By Pascual Berrone, Head of Strategic Management Department and Chair of Sustainability and Business Strategy, IESE Business School (Universidad de Navarra)
For residents of European cities – with their snarled traffic, draughty old buildings, creaking public services and grey winters – it’s easy to see the appeal of moving to a brand-new, high-tech metropolis.
Enter Dunia Cyber City, a new special economic zone in Zanzibar aimed at attracting tech workers (real and virtual) and companies with its low taxes. Backed by former Apple executive Florian Fournier and the Zanzibar government, the…
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By Lynne Chepulis, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, University of Waikato
Sara Mustafa, Research Fellow in Health Science, University of Waikato
For the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who live with type 2 diabetes, managing the chronic condition can start to feel like keeping score.
A patient is given a list of numbers by their doctor. Blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels are tracked closely, with targets designed to reduce the risk of complications such as heart…
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By Hadar Elraz, Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, Swansea University
Jen Remnant, Chancellor's Fellow Work, Employment and Organisation, Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde
In the modern world of work, the “ideal worker” is a dominant yet dangerous concept that can dictate workplace norms and expectations. This archetype describes an employee who is boundlessly productive, constantly available and emotionally stable at all times.
What makes this trope so flawed is that it assumes workers have no caring responsibilities outside work, or have unrealistic physical and psychological capabilities. It’s intended to drive efficiency, but in fact it is a standard that very few people can reach. It marginalises people who deviate from these rigid standards, including…
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By Jeff Scheible, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, King's College London
Both film and table tennis depended upon the invention of celluloid – which plastic ping pong balls are made from.
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By Laura O'Flanagan, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University
A revival of a beloved and notorious Irish play from 1907, Catriona McLaughlin’s production of The Playboy of the Western World treats J.M Synge’s play as a work with urgent contemporary force, creating a story with resonance in 2026.
Reuniting Derry Girls Nicola Coughlan and Siobhan McSweeney at the National Theatre, the play is set in a shebeen (an illicit drinking den) in western Mayo. The plot centres on Pegeen (Coughlan), whose life is jolted by the arrival of Christy Mahon (Éanna Hardwicke).
On the run and boasting that he has murdered his father, Christy becomes…
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By David McMillan, Professor in Finance, University of Stirling
In late January, the gold price reached an all-time peak of around US$5,500 (£4,025). January 30 saw one of the largest one-day falls in prices, which sank by nearly 10% after hitting a record high only the day before.
This was a dramatic about-turn, from a bullish gold market that rose by more than 300% in the last decade, over 150% in the last five years and (perhaps more pertinently) by 75% since US president Donald Trump’s…
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By Subhajit Basu, Professor of Law and Technology, University of Leeds
Imagine a stranger starts chatting with you on a train platform or in a shop. The exchange feels ordinary. Later, it appears online, edited as “dating advice” and framed to invite sexualised commentary. Your face, and an interaction you didn’t know was being recorded, is pushed into feeds where strangers can identify, contact and harass you.
This is a reality for many people, though the most shocking examples are mainly affecting women. A BBC investigation recently found that men based outside of the UK have been profiting from covertly…
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By Martin Farr, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History, Newcastle University
In the space of a few hours, Mandelson’s future has now shifted from the certainty of ignominy to the possibility of prison.
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By Rod Thornton, Senior Lecturer in International Studies, Defence and Security., King's College London
Marina Miron, Postdoctoral Researcher, War Studies Department, King's College London
There is a major sticking point often overlooked in the ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia currently being held in Abu Dhabi. This relates to the fact that, as part of any agreement, Kyiv is being asked to give up the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
If it does so, it will also be giving up the strategic positions that have prevented major advances by the Russian military for many months now. This is the significant line of defensive…
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By Meera Iona Inglis, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Glasgow
Andrew Walton, Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy, Newcastle University
Johannes Kniess, Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy, Newcastle University
Places like schools, hospitals and universities can help address the climate crisis by promoting a shift to more sustainable diets.
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