By Jennifer Guthrie, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Western University
Norovirus outbreaks at events like the Olympics are more than logistical setbacks. They reveal how the virus’s biology and the realities of mass gatherings make containment difficult.
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By Adam Ali, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, Western University
On Feb. 12, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych from competition for wearing a helmet that featured images of fellow Ukrainian athletes who had been killed in Russia’s invasion of his home nation.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner…
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By Naomi Andrews, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University
Molly Dawes, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of South Carolina
Picture this: a group of girls are sitting at a table in the lunchroom when a boy walks by. One girl turns to another girl and laughingly says: “Oh, isn’t that your boyfriend? You should go kiss him!”
A different girl chimes in: “Yeah, go give him a big kiss!” The girl in question responds: “Shh, stop that. I don’t want him to hear you!” and she smiles, but her face goes red. Her friends continue, making kissing noises and laughing. The others in the group join in laughing as well.
How should the girl interpret that behaviour? Were the teasers being playful — or taunting…
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By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Professor of Practice, International Human Rights Law, Tufts University
In a rapidly fracturing world, regional integration could be a source of resilience for the African continent.
The African Union agreed in 2019 to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area founded on the building blocks laid by eight regional economic communities. These are the Arab…
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By Giovanni Strona, Senior Researcher at the European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Without rapid cuts to fossil fuels and a shift to clean energy, climate change could drive over a billion into hunger by 2100, hitting Africa hard.
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By Lesedi Senamele Matlala, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Public Policy, Monitoring and Evaluations, University of Johannesburg
Government departments across South Africa are increasingly relying on digital tools to evaluate public programmes and monitor performance. This is part of broader public-sector reforms. Their aims are to improve accountability, respond to audit pressure and manage large-scale programmes with limited staff and budgets.
Here’s an example. National departments tracking housing delivery, social grants or infrastructure rollout rely on digital performance systems rather than periodic paper-based reports. Dashboards – a way…
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By Zulker Naeen
With 127.7 million registered voters—including 64.8 million men, 62.9 million women, and 1,234 third-gender voters—the 13th National Parliamentary Election of Bangladesh represented one of the largest democratic exercises globally for 2026.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Members of the Voice of Catholic People of Papua gathered at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Cathedral in Merauke, Indonesia, call on church officials to protect Indigenous people from government policies, January 25, 2026. © 2026 Stenly Dambujai (Tokyo) – Indonesian police unlawfully dispersed, beat, and detained 11 Papuan protesters in Merauke City, South Papua, on January 25, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should promptly and impartially investigate the incident, appropriately discipline or punish those responsible for abuses, and consult…
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Friday, February 13, 2026
Paramilitary forces in Sudan unleashed “a wave of intense violence…shocking in its scale and brutality” during their final offensive to capture the besieged city of El Fasher last October, committing atrocities that amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, according to a report released on Friday by the UN human rights office, OHCHR.
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By Shahzad Uddin, Director, Centre for Accountability and Global Development, University of Essex
Bangladeshi voters went to the polls on February 12 for the first election to take place since the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
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