Many countries are now under lockdown. This measure is crucial to minimise the spread of Covid-19, but what impact will it have on health and wellbeing? Research shows that being sedentary is bad for your physical and mental health, so staying active during this difficult time is important. Being physically active helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol and can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It also helps maintain muscle mass and bone density, reducing the risk of developing sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and osteoporosis (loss of bone density). Physical activity also helps to keep your immune system working effectively as it flushes bacteria from the lungs and airways, increases white blood cell circulation and raises body temperature, all of which help the body fight infection. As well as the physical health benefits, keeping active is a great way to ward off some of the psychological issues associated with being cooped up for an extended ti

  Nebane “Neba” Abienwi fled five armed conflicts in Cameroon and trekked across eight South, Central and North American countries to try to save his life.  He thought the United States was a beacon of hope that would offer him and his family a future. Instead Neba died of an unknown cause after being jailed at a privately run center in California. He became the first black person ever to die in immigration jail. Neba’s only breaths of free air were taken en route to the hospital, where immigration officials took him after he suffered an unexplained illness, USA Today reports. There, he died, the ventilator removed against the wishes of his family, who were still in Africa. They wanted a chance to say goodbye.  The number of asylum-seekers from Cameroon has more than doubled in recent years, as the Cameroonian government committed human rights atrocities and burned over 500 villages, including Neba's native Bafut. Neba, a brother, father, husband and “Chopchair” (a Bafut cultural t

Police are failing to solve crimes committed against elderly people and letting perpetrators walk free, watchdogs have warned. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate found that care for older victims was not good enough in more than half of cases examined. In one case, a man pushed off his mobility scooter by masked youths was not visited for a day by police officers, despite being left “shaking, fearful and scared to go out at night”. In another, a woman with Parkinson’s disease alleged that she had been attacked by nursing home staff but the defendant was acquitted at trial after police failed to film her victim statement or give her an intermediary to help giving evidence. Officers also failed to take a statement from a 70-year-old woman with learning difficulties who had money stolen after asking an acquaintance for help with her finances and giving them her bank details. No-one was arrested. Another case was closed because an 83-year-old man

The UK is forecast to lose £22bn in spending as international tourism plummets, putting almost 3m jobs at risk, according to a report. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) said the continuing uncertainty around travel restrictions designed to halt a resurgence in coronavirus cases is causing millions of people to opt for staycations in their home countries instead. An impact assessment on the UK economy by the organisation estimates the fall in international tourist numbers could result in the amount spent dropping by 78%, or £420m a week. In a “worst-case” scenario mapped out by the WTTC, almost 3m jobs in the UK that rely on, or are supported by, the travel and tourism industry could be lost. “The lack of international travel caused by the pandemic could wipe out more than £22bn from the UK economy alone, a loss of £60m a day, from which it could take years to recover,” said Gloria Guevara, the president and chief executive of the WTTC. “It could also threaten London’s positio

Children living in poverty face many barriers to accessing an education. Some are obvious — like not having a school to go to — while others are more subtle, like the teacher at the school not having had the training needed to help children learn effectively. Increasing access to education can improve the overall health and longevity of a society, grow economies, and even combat climate change. Yet in many developing countries, children’s access to education can be limited by numerous factors. Language barriers, gender roles, and reliance on child labor can all stall progress to provide quality education. The world’s most vulnerable children from disadvantaged communities, including young girls and children with disabilities, are more likely to miss out on school. Here are 10 of the greatest challenges in global education that the world needs to take action on right now to achieve Global Goal 4: Quality Education by 2030.  1. A lack of funding for education Developing countries can’t r

  A total of 28 trillion tonnes of ice have disappeared from the surface of the Earth since 1994. That is stunning conclusion of UK scientists who have analysed satellite surveys of the planet’s poles, mountains and glaciers to measure how much ice coverage lost because of global heating triggered by rising greenhouse gas emissions. The scientists – based at Leeds and Edinburgh universities and University College London – describe the level of ice loss as “staggering” and warn that their analysis indicates that sea level rises, triggered by melting glaciers and ice sheets, could reach a metre by the end of the century. “To put that in context, every centimetre of sea level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands,” said Professor Andy Shepherd, director of Leeds University’s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling. The scientists also warn that the melting of ice in these quantities is now seriously reducing the planet’s ability to reflect s

For asylum seekers, trying to find work in another country is very difficult. Not only is there often a language barrier and reams of paperwork, but there is also the fact that government systems can encourage exploitation. Asylum seekers in the UK receive £37.75 a week to live on, and most are prohibited from working. But this small amount of money often fails to allow people to meet their basic needs. This leads some to search for work to supplement their income. But herein lies the problem, as the only people willing to employ them are those happy to do so illegally. This leaves asylum seekers with no bargaining power to negotiate reasonable pay or working conditions. Yet the risk of exploitation does not end with a positive asylum decision. Refugees are often dispersed out of London and the south-east to other areas in the UK. The areas of dispersal are determined by the availability of temporary housing. In many cases, this is concentrated around areas of economic deprivation. Thi

Crime statistics have traditionally suggested that people aged 60 or over are less likely to be the victims of violent crime than the rest of the population. But while national victimisation surveys consistently report lower levels of victimisation among those aged 60 and over, these figures don’t necessarily capture the full picture. This is in part because most victimisation surveys exclude certain groups in society from participating – including those living in “institutions” such as care homes and hospitals. And in some cases, there have been age caps in these surveys. The rate of victimisation of older people may be lower than other age groups, but it is certainly not rare. A recent global systematic review estimated that at least one in six older people experience some form of physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse each year. In the UK, this equates to around 2m people every year. To put this into context, this is higher than the UK current estimates of domestic violence

The outbreak of pandemic Covid-19 all over the world has disturbed the political, social, economic, religious and financial structures of the whole world. World’s topmost economies such as the US, China, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and many others are at the verge of collapse. Besides, Stock Markets around the world have been pounded and oil prices have fallen off a cliff. In just a week 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment and a week later another 6.6 million people started searching for jobs. Also, many experts on economic and financial matters have warned about the worsening condition of global economic and financial structure. Such as Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of International Monitory Fund (IMF), explained that “a recession at least as bad as during the Global Financial Crisis or worse”. Moreover, Covid-19 is harming the global economy because the world has been experiencing the most difficult economic situation since World War-II.  When it comes to t

T he global impact of Coronavirus is immense as educational institutes all over the world – from Harvard to the IITs – are closed. Covid-19 has thrown education all over the world in a loop. Here are the major problems. Schools are shut, and students are stranded at home, with extremely limited contact with friends and virtually no physical activity, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic raging across the world. IB, A Levels, ICSE, CBSE all known and recognized boards have postponed or cancelled examinations. Likewise, top colleges like MIT, Harvard, Princeton have closed. Closer home, institutions like IITs and IIMs have all closed their campuses and moved classes online. Even standardized tests like GMAT, GRE, SATs, ACT remain suspended and the future of many students hangs in balance! Clearly, there is panic all around and educators and students alike are confused as to next steps and continuity with respect to educational objectives. In our opinion there are three major education problem

The US State Department Wednesday  allowed some exemptions  to President Donald Trump’s June 22 announcement where he’d indicated that the entry of foreign and non-immigrant visa workers will be banned till the end of 2020. The new relaxations allow H-1B and L-1 visa holders to go back to US for continued employment with the same employer. What does the new travel advisory say? In its latest travel advisory, the State Department has said that it had decided to allow certain categories of workers and non-immigrant visa holders in “national interest”. For such categories of workers, who are not covered by the presidential proclamation of June 22, neither they nor their spouse or children will be barred from obtaining a visa to travel to the US. According to the new advisory, H-1B visa holders who are public or private healthcare professionals or are engaged in medical research “in an area with a substantial public health benefit” will be allowed to travel. Further, H-1B visa holders whos

It's a myth that British imperialism benefited one of its richest colony, India, when in reality it drained all its wealth and resources. According to a YouGov poll in 2016, 43 percent of British citizens thought the existence of the British Empire was a "good thing," while only 19 percent disagreed. It's a myth that British imperialism benefited one of its richest colonies, India when on the contrary it drained all its wealth and resources just like colonizers do. "They don’t talk about the colonial textbooks, it should be taught as part of the history because after all, it is their history. It's also about acknowledging their past and learning about their ex-colonies. Denial is the worst thing," said Assistant Professor of History Ruchika Sharma at Gargi College, Delhi University. 1. First traders, then colonizers The British East India Company made its sneaky entry through the Indian port of Surat in 1608. Originally the company started with a group o