The Publishing Industry in Support of the SDGs: Launch of the SDG Publishers Compact
Today, 14 October, something special happened at the 2020 Frankfurt Book Fair: The SDG Publishers Compact was launched (SDG stands for Sustainable Development Goals). This is important first of all because of the venue: The Frankfurt Book Fair is the
Why the Seven-Year EU Budget Needed for Europe’s Recovery Is in Trouble
Once again the European Parliament and the Council are at loggerheads over the EU's seven-year budget. The "only" difference compared to previous negotiations is that, in this case, the 2021-2027 budget is anchored to a crucial instrument for economic recovery:
Europe’s New Direction: Green, Equitable, Digital
The new European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman ever to hold the job in its 63-year history, has set out to change Europe, pushing it into a new direction. In the few months, she has been in
How to Empower People to Vote for Sustainability: the IMPAKTER INDEX
(updated 23 September 2020) Few would disagree that we need a more sustainable world, where climate change is finally under control and the degradation of the environment is stopped. But as consumers, we feel helpless, caught in the vortex of
Women’s Brain Project – A Talk with Founder Maria Teresa Ferretti, CSO, Alzheimer’s Specialist
Brain and mental disease act differently on different people, and a broad range of factors account for the differences. Clinical research needs to factor in sex and gender determinants to arrive at workable solutions (and treatments) that have an equal
America’s Withdrawal from the World Health Organization: What Happens Next
It all began with a Trump rant against China as he found himself under pressure for having misjudged the severity of the virus threat and mismanaged the U.S. response. In a typical kneejerk reaction, Trump looked for a scapegoat and
Saving the Skyros Horse – An Interview with Aliki Steen
In the past fifty years, humans have managed to destroy 60 percent of animal populations. Among them, one is of historic importance: The ancient Skyros horse, whose ancestors are said to adorn the Parthenon frieze. At the start of the
TWO PANDEMIC NOVELS FOR CATHARSIS AND RELIEF
Book Reviews: The End of October by Lawrence Wright, published April 28, 2020, by Knopf (400 pages) ; The Cover Up by Oscar Sparrow, published September 19, 2019, by Gallo Romano Media (107 pages, free on coronavirus lockdown) These pandemic
Coronavirus: Moving Out of Lockdown
Updated 19 April 2020. Is there light at the end of the tunnel? It would appear so. As the curve of new coronavirus cases starts flattening here and there, talk of moving out of lockdown has become pervasive across the
Trump’s War on the World Health Organization
Updated 20 April 2020. Trump's war on the World Health Organization has just taken a new twist. News has emerged that the Trump administration received full information in real-time from Americans working at WHO, undercutting Trump's accusations that the WHO
Coronavirus Books for Children
According to Unesco (as of 11 April), school closures are affecting 91% of the world’s student population - that’s over 1.5 billion children whose learning has been disrupted. They are at home and wondering what happens next. As the coronavirus
COVID-19: Link with Air Pollution? Italy’s and China’s Experience
Update 21 April 2020. A new study further confirms the link between the mortality rate of COVID-19 and air pollution. Carried out by Yaron Ogen, a scientist from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Germany, it was just published in the journal