Editor's note

Nayib Bukele recently won El Salvador’s presidential election, promising to end years of corruption and tainted partisan politics. But who is this ambitious, 37-year-old millionaire who prefers Facebook Live to press conferences? And what does he mean for the future of the troubled Central American country? Doug Specht explains.

Across the world major public health interventions have focussed on women and children. This makes sense given that women, in particular, carry a disproportionate health burden. But there have been some unintended consequences. Kathryn Dovel, Morna Cornell, Sara Yeatman and Stephanie Chamberlin set out why the over-emphasis on women’s health may put both women and men at a disadvantage.

Matt Warren

Deputy Editor

Top Stories

Nayib Bukele: El Salvador’s new president. EPA Images

El Salvador: young maverick Bukele wins presidential election, but country’s future remains uncertain

Doug Specht, University of Westminster

Nayib Bukele is an ambitious 37-year-old, who claims to transcend partisan politics, and who prefers Facebook Live to press conferences.

Women in Malawi visit clinics many more times in their lives than men. Shutterstock

Malawi’s health system puts women first. This isn’t always a good thing

Kathryn Dovel, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr Morna Cornell, University of Cape Town; Sara Yeatman, University of Colorado Denver; Stephanie Chamberlin, University of Colorado Denver

Female-centred health services are good, but they may detract from gender equality and men’s health.

Drones

Somalia drone strikes are a potent weapon, but not the game changer

Stig Jarle Hansen, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Drones are a tool to manage the threat of al-Shabaab, but there's no way they'll defeat the group entirely.

Technology is useful, but drones alone won’t save Africa’s elephants

Ross Harvey, South African Institute of International Affairs

Drone technology plays a vital role in gathering accurate wildlife data. But this alone isn't enough to save Africa's elephants.

Energy + Environment

Deep sea mining threatens indigenous culture in Papua New Guinea

John Childs, Lancaster University

Deep sea mining could supply valuable rare minerals to green technology, but one project in the south-west Pacific is invoking the wrath of local spirits.

Air purification is catching on – but it may be doing more harm than good

Alastair Lewis, University of York

Filtering air uses lots of energy and concentrates harmful chemicals in landfills.

Science + Technology

Shutting down the internet doesn’t work – but governments keep doing it

George Ogola, University of Central Lancashire

Shutting down or controlling access to the internet has become a go-to strategy among some African states who want to control the political narrative.

Curious Kids: how does heat travel through space if space is a vacuum?

Nathan Case, Lancaster University

There are three ways heat can be shared:  conduction, convection and radiation. Find out which one lets heat travel through space.