By Francesco Perono Cacciafoco, Associate Professor in Linguistics, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
From healing wounds to rituals to atone adultery: how Indigenous plants and their names in Alor, Indonesia, unlock a treasure trove of medical and cultural secrets.
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By Sergi Basco, Profesor Agregado de Economia, Universitat de Barcelona
On January 17, representatives of the EU and the Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) will sign a free trade agreement in Paraguay. The accord, 25 years in the making, will create the world’s largest free trade area, with over 700 million consumers and a total trade volume of over €111 billion in 2024.
The agreement has broad support from the continent’s business community, but it…
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By Georgios Tzoumas, Senior Research Associate, School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology, University of Bristol
Inspired by the behaviour of flocks of birds, swarm intelligence is being used in drones to tackle the growing threat of wildfires.
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By Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton
Honghui Shen, PhD Candidate in Computer Science, University of Southampton
Markus Brede, Associate Professor, Mathematical Modeling, Statistics and Data Science, University of Southampton
Survey data shows Ghanaians trust hospitals and want to help – but poor coordination means blood doesn’t reach patients fast enough.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Family members and neighbor (far right) of Alimnur Turganbay, a Kazakhstan citizen detained in China, outside their house in Uzynagash village, located outside Almaty, Kazakhstan on August 4, 2025. © 2025 Chris Rickleton (London, January 15, 2026) – Kazakh authorities should drop charges against 18 Kazakh activists who peacefully protested against Chinese government abuses in Xinjiang, Human Rights Watch said today. The activists, from the Nagyz Atajurt Volunteers group, face up to 10 years in prison for exercising their freedom of expression. Thirteen are…
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By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The debate over the government’s hate speech bill has left the opposition leader wedged on multiple fronts by a significant number of her own colleagues.
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By Human Rights Watch
Syrian government forces and local Bedouin and Druze armed groups all carried out grave abuses during clashes in Syria’s southern Sweida governorate in July 2025.Abuses included summary killings, outrages on personal dignity, and abductions. As many as 187,000 people have been displaced.The Syrian authorities need to demonstrate they are a government for all Syrians by pursuing accountability for atrocities in Sweida at the highest levels and for all involved parties.(Beirut) – Syrian government forces and local Bedouin and Druze armed groups are responsible for grave abuses during clashes…
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By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University
Narrative control is a central battleground in times of conflict. It’s having a profound impact on the violence in Iran.
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By Amnesty International
Ahead of attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, which begins on 19 January, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: “The ‘spirit of dialogue’, the theme for this year’s meeting in Davos, has been painfully and increasingly absent from international affairs of late. President Trump’s first year back in office has seen the United States withdraw […] The post Davos: Meaningful dialogue requires a collective stand against military, economic and diplomatic bullying appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A member of the Ugandan police force gives instructions to supporters of Uganda's incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni entering the rally grounds ahead of the party's closing campaign rally ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general elections, in Kampala on January 13, 2026. © 2026 AFP via Getty Images (Nairobi) – Ugandan authorities should immediately restore internet access and refrain from imposing blanket shutdowns that undermine fundamental rights and threaten election integrity, Human Rights Watch said…
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