medium tariff” institutions. Continue reading...

• Researchers at The Rockefeller University uncovered new clues to why hepatitis B virus infects humans but not other species, published April 22, 2026. • The study identifies key viral and host factors restricting cross-species transmission, as reported in Science News. • These insights could enable novel animal models for testing therapies, addressing a major gap in hepatitis B research.

Exclusive: Voters remain split on issues critical to EU, such as support for Ukraine and dependence on Russian energyMore than three-quarters of Hungarians who voted for Péter Magyar in last month’s election want his government to do more to address the climate crisis, and more than 70% want him to protect LGBTQ+ rights, a poll has found.Magyar’s opposition Tisza party won a supermajority in the vote, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power. The new prime minister will be sworn in on Saturday, weeks after the results set off celebrations in Budapest and Brussels. Continue reading...

• A KFF poll reveals 41% of US adults back the MAHA agenda amid rising healthcare concerns ahead of midterms. • 55% of respondents stated healthcare costs will have a 'major impact' on their voting decisions, outpacing food policy issues. • The survey, conducted recently, carries a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, highlighting voter priorities in public health policy.

School said its admission process is ‘based on merit’ and it is committed to complying with state and federal lawsThe US Department of Justice found on Wednesday that the medical school at the University of California, Los Angeles illegally considered race in admissions as the Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of colleges’ processes for selecting students.The finding escalates the Trump administration’s ongoing standoff with UCLA, which has focused mostly on the main campus’s response to allegations of antisemitic harassment. Continue reading...

Researchers found that TikTok’s For You pages prioritized pro-Republican content in New York, Texas and GeorgiaA study published Wednesday in the journal Nature finds that TikTok’s algorithm systematically prioritized pro-Republican content in three states leading up to the 2024 US elections.Researchers created hundreds of dummy accounts and conditioned them to mimic real users’ behavior by watching a set of videos either aligned with the US Democratic or Republican parties. Then, they tracked the videos TikTok recommended on these accounts’ For You pages, TikTok’s main feed. Continue reading...

Shoppers concerned about effect of Middle East conflict, as UK retailers say government running out of time to cut costsFour in five people are worried that the Iran war will make food more expensive, according to a new poll, as businesses warned the “window is closing” for ministers to cut energy costs for UK retailers.Research by Opinium found that 80% of people are worried about the rising price of groceries, which would come from retailers passing on cost increases to consumers, while 73% expect the conflict to push up prices of other products. Continue reading...

Job ready graduates program will also leave almost two-thirds of humanities and creative arts students with debts exceeding $50,000Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne in four humanities students will take more than 25 years to fully repay their student loans because of Morrison government changes to university fees, newly public Treasury modelling reveals.The job ready graduates program, introduced in 2021 under the former prime minister Scott Morrison, will also leave almost two-thirds of humanities and creative arts students saddled with debts exceeding $50,000. Continue reading...

Louisiana’s cultural hotspot could be surrounded by Gulf of Mexico before end of this century, authors sayThe process of relocating people from New Orleans should start immediately as the city has reached a “point of no return” that will see it surrounded by the ocean within decades due to the climate crisis, a stark new study has concluded.Ongoing sea level rise and the rampant erosion of wetlands in southern Louisiana will swallow up the New Orleans area within a few generations, with the new paper estimating the city “may well be surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico before the end of this century”. Continue reading...

International Energy Agency findings show government must commit to rapid cuts in emissions of greenhouse gas, climate experts sayEmissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane from Australian coalmines are more than double official government estimates reported to the UN, according to a new International Energy Agency report.Climate and energy analysts said the report had again highlighted an “enormous gap” in the country’s reported methane emissions from coalmines and should serve as a wake-up call. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Resistance to equity, diversion and inclusion drives affects hiring chances of people with convictions, says charityMore than a third of HR decision-makers in the UK said they have faced pushback against equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) initiatives over the past year, according to new research.The new YouGov poll, carried out for the national employment charity Working Chance, surveyed 565 HR decision-makers and found that resistance towards EDI was on the rise. Continue reading...

• A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey reveals that strong majorities in both Republican and Democratic parties support independent panels drawing House district lines. • The bipartisan finding suggests public appetite for reform of the politically charged redistricting process. • The survey highlights voter frustration with gerrymandering and calls for institutional change to ensure fair representation.

Coroner says none of the five civilians killed in incident in Belfast during Troubles should have been shotBritish army soldiers “lost control” and used force that was “not reasonable” in the killing of five civilians in Northern Ireland in 1972, an inquest judge has ruled.Four of the victims – two teenagers, a father of six and a Catholic priest – posed no risk when they were shot in the Springhill and Westrock areas of west Belfast on 9 July 1972, Mr Justice Scoffield said on Thursday. Continue reading...

UK was close behind, exporting 675,000 tonnes, with much of the waste sent to Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia Germany was the world’s largest exporter of plastic waste in 2025 and sent more than 810,000 tonnes abroad, according to analysis of trade data carried out for the Guardian.The UK followed close behind, according to the analysis by Watershed Investigations and the Basel Action Network. It exported more 675,000 tonnes, its highest level in eight years and enough to fill about 127,000 shipping containers. Continue reading...

Experts estimate ‘accounting of the harm that was done’ by 200 years of chattel slavery would be US$2tn in damagesBritain stole 25 million years of life and labour through slavery in Barbados, according to new research by a team of international experts.Their report concludes that Barbados’s population of African descent have suffered damages estimated at up to US$2tn (£1.5tn) from 200 years of chattel slavery. Continue reading...

Consumer insight tracker shows 85% are worried about food prices and a majority think the economy will deteriorateThree million UK households are being forced to skip meals as consumers resort to drastic measures to deal with rising costs, according to a Which? report published on Thursday.The conflict in the Middle East and subsequent surge in oil and raw material prices has led to businesses preparing to raise prices, putting more pressure on household finances and hitting consumer confidence. Continue reading...

Insolvency firm points to tax rises, staff costs and shaky consumer confidence after number increases to 62,193The number of UK businesses in “critical financial distress” has risen by more than a third over the past year, according to insolvency practitioners, as companies contend with a “slew of increased taxes” and the impact of the Middle East conflict.Hospitality and leisure firms have been faring particularly badly because of shaky consumer confidence, and rising taxes and staff costs, according to research by the restructuring company Begbies Traynor. Continue reading...

Campaigners saying public spaces protection orders also being used to criminalise wide range of everyday activitiesOne in five local councils have banned swearing under new “busybody” orders, up from one in 20 councils in 2022.A new report by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life has found that public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) – originally intended to tackle serious anti-social behaviour – are being used by councils in England and Wales to criminalise a wide range of everyday activities, including standing in groups, shouting and picking up stones. Continue reading...

Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions, and companies shut off power to customers 13m times in 2025The US’s top utilities’ CEOs enjoyed a 16% pay raise last year – to an average of $12.3m – even as consumers shoulder the pain from high bills spurred by continuing inflation, the Iran war and datacenter growth, a new review of industry financial documents shows.Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions since 2021, and, nationwide, utilities shut off power to customers 13m times last year, federal data shows. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Cambridge research finds socioenvironmental stressors may influence body’s ability to function healthily in pregnancyStress from racism and deprivation could explain why black women are more likely to die during childbirth, a study has found.Researchers reviewed 44 existing studies that examined three physiological pathways associated with worse pregnancy outcomes: oxidative stress, inflammation, and uteroplacental vascular resistance, and found black women had higher levels of the three metrics. Continue reading...

Exclusive: 839,000 homes in urban areas face threat of surface-water flooding, with social housing tenants most vulnerable to costsEight in 10 of the homes that are at high risk of flooding in England are now in towns and cities, according to analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF), which said social housing tenants are disproportionately vulnerable to the financial cost.Research found that 839,000 homes in urban areas are now classed as being at high risk of surface water flooding, a threefold increase since 2018. Continue reading...