By Jake Phillips, Associate professor, University of Cambridge
The UK’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, is facing his first major test with the public over the upcoming early release of thousands of prisoners. These plans are part of the Sentencing Act 2026, passed by Keir Starmer’s government in response to an independent review of sentencing.
The review recommended a model…
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By Susan Ann Samuel, Postdoctoral Researcher, International Climate Politics, University of Leeds
As I strolled around the Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory in Delhi on July 28, the atmosphere was finally calm. Jantar Mantar had been the focus of the recent “cockroach” protests, in which tens of thousands took to the streets to push for education reforms in India.
While police and riot control vans remained, life was returning to normality. Street vendors and small businesses were bustling again. I joined people drinking tea and heard a range of opinions. The resignation of the education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, a few days earlier seemed to satisfy the protesters’ calls…
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By Terry Bradford, Lecturer in French and Translation, University of Leeds
AI translations push the crafted work of real translators – with qualifications, genuine language skills and experience – to the back of a very busy marketplace.
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By Seán Roberts, Lecturer in Linguistics, Cardiff University
Kateryna Krykoniuk, Research Associate in the School of Languages, Arts and Societies, University of Sheffield
Do you ever see comments on social media that seem way off topic, but still manage to wrench the discussion around to divisive political debate?
A discussion about the cost of living suddenly becomes an argument about immigration. A conversation about the war in Ukraine turns into claims about government corruption. It can feel jarring – and sometimes this is deliberate.
As generative AI becomes more powerful, malicious groups are increasingly using…
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By Bran Nicol, Professor of English, University of Surrey
Beneath the show’s wealth, sex and violence is an examination of how the freedoms and fears of the 1980s shaped the world we inhabit today.
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By Alex Balch, Professor, Department of Politics, University of Liverpool
Erica Consterdine, Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Lancaster University
Jonathan Darling, Professor in Human Geography, Durham University
Mihnea Cuibus, Senior Researcher at The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford
Simon Usherwood, Professor of Politics & International Studies, The Open University
Following a sudden? influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, the discussion on unauthorised migration to Europe is again heightened. In the UK this means a focus on small boat crossings and the policy surrounding them, particularly following 752 arrivals on July 29 – the highest number for one day so far this year, with four deaths recorded. The UK prime minster, Andy Burnham, has announced he will be “relentless” in addressing the issue, but is this the right approach? Our experts explain the statistics and language around small boat crossings into the UK, as well as what needs…
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By Nicholas Jacobs, Goldfarb Family Distinguished Chair in American Government, Colby College; Institute for Humane Studies
Class-war rhetoric from Democratic candidates jams working-class voters into a prefabricated progressive agenda, an expert on rural and working-class communities argues.
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By Sarah Njeri, Reader in Peacebuilding, Humanitarian Action and Conflict, SOAS, University of London
Christina Greene, Senior Social Scientist in the Arizona Institute for Resilience, University of Arizona
Europe is full of buried explosives left over from 20th century wars, and wildfires are now reaching them more regularly.
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By Jennifer Tucker, Professor of History, Wesleyan University
The construction of the pool reflected a national ambition to build something unifying and enduring. The rushed renovation and political fallout of 2026 reveal how much that civic vision has changed.
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By Megan Argo, Reader in Astrophysics, University of Lancashire
Nick Wrigley, Head of Engineering at Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester
In the early hours of Wednesday morning August 5 the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket crashed into the Moon in an uncontrolled collision.
No damage was caused, other than the creation of a new crater several metres in diameter, but the event highlights the increasing problem of space junk left in orbit when it has completed its intended purpose.
Natural…
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