By Stan Chu Ilo, Research Professor, World Christianity and African Studies, DePaul University
Pope Leo’s decision to make Africa one of the early destinations of his young papacy signals the continent’s importance in global Catholicism. His April 2026 visit reflects both his personal ties…
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By Julien Benoit, Associate professor in Vertebrate Palaeontology, University of the Witwatersrand
Jennifer Botha, Specialist Museum Scientist and Head of Department (National Museum, Bloemfontein) and Research Affiliate, University of the Free State
Vincent Fernandez, X-ray CT laboratory manager, Natural History Museum
Between 280 and 200 million years ago, a group of animals evolved which would eventually give rise to mammals, including humans: the therapsids. They were first described more than 150 years ago, based on fossils from South Africa. Since then, many more fossils have been discovered.
James Kitching, one of the most…
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By Karina Vamling, Professor emerita of Caucasus Studies, Malmö University
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union came rapid societal shifts. In Georgia, people called for the end of the Russification of their country and their culture.
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By Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics, University of Liverpool
Alex Nurse, Reader in Urban Planning, University of Liverpool
Anwen Elias, Reader in Politics, Aberystwyth University
Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer in Quantitative British Politics and Co-director of The Elections Centre, University of Exeter
Murray Leith, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Migration, Diaspora, Citizenship and Identity, University of the West of Scotland
Five experts tell us what they will be keeping their eye on during the May elections in England, Scotland and Wales.
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By Jess Neumann, Associate Professor of Hydrology, University of Reading
After months of relentlessly miserable weather for most of the UK, spring brings renewed enthusiasm for spending time outdoors hiking, wild swimming, paddling or on walks.
Millions of people visit lakes and riversides every year. Yet with constant, and sadly necessary, reminders about sewage and water pollution, it’s not surprising that people are…
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By Amanda Marchant, Research Assistant & PhD Candidate in Mental Health, Swansea University
Ann John, Clinical Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry, Swansea University
Children in family court cases face higher self-harm risk, but these moments could be opportunities to offer support and prevent harm.
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By Laura O'Flanagan, PhD Candidate, School of English, Dublin City University
Undertone is the terrifying feature film debut from Canadian director Ian Tuason, which promises to be the “scariest movie you will ever hear”.
Evy (Nina Kiri) is a podcast host caring for her dying mother (Michèle Duquet) at home. Told only from Evy’s perspective, the film moves from initially creepy to utterly horrifying over a tense, tight 93-minute running time.
Evy’s Undertone podcast explores supernatural phenomena. Her co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco) is in another time zone, so they record online in the middle of the night, Evy’s time. This veers close to the “witching…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov detained in Tbilisi, Georgia, 2024. © 2024 RFE/RL (Berlin, April 10, 2026) – Georgian authorities forcibly returned an exiled Azerbaijani journalist, Afgan Sadigov, to Azerbaijan, exposing him to a credible risk of politically motivated prosecution and ill-treatment, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities deported him without a meaningful assessment of these risks in proceedings that raise serious due process concerns. Their actions call into question the good faith of both governments with respect to their…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image An activist with a rainbow flag at a protest against the results of the presidential elections, Minsk, Belarus, September 6, 2020. © 2020 STRINGER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Belarus’s parliament adopted a new law on April 2 banning “propaganda” of same-sex relationships, of “gender reassignment,” and even of “childlessness.” This furthers the legal and political alignment between Belarus and Russia,which both seek to stigmatize minority groups, control public discourse, and suppress dissent.“Propaganda” is vaguely defined in the law as the dissemination of “appealing”…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Kamonsak Leewamoh, a Muslim member of parliament and human rights lawyer, Thailand, December 2025. © 2025 Private (Bangkok) – Thai authorities should urgently, thoroughly, and impartially investigate the assassination attempt on Kamonsak Leewamoh, a Muslim member of parliament and prominent human rights lawyer, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 20, 2026, at about 1 a.m., gunmen in a pickup truck opened fire with M-16 assault rifles at Kamonsak’s minivan as he was arriving at his house in Narathiwat province’s Bacho district. Kamonsak was not hit, but…
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