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Irma is one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Initially rated as “category five” on a scale from one to five, it has caused massive destruction and flooding across the Caribbean, leaving some islands barely habitable. And it could be a sign of things to come. Sally Brown warns that hurricanes might be getting more severe – and some could be so big that we’ll need to introduce a category six to describe them.
Meanwhile, Lauren Carruth looks at one of the biggest risks that follows natural disasters: cholera. She explains that the disease is now more treatable and preventable than ever, and that the places most at risk need the world’s help to stop it in its tracks.
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Satellite view of Hurricane Irma.
NASA
Sally Brown, University of Southampton
The scale from one to five that is used to measure the destructive power of a hurricane may no longer be enough.
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Politics + Society
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Ashraful Azad, University of Chittagong
The international community is powerless to stop the Rohingya genocide – mainly because the countries who could have other interests in the region.
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Caroline Bennett, Victoria University of Wellington
The treason charges against Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha are another step towards autocracy in the kingdom of wonder.
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Luis Gómez Romero, University of Wollongong
From south of the border, Trump seems to be using DACA as a diplomatic weapon in his ongoing power struggle with the Mexican government. That just hurts 800,000 people and helps President Peña Nieto.
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Arts + Culture
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Melissa Godin, New York University
In New York City, hair salons are one of the few cultural spaces for Dominican women to bond. But they also perpetuate legacies of racism and colonialism.
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Robert Morrison, Queen's University, Ontario
Rod Stewart, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll singers, is still current with his new DNCE co-release. What many don't know is 40 years ago he wrote the first pop song to address gay rights.
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Environment + Energy
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Willem Daniel Lubbe, North-West University
After decolonisation and independence a new conservation document was needed, one that looks after the needs of the people. That's what the Maputo Convention aims to do.
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Health + Medicine
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Lauren Carruth, American University School of International Service
Surviving a hurricane in poor countries such as Haiti is no guarantee of surviving the secondary problem of cholera.
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Science + Technology
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Rupert Sutherland, Victoria University of Wellington
We have better maps of the moon than Earth's newest continent, Zealandia. That's about to change as an international expedition probes the vast undersea plateau of continental crust.
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