By Richard Worth, Lecturer in music and popular music: composition, orchestration, analysis and popular music history., University of Liverpool
I once met the late jazz musician Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins (1930 to 2026). It was in the mid 90s on Manhattan’s 48th street at Rod Baltimore’s New York Woodwind and Brass Center. The shop had the best repair department so there were always some serious players around.
Consequently, as I was sitting on a step checking out my newly-repaired flute, no doubt playing through some “hip” patterns or something, I spotted some long, well-suited, legs passing me by. Then an instantly recognisable voice somewhere above said: “Sounds good man.” This was the same voice I had heard making…
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By Rob Johns, Professor of Politics, University of Southampton
When historians of Scottish politics come to consider May 2026, two dates will stand out. On May 7, the SNP won almost half of the seats in the Scottish parliamentary election. If its minority administration makes it through the term, the party will have effectively been the government at Holyrood for 24 years.
And then on May 25, the SNP’s former chief executive, Peter Murrell, was remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling…
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By Sebastian Egholm Lund, Junior Research Fellow, Faculty of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
William Adams was convinced that solar energy could change the world. The problem was, he needed more sun to demonstrate it.
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By Anthony Paul Smith, Musculoskeletal Postgraduate Lecturer, University of Essex
Millions of people in the UK suffer from joint pain and arthritis. But with long wait times for scans, specialist appointments, physiotherapy and joint replacement surgery, many people turn to over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen, to manage their joint pain, stay active and continue working.
Ibuprofen is one of the most…
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By John Curtice, Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde and Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Social Research
In the event, the SNP did not win the overall majority First Minister John Swinney sought in the 2026 Scottish election. However, between them the SNP and the Greens won 73 seats, 57% of all MSPs. It is the largest ever contingent of pro-independence MSPs at Holyrood.
Yet between them the two parties won just 41% of the regional list vote. The avowed aim of the parliament’s mixed-member proportional electoral system is to produce a distribution of seats proportional to each party’s share of the list…
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By Clotilde Cerdan Amiard, Profesora Asociada en Finanzas Sostenibles, IE University
As climate change makes extreme weather events more intense and frequent, “uninsurable areas” are becoming increasingly common. They are a clear demonstration that insurance – the mechanism through which modern societies deal with all kinds of risk – is structurally underprepared for this new climate era.
Uninsurable areas refer to places where property insurance has become either impossible to get or to afford. This can happen because insurers are not offering coverage in a high climate risk area (due to coverage limits or market withdrawal), or because they offer insurance at premiums…
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By Emma Roberts, Head of Law, University of Salford
Over the last decade, UK universities have put increasing effort into supporting student mental health. This often means following frameworks: documents that outline good practice, typically developed by sector bodies and charities. Universities can adopt these frameworks to guide their approach to student wellbeing.
The difficulty is that the sector has relied heavily on voluntary frameworks. This means that universities can choose whether to engage, how fully to implement them and which elements…
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By Patsy Perry, Reader in Fashion Marketing, Manchester Metropolitan University
You’ve had a spring clean and decluttered your wardrobe, and now you’re wondering what to do with the pile of unwanted clothes in the corner.
With the growth of online secondhand sales channels …
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By Amnesty International
Ethiopian authorities have intensified their crackdown on press freedom in a cynical attempt to silence criticism in the lead-up to the country’s national election on 1 June, Amnesty International said today. In recent months, Ethiopian authorities have launched a campaign of repression against independent media by arbitrarily arresting, forcibly disappearing and unlawfully surveilling journalists. Other […] The post Ethiopia: International community must act to safeguard press freedom ahead of national election appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Sarah Pucill, Reader, School of Arts, University of Westminster
Queer Art, by curators Mollie E. Barnes and Gemma Rolls-Bentley, isn’t afraid to ask questions: what queerness is, what queer art can be, and why queer art matters.
The book’s introduction states that “queer art is not a genre but a gesture; a refusal to be pinned down by fixed identity categories”. Queerness in art can appear both openly and subtly, often through coded, abstract or unconventional forms that challenge heteronormative expectations.
The opening chapter asks “why talk about queer art?”,…
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