By Hafiz Muhammad Usman Rana, Senior Lecturer in Finance, Birmingham City University
The price of gold has risen to over US$5,000 (£3,662) an ounce for the first time ever, after doubling in value over the course of a very strong 2025 for the precious metal.
The usual explanation for such strong rises is that gold is considered a safe bet for investors when other options look a little shaky. High inflation for example, when cash quickly loses value, is often linked to gold price rises. Trade wars and actual wars usually have a similar effect.
A common view then, is that gold…
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By James Brassett, Reader in International Political Economy, University of Warwick
The rapid responses of netizens to political news with memes means that comedy formats like Mock the Week will always be trailing behind
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By Michelle Spear, Professor of Anatomy, University of Bristol
Many women recognise the pattern. A routine procedure takes longer than expected. It’s more uncomfortable than promised. The doctor reassures them that this sometimes happens, or suggests anxiety or muscle tension might be playing a role. But often the explanation is simpler – and anatomical.
This mismatch between bodies and procedures isn’t related to rare conditions or specialist care. It reflects a recurring problem in everyday medicine. Many routine procedures were designed around male anatomy, and they…
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By Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Politics; Director, Lau China Institute, King's College London
Zhang Youxia, a top military general and vice-chairman of the body in overall command of China’s military forces, was removed from office on January 23. His departure means all but one of the seven members of the central military commission (CMC), which is chaired by Chinese president Xi Jinping, have lost their positions in the last three years.
Xi has an established record of purging senior officials. Back at the dawn of his tenure as head of the Chinese Communist party in the early 2010s, there were a series…
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By Angus Nurse, Professor of Law and Environmental Justice, Anglia Ruskin University
Our perception of animal welfare as a nation of animal lovers is out of step with policy and law that still allows differential animal treatment.
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By Kay Ritchie, Associate Professor in Cognitive Psychology, University of Lincoln
Katie Gray, Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading
The UK government’s proposed reforms to policing in England and Wales signal an increase in the use of facial recognition technology. The number of live facial recognition vans is set to rise from ten to 50, making them available to every police force in both countries.
The plan pledges £26 million for a national facial recognition system, and £11.6 million on live facial recognition technology.…
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By Robert Dover, Professor of Intelligence and National Security & Dean of Faculty, University of Hull
A diplomatic row is brewing over US plans to involve agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in its security arrangements for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
The city’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, described ICE as “a militia that kills,” adding that: “They’re not welcome in Milan.” While this specific deployment has created a strong political debate in Italy, it can be seen as an element in a wider recalibration of European security.
This is due to…
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By Karina Pavlisa, Lecturer in International Business Management, University of Bristol
It’s often said that millions of people in the UK don’t save enough – with one in ten adults saving no money at all. That figure from a 2025 report from the Financial Conduct Authority regulator came with a warning that it’s leaving people walking a financial tightrope.
The UK household saving ratio (the proportion of income available but not spent) stood…
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By Anna Walker, Senior Arts + Culture Editor, The Conversation
I don’t think my new year’s resolution – to take a lunch break every day – would much impress the cast of Industry. In the BBC show’s fourth series, the idea that work might pause politely at midday feels almost quaint, like a relic of a slower moral universe.
As our reviewer Peter Watt, who researches the philosophy of work culture, explains, when Industry first aired in 2020 it seemed ostensibly to be a drama about a recent cohort of ambitious young graduates entering the cut-throat world of investment banking. But as the opening season unfolded and its central characters were established,…
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By Helen Margetts, Professor of Society and the Internet, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, University of Oxford
Cosmina Liana Dorobantu, Professor in Practice, London School of Economics and Political Science
When Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web, he articulated his dream for the internet to unlock creativity and collaboration on a global scale. But he also wondered “whether it will be a technical dream or a legal nightmare”. History has answered that question with a troubling “both”.
…
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