By Thomas Adam, Professor of Political Science, University of Arkansas
Over the past two centuries, soccer – or football, as it is called in much of the English-speaking world – has become a truly global phenomenon that connects fans on all continents. It is also, come World Cup time, a deeply nationalist affair that pits teams and their fans from various countries against each other.
Yet today’s deeply competitive…
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By Antonio R. Moreno Poyato, Associate professor, Universitat de Barcelona
Khadija El Abidi El Ghazouani, Professora Lectora d'Infermeria, Universitat de Barcelona
Sara Sanchez-Balcells, Enfermera especialista en salud mental
Being admitted to a mental health unit can be one of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life. They often arrive in the midst of a crisis, and are fearful, confused and anxious. But in these situations, one thing can profoundly affect their experience: the relationship established with the nurses who attend them, especially in the first days.
While it may seem secondary to medical treatments or clinical decisions, the therapeutic relationship – meaning the collaborative bond between patient and nurse – has a greater impact than previously thought.
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By Oyewale Tomori, Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
As the news spread about the outbreak of Ebola in mid-May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report about pandemics. The title was: A World on the Edge: Priorities for a Pandemic-Resilient Future.
The document was prepared by the WHO’s Global Preparedness Monitoring Board. It sets out why the world isn’t better prepared for pandemics a decade after Ebola exposed dangerous…
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By Mehebub Sahana, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Geography, University of Manchester
Bayes Ahmed, Associate Professor in Risk and Disaster Science, UCL
Bangladesh has just approved one of the largest river engineering projects its history: the Padma Barrage, a vast river-control project intended to restore water in the country’s drought-prone southwest.
It comes at a dangerous moment for South Asia’s rivers. China is building the world’s largest hydropower dam upstream on the Brahmaputra, India is accelerating its own dam-building…
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By Fiona Handyside, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Exeter
As we approach the centenary of Monroe’s birth, the image that endures in the public imagination has been largely stripped of voice and agency.
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By Nurbek Bekmurzaev
The North Aral is the only remaining heir to the once mighty and plentiful Aral Sea, deserving of every effort to save it - even without long-term assurances.
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By Jared Mondschein, Director of Research, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney
The Quad leaders may not meet again this year, but that doesn’t mean the partnership is any weaker than it used to be.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A man stands on the debris at the site of a drug rehabilitation hospital destroyed in what the Taliban said was a Pakistani airstrike on Kabul, Afghanistan, March 17, 2026. © 2026 Sayed Hassib/Reuters (New York) – Ten years after United Nations Security Council Resolution 2286 was adopted to protect health care in armed conflict, attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers continue, Human Rights Watch said today.Resolution 2286, unanimously adopted on May 3, 2016, obligates countries to “prevent and address” attacks on health. A decade later, a new report by…
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By Hunter Bennett, Lecturer in Exercise Science, Adelaide University
You probably have at least one “super fit” friend. Maybe they’re a marathon runner, a footy player or a keen hiker.
To keep themselves healthy, they may stick to a strict exercise regimen and only eat certain foods.
But in most cases, these people would likely struggle to play a sport or do an activity they’re unaccustomed to.
So, what does “fitness” even mean? And is there more than one kind?
Defining ‘fitness’
When you hear the word “fitness”, you probably picture someone who looks physically strong and athletic. But fitness…
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By Jessica Balanzategui, Associate Professor in Media, RMIT University
Bradley J. Dixon, Lecturer in Media Studies, RMIT University
Picture the scene: you kick back to enjoy some silly sketch comedy after a long day. You’re instead invited to play a choose-your-own-adventure game. You make a choice. It’s the wrong one. Now you’re stuck watching an unskippable, 40-minute real-time walk around Melbourne.
This is Bandersketch,…
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