By Philip Murphy, Director of History & Policy at the Institute of Historical Research and Professor of British and Commonwealth History, School of Advanced Study, University of London
The king’s speech pushed in interesting ways at the boundaries of what a British monarch might be expected to have said in Trump’s America.
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By Miquel Cabal Guarro, Professor lector, Secció d'Estudis Eslaus, Departament de Llengües i Literatures Modernes, Universitat de Barcelona
In June 2018 I had the opportunity to visit Minsk, the capital of Belarus. In a large bookshop in the city centre – beneath the inquisitorial gaze of the ever-present portraits of the dictator Alexander Lukashenko – I asked the bookseller for one of the volumes of Svetlana Alexievich’s collected works. The Russian publisher Vremya had reissued them after the author was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015.
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By Annabelle Littoz-Monnet, Professor in International Relations, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)
Over the past two decades, global health has undergone a profound transformation. As public funding for international health and development has become increasingly unpredictable, private philanthropy has largely stepped in to fund global programmes.
It is well known that large foundations, such as the Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, or the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, to list a few, now largely contribute to the budgets of the…
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By Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
Birds sing the most around an hour before dawn, when the air is at its stillest. Theoretically, this enables sounds to travel further, making song up to 20 times more effective than if sung at midday.
With International Dawn Chorus day approaching, it’s time to take a moment to soak in the spring birdsong and notice the individual harmonies blending together.
International…
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By Gavin D. J. Harper, Research Fellow, Birmingham Centre for Strategic Elements & Critical Materials, University of Birmingham
The US and Israel’s conflict with Iran has drained munitions at an astonishing rate. This is placing pressure on the supply of a crucial metal: tungsten.
Tungsten is used in armour piercing munitions, in components that need to withstand high levels of heat and is an important additive in steel. Militaries around the world would grind to a halt without this strategically important element.
Yet, despite…
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By Yu Xiong, Chair Professor of Business Analytics, University of Surrey; Northumbria University, Newcastle
AI doesn’t have a boss. It doesn’t really care about rules. And most of us don’t have any say over what it will do next.
Yet the technology is all around us, firmly established in workplaces, financial systems, healthcare and defence. So maybe it needs someone to keep an eye on its progress and set some boundaries.
The UN certainly thinks so, and recently decided to set up an independent panel to
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By Fernando Naclerio, Professor in Strength and Conditioning and Sports Nutrition, University of Greenwich
Justin Roberts, Professor of Nutritional Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University
Most people know omega-3 fish oils are good for health – especially heart health. But what many people might not realise is that these friendly fats can also be beneficial to your workouts.
Research has linked omega-3s to better exercise performance – making them a potentially valuable supplement for people who train regularly.
Omega-3 fatty acids are special fats found mainly in fish, seafood, nuts and seeds (such as walnuts…
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By Sarah Olive, Senior Lecturer in Literature, Aston University
The future of Shakespeare may well lie beyond the English language. That was the striking message I took away from a talk by translation studies scholar Professor Susan Bassnett at the British Shakespeare Conference in Hull in 2016.
Her point was simple but powerful: Shakespeare’s works are likely to survive and flourish not only in English, but through translation, adaptation and reinvention across the world. Inspired by this, I asked six of my colleagues around the globe to share some Shakespeare adaptations…
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By Michael Woods, Professor of Human Geography, Aberystwyth University
Reform UK and the Green party are expected to win their first seats in the Senedd, but they have contrasting views on the Welsh countryside.
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By Norman Sempijja, Associate professor, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique
Mouhammed Ndiaye, PhD Candidate, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique
The strength of armed groups doesn’t come only from weapons but also from how deeply they are embedded in local realities.
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