As some countries proceed with lifting lockdown restrictions - dubbed ‘Freedom Day’ in the UK – many have joyfully rushed back to restaurants and shops.
But after more than a year of developing new habits to protect ourselves from Covid and becoming accustomed to a precautionary state, not everyo...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
Hospitality has by no means escaped the economic hardship caused by the pandemic. In fact, some say it was the sector worst hit. Hotels, restaurants and bars have all had to rethink the way they operate to become compatible with this post-Covid world. So how have they been adapt...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
The changes forced on the retail industry go far beyond one-way systems and limited capacity in shops. Naturally, the online-shopping boom saw increased convenience through features like digital dressing rooms, as well as extending returns as uncertainty continued.
Covid has exc...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
The good news is COVID-19 vaccines are working and restrictions across Europe are starting to be lifted. But for the many people who have spent the last year strictly following lockdown rules, the prospect of freedom isn’t as appealing as it once was.
After much time spent isola...

The organizers of the Tokyo Games could well be forgiven for feeling jinxed.

Back in 2013, when the city was awarded the event, the planning began for an incredible festival of sport, but in early 2020 everything changed with the arrival of COVID-19.

So just how will the games now function? An...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
The stadiums may be empty, but more than 11,000 athletes from over 200 countries are still heading to Tokyo to take part in events marking the very pinnacle of their individual sports.
So how do you organise getting a national team to a global sporting event in the midst of a pa...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
The Tokyo Olympics are the first in modern history to be postponed or cancelled outside of wartime. But they are no going ahead – even if it does have to be in empty stadiums.
But what’s the mood amongst the people of Japan, who had been hoping to show off their country on a glo...

A year after the flame should have been lit in Tokyo, on Friday the 23rd July the games of the 32nd Olympiad will finally get underway.

But, in the midst of a global pandemic, this will be an Olympics like no other before it. Athletes will have to fit covid testing into their training plans and ...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
As COVID-19 grounded international travel, commercial airlines knew they would have a turbulent time ahead, and as restrictions continue between the borders of countries, the situation is still up in the air.

The aviation industry measures its performance by revenues per passe...

The seeds of the opioid crisis were sown in the mid 1990s, when pharmaceutical companies began promoting prescription opioid medication like OxyContin. But how did the epidemic slide from one of legal painkillers into illicit heroin use? Here Stephen Cole speaks to former addicts and their journe...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
The opioid crisis has killed nearly 500 thousand people in America in the last 20 years. The misuse of and addiction to opioid painkillers is a serious crisis that affects public health, social and economic welfare in the USA.
Recently, US prosecutors have started cracking down...

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

Despite its reputation for causing overdoses and suicides - opioid medication is incredibly valuable when prescribed correctly. However there is currently a lack of understanding about different types of pain and how to treat it.
So why do some people respond well to opioids an...

Opioids have improved the lives of millions of people across the United States who are living with serious illnesses like cancer and acute pain. But they have also caused the deadliest drug crisis in American history - and over the past decade - killed nearly 90 Americans every day.

Although pr...

It was the largest gathering of world leaders face to face since the start of the pandemic.

But in unprecedented times of global difficulty, what did the G7 summit in Cornwall really say about the state of international cooperation?

It may have been Joe Biden's first international outing since...

For a few days earlier this year, it looked like Europe was about to get a brand-new football competition.

But no sooner had 12 of the continent’s largest clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus, announced plans for the European Super League than it all collapsed in a bitter r...

Whilst the collapse of the European Super League and the impact of COVID may have dominated the footballing headlines in the last year, there have been some positive recent trends in the world of football.

Possibly none more so than the rise of the women’s game – which has gained an extraordinar...

European football, like many other sports, has been hit hard by the pandemic – over the past two seasons around 6 billion euros in revenue has been lost, according to Steven Zhang, the Chairman of Inter Milan.

And that’s because the stadiums were empty as his club won their first Serie A title f...

As governments around the world set up increasingly tough green targets, it’s becoming equally clear that investment in saving the planet is also going to increase.

A new report from the UN Environment Programme, the World Economic Forum and the Economics of Land Degradation has put a figure on ...

Billions of dollars are currently being invested every year in nature-based solutions. But it’s increasingly clear that if the world is to meet increasingly ambitious nature and climate targets, that number is going to have to rise dramatically in the coming years. Here Stephen Cole looks at how ...

A new report from, amongst others, the UN Environment Programme and the World Economic Forum has concluded that if we have a chance of meeting the increasingly tough climate and nature targets governments are setting, we’re going to need to increase investment sharply, and soon.

As Justin Adams,...

To meet sustainability targets, it’s becoming increasingly clear that all private companies need to take a greener approach. Sustainability needs to be part of a company’s values, strategy, vision and commitment to its stakeholders.

But what does that look like in practice? To find out, Stephen ...

One of the key issues if we are to improve investment in nature – and especially if the private sector is to start pulling its weight – is to increase understanding of the benefits of sustainable financing.

Minority shareholders at, for example Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil have already made...

The World Economic Forum has been publishing a yearly Gender Gap Report for the past 15 years, and the most recent one has some distressing statistics for the women of the world – suggesting the pandemic has pushed back gender parity by an entire generation.

Here, Stephen Cole looks at just what...

Professor Kate Maclean from the Centre for International Development at Northumbria University joins Stephen Cole to explain why female political leaders – like New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern have come to the fore in this time of crisis.

Watch #TheAgenda in full and find out more at...