news 2026

Since 1990, the United Nations (UN) has used the Human Development Index (HDI) to assess the development of a country using indicators of well-being and quality of life gathered via census data. HDI scores are then used by government agencies and nonprofits to help allocate resources. But the index rankings do not reflect information at the local level, meaning, for example, that people in less-developed areas of higher-ranking countries could be missing out on critical aid.

An international team of scientists has just demonstrated that major Himalayan earthquakes occur randomly over the long term, with no predictable pattern. Published in Science Advances, the study is based on the analysis of sediment cores taken from the bottom of Nepalese lakes, reconstructing 6,000 years of seismic activity.

Gentrifying neighbourhoods across London are undergoing rapid change, with rising numbers of newcomers arriving from less deprived areas and from further afield than ever before, according to new research from the Geographic Data Service led by a UCL researcher. The study, published by the charity Trust for London, shows that these areas are now driving a growing share of the capital's population churn, with far-reaching implications for housing pressures and who is able to live in the city.