King Charles’ cancer diagnosis means the royal family has joined the approximately 3 million families in the UK affected by the disease. His family has already gathered around in support. William, Prince of Wales, has taken over some public duties for his father. And younger son Harry, who lives in California, flew to the UK […]
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The front cover of the Norwegian Refugee Council's Annual Report on Ethiopia. Tinbit Amare Dejene / Norwegian Refugee Council, CC BY-NC-ND Conflict and drought in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia has triggered a humanitarian crisis. The Ethiopian government says 16 million people across the country are facing food shortages, with almost half of those […]
Read the articleBrian Lundquist|Unsplash Every year, hundreds of millions of Catholic and Protestant Christians around the world celebrate the season of Lent. For the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, observers devote themselves to fasting, prayer and acts of generous giving. Lots of people, who might not be observant, also take this time to give […]
Read the articleShutterstock The UK Labour party has announced its intention to reduce its £28 billion green investment pledge to less than £15 billion if elected this year. The political fallout has been been largely focused on the party’s fiscal credibility and leader of the opposition Keir Starmer’s seeming proclivity for U-turns. A crucial question so far […]
Read the articleThe recent replacement of Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces may have put a temporary end to the increasingly public disagreements between the very popular “iron general” and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. But it has not answered the fundamental question of what a winning – or even surviving – strategy in the […]
Read the articleShock results in Pakistan’s national election threaten to see the country free-fall into political crisis. Days after the election, it remains unclear which party (or parties) will form a government and who the next prime minister will be. Independent candidates affiliated to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice/PTI), the party of former prime minister, Imran […]
Read the articleJohn Gomez/Shutterstock Lovely weather today, isn’t it? Time for a cuppa? The way someone talks, and the words they use, tell us quite a bit about where someone is from, their social background and even their age. Language both reflects and shapes society – as a linguist, it’s my job to find out how. One […]
Read the articleUS-China rivalry – already a growing concern of global leaders, policymakers, pundits and business elites – is set to heat up further as we head into a US election year. The UK’s strategy for the Indo-Pacific region is built around its alliance with the US. This was formalised in September 2021 with the announcement of […]
Read the articlesirtravelalot/Shutterstock The number of babies born in England and Wales in 2022 fell by 3.1% compared to the previous year. The average age of parents is also at a record high, as people choose to delay having children. The average age of mothers is now nearly 31. To some, this is alarming. MP Miriam Cates, […]
Read the articleA screenshot from a deepfake video shared on X purporting to show former Indonesian President Suharto. Erwin Aksa via X Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, goes to the polls on February 14 to elect a new president. It’s one of the largest elections to take place since an explosion of generative AI tools became available […]
Read the articleThough Russia has accidentally bombed one of its own villages, implemented a harsh conscription policy, and already faced 315,000 casualties, Russian support for the “special military operation” in Ukraine has not wavered much. Throughout the conflict, levels of support have averaged about 75%. In contrast, Belarusian people are far more wary of being drawn into […]
Read the articleTaiwan elected Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, to be its next president on January 13. His election marks the continuation of a government that promotes an independent Taiwan. Just two days later, the Pacific nation of Nauru severed ties with Taiwan and transferred its diplomatic allegiance to Beijing. More recently, on January 27, […]
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