By Nathan Critch, Research Associate, Department of Politics, University of Manchester
A new law created in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster, which aims to prevent state cover-ups, has finally passed through the UK’s House of Commons.
The Hillsborough Law has been championed by the campaign for truth and justice which emerged from the tragedy that unfolded on April 15 1989, during an FA cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield. A crowd crush resulted in the deaths of 95 people. Another person died in March 1993 as a result of injuries sustained that day, with a similar final death in July 2021.
A subsequent…
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By Naomi Joseph, Arts + Culture Editor, The Conversation
I first read the Odyssey at university. I was surprised by how much I loved it considering how old and how blokey it was (blood, war, boys being boys) – not to mention the fact it is 12,109 lines of epic poetry.
It’s a story about coming home (too soon?), following Odysseus and his men as they try to get back…
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By Karen Lucas, Professor of Human Geography, University of Manchester
As mayor of Greater Manchester, one of Andy Burnham’s most eye-catching policies was his agenda for public transport. This centred on the creation of a more integrated and inclusive “London-style” system, and the aim was that everybody should be able to access reliable, safe and affordable public transport across the region.
The idea behind his flagship “Bee Network” is the joining up of buses, trams, rail, cycling and walking under one brand, with simple fares and better coordination.
Burnham…
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By Kirsty Fairclough, Professor of Screen Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University
As Manchester reinvents itself as an internationally recognised cultural city, Burnham’s politics are evolving with it. The relationship has never been one-way.
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By Stefan Wolff, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham
Mykhailo Fedorov’s removal is a distraction from a defence effort that had finally seemed to put Ukraine on the front foot.
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By SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Politics, University of Virginia
Republicans hold both chambers and publicly back the president’s signature bill that would curtail mail-in voting and enforce strict voter ID laws. Here, a public policy and politics scholar explains why it still isn’t law.
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By Amnesty International
Following the Portuguese Parliament’s approval of a law banning face coverings in public spaces, the Executive Director of Amnesty International – Portugal, João Godinho Martins, said: “This new law is discriminatory and is a threat to human rights. Despite having removed direct references to Islam, which were a part of previous versions of the text, this […] The post Portugal: Blanket ban on face coverings threatens several human rights appeared first on Amnesty International. ]]>
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Friday, July 17, 2026
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan on Friday highlighted rapidly growing needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid.
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By Eric Shaw, Honorary Research Fellow in Politics, University of Stirling
Andy Burnham has won on his third attempt to be Labour’s leader. In a wide-ranging speech to Labour MPs at a special conference in London, a jubilant Burnham pledged to “bring back hope” and promised to be a leader for all nations of the UK. But it has taken him well over a decade to get here. In 2010, as a rising star associated with the Blairite wing, he made his first bid for the leadership.
In truth, back then he had little prospect of success: he was merely placing a marker. Five years later, he stood again but could do little to derail the Jeremy Corbyn bandwagon. Yet fast-forward…
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By Pablo Uchoa, Researcher and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in the Institute of the Americas, UCL
The armed forces are at the heart of the disaster response on Venezuela’s coast, just like they were in 1999.
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