Oliver Balch
The Guardian
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Oliver:
My volunteering trip to help bring a fire-ravaged Portuguese forest back to life
Five years after wildfires tore through its woods, an inland area between Porto and Lisbon is still working to restore its ecosystems – and is open to offers of help from visitors → Read More
Quinta-ssential Portugal: a campervan tour of farms, villages and flavours
A new website for campervanners puts Portugal’s superb country food and wine on your doorstep – and you only pay for the welcome basket → Read More
Welcome to Cabeça, the Christmas capital of Portugal
Every year this hilltop community becomes Christmas Village, a rustic, artisanal festive wonderland attracting visitors from far and wide → Read More
Battery power: five innovations for cleaner, greener electric vehicles
EVs are seen as key in transition to low-carbon economy, but as their human and environmental costs become clearer, can new tech help? → Read More
We walked the world’s longest suspension bridge in Portugal’s natural playground
In Arouca Geopark near Porto, my sons dared each other to tackle white-water rafting and a scary, record-breaking bridge → Read More
Borges and Me by Jay Parini review – around Scotland in a Morris Minor
A brilliantly unlikely travel caper lovingly recalls a road trip with a literary giant in yellow satin pyjamas → Read More
Anger on the streets of Porto as Britain shuts down free flow of travel
Tourism chiefs slam the ‘unfair’ downgrading after invasion of football fans → Read More
Mars, Nestlé and Hershey to face child slavery lawsuit in US
Chocolate companies are among the defendants named in a lawsuit brought by former child workers in Ivory Coast → Read More
The curse of 'white oil': electric vehicles' dirty secret – podcast
The race is on to find a steady source of lithium, a key component in rechargeable electric car batteries. But while the EU focuses on emissions, the lithium gold rush threatens environmental damage on an industrial scale → Read More
The curse of 'white oil': electric vehicles' dirty secret
The long read: The race is on to find a steady source of lithium, a key component in rechargeable electric car batteries. But while the EU focuses on emissions, the lithium gold rush threatens environmental damage on an industrial scale → Read More
Chocolate industry slammed for failure to crack down on child labour
Children as young as five still exposed to hazardous work in countries including Ghana and Ivory Coast, report reveals → Read More
Ban US cotton imports from Xinjiang, say human rights campaigners
Petitions issued to US authorities cite ‘integral role of forced labour’ involving Uighur Muslims and other minority groups → Read More
The best wine experiences in Portugal
The World of Wine museum has opened in Porto and Portugal has been added to the UK’s list of travel corridors – two good reasons to raise a glass to one of Europe’s most underrated wine destinations → Read More
US could become ‘safe haven’ for corporate abusers, activists warn
US could become ‘safe haven’ for corporate abusers, activists warn | US news | The Guardian → Read More
Ethical labels not fit for purpose, report warns consumers
Certification schemes may serve to mask human rights abuses and allow government inaction, study claims → Read More
10 of the best novels set in Portugal – that will take you there
From a Saramago masterpiece to Monica Ali’s rural blues, via mountains, cities and coast, bookmark this reading list for a flavour of Portugal – and its people → Read More
Life after lockdown in Porto: returning to my local cafe
With Portugal easing out of confinamento, the second city’s residents are enjoying cafes once again, but miss the tourists more than they were expecting → Read More
AI and me: friendship chatbots are on the rise, but is there a gendered design flaw?
Most chatbots are designed by men and tend to replicate gender stereotypes. But as the few women involved in the industry can testify, getting AI to emote requires input from all genders → Read More
Covid-19 roundup: Companies rally as pandemic takes escalating toll
With much of the world being asked to self-quarantine, people are understandably worried about keeping their larders full and their families fed. Fears that the supermarket shelves may grow sparse has led to panic-buying in countries like the UK and the US, which, in an act of self-fulfilling prophecy, has led to precisely the empty aisles that people feared. Around the world, → Read More
The new-look shopping mall that doesn't sell stuff
The Forum complex in the Dutch city Groningen is trying to show that town centres don’t need to sell to survive → Read More