In early October 2026, the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee—the body dedicated to social, humanitarian, and cultural issues—became the stage for a familiar but troubling ritual. China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Sun Lei, delivered a sharp rebuke to representatives from the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania, who had used their statements to accuse China of human rights abuses. Sun expressed China’s strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition, describing the accusations as baseless and maliciously designed to smear China’s record. But beyond the diplomatic clash, the moment raised a deeper question: what does it…

Imagine scrolling through your phone late at night and seeing a post that claims a certain supplement can cure arthritis, or that a vaccine is far more dangerous than the disease it prevents. It might look convincing, come from a friend or an influencer, and arrive with no warning label attached. New research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) suggests that many people in the UK do not just scroll past such content—they act on it, and later wish they had not. The report, titled Health Misinformation: Public Perceptions of Threat to the UK, was launched…