Category: English

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Rhys Dafydd Jones, Senior Lecturer, Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University

Immigration is receiving much attention in the run-up to the Welsh election. This might seem odd at first because the Welsh parliament (the Senedd) has no power over immigration. It can’t make laws on who enters the country, how asylum claims are handled or who gets citizenship. All of that is controlled by the UK government in Westminster.

But since 2019, Wales has considered itself a “nation of sanctuary”. This means the Welsh government can support refugees and asylum seekers through the services it controls, such as health, education and housing.

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Read more:
Voters in Wales face Senedd election amid confusion over who holds power over what

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A YouGov poll from April 2026 shows that immigration is a priority for 25% of Welsh voters, tied with the economy. Health (46%) and the cost of living (51%) are ranked higher. Among intended Reform UK voters, immigration is ranked as the highest priority (55%).

In December 2025, there were 3,353 asylum seekers in Wales, most of whom were in Cardiff. Of the £64 million spent on the nation of sanctuary since 2019, 91% has been to support refugees from Ukraine.

Data from the Welsh Election Study shows that 53.8% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “people from different backgrounds get on together” in their local area, compared with 14.4% who disagree or strongly disagree. Only a small minority feel that there are tensions in their areas.

Yet, Wales has not been exempt from the wider tensions around immigration in the UK. There have been several protests against housing asylum seekers in Penally in 2020, Llanelli in 2023 and Mold in 2025.

It is, therefore, unsurprising that some political parties have highlighted this as an electoral issue. Reform UK and the Welsh Conservatives have pledged in their manifestos to scrap the nation of sanctuary policies.

The nation of sanctuary policy is a vision that connects the Welsh government with global issues. Academics have described it as an example of “moral” or “progressive” nationalism.

It was introduced largely in response to the UK government’s “hostile environment” approach on immigration. The hostile environment was a series of policies put in place by Theresa May during her time as home secretary to make life harder for people who overstayed their visa to continue working and accessing public services, such as the NHS. For example, it required employers, landlords and service workers to check immigration status.

Alongside putting clear water between Cardiff and Whitehall, the nation of sanctuary also took inspiration from Holyrood’s New Scots strategy in creating a more welcoming environment for immigrants in Scotland.

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Read more:
How immigration is playing a role in the Scottish election, even though policy is set in Westminster

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The UK government is responsible for who is granted asylum and the housing of asylum seekers. The Welsh government can – and does – make policy in devolved fields such as health and education, for all residents in Wales, including people seeking sanctuary.

The nation of sanctuary built on existing Welsh policies. For example, giving rejected asylum seekers access to specialised medical care, and creating routes for refugees to work as doctors and dentists in the UK.

However, Wales is not exempt from UK-wide immigration policies. Welsh employers and landlords must continue to verify their employees’ and tenants’ immigration status, and Cardiff airport can be used for deportation flights. Nor does it mean that people seeking sanctuary are diverted to Wales from elsewhere in the UK. In this sense, Wales is less of a sanctuary than many north American cities, which can pass ordinances prohibiting deportations or inquiries about immigration status.

Nation without sanctuary

What could happen should the next Welsh government decide to revoke its nation of sanctuary vision?

Election polls have constantly shown Plaid Cymru and Reform UK in the lead. Plaid Cymru have committed to protecting the nation of sanctuary, and called for the devolution of some immigration powers to Wales. Reform UK has committed to scrapping it, and changing planning regulations to limit hotels being used to house asylum seekers. However, given Wales’ new electoral system, any party would probably need support from another to govern.

Should a future Welsh government decide to abandon the nation of sanctuary, this alone is unlikely to lead to significant changes in practice. The activism and networks that support it would continue, as would the housing of asylum seekers in Wales. These are matters for the UK government. Other policies around health and education that existed before the Nation of Sanctuary was declared would also continue.

Other specific issues relating to refugee status are subject to international agreements, such as the 1951 refugee convention. So, while immigration is a priority for some voters, no election result is likely to see immediate radical policy changes in Wales.

However, it could have a radical impact on the lives of migrants and others already affected by harsh immigration policies and rhetoric. It should be remembered that hate crimes increased during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign and its aftermath, leading to many people feeling that they no longer belonged in the UK.

The current heated political discourse dehumanises migrants, whose experiences of fleeing conflict and persecution are largely missing from discussions. Election coverage and campaigns would benefit from bringing calm, nuance and sensitivity into its approach on immigration.

Rhys Dafydd Jones receieves and has received funding from The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Leverhulme Trust.

– ref. Welsh election: why immigration is important to voters in the ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ – https://theconversation.com/welsh-election-why-immigration-is-important-to-voters-in-the-nation-of-sanctuary-281385

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Thomas Timberlake, Senior Research Associate in Pollination Ecology, University of Bristol

In Nepal’s remote mountain district of Jumla, preparation for a family meal begins long before food reaches the cooking pot. It starts in terraced fields of beans, buckwheat, apples and pumpkins that must be ploughed, planted, tended and harvested before a family can eat.

But other workers often go unseen: the pollinating insects. By moving pollen between flowers, pollinators ensure that crops bear healthy, nutritious fruit to eat and sell.

Most people don’t think about insects when they eat. But in farming systems like this one, the link is direct and stark. If pollinators decline, crop harvests decline. That can mean less food on the plate, fewer nutrients in people’s diets, and less income for the household.

In our new study, published in the journal Nature, we set out to trace that chain of connections directly: from pollinating insects to crops to human diets and livelihoods.

Working in ten smallholder farming villages in Jumla, our team recorded the diets of 776 women, men and children over a full year. We measured where key nutrients came from, and how this changed through the seasons. At the same time, we surveyed the insects visiting crops and analysed the pollen they carried, to identify which species were helping produce the foods people rely on.

The first thing that stood out was just how local these diets were. More than 80% of people’s intake of many key micronutrients – including vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin B12 – came from foods grown or raised in nearby villages. This shows just how closely people’s health is tied to their surrounding landscape.

Most people’s diets were dominated by staple cereals like rice and wheat, which do not depend on insect pollination. But pollinator-dependent crops – including fruits, vegetables and beans – punched far above their weight nutritionally and economically. These foods provided more than 60% of people’s vitamin A, folate and vitamin E intake, and up to 90% of farming income.

In places like Jumla, pollinators are not simply supporting production – they are helping keep families fed and providing crucial cash to meet basic needs. Given the high levels of poverty and malnutrition that already exist, families simply cannot afford to lose them.

When pollinators decline

Pollinator decline is no longer a distant threat. Local beekeepers in Jumla have reported sharp drops in honey production in recent years, with some hives dying out completely. They point to changing weather, fewer wildflowers due to heavy grazing, and increasing pesticide use as the problems. Wild pollinators such as bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies are likely to be under similar pressure.

If current trends continue, farming income could fall by around 15% by 2030, with vitamin A and folate intake dropping by almost 10%. And if local pollinators disappeared entirely, families could lose nearly half of their farming income and more than 20% of their vitamin A and folate intake.

The risks to health are clear. Vitamin A deficiency can damage eyesight and weaken the immune system. Low folate intake increases the risk of serious complications in pregnancy, including birth defects in babies. In communities already facing high levels of malnutrition, pollinator decline would add yet another strain.

The situation in Jumla is not unique. Smallholder farms make up 84% of all farms worldwide and feed 2 billion people. These farms are highly exposed to environmental change and the families that depend on them already struggle with poor diets and poverty. Even when our food comes from supermarkets and long supply chains, much of it still begins with pollination by insects. The link between biodiversity and human health is still there – it is just less visible.

However, there are signs that this pollinator-nutrition link can be strengthened. In Jumla, farmers are already testing pollinator-friendly practices such as planting flowers around fields, protecting nesting habitats, reducing pesticide use and keeping native honeybees. Our results show promising signs of change. When pollinator numbers increase, so does the production of nutritious food to eat and sell.

The lesson from Jumla is clear. Biodiversity loss is not just an environmental issue, it is a growing threat to human health. At a time when governments like the UK are warning that biodiversity loss poses serious risks to national security, the story in Jumla helps explain what that means in practical, human terms. But it also shows that by supporting the ecosystems around us, we can help secure healthier diets and more resilient livelihoods for the future.

This work was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) coordinated through the Belmont Forum

Jane Memmott receives funding from NERC, BBSRC & The Belmont Forum.

– ref. Protecting pollinating insects could improve diets and livelihoods worldwide – new study – https://theconversation.com/protecting-pollinating-insects-could-improve-diets-and-livelihoods-worldwide-new-study-280390

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London

Donald Trump has paused “Project Freedom”, the US operation aimed at restoring commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on social media just days after the operation was first announced, Trump said he had made the decision to give US negotiators time to reach an agreement with Iran to end the war.

Iranian state media has framed the suspension as a US failure. Iran had warned that it would target vessels attempting to enter the waterway and subsequently launched missiles and drones at civilian ships and the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear where the conflict will go from here. But whatever happens next, the role of China will be crucial.

China has kept Iran’s economy afloat in the first two months of the war. Before the war, China accounted for up to 90% of Iran’s oil exports, importing over 1 million barrels each day. Iran continued to send large amounts of crude to China during the war’s early stages, with CNBC reporting that at least 11.7 million barrels were shipped between February 28 and March 10.

Payments for Iranian oil have been processed by institutions such as China’s Bank of Kunlun and the Cross-border Interbank Payment System. These are alternatives to the US-dominated Swift global payment system that enable oil trades to be settled in yuan. This has helped Iran bypass western sanctions by putting oil revenues out of the reach of the US Treasury.

The flow of oil from Iran to China has dropped since mid-April, when the US imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. But China remains able to provide Iran with a revenue lifeline – albeit a more limited one – moving forward.

On May 2, China’s Ministry of Commerce ordered firms not to comply with US sanctions on five Chinese refiners linked to the Iranian oil trade. This enables the refiners to continue processing Iranian crude that arrives by train or is already outside the blockade area. Roughly 160 million barrels of Iranian crude were in transit or in floating storage at sea as of April 21.

China’s economic support for Iran is emerging as a source of friction between Washington and Beijing ahead of Trump’s upcoming summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In an interview with Fox News on May 4, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said China’s continued purchases of Iranian oil amounted to funding global terrorism.

However, the influence of China over Iran’s economy gives it leverage over Tehran. And it does appear to be in the interests of China for the war to end. Rising prices are beginning to affect the Chinese economy, and helping the conflict come to an end would also assist the Chinese government in its push to present itself as the responsible global power.

China has already played an important diplomatic role in the conflict. While Pakistan has served as one of the key mediators between the US and Iran, many analysts have credited China as being the key driving force behind the April ceasefire. At that time, Iranian officials said China had asked them to show flexibility and defuse tensions.

China seems to have continued pressing Iran to negotiate with the US since then. Hours after Trump announced he was pausing the US effort to guide vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing. This is the first time Araghchi has travelled to China since the war broke out.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Chinese foreign ministry said: “China considers that a complete cessation of fighting must be achieved without delay … and that continuing to negotiate remains essential.” Also after the meeting Araghchi said Iran would protect its “legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations”, but will “accept a fair and comprehensive agreement”.

Chinese military support

At the same time, there are some signs that China is hedging its bets. A protracted war involving the US in the Middle East has advantages for China too, primarily because it would divert US attention from the Asia-Pacific region. Reports suggest that China is considering taking steps that would help Iran militarily if a full-blown conflict returns.

According to US intelligence, Beijing has weighed transferring air defence systems to Iran, possibly routing the shipments through other countries to mask its involvement. CNN reported in April that the defence systems in question were shoulder-fired anti-air missiles known as Manpads. China responded by saying it “has never provided weapons to any party to the conflict”.

Chinese technical assistance also enhanced the effectiveness of Iran’s military earlier in the war. Since 2021, Iran has been implementing BeiDou, a Chinese satellite navigation system. As an alternative to the US-run Global Positioning System (GPS), BeiDou has helped guide Iranian missile strikes in the conflict and has enabled more effective monitoring of US military deployments.

China has played a key role in how the conflict has played out so far. And given its position of influence over Iran, it will be a leading factor in whether the war reaches a negotiated end or spills back into open conflict.

Tom Harper does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. China has played a key role in the Iran war – and will continue to do so – https://theconversation.com/china-has-played-a-key-role-in-the-iran-war-and-will-continue-to-do-so-281781

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Amy Wilcockson, Research Fellow, English Literature, Queen Mary University of London

A recent trip to Haworth, in West Yorkshire, got me thinking about Anne Brontë, who died 177 years ago this month. Stepping into St Michael and All Angels’ Church, a carved stone pillar prominently declares the location of the Brontë family vault. All members of the Brontë family – parents Patrick and Maria, sisters Elizabeth and Maria who died young, the rebellious brother Branwell, and Emily and Charlotte – are all listed. Yet, not mentioned is Anne Brontë, who is buried in Scarborough, almost 100 miles away.

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights are repeatedly included on lists of Britain’s favourite novels and are firmly ensconced in the popular literary canon.

Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey occasionally receive an honourable mention, but are often nowhere in sight. Like their author, they have been too frequently overlooked. Googling for articles on Anne Brontë brings up very few hits. I began to wonder: why is that?

Finding Anne

Agnes Grey, A Novel was the name of Anne’s first book, published in December 1847. She had been working on the text for many months before sending it off to the publisher Thomas Cautley Newby in July of that year. Emily’s Wuthering Heights was also accepted by Newby at the same time. It was a painful two months later that Charlotte finally found a publisher for her book, Jane Eyre.

Unluckily for her sisters, Charlotte’s publisher was more proactive than their own, and Jane Eyre became a sensation. Newby then decided to print Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights, riding on the coattails of Charlotte’s success. More naturalistic than Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, but similarly focused on the life of a poor governess, Anne’s novel had been upstaged and was received, as the author Samantha Ellis notes, as a “pale imitation of Jane Eyre”.

Even worse, the gender-neutral pseudonyms the sisters had chosen to hide their identities (Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell), had ensured that the three books were thought to have been by only one author. Anne was not disheartened by Charlotte’s success or these authorship disputes however, and soon embarked on her second literary project.

Appallingly, many editions of Anne second and most famous work, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, have been abridged. In 1854, overzealous publisher Thomas Hodgson slashed huge chunks of text which featured controversial subject matter detailing the protagonist’s concerns about her husband’s depraved behaviour, so that the novel would fit neatly into a single volume.

Brontë scholars declare this to be a “corrupt text”, which cuts four pages of the novel’s opening, all expletives (filler words), 25 additional paragraphs and most of chapter 28. While more recent editions of the novel have reprinted the original 1848 text, many of us, without knowing, have read the potted version.

This censorship of Anne’s text is frankly unacceptable, as poor editing aside, much contextual information which she included for a reason has been removed. Charlotte’s opinion of her sister’s book, writing in a letter in 1850 that it “hardly appears desirable to preserve”, also damaged Anne Brontë’s reputation further.

Far from Haworth

Another factor in her neglect is that Anne’s grave is miles away from the rest of her family’s. She travelled to Scarborough in 1849 in an attempt to ease the symptoms of the tuberculosis that killed her only three days after her arrival.

Only a very dedicated Brontë fan would follow in her footsteps and make the pilgrimage to Scarborough in addition to Haworth. This Yorkshire town will always be the main site of the Brontë sisters fandom as long as their home, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, remains. Anne Brontë does not have a formal memorial in Haworth, while the rest of her family is buried there. This sets her apart even more.

Perhaps it is simply that Anne was the youngest in a remarkable family, and so in death is overlooked as she may have been in life. Or her stories are not the gothic fantasies featuring troubled and problematic literary heroes like Rochester and Heathcliff we immediately associate with the Brontë name.

Instead, Anne Brontë’s works are visceral and real, commenting unflinchingly on the dark sides of human nature: cruelty and violence to children and women, adultery, alcoholism, and coercive control being just some of the topics she covers. Contemporary reviewers called the novel “brutal” and “coarse”.

Utterly shocking at the time, with its descriptions of alcohol abuse and a female protagonist leaving her unhappy marriage, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is often hailed as a feminist masterpiece. Yet, this does not tie into the romantic ideal readers expect. Wuthering Heights grapples with many of the same themes, but while that novel is viewed as a gothic romance, Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is considered by many as a social-realist text.

This enduring oversight could be for all of these reasons or a combination of some. Still, I resent the descriptions of Anne by journalists such as Charlotte Cory as the “runt of the literary litter”, and urge readers and Brontë fans to give her work a chance in its own right.

The 1996 mini-series of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is available to watch online. To me it is a travesty that it is 30 years since there was an adaptation of this novel. And there has never been a big-screen treatment of Agnes Grey, while Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have seen myriad film versions. A fine writer and one who is equal to her sisters, Anne Brontë deserves better.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org; if you click on one of the links and go on to buy something, The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Amy Wilcockson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The other Brontë sister: why do we always forget about Anne? – https://theconversation.com/the-other-bronte-sister-why-do-we-always-forget-about-anne-281477

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Erhan Kilincarslan, Reader in Accounting and Finance, University of Huddersfield

The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz has already made fuel and energy noticeably more expensive. But energy prices are only part of the story.

While tensions continue between Iran and the US over that vital stretch of water, another, more subtle economic effect could come into play. “Skimpflation” is the name for a phenomenon that involves a gradual decline in the quality, quantity or service associated with everyday goods.

Unlike shrinkflation, where the size or weight of a product is reduced, skimpflation affects the value that consumers receive. It happens when companies attempt to keep prices the same while quietly reducing quality, ingredients or service levels.

So instead of raising the price of a ready meal, for example, a manufacturer may replace or reduce some of the key ingredients with cheaper substitutes. The price and packaging remain the same, but there may be less pork in your sausages, or less beef in your lasagne.

Similar adjustments can also occur in service industries. Restaurants may keep menu prices stable but switch to cheaper ingredients.

Hotels might choose to subtly cut service levels, such as housekeeping, to reduce costs (as some did during the pandemic). Airlines – already worried about jet fuel supplies – could adopt cost-saving strategies, such as reducing complimentary food or baggage allowances.

In each case, the price paid by consumers may appear unchanged, but the quality or level of service gradually declines, meaning customers effectively receive less value for the same money.

These kinds of adjustments are carefully designed to be barely noticeable. Businesses hope that consumers will continue to buy their products and use their services without being aware of the changes.

But they could become more widespread if economic circumstances mean that organisations need to make more savings. And they represent yet another economic ripple effect that comes from effectively shutting down a major oil and gas shipping corridor.

Energy levels

The world has already seen how quickly oil prices and energy markets react to the possibility of supply shortages. For countries (like the UK) which depend heavily on imported energy, these shocks function like an economic tax, raising fuel costs and inflation.

And energy costs affect nearly every stage of modern production and distribution. When fuel becomes more expensive, so does transport, running factories and producing food. A rise in oil prices can quickly evolve into a broader inflationary shock affecting shipping, logistics and industrial production.

These pressures ultimately reach consumers, but often indirectly. And businesses facing rising costs must decide how to respond. Raising prices is the most obvious option, but after several years of high inflation, many firms worry that consumers are already highly sensitive to price increases.

Eventually though, these costs must be absorbed somewhere in the system, either through higher prices or changes in quality and service.

This is why geopolitical energy shocks are often described as “inflationary events”, even if consumer price indices do not immediately capture their full impact. The real cost of living may rise not only through higher prices, but also through a decline in what those prices buy.

Economists might describe this process as a form of “hidden inflation”, where businesses respond to rising costs by quietly altering product composition or reducing service levels rather than raising prices outright. Analysis of recent cost pressures suggests that recipe reformulation, ingredient substitution and service reductions have become common strategies for firms attempting to manage higher input costs in sectors such as food manufacturing, retail and hospitality.

If instability in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping routes and energy markets, the UK could face renewed inflationary pressures. But for households, the effects may not always appear in official statistics.

Instead, they may appear in smaller portions at restaurants, reduced service levels in hospitality, or supermarket products that look familiar but contain slightly cheaper ingredients. These incremental adjustments are harder to measure than price changes, but shape everyday consumer experiences through a gradual erosion of value.

Erhan Kilincarslan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. ‘Skimpflation’: how the Strait of Hormuz is linked to your lasagne – and other everyday goods – https://theconversation.com/skimpflation-how-the-strait-of-hormuz-is-linked-to-your-lasagne-and-other-everyday-goods-282010

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University

Whooping cough, medically known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that affects the airways. It gets its common name from the “whoop” sound that some infected children make when they take a deep, gasping breath after a severe coughing fit.

The infection is caused by the bacterium bordetella pertussis, with research suggesting that as few as 140 bacterial cells may be enough to cause infection. The bacterium spreads through infected droplets, which are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can then settle on the lining of another person’s nose, throat or airways.

Doctors usually describe whooping cough in three stages. The first is the catarrhal phase, when symptoms resemble a cold. In this stage, many of the symptoms are similar to other respiratory infections. A person may have a stuffy or runny nose, a low-grade fever and a mild, occasional cough that gradually becomes more severe. This phase typically lasts one to two weeks.

The second stage is the paroxysmal (sudden and intense) phase. During this stage, people experience repeated bouts of uncontrolled coughing. The classic whooping sound is common in infants, but it is often absent in adults. This may be partly because adults have more control over their cough reflex and partly because a child’s larynx, or voice box, is shaped differently from an adult’s. A child’s larynx sits higher in the neck, is funnel-shaped rather than cylindrical and narrower, and has softer cartilage.

The cough can last so long that pertussis is sometimes called the “100-day cough”. It can also cause exhaustion and vomiting, which is one of the most common symptoms reported in adults. One study found that the average duration of coughing was 54 days. The final stage is convalescence, when coughing episodes become less frequent and less severe.

Because pertussis is caused by bacteria, antibiotics can be helpful, especially in the early stages of infection. They can reduce how long a person remains infectious and may reduce the severity of illness if given early enough. The infectious period usually ends 48 hours after starting appropriate antibiotics, or 21 days after the onset of coughing if treatment is not given.

Vaccination remains important because it reduces the risk of severe disease. However, vaccination does not always prevent infection, and protection can weaken over time. This means vaccinated people can still catch pertussis, although symptoms are often milder.

Pertussis cases tend to rise and fall in three to five-year cycles, with increases reported in England and other countries. Possible factors include pandemic disruption to vaccination, mutations in bordetella pertussis, waning immunity and vaccine differences.

Many countries have moved from whole-cell pertussis vaccines to acellular vaccines. A whole-cell vaccine contains killed bacterial cells, while an acellular vaccine contains selected proteins from the bacterium rather than the whole organism. Many countries have shifted to acellular vaccines because they tend to cause fewer side effects. However, they may also provide a shorter period of effective immune protection.

For many adults, whooping cough is unpleasant but manageable. For others, it can be serious. Secondary complications occur in nearly 30% of infected adults. One of the most common is pneumonia, an infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs.

Pneumonia can develop because bordetella pertussis can directly damage the airway lining, partly by paralysing the cilia, tiny hair-like structures that clear mucus, dust and germs. Damaged cilia make the lungs less able to clear harmful bacteria, including those that cause pneumonia.

The repeated force of coughing can also damage the body. Severe coughing may cause vomiting, exhaustion, disturbed sleep and urinary incontinence. Nearly one-third of women over the age of 50 report urinary incontinence associated with pertussis infection.

Severe coughing can also lead to rib fractures, especially in older people or those with weaker bones. Repeated strain usually affects the fifth to tenth ribs. In rare cases, lung tissue can tear, causing a pneumothorax: air escapes between the lung and chest wall, causing part or all of the lung to collapse. The larynx and vocal cords can also become damaged or dysfunctional from repeated coughing.

Very rarely, severe coughing has been linked to spinal fractures, damage to the discs between vertebrae, organ herniation between the ribs and under the skin, and arterial tears that may interrupt blood supply and lead to stroke.

Some people are at higher risk of secondary complications, including those with respiratory conditions, obesity or weakened immune systems. People who smoke or have asthma may have a longer cough, a higher risk of sinus infection and more disturbed sleep.

Delayed diagnosis can be a problem because early whooping cough overlaps with many other respiratory infections, including respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, flu and COVID. RSV is a common virus that usually causes cold-like symptoms, but it can be more serious in babies, older adults and people with underlying health conditions. One study has estimated that the misdiagnosis rate may be as high as 95% in some cases.

Although early symptoms can look similar, there are clues that may help distinguish whooping cough from other infections. Once the cough develops, whooping cough is often worse at night and can be severe enough to cause vomiting. RSV more commonly causes shortness of breath and wheezing rather than prolonged coughing bouts. Whooping cough also usually causes a low-grade fever or no fever, while RSV, particularly in high-risk adults, can cause a high fever. Timing can help too. RSV is most prevalent from late autumn to early spring, peaking in December and January.

Vaccines are available for both conditions. But antibiotics only work for whooping cough because it is bacterial rather than viral, and they are most useful when given early enough.

The main warning sign is a cough that comes in severe bouts, lasts for weeks, gets worse at night or causes vomiting. Anyone with these symptoms should seek medical advice, especially if they live with or care for babies, pregnant women, older adults or people with weakened immune systems.

Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The ‘100-day cough’ that adults often miss – https://theconversation.com/the-100-day-cough-that-adults-often-miss-281776

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anna Turns, Senior Environment Editor, The Conversation

We’re launching a new poetry award to bring science and creativity closer together. Too often, research can stay locked in academic language – but poetry offers a powerful way to make ideas felt, not just understood. This prize is for UK-based researchers who want to explore the climate crisis through a different lens, blending insight with imagination to reach wider audiences and spark new conversations.

For this competition – the first of its kind for The Conversation – we are inviting academics to write a poem inspired by climate change research.

The climate crisis is also a communications challenge: how do we tell stories that move people, not just to fear the future, but to imagine and build a better one? That question sits at the heart of our climate storytelling series, and it’s what we want you to consider when writing your poem. The Conversation UK’s climate poetry award 2026 is all about bringing research to life in a different way.

Whether you’re an experienced poet or completely new to writing poetry, we want to hear your perspective on climate change. Your poem can draw on your own research, the work of others or your general field of expertise. Entrants to this competition must be enrolled in a research position at a university in the UK. Poems must be minimum of three lines, maximum of 40 lines. No prior poetry experience is required.

The competition will kick off with a free introductory climate poetry workshop led by poet Professor Sam Illingworth of Edinburgh Napier University on May 13. Entries close on September 1 2026 (11.59pm BST).

The poems will be reviewed by a panel of judges: Senior Environment Editor Anna Turns, Senior Arts and Culture Editor Anna Walker and Professor Sam Illingworth. The winner will be selected from a shortlist by award-winning poet Professor Helen Mort, of Manchester Metropolitan University. Judges will be looking for creativity, a point of view and clarity of research communication.

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Who can enter: UK-based academics currently enrolled in a research position (including PhD candidates, postdoctoral scholars and lecturers).

What to submit: A climate-themed poem (3–40 lines) and a supporting statement of up to 250 words on the research that inspired it.

Entry window: Open for entries now until September 1 2026 (11.59pm BST).

How to enter: Via the official submission form.

Workshop: Free online climate poetry workshop on May 13 2026

Prizes: First prize: five-day stay at The Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat (North Wales). Shortlisted poems published in a The Conversation ebook anthology.

Judges: Anna Turns, Anna Walker, Professor Sam Illingworth

Final winner selected by: Professor Helen Mort

In need of inspiration? Check out some of our favourite climate poems.

The prizes

Shortlisted entries will be published in an ebook by The Conversation UK in the autumn.

The winner will be hosted for five days at the Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat, in the peaceful and beautiful countryside of the Vale of Conwy in North Wales courtesy of The Ruppin Agency. They’ll be welcomed and fully catered for by husband and wife Dr Emma Claire Sweeney, author and creative writing lecturer, and Jonathan Ruppin, former literary agent and bookseller.

While there, they will have access to the 5,000-volume library, full of places to read, write and relax, and housed in a 400-year-old converted barn vaulted with the timbers of an ancient ship – as well as space to write in their room if they prefer. As well as socialising with a small group of other writers, other activities such as hill walks, wild swimming and a film night will be on offer. See terms and conditions for full details.

The judges

Sam Illingworth is a full professor at Edinburgh Napier University, where his research and practise involve using poetry and generative AI to explore connections between science and society.

“This competition is a great way of exploring the different ways in which scientists can communicate their work outside of traditional academic publishing,” says Illingworth. “Poetry is, in my opinion, an extremely effective way of developing empathy for a subject. I hope that in writing and reading poems about the climate crisis, researchers can better understand the impact that their work is having on different audiences.”

Helen Mort is a professor of creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
She has published four poetry collections with Chatto & Windus and her work has won awards in the UK and Canada.

In 2024, she wrote a poetry collection called Field Notes during a research expedition to Greenland with climate scientists from Manchester Met University. These poems explored the emotional and sensory effects of the changing landscape they experienced while investigating climate change.

Enter your poem here

Terms & Conditions 2026 – please read carefully.

Many thanks to our sponsor for this competition, Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat.

– ref. Introducing The Conversation Climate Poetry Award – for UK-based academics – https://theconversation.com/introducing-the-conversation-climate-poetry-award-for-uk-based-academics-281591

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Anna Turns, Senior Environment Editor, The Conversation

The Promoter

The promoter of this competition is The Conversation Trust (UK), a non-profit company limited by guarantee (number 08158264), with its registered office at Shropshire House (4th Floor), 11-20 Capper Street, London, WC1E 6JA. For queries about this competition, please contact climatepoetry@theconversation.com.

1. How to enter

1.1. The competition will close on September 1 at 11.59pm BST (the “Closing Date”).

1.2. All submissions to be made via the entry form and must be received no later than the Closing Date. All competition entries received after the Closing Date are automatically disqualified. No changes can be made to poems once they have been submitted.

1.3. We will not accept (a) responsibility for competition entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause, including, for example, as a result of any equipment failure, technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware or software failure of any kind; or (b) proof of transmission as proof of receipt of entry to the competition; or (c) entries in any language other than English or translations (d) entries that have previously been submitted to any other competition.

1.4. Poems must be a minimum of three lines and maximum of 40 lines and can follow any form. They don’t need to address a specific theme, but should be focused on communicating climate research.

1.5 By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.

1.6 The competition entries will be reviewed by the judging panel who will draw up a longlist based on the best entries. Winners will be selected by Helen Mort from a shortlist drawn up by the rest of the panel. The full names and credentials of all judging panel members will be made available on request after the Closing Date. The decision of the panel of judges will be final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding judging decisions

2. Eligibility

2.1 The competition is only open to researchers or academics employed by or affiliated to a university or approved research institution (IRO) in the UK, including PhD candidates under supervision by an academic.

2.2 The competition is not open to Masters students or to employees of The Conversation, their immediate families, nor any other person connected with the competition.

2.3 In entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim the prize you may win. The winner must pay costs of travel to the prize themselves. You may be required to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the competition.

2.4 We will not accept competition entries that are: (a) automatically generated by computer or created by artificial intelligence (including but not limited to chatbots such as ChatGPT or similar software applications); (b) completed by third parties or in bulk; (c) illegible, have been altered, reconstructed, forged or tampered with; (d) incomplete; (e) already published or in the public domain.

2.5 There is no limit on entries, but each poem must be submitted individually. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed.

3. The prize

3.1 The prize is as follows: five days and four nights (arrival 2pm or later on day one, departure by noon on day five) on dates to be mutually agreed, within 12 months of announcement of winner at the Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat, in the Vale of Conwy in North Wales. You’ll be welcomed and fully catered for by husband and-wife Dr Emma Claire Sweeney, author and creative writing lecturer, and Jonathan Ruppin, former literary agent and bookseller. The retreat offered is untaught. All food, non-alcoholic drink, bedding, towels and basic toiletries supplied. The retreat will likely be attended by up to four other writers of the retreat’s choosing.

3.2 There is no cash alternative for the prize and the prize is not negotiable or transferable. Winner must organise and pay for their own travel, though if travelling by rail, free collection and return by car from Chester or Chirk stations will be provided.

3.3 The retreat is provided by the owners of Little Goat Barn Writing Retreat, who hold appropriate public liability insurance and are solely responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the retreat experience. The Conversation will use reasonable endeavours to ensure the prize is awarded as described but accepts no liability for matters outside its reasonable control once the winner has been confirmed and the retreat arrangements have been communicated to the retreat owners

4. The winner

4.1 The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into. The winner will be announced in November 2026.

4.2 We will contact the winner personally as soon as practicable after the judges have reached their decision, using the telephone number or email address provided with the competition entry.

4.3 The winner consents to their story being published on The Conversation as per its publishing terms & conditions, including a profile being created on The Conversation to accompany the work, including their first name, surname, institution and country. By winning, the winner grants The Conversation a non-exclusive licence to publish their poem under the terms described. The competition organisers must provide the surname and country of the winner to the Advertising Standards Authority on request.

5. Claiming the prize

5.1 The prize may not be claimed by a third party on your behalf.

5.2 We will make all reasonable efforts to contact the winner. If the winner cannot be contacted or is not available or has not claimed their prize within 30 of days of the Announcement Date, we reserve the right to offer the prize to the next eligible entrant selected from the shortlisted entries that were received before the Closing Date.

5.3 We do not accept any responsibility if you are not able to take up the prize.

6. Ownership of competition entries and intellectual property rights

6.1 All competition entries and any accompanying material submitted remain the property of the entrant. The winning entry will be published under the general terms and conditions of The Conversation, including under a creative commons licence. The Conversation reserves the right to make additions or deletions to the text or graphics prior to publication, or to refuse publication.

6.2 Non-winning competition entries will not be published or used by The Conversation without the express written consent of the entrant. All non-winning entries and associated personal data will be deleted within 90 days of the Announcement Date. The Conversation reserves the right to use anonymized, non-attributable excerpts or statistics about entries received (e.g. “We received over 200 entries from 50 institutions”) for promotional purposes relating to future competitions.

7. Data protection and publicity

7.1 The Promoter will process your personal data (name, email address, telephone number, and institutional affiliation) solely for the purposes of administering this competition, selecting winners, and publishing the winning entry as described in these terms and conditions. Your data will be retained until the prize has been claimed and delivered. Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict processing of your personal data. To exercise these rights or for data protection queries, please contact uk-privacy@theconversation.com. We will not use your data for marketing purposes without your separate consent

8. General

8.1 If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, the Promoter may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition.

8.2 We reserve the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the prize competition where it becomes necessary to do so.

8.3 These terms and conditions are governed by English law.

– ref. The Conversation UK Climate Poetry Award Terms & Conditions 2026 – https://theconversation.com/the-conversation-uk-climate-poetry-award-terms-and-conditions-2026-281957

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Barry Langford, Professor of Film Studies, Royal Holloway, University of London

Ulysses, a mild but disillusioned police officer, arrives in icy Minnesota to start an eight-week stint as substitute sheriff in the surprisingly prosperous small town of Normal. The previous sheriff has died in mysterious circumstances.

As he recovers from a traumatic episode in his own career, his aim is to serve out his time as quietly and uneventfully as possible and then leave the town pretty much as he found it. Unsurprisingly, events swiftly take a very different, not to mention ultra-violent, turn.

The snowbound setting, quirky but amiable inhabitants and swift intimations of a darker criminal hinterland all give off unmistakable Fargo vibes. Not least because the sheriff is played by Bob Odenkirk, an alumnus of Noah Hawley’s TV spin-off of the Coen Brothers’ classic 1996 picture. (In an obvious nod, Ulysses’ deceased predecessor, Gunderson, shares his surname with Frances McDormand’s cop in the film.)

The silent apparitions of the town’s near-legendary moose and much discussion of coffee also lend these sequences a certain Twin Peaks (1990-1991) flavour. Later on a severed ear is an obvious shout-out to another David Lynch project, Blue Velvet (1986).

Midway through director Ben Wheatley’s new thriller, however, the stylistic reference points shift from the Coens and Lynch to Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter. A farcically botched Bonnie and Clyde-style bank heist hurls the film into a spiral of chaotic and very bloody violence which barely lets up for the remainder of the film.

The townsfolk, it transpires, have saved Normal from the blighted fate of other midwestern towns by striking an improbable Faustian bargain to warehouse piles of loot for the Japanese mob – the Yakuza.

Big body count

Once Ulysses stumbles across this dirty little secret, he finds himself pitted against virtually every single inhabitant of Normal as they battle to keep it quiet. An arsenal of guns, explosives, light artillery and a variety of improvised weapons overnight reduce the town’s main street into a blood-soaked, body-strewn wreckage.

Ulysses, along with the hapless pair of amateur bank robbers caught up in the crossfire, fights off hordes of opponents in the fashion of Tarantino’s From Dusk To Dawn (1996). And once the black-suited Yakuza reinforcements arrive, it resembles Kill Bill (2004). The gory violence, mostly played for blackly comic effect, has a comparably weightless feel.

The army of townsfolk stalking the beleaguered, outgunned trio recalls the zombie-like gang in John Carpenter’s B-movie classic Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). Or perhaps even more the demented small-town denizens of George A. Romero’s The Crazies (1973).

As this string of allusions might suggest, Normal makes no great claims on originality. Written by Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick franchise – and also 2021’s Nobody, the vehicle for Odenkirk’s late-career swerve into action hero – the film delivers on its simple premise without any great care for complex plotting or plausibility. It serves up modestly inventive pyrotechnics in a businesslike, and at just 90 minutes, very concise fashion.

Fans of Wheatley’s previous efforts in this vein will enjoy his trademark, though not especially unique, combination of humour and extreme violence. Others may feel he does himself few favours with the constant overt nods to far superior filmmakers and risks making his film feel even more derivative and predictable than it confesses itself to be.

There’s certainly little here in the rendering of upstate Minnesota to compare with Roger Deakins’ crystalline cinematography in Fargo. Nor can Wheatley’s energetic but prosaic action choreography ever approach the stylisation of Kill Bill.

Violence aside, then, the film rests heavily on some apt casting and happily the performers are reliably engaging. Odenkirk’s trademark battered decency largely carries the film. But there are also deft supporting turns, notably from Henry Winkler as Normal’s oleaginous mayor and Lena Headey as a tough-dame barkeep. Reena Jolly and Peter Shinkoda are also endearing as the dishevelled slacker bandits (and solicitous dog parents). They vaguely recall the shambolic outlaws of One Battle After Another (2025).

Many of Normal’s influences have serious things to say about modern American life. Normal too gestures in passing to larger issues. The mayor presents the community’s turn to crime as a morally if not legally legitimate reaction to the desperate plight of “flyover states” devastated by industrial decline and corporate predation.

But really this is just window dressing. There isn’t a great deal more to the film than meets the eye, and there probably doesn’t need to be. In its rapid pacing, terse characterisation, brief run time and propulsive, hard-boiled action, Normal positions itself as a latter-day B-movie and mostly delivers on the unpretentious pleasures of that time-honoured form.

Barry Langford does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Normal: this quirky Bob Odenkirk caper is Die Hard meets Fargo – https://theconversation.com/normal-this-quirky-bob-odenkirk-caper-is-die-hard-meets-fargo-281955