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Oil is closely linked to the economy and so major global events like wars, pandemics and the changing policies of economic giants like China are generally reflected in the ups and downs of crude prices. But the uncertain global economic outlook has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works for forecasters recently.
Of course, no one expects to be able to predict the exact price of oil in advance, but it’s usually easier to anticipate moves in oil prices than it has been in recent months. Carole Nakhle, an energy expert from the University of Surrey, says this has led to some head scratching by oil price analysts. Read her take on the three global issues causing this confusion right now.
We also hear the fascinating history of sanitary products, from the 19th-century market for special menstrual clothing to today’s sustainable options. And while a government plan to swap cigarettes for vape kits is designed to help make England smoke-free by 2030, two experts argue it primarily means swapping one risky habit for another.
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Pauline McCallion
Senior Business Editor
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Oil price uncertainty.
Holmes Su/Shutterstock
Carole Nakhle, University of Surrey
Alongside the global economic outlook, Russian supply and Chinese demand are contributing to ‘a cocktail of uncertainty’ for oil prices.
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Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock
Helen King, The Open University
Breaking the taboo: the fascinating history of menstrual products.
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The scheme would offer smokers vape starter kits to help them quit.
ducu59us/Shutterstock
Donal O'Shea, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences; Gerry McElvaney, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
A growing body of evidence shows vaping is not without harms.
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Politics + Society
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Ian Whittaker, Nottingham Trent University
China is reportedly developing technology to allow it to take control of other ocuntries’ satellites.
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Mikey Biddlestone, University of Cambridge; Jon Roozenbeek, University of Cambridge; Sander van der Linden, University of Cambridge
Paid blue tick status could make it harder to tell if information is coming from a legitimate source.
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Ronald W. Pruessen, University of Toronto
Will Joe Biden be able to maintain the balance that has so far allowed him to avoid serious Vietnam-like errors in Ukraine?
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Arts + Culture
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Angela Muir, University of Leicester; Sarah Inskip, University of Leicester
A pipe in the hand could end or save a life.
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Helen Hall, Nottingham Trent University
In reality, most Roman Catholic exorcists recognise the danger of encouraging a person suffering from auditory hallucinations to believe that these are demonic.
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Environment
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Simon Mair, University of York
Striking pushes against the core capitalist dynamics also responsible for global warming.
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Health
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Mara Violato, University of Oxford; Jack Pollard, University of Oxford; Tessa Reardon, University of Oxford
Children with an anxiety disorder are likely to miss more school and get lower grades than those who do not.
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Hisham Mehanna, University of Birmingham
Oropharyngeal cancer has now become more common than cervical cancer in the US and the UK.
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Science + Technology
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Mark Lorch, University of Hull
An article written for Time Magazine, but never published, could have rewritten the history of how DNA was discovered.
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Nick Perham, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Helen Hodgetts, Cardiff Metropolitan University
Dobble is a card game that originated in France in 2009. It involves observation, articulation and speed.
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