Editor's note

Doing our bit to help address the spread of coronavirus means getting a lot better at washing our hands. I was in the ladies’ bathroom at a gig this week and we all talked loudly about which songs we sang to ourselves to make sure we are “doing our 20 seconds” with soap and hot water. Some were reciting ‘happy birthday’, others the national anthem. I’ve even heard of some people running through Lady Macbeth’s famous soliloquy as they scrub.

But we also need to improve our drying technique. Research on the best options in hospitals is particularly useful at a time when we’re all more sensitive about spreading infection. And it seems paper towels – rather than hand dryers – are the way to go.

Our network has been producing round-the-clock coverage to help you separate fact from fiction about Covid-19. You can read it all here.

It’s International Women’s Day tomorrow so we’re bringing you a fascinating read on the central role women played in establishing Islam in the UK. New findings from archival research has uncovered the work of several key figures who challenged patriarchal thinking when the country’s earliest mosques were being established in Liverpool and Woking.

Hollywood is obsessed with remakes, as we know – and that often involves reproducing films from around the world as English language versions. With Swedish classic Force Majeure now screening as ‘Downhill’ to disappointed reviews, we’ve run down six cinematic classics that are worth watching in their original form rather than their anglicised updates.

Also this week, we’ve been looking to medieval scholars to help us predict the weather, finding out what makes something “offensive” and highlighting the problem with Jeff Bezos’ pledge to give billions to fight climate change.

Laura Hood

Politics Editor, Assistant Editor

shutterstock/santypan

Coronavirus and handwashing: research shows proper hand drying is also vital

Julian Hunt, Swansea University; John Gammon, Swansea University

Our findings also highlight that hot air hand dryers and cloth roller towels can be a problematic way of drying your hands.

Group photo outside the Memorial Hall at the Shah Jahan Mosque complex in Woking. Woking Mission Photos Index

The forgotten women who helped to build British Islam

Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, Coventry University

My new research highlights a little known story of women’s roles in British Muslim history.

The 2014 Swedish comedy-drama has been remade for English audiences in 2020 as Downhill. Magnolia Pictures

Six films that are better than their English-language remakes

Deborah Shaw, University of Portsmouth

There are lots of movies labelled as "world cinema" that have been unfairly eclipsed by their inferior English remakes

Hands up if you have been offended on social media. pathdoc/shutterstock

Why people take offence

Tahmineh Tayebi, Aston University

It's all about context.

Reporting dreary weather for many centuries. Shutterstock/ahupepo

The medieval roots of modern weather forecasts

Anne Lawrence-Mathers, University of Reading

How science has been used to predict wind and rain for over 1,000 years.

Jeff Bezos wants to save the world – it’s been good to him, after all. Michael Reynolds / EPA

Why billionaire climate philanthropists will always be part of the problem

Heather Alberro, Nottingham Trent University

Jeff Bezos $10 billion pledge is great, but is no match for a properly democratic transition.

 

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