By Steve Schifferes, Honorary Research Fellow, City Political Economy Research Centre, City St George's, University of London
The UK chancellor of the exchequer would not have wanted to deliver her spring statement against the background of a fresh threat to the world economy.
For while Rachel Reeves announced that she has the “right economic plan for the country” in a “yet more uncertain world”, the conflict in the Middle East will undoubtedly complicate the UK’s economic prospects. And the latest economic forecast by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), to which she was responding, may already be out…
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By Conor O'Kane, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Bournemouth University
In the annual State of the Union address in late February, the US president, Donald Trump, declared: “This is the golden age of America.” In a lengthy and wide-ranging address, the president told his fellow Americans that the nation was “bigger, better, richer and stronger” than ever before.
The US economy, and specifically the cost of living, was the key issue with voters in the 2024 presidential election. Exit…
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Tuesday, March 3rd 2026
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
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By Amnesty International
Amid rapid expansion of regional hostilities across the Middle East following the ongoing joint United States-Israel attacks on Iran and the subsequent wave of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the region, Amnesty International is issuing an urgent call on all parties to protect civilians, adhere to international humanitarian law, in particular by ending unlawful attacks, such […] The post Urgent call to protect civilians and respect international law amid escalating regional conflict following US and Israeli attacks on Iran appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Jacobo Nájera
The Tor network is used by millions of users daily to securely access the internet, safeguard their right to information and freedom of expression, and avoid censorship or government surveillance.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Aerial photo of the Pentagon building in Washington, DC, February 2, 2026. © 2026 Julia Demaree Nikhinson/ via AP Photo The United States Department of Defense’s decision on February 27 to reject the artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s ethical red lines for AI for military use is a clear sign that the Pentagon is unlikely to uphold meaningful safeguards on weapons’ development. Anthropic declined to allow the Pentagon to use the company’s products for fully autonomous weapons and mass surveillance of US citizens in fulfilling its Defense Department contract.Governments…
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By Daniele D'Alvia, Lecturer in Banking and Finance Law, Queen Mary University of London
When a conflict escalates, financial markets respond within minutes. That reaction is not just panic or speculation – it is a kind of collective judgement about what might happen next.
Tensions involving the US, Israel and Iran triggered a sharp jump in oil prices when Asian markets opened on Monday (rising by as much as 13% amid fears of supply disruption). Major Gulf indices fell steeply,…
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By Sophie Bartlett, Research Associate in Administrative Data Research Wales, Cardiff University
Chris Taylor, Academic Director, Cardiff University Social Sciences Research Park (SPARK), Cardiff University
Concerns about living in a “post-truth” society – where evidence struggles to compete with misinformation, ideology and emotion – are now familiar. From vaccine hesitancy to climate change denial, public debates increasingly hinge not on a lack of information, but on how people judge evidence, expertise and uncertainty.
These concerns are often framed as a problem of facts. But a deeper issue may be at play – whether people have the skills to weigh competing claims, understand uncertainty and decide what counts as…
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By Christine Loscher, Professor of Immunology, Dublin City University
Spring is just around the corner. While many look forward to the warmer weather after the long winter months, others may be filled with dread as spring marks the start of hay fever season. If this is you, the good news is there are plenty of things you can do ahead of hay fever season to make symptoms more manageable.
Hay fever affects roughly one in four UK adults. Symptoms are caused by three different types of pollen: tree,…
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By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
Celebrity outfits and endorsements often dominate social media, but Elton John recently drew attention for a very different reason. The musician has been spotted wearing jewellery made from his own kneecaps.
After a double knee replacement in 2024, he asked his surgeon if he could keep his patellae, the bones at the front of the knee, and later worked with jeweller Theo Fennell to turn them into wearable pieces.
While jewellery made from kneecaps is unusual, it raises a broader question: what happens to tissue…
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