By Ligin Joseph, PhD Candidate, Oceanography, University of Southampton
India is currently in the middle of its summer monsoon, but this year’s rainfall presents an interesting paradox. Much of the country has received less rain than usual so far, yet has still been hit by severe floods and landslides. In the southern state of Kerala, for example, devastating floods occurred despite the overall monsoon rainfall remaining well below average.
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By Bamo Nouri, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of International Politics, City St George's, University of London
Inderjeet Parmar, Professor in International Politics, City St George's, University of London
Washington has promised to unleash “economic D-Day” on Tehran and its allies. But Iran has lived through US sanctions for nearly 50 years.
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By Hafte Gebreselassie Gebrihet, Research fellow, University of Oslo; University of Cape Town
The large-scale war between the Ethiopian federal government and Tigray regional government forces ended in November 2022 with the signing of the Pretoria Agreement. The two sides agreed that the Tigrayan forces would disarm, and that foreign forces and other troops outside the federal army would withdraw from Tigray. They also agreed to restore constitutional order in Tigray and resolve disputes over contested areas in accordance with the constitution.
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By Mallika Sardeshpande, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Foraging, the act of gathering wild plant and animal materials from the environment, is becoming more and more popular in cities around the world. In South African cities, some people pick wild berries and imifino (wild spinach) in open areas, considering them to be fresher and more nutritious than store-bought foods.
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By Pritish Behuria, Reader in Politics, Governance and Development, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester
Rwanda is routinely celebrated as a growth miracle on the African continent. The country’s GDP growth averaged 7.4% annually between 2000 and 2023, one of the fastest in Africa.
Three decades after the 1994…
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By Muhammad Ali Nasir, Professor of Economics, University of Leeds
US national debt has passed a record US$40 trillion (£29.4 trillion). This milestone is a major warning sign. It reveals vulnerabilities that threaten the long-term economic stability of the US and the rest of the world.
The speed of US debt accumulation is staggering. US national debt first reached $1 trillion in 1941 and, after rising to $20 trillion in 2017, has
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By Michael A. Lewis, Professor of Operations Management, University of Bristol; University of Bath
Phil Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy & Regional Development, Co-Director Centre for Governance, Regions and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS), University of Bath
Plans for a new data centre on the site of a historic former brewery in east London prompted significant local protest. But, following planning reports and a public inquiry, the secretary of state overrode these concerns and approved the project.
The Truman Brewery, located in Brick Lane – the street famous for its curry houses and Bangladeshi culture…
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By Matt Smith, Reader in Applied Theatre and Puppetry, University of Portsmouth
Five women slowly process across Portsmouth’s municipal park, covered in hessian-coloured layered fabrics. On their heads they wear what look like strange overgrown dreadlocks, making them a group of connected beings. They move towards a deflated hessian starfish shape on the floor. Circling it, they enact a ritual performance, animating the space and quietly paying homage to the five-armed symmetry of echinoderms.
This living sculpture…
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By Matthew Flinders, Founding Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics, University of Sheffield
The life of the average British MP is not luxurious or lavish. It is stressful and strange. And sometimes, it can be dangerous.
Former Labour MP Paula Sheriff is the latest to detail the threats she endured in her time at Westminster and call for greater protection for politicians.
MPs are expected to be “on call” 24/7 and be able to cope with incompatible pressures and…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Osman Kavala © 2017 Private (London, August 25, 2026) – The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights today delivered a landmark judgment in the case of Osman Kavala, the human rights defender and civil society leader unlawfully imprisoned in Türkiye since November 2017. The court ruled that Kavala's continued detention is unlawful and found that his rights to fair trial, freedom of expression, and association have been violated. The court also found that his aggravated life sentence amounts to inhuman and degrading treatment and that…
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