By John Denham, Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations and Director of the Centre for English Identity and Politics, University of Southampton
Matt Goodwin, the Reform UK candidate for the Gorton and Denton byelection, is just one of the rightwing politicians to recently question the “Englishness” of people who aren’t white and born in England. The claim is clearly out of step with reality. Exclusivist views are certainly out there, but in the minds of an increasingly small minority. There is no popular upsurge in narrow ethno-nationalism.
On the other hand, the sudden prominence of such views marks more than the willingness of populist political forces to mobilise polarising ideas about national identities that were once…
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By Eanna Fennell, Postdoctoral Researcher, Health Research Institute, University of Limerick
Over 95% of the world’s adult population is infected with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), but most people never realise it. The infection often causes few symptoms and then stays in the body for life.
But for a small minority, EBV is linked to serious disease. For more than 50 years, EBV has been recognised as the first virus shown to contribute to certain cancers, and is therefore classified as a group one carcinogen.
More recently, strong evidence suggests it plays a key role in the development…
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By Claire O'Callaghan, Senior Lecturer in English, Loughborough University
Wuthering Heights initially baffled readers who dismissed it as “a strange book”.
Earlier readers found it was “wild” and “confused”, portraying a “semi-savage love”. Yet, in 1850, the poet and critic Sydney…
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By Otar Akanyeti, Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Aberystwyth University
Valentina Di Santo, Assistant Professor of Marine Animal Biomechanics, University of California, San Diego
Many fish appear to hang effortlessly in the water while they wait for prey, defend a nest or pause between bursts of activity. But our research shows that this quiet stillness is anything but effortless. Hovering, the behaviour that allows a fish to remain suspended in one place, is far more energetically demanding than scientists once believed.
In a comparative study of 13 near neutrally buoyant species, we found that metabolic rates during hovering were almost twice as high as during rest (when the…
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By Osama Mansour, Associate Professor in Information Systems, Lund University
Banks are sharing more of your data with fintechs, opening the door to products and services that could help you manage your money better.
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By Meilan Yan, Senior Lecturer in Financial Economics, Loughborough University
Dalu Zhang, Lecturer in Finance, University of Leicester
Neil Gunn, Visiting Professor of Practice of Engineering, Newcastle University
While floods are becoming more frequent in recent years, you should still be able to buy reasonably priced home insurance. That reassurance exists largely because of Flood Re. Launched in 2016, Flood Re is a national public–private reinsurance scheme that prevents many properties from being priced out of cover.
But the Flood Re scheme is a temporary fix that’s due to end in 2039, on the assumption that flood risk will fall and the market can move back towards more risk-reflective pricing. As financial experts, we’re worried that…
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By Guy Lamb, Criminologist / Senior Lecturer, Stellenbosch University
Soldiers from the South African National Defence Force are going to be deployed alongside members of the South African Police Service to combat gangs and armed groups associated with illegal mining.
The announcement by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation address in mid-February 2026 received the support of opposition political parties, including the Democratic…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The Coalition, eyeing voters lost to One Nation, is demanding the ISIS brides and their families never get here. While the government plays defense.
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By Amnesty International
Responding to today’s guilty verdict and life sentence for former South Korean President Yoon for the imposition of martial law in December 2024, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said: “Today’s verdict and sentence is an important step towards accountability which demonstrates that no one is above the law in South Korea, including a […] The post South Korea: Life sentence for Ex-President Yoon a significant step towards accountability appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Gailon Lawson, from Trinidad and Tobago, poses for a portrait at Al-Hol camp in Hassakeh province, Syria, March 31, 2019. © 2019 AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo Since 2019, more than 90 Trinidad and Tobago nationals, including at least 50 children, have been arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria for alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS). After enduring years of life-threatening conditions, their situation in recent weeks has only gotten worse.Trinidadian women detained in Syria’s Roj camp, which is under control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, recently reported to…
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