In response to Black Lives Matter protests, sales of books by black British authors, such as Reni Eddo-Lodge and Bernadine Evaristo, have topped the UK bestseller lists. Several recent prestigious awards have also been won by black writers, including Candice Carty-Williams who won book of the year for Queenie at the British Book Awards. While these firsts must be celebrated, they also shine a light on publishing’s systemic practices, which have maintained inequalities and under-representation for black, Asian and minority ethnic writers and diverse books.

What the pandemic has taught us about community – how small local charities and voluntary organisations have ‘shown up’ and ‘stuck around’

If we are to thrive in the new world, we must focus on addressing the skills gaps that still exist within our economy. The Department of Education white paper ‘Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity and Growth’ presents a blueprint for how we can change this – and degree apprenticeships have a key role to play within that.

Ella Kissi-Debrah died in London in February 2013, aged only nine years old, having been unwell with respiratory disease requiring multiple hospital admissions for several years.

A massive shakeup of the UK’s audit industry is on the cards. The Big Four, which audit all of the FTSE 100 and 21 of the FTSE 250, have been told by the accounting regulator to separate their auditing practices by 2024. It follows the collapse of Wirecard, a payments firm which recently admitted that €1.9 billion of the cash on its books probably never existed.

Many invasive species cause (often major) problems around the world. However, the idea that all “alien” species are inherently bad, and that invasions can be always effectively controlled, is mistaken. Invasive non-native species are frequently associated with damage to ecological systems and even to people and economies. Yet ecological novelty is now the order of the day, we we must adapt both our ideas and our actions to this new reality.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole of society over the last year in many ways. One demographic hit especially hard has been university students – a million-strong community across the country.

As the vaccine brings hope that things will ‘return to normal’, we should aim for normal to mean something different. How about a normal that eradicates inequalities in healthy life years within a generation?

I have been tracking how people are expressing beliefs and values using folkloric practices today. It seems that during these dark times they are being used to visibly brighten our communities. Many of us will have perpetuated these customs simply for something to do – particularly families desperate for ideas to occupy children.

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the restaurant industry. While a few restaurants have found ways to provide takeaway and dine-at-home offerings, the majority of businesses have shut up shop during lockdown. From July 4, restaurants in the UK are permitted to open – but dining out will be very different. Here are seven ways in which social distancing and the wider impact of COVID-19 will change the restaurant industry.