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Editor's note
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When Stormzy spoke about the Grenfell fire at the Brit awards, the media could not ignore him. The award-winning music star is one of many grime artists who have used the public platform provided by their success to talk about politics. And, as they are predominantly both black and working class, grime artists have different backgrounds, life experiences and even vernacular from almost anyone else famous enough to make headlines for calling out the prime minister, Theresa May. The challenge now is to ensure these new voices can bring about real social and political change, says Adam de Paor-Evans.
Mindfulness is big business, worth in excess of a billion dollars in the US alone. This may seem odd for a practice with its roots in Buddhism, but when stripped of its ethics and emphasis on community, mindfulness actually slots scarily well into the neoliberal mindset, as Peter Doran explains. Cheerier news if you’re prone to seeing the glass half full, however. Despite the hype around positive thinking, says Fuschia Sirois, some forms of pessimism may actually have benefits.
Venezuela claims to have launched the world’s first sovereign cryptocurrency, the Petro. But don’t believe the hype, says Daniele Bianchi. Petro can hardly qualify as a cryptocurrency – it is a digital security or token, backed by oil reserves, and the last resort of a country that’s desperate to raise money.
And allegations that Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was a communist agent in the 1980s have made for a few sensational front pages despite holes found in information given by the source, a Czech former intelligence operative. Ivor Gaber suggests that some sections of the fourth estate are scared more by the prospect of Corbyn getting serious about press regulation if he wins power.
All the best.
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Will de Freitas
Environment + Energy Editor
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Top story
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Ian West/PA
Adam de Paor-Evans, University of Central Lancashire
Stormzy and other grime artists are speaking up, and their messages can no longer be ignored by mainstream.
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Shutterstock
James William Comerford, University of York
Plant-based, sustainable plastics may hold many of the answers to our plastic problems.
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fizkes/Shutterstock.com
Peter Doran, Queen's University Belfast
It is no accident that practices of meditation and mindfulness have become so ubiquitous in our neoliberal times.
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Business + Economy
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Daniele Bianchi, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Venezuela's Petro cryptocurrency is a clever way to raise money by getting around international sanctions against the country.
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Arts + Culture
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Ivor Gaber, University of Sussex
What was really behind the Corbyn spy smear.
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Esther Eidinow, University of Bristol
There's a surprising amount in common between ancient ways of thinking about the future and the techniques we use now.
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Candida Moss, University of Birmingham
The discovery of the signature of Christianity's favourite prophet has caused a stir, but what does it mean?
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Environment + Energy
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Benjamin L. Jones, Cardiff University; Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, Cardiff University; Richard K.F. Unsworth, Swansea University
Artisanal fishers in Sri Lanka are throwing away more marine species than they keep.
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Politics + Society
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Martin J. Bull, University of Salford
Italy's political future hangs in the balance – will it see another chaotic grand coalition, or take an anti-EU populist step into the unknown?
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Priscilla Jung Kim, University of Central Lancashire
North Korea clearly understands that going straight into high-level negotiations isn't always the way to make a breakthrough.
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Mark Hurst, Lancaster University
Oxfam is not the first charity to be drawn into a high profile scandal. If it is to survive it needs draw on its core ideals.
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Jessica Saffer, University of Hertfordshire
Perpetual uncertainty and changes to the way disability benefits work take a heavy toll on claimants.
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Health + Medicine
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Lilach Sheiner, University of Glasgow
An unexpected breakthrough looks promising for finding new drugs to treat two deadly diseases.
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Tom Webb, University of Leicester; Alison H Goodall, University of Leicester; Shu Ye, University of Leicester
Mutated bone marrow stem cells could double your risk of having a heart attack.
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Featured events
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Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom — University of Manchester
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Millennium Library, The Forum, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1AW, United Kingdom — University of East Anglia
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Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom — University of Manchester
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Pierhead Building Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD], CF99 1NA, United Kingdom — Swansea University
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