By Dibyesh Anand, Professor of International Relations and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Westminster
Within the space of a few minutes on August 26, the border crossing between Nepal and China – Rasuwagadhi on the Nepali side and Gyirong on the Chinese – was destroyed by a flash flood caused by a collapsed glacier. Villages, bridges and roads on both sides of the border were washed away.
Hundreds are dead and many more missing, including tourists and pilgrims. The full toll will not be known for days as the worst-hit areas are hard to reach. In the case of Tibet, given…
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By Jenni Ramone, Associate Professor of Postcolonial and Global Literatures, Nottingham Trent University
Meg Mason’s new book, Sophie, Standing There, has been advertised as a bittersweet story of love, loneliness and finding connection in the most unlikely of places.
Most reviews describe Sophie, Standing There as a novel about loneliness, chaos…
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By Jane Wright, Commissioning Editor, Arts & Culture, The Conversation
I can’t think of anyone who wasn’t saddened to hear of the death of Dolly Parton this week, such was her natural ability to charm all kinds of people. Sharp, funny, warm and with a huge heart – much like her character Doralee in 9 to 5 – she constantly wrong-footed people with the way she looked and who she really was.
There’s a lovely photograph of (pre-artifice) Dolly being endlessly posted on social media, showing her possibly in her thirties, smiling as she looks straight into the lens, all dimples, mischief and eyelashes. It’s a delight to see her caught in the moment so naturally,…
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By Dipa Kamdar, Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
Mouth ulcers affect up to a quarter of us, but the causes range from stress and diet to vitamin deficiencies. Here’s what helps them heal faster.
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By Rebecca Probert, Professor of Law, University of Exeter
John Mase Smith probably holds the record for the briefest second marriage, heading back to his first wife at 5am the morning after his bigamous wedding in 1849.
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By Jane Wood, Lecturer in Textile and Fashion Technology, University of Manchester
Tom Bird-Jones, PhD Candidate, Biomaterials, University of Manchester
Developing a new material is only the first step. Convincing an industry built around traditional textiles to adopt it is a very different challenge.
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By Innisfree McKinnon, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic
On Aug. 27, 2026, President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America,” claiming his administration had already “notified all of the various people you have to notify.”
The name change, which Ontario Premier Doug Ford had dismissed…
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By Stephanie Vander Wel, Associate Professor of Music, University at Buffalo
Whether ad-libbing her way through a duet or joking about her glamorous image, Parton turned sexist assumptions into a source of power.
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By Irini Mavrou, Associate professor, Universidad Nebrija; UCL
Lucía Martín Pérez, PhD Student, Universidad Nebrija
When people apologise, they do more than acknowledge a mistake. They also reveal how they understand responsibility, ethics, social and moral norms, and their relationship with others. These things all differ widely between cultural contexts.
Speaking in a foreign language may directly influence the emotions – such as guilt and shame – that we feel when we apologise. However, apologies are an especially complex type of communication, and are shaped by much more than just the words we use.
Even within a particular culture, people apologise in different ways in different…
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By Jonathan Bamber, Professor of Glaciology and Earth Observation, University of Bristol
Glacier melt is partly responsible for the disaster along the border with Tibet and Nepal. An expert explains why this is a growing issue for the world.
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