Wednesday, January 7, 2026
A sweeping UN human rights report released on Wednesday concludes that in the occupied West Bank, Israel is violating international law prohibiting racial segregation and apartheid, warning that the discriminatory practices have accelerated dramatically since late 2022 amid growing violence, repression and impunity.
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By Human Rights Watch
Smoke rises at La Carlota airport in Caracas, Venezuela on January 3, 2026 following US airstrikes. © 2026 AP Photo/Matias Delacroix (New York) – The Trump administration’s brazen military assault risks causing a new human rights disaster for Venezuelans, Human Rights Watch said today. In the early morning hours of January 3, 2026 the US military conducted strikes on Venezuela and took into custody the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores. They have since been arraigned before a US federal court on drug trafficking and other criminal charges. “Venezuelans…
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By Thomas Allen, Senior Lecturer, Department of Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University
Metamaterials – artificially made materials with properties that aren’t found in the natural world – are poised to transform daily life. Their unique properties are enhancing products from sporting goods to consumer electronics and beyond.
As a sports engineer and the person leading on health applications within the UKRI-funded UK Metamaterials Network,…
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By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
Menopause is universal, but experiences are not. Ethnicity, culture and access to care shape symptoms, silence and support, leaving many women overlooked.
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By Stuart Salmon, Tutor in History, University of Stirling; University of Edinburgh
Any discussion of films and TV series about the American revolution has to start with a caveat. There have been historical movies for as long as there have been movies, but films and TV series about the great founding event of the US have been thin on the ground, certainly until the 21st century.
In 1917, an American director was even prosecuted for making Spirit of 76, a film about the revolution that criticised America’s new ally Great Britain. It…
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By Adi Imsirovic, Lecturer in Energy Systems, University of Oxford
The capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by the US intelligence services and armed forces has resulted in a frenzy of speculation about its consequences. But there is no doubt that the events were closely linked to the oil riches of the country. While the political situation in Venezuela remains fluid, there is far more certainty about its position as an oil producer.
For a start, Venezuela has one of the highest proven oil…
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By Eutychus Ngotho Gichuru, PhD Candidate in Educational Management, Makerere University
Archangel Byaruhanga Rukooko, Associate Professor (Philosophy ), Makerere University
Academics today, around the world, are confined by the way their research output is measured. Indicators that count the number of times their work is cited by other academics, and the relative prestige of journals that publish their papers, determine everything: from career development to research funding.
What does this international system mean for African scholars like ourselves? Our work has found that metrics for measuring excellence are instead acting as a disadvantage for…
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By Lateef Olalekan Bello, Project Researcher, University of Tokyo
Smallholder farmers in west Africa’s Sahel face a harsh and worsening climate. Rainfall is erratic, temperatures are rising, soils are degrading, and droughts have become more frequent.
In Mali and Niger millions of rural households rely on rain-fed farming. These stresses pose a threat to food security and livelihoods.
As agricultural economists we conduct research on how climate-smart interventions affect farmers’ crop revenue and income. Our
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By Hayley Clements, Senior Researcher, African Wildlife Economy Institute and Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University
Alta De Vos, Associate Professor, Centre for Sustainability Transitions, Stellenbosch University
Matthew Child, PhD candidate, University of Pretoria
Siviwe Shwababa, Associate Researcher, Rhodes University
South Africa has a thriving wildlife economy – enterprises like trophy and meat hunting, ecotourism, live wildlife sales and game meat production.
Over the past few decades private (predominantly white) farmers have converted millions of hectares once reserved for livestock into game ranches. These enterprises generate profits and jobs…
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By Duncan Mitchell, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand
The Namib desert of south-western Africa can be extremely hot – the surface temperature can be over 50°C. But a surprising number of around 200 beetle species live on its bare, inhospitable-looking sand dunes.
Scientists studying them were perplexed by the astonishing behaviour of one of the beetle species – a darkling beetle, Onymacris…
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