By Federico Donelli, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste
The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, in March 2026 marks the end of a political era in the Middle Eastern country. Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s capital, Tehran. This has triggered a war drawing in numerous countries across the Middle East.
The Horn of Africa and Red Sea regions, which link Africa…
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By Mandla Bhuda, Senior Lecturer: Public Health, University of South Africa
Janine Wichmann, Professor, University of Pretoria
Joyce Shirinde, Associate Professor, University of Pretoria
The use of polluting household fuels and gas was associated with an increased likelihood of eczema, followed by severe asthma symptoms.
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By Timothy Clack, Chingiz Gutseriev Fellow, University of Oxford
Shadreck Chirikure, Prof of Archaeological Science & British Academy Global Professor, University of Oxford
Colonialism has been a central part of history around the world, differing only in form over time and space. After all, whenever people have moved from one place to another, they have colonised spaces and other people or forms of life.
In Africa, colonialism has mostly been studied as something imposed from outside, for example from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. A recent special issue of the journal Azania sought to address…
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By Michael Johan von Maltitz, Associate Professor, Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of the Free State
Students had to compile a portfolio and discuss it in an interview to demonstrate their understanding and ability to apply the knowledge.
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By Arce Domingo Relloso, Profesora en Ciencia de Datos en Biotecnología, IE University
Pablo Juan-Salvadores, Coordinador Técnico Unidad de Investigación Cardiovascular, Hospital Álvaro Cunqueiro, Vigo. Grupo de Investigación Cardiovascular, Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias Galicia Sur (IIS Galicia Sur), SERGAS-UVIGO, Vigo, España., Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Galicia Sur
In an unprecedented collaboration, the European Society of Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation have issued a joint statement calling for immediate action against environmental stressors – pollution, noise, climate stress – to reduce cardiovascular mortality.
The article, which was published simultaneously in the European Heart Journal and other leading publications, warns that we must address climate change and pollution…
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By Tony D Sampson, Reader in Digital Communication, University of Essex
Against rising adult concern about child sexual abuse content and children’s mental health, recent calls to follow Australia and ban under-16s from accessing social media in the UK are understandable. It reflects genuine parental anxiety about online harms.
These harms are not abstract. Research shows that young people are exposed to violent misogynistic cultures and toxic manospheres online.
…
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By Matt Barr, Senior Lecture in International Relations, Nottingham Trent University
The so-called “special relationship” between the UK and the US appears to be at its lowest ebb for decades. As he sat alongside the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, at a White House press call on March 3, Donald Trump bitterly criticised Keir Starmer for his refusal to let the US use British bases to launch initial strikes on Iran.
Declaring he was “not happy with the UK”, he added: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.” Churchill was, of course, the first person to talk of a special relationship…
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By Richard Toye, Professor of Modern History, University of Exeter
Donald Trump has said Keir Starmer is ‘no Churchill’, but his dismissal is based on a simplified version of history.
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By Conor Boland, Assistant Professor of Materials Science, Dublin City University
A plastic drinks bottle is one of the most “recyclable” objects in the modern waste stream. It is lightweight and collected in huge volumes. Yet even for this item, the reality of recycling is messy: labels, inks, caps, food residues, colourants and the occasional wrong plastic all get bundled together. The chemistry may be simple, but the waste is not.
My team is developing a new way to deal with contaminated plastic waste. Instead of assuming perfect sorting, we start from the reality that waste streams…
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By Karin Rosenkilde Laursen, Postdoctoral fellow in Public Health, Aarhus University
During the winter months, when days are short and cold and nights are long and dark, creating a warm and cosy indoor atmosphere can feel especially important.
Where I live in Denmark, around 75% of the population burns candles two or more times a week, and 34% use them daily during the winter months.
In fact, Denmark is often said to be the
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