By Emily Wilkinson, Principal Research Fellow, Global Risks and Resilience, ODI Global
George Carter, Senior Fellow and Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
Every nation is grappling with climate change, but a super El Niño is about to collide with the 2026-27 South Pacific cyclone season. This presents one of the toughest challenges yet for the world’s small island nations.
Samoa is on high alert. These islands have had a turbulent recent history with drought, heat and cyclones. In the 1980s, the El Niño cycle (when certain parts of the Pacific are warmer…
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By Catherine Greenwood, Lecturer in Digital Marketing, University of Lancashire
An influencer posts a photograph of two designer handbags and asks her followers which one she should buy. Another wants recommendations for restaurants in a new city she is visiting. Someone else asks which beauty dupes are actually worth trying.
These are ordinary questions we might ask our friends. Yet, coming from people who have built careers influencing what others buy, wear and desire, they raise an interesting question. If influencers are supposed to influence their followers, why are they increasingly…
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By Tracy Smith-Carrier, Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Royal Roads University
When it comes to Canada’s progress on poverty alleviation, the 2026 federal Budget isn’t helping. It privileges corporate welfare over the needs of Canadians who are struggling with poverty and food insecurity.
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By Ezgi Unsal, Lecturer in Development Economics, SOAS, University of London
Turkey is making electrification a central theme of this year’s UN climate summit, Cop31, which it is currently hosting in the Mediterranean city of Antalya alongside Australia. The ambition is to raise the share of global energy demand met by electricity from 20% today to 35% by 2035.
But there is a tension in this agenda. More electrification will only cut emissions if the electricity comes from cleaner sources. In Turkey, coal and natural gas still account for more than half of electricity generation, while…
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By Preetika Joshi, Assistant Professor of Accounting, McGill University
Budget 2026 offers targeted relief to low-income households, but its biggest tax incentive rewards business investment in the hope of future growth.
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By Ezenwa E. Olumba, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, Aston University
Thomas Stubbs, Professor of Global Political Economy, Royal Holloway, University of London
One of the deadliest attacks on Israel in 2024 came not from an Iranian missile or rocket, but from a single Hezbollah drone attack. On October 13, 2024, a drone struck the dining hall of a military base near Binyamina, south of Haifa, as Israeli soldiers were eating. It killed four people and injured 67.
Houthi rebels have been using drones to attack airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, causing havoc in the Gulf kingdom. Israel and Saudi Arabia are two wealthy countries and have powerful militaries…
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By Ibrahim Al-Marashi, Adjunct Professor, IE University; California State University San Marcos
After the 1991 Gulf War, Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, declared “dignified victory” despite a military defeat. He had survived the invasion, while his adversary George HW Bush was facing a recession at home. Bush would go on to lose the 1992 elections to Bill Clinton, who swept to victory with the slogan: “It’s the economy, stupid”.
Even with Iraq’s armed forces devastated, Saddam was…
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By Ebru Surucu-Balci, Assistant Professor in Circular Supply Chains, University of Bradford
Gokcay Balci, Lecturer in Sustainable Freight Transport and Logistics, University of Leeds
The UK government’s recent “Be Ready” campaign advises households to keep a three-day supply of food and drink in case of emergency. Sales of bottled water and tinned foods have soared, as households ready themselves for a powerful storm, a long power cut or a cyber-attack.
And preparing for three days of self-resilience seems like a sensible measure. But what happens on day four?
The hope would be that order is restored, with no further need for people to rely on their own supplies.
…
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By Lindsey Blumell, Lecturer in Journalism, City St George's, University of London
After years of caution, journalists can now exchange the word “alleged” for “convicted” when describing Russell Brand as a sexual predator. Following a four-week trial, where six women testified in detail, the former comedian was jailed for ten years and six months for one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. He was cleared of two further counts of rape and one of attempted indecent assault.
When sentencing Brand, Justice Joel Bennathan emphasised the women’s…
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By Tim Jarvis, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, Anglia Ruskin University
M. John Harrison blends genres in his work of speculative fiction, taking inspiration from everything from theological thrillers to domestic sagas.
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