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Seven political groups fighting in European Parliament election

Voters in the 27 countries of the European Union will elect 720 lawmakers to the European Parliament for the next five years on June 6-9 and are expected to deliver…

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Once ostracised, Italy’s Meloni is now centre stage in Europe

When Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took power in 2022, far-right parties across Europe hailed her victory, expecting the fiery new leader in Rome to pursue a nationalist agenda and…

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South Africa 2024 election: How it works

South Africans vote in national and provincial elections on May 29 that polls suggest could loosen the African National Congress' 30-year grip on power. After the vote, the new National…

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Palestinian state: What does Spain, Norway and Ireland’s recognition mean?

Spain, Ireland and Norway will officially recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday, despite an angry reaction from Israel, which has found itself increasingly isolated after seven months of conflict in…

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Antimafia Movement in Sicily: Redefining Social Values

Baris Cayli Messina, University of Lincoln Bearing witness to the profound consequences of violence and injustice for a long period of time can deeply fracture communities, resulting in collective trauma.…

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Europe is still in short-term crisis mode over Ukraine and lacks a vision for its post-war identity

Richard Youngs, University of Warwick Some believe that the war in Ukraine has fundamentally changed Europe, giving birth to a different kind of European order. That is, it appears to…

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Impact of Euro 2024 on British Politics: Rishi Sunak’s Election Call Amid Soccer Fever

Does British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risk scoring an own goal by calling an election during the 2024 European Championship soccer tournament in July? Sunak, himself a soccer fan, might…

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Four ways EU laws affect the daily lives of European citizens today

Joseba K. Fernández Gaztea, Universidad de Navarra An Argentinian colleague recently posed a rather blunt question to me: “How, pray tell, does your beloved European Union help you and me?”…

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Dependency on Critical Raw Materials: Implications for the EU’s Green Transition

Michalis Christou, Joint Research Centre and Samuel Carrara, Joint Research Centre The climate transition is a materials transition. Decades of international diplomacy around oil, gas and pipelines are now giving…

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‘No one can act with impunity’: ICC arrest warrants in Israel-Hamas war are a major test for international justice

Amy Maguire, University of Newcastle The request by Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders is a significant step…

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Why is Russia holding nuclear drills and should the West be worried?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons after what Moscow said were threats from France, Britain and the United States. Why,…

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Key political moments from 14 years of Conservative rule in UK

Britain will hold a national election on July 4 which opinion polls suggest will end 14 years of Conservative Party-led government, spanning one of the more turbulent periods in the…

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Escalating Political Violence in Germany

Politically motivated crime in Germany last year reached its highest level since the government started tracking it more than 20 years ago, with the greatest threat coming from people with…

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The Road To The Vote: What happens in a UK national election?

Britain will hold a national election on July 4 which opinion polls indicate will end 14 years of Conservative Party-led government, spanning one of the most turbulent periods in the…

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Who is Mohammad Mokhber, the man set to become Iran’s interim president?

Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber, 68, Iran's first vice president who, based on the country's constitution, is expected to become interim president following the death of Ebrahim…

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Who was Iran’s President Raisi

Ebrahim Raisi, who died aged 63, rose through Iran's theocracy from hardline prosecutor to uncompromising president, overseeing a crackdown on protests at home and pushing hard in nuclear talks with…

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What happens if an Iranian president dies in office?

Rescuers in Iran have found the crash site of a helicopter that was carrying President Ebrahim Raisi with indications that all those on board died. Below is brief outline of…

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The Bell 212 helicopter

The Bell 212 helicopter in which Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were travelling when it crashed is the civilian version of the ubiquitous Vietnam War-era…

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Slovakia’s Polarised Politics: Insights into Robert Fico’s Political Controversies

Tomas Sniegon, Lund University Slovak society is in shock after a 71-year-old man fired five shots at the prime minister, Robert Fico, while he was greeting a small crowd after…

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King Charles III Portrait: Decoding the Symbolism and Legacy

Gabriele Neher, University of Nottingham It looks as if many people are “seeing red” when it comes to the first official portrait of King Charles III. Reactions to Jonathan Yeo’s…

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Biden vs Trump: What to expect from presidential debates

U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to two debates ahead of November's election, scheduling televised face-offs that could prove critical in their tight rematch to…

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Why students harmed by addictive social media need more than cellphone bans and surveillance

Ateqah Khaki, The Conversation; Catherine Zhu, The Conversation, and Vinita Srivastava, Recently, five school boards in Ontario filed a lawsuit against the major social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat…

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Top takeaways from Putin’s trip to China

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a state visit to China on Thursday where he was greeted by China's Xi Jinping. What are the main takeaways from the visit? Xi and…

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Four of the most consequential political defections in British history

Chris Smith, Coventry University The hitherto Conservative MP for Dover, Natalie Elphicke, has sensationally defected to the Labour party. This has sent shockwaves through Westminster, as Elphicke was a figure…

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz is controversial, but is historical accuracy more important than awareness?

Jan Lanicek, UNSW Sydney and Rebecca Cordony, UNSW Sydney This month, the much-anticipated television adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz premiered on Australian streaming platform Stan. Before its release, significant…

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What if companies rewarded employees for their failures?

Souad Brinette, EDC Paris Business School; Abdoulkarim Idi Cheffou, ISG International Business School, and Vesselina Tossan, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) A growing number of companies are encouraging…

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Not all ultra-processed foods are bad for your health, whatever you might have heard

Gary Sacks, Deakin University; Kathryn Backholer, Deakin University; Kathryn Bradbury, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau, and Sally Mackay, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau In recent years, there’s been…

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Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections – but is it playing into the far right’s hands?

Gabriele Abels, University of Tübingen Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just…

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European election 2024: When it is and key issues you need to know

European Union citizens will vote on June 6-9 in elections to choose 720 new members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for the next five years. WHY IT IS IMPORTANT The…

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The fossils being formed today will show how humankind disrupted life on Earth

Mark Williams, University of Leicester; Anthony D. Barnosky, University of California, Berkeley; Elizabeth Hadly, Stanford University, and Jan Zalasiewicz, University of Leicester When we think of fossils it is usually…

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How to celebrate Mother’s Day every day to boost moms’ and kids’ well-being

Hali Kil, Simon Fraser University Today is Mother’s Day , and many will be celebrating moms, grandmothers and other maternal figures in their lives. Whether biological or adoptive, moms have…

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Could Biden stop Netanyahu’s plans? A national security expert looks at Israel’s attack on Rafah

Gregory F. Treverton, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Israel entered Rafah, a city that marks Gaza’s southern border crossing with Egypt, on May 7, 2024, launching a…

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Why Palestinians can count on American students but not Arab allies to protest

Palestinians may be gratified to see American university campuses erupt in outrage over Israel's offensive in Gaza, but some in the embattled enclave are also wondering why no similar protests…

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Paris 2024 Olympics: How the Games are being used to marginalize the most vulnerable

Umer Hussain, Wilkes University; Adam Ali, Western University; MacIntosh Ross, Western University, and Shakiba Moghadam, Solent University Athletes from around the world are gearing up for the 2024 Summer Olympics…

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Apple’s ‘crush’ advert annoys people across the generations – that’s why it misfired

Kim Watts, University of Bath There is a fine line between creativity and self-destruction. Apple’s new crush advert, which shows items linked to creative pursuits being pulverised to make way…

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We need to talk about Chinese and US influence in Europe’s energy industry

Carine Sebi, Grenoble École de Management (GEM) and Patrick Criqui, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) The EU’s climate agenda is in trouble. The Green Deal, which aims to slash the bloc’s…

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Missile defence successes in Gulf, Ukraine fuel global urgency to acquire systems

The success of ballistic missile defences facing their first complex, high-stakes combat scenarios in Israel, the Red Sea and Ukraine will encourage militaries globally to invest in the pricey systems,…

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Who are Israel’s main weapons suppliers and who has halted exports?

The United States has suspended a shipment of weapons to Israel, including heavy, bunker-busting bombs Israeli forces have used in their war against Hamas militants in Gaza that has killed…

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What students protesting Israel’s Gaza siege want — and how their demands on divestment fit into the BDS movement

Columbia University students express their solidarity with Palestinians at a protest on April 30, 2024. Mary Altaffer-Pool/Getty Images Mira Sucharov, Carleton University A wave of protests expressing solidarity with the…

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These local council results suggest Tory decimation at the general election ahead

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex The local elections which took place on May 2 have provided an unusually rich set of results to pore over. Around 2,600 seats were up…

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Have smartphones created an ‘anxious generation’? Jonathan Haidt sounds the alarm

Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock Hugh Breakey, Griffith University The social psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s new book The Anxious Generation delivers an urgent call for action. Haidt argues that the evidence is in. Teenagers’…

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Why is cancer called cancer? We need to go back to Greco-Roman times for the answer

Amna Artist/Shutterstock Konstantine Panegyres, The University of Melbourne One of the earliest descriptions of someone with cancer comes from the fourth century BC. Satyrus, tyrant of the city of Heracleia…

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How historic Valletta aims to hit net zero by cutting pollution from cruise ships and cars

By Ben Payton Few European cities can match Valletta for architectural splendour. The capital of Malta was built in the 16th century by the Knights of St John, the Catholic…

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Pedro Sánchez’s ‘letter to the citizens’ of Spain assessed by a political communications expert

Esteban Martinena Guerrer / Shutterstock Carmen Beatriz Fernández, Universidad de Navarra In the era of social media and 24 hour news cycles, people expect instant, up to the minute information.…

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The EU should stop ‘westsplaining’ and listen to its smaller eastern members – they saw the Ukraine war coming

Viktoriia Lapa, Bocconi University It’s rare for the words of Lithuanian government officials to make the top of the news outside the country. Lithuania’s views aren’t even a top priority…

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Abortion rights are featuring in this year’s European election campaign in a way we’ve not seen before

Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén, University of Westminster The recent landmark decision in France to inscribe the right to abortion in the constitution serves to protect the law that first legalised abortion…

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What legal troubles is Donald Trump facing?

Donald Trump faces an array of legal troubles in criminal and civil cases while he seeks to regain the presidency as the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden in…

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Why Spain’s Prime Minister Sanchez is taking a break from public duties

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will suspend public duties until next week to decide whether he wants to continue leading the government after a court launched a preliminary…

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Over half of world’s population could be at risk of mosquito-borne diseases

More than half of the world's population could be at risk of catching diseases transmitted by mosquitoes such as malaria and dengue by the end of the century, scientists have…

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Trump hush money trial: What we’ve learned so far

Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York on criminal charges of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly…

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What is UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda?

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised on Monday to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks after parliament passed much-delayed legislation to facilitate the deportation of…

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Why St. George is Europe’s most multicultural patron saint

Today is Saint George's Day. The patron saint has been depicted in countless works of art, and the date of his martyrdom is celebrated in many European countries. Today, countries…

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US aid to Ukraine: What difference will it make in war with Russia?

For the exhausted Ukrainian artillery gunners holding off Russian forces near the eastern town of Kupiansk, the U.S. aid package expected to finally pass this week is a lifeline and,…

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What are Israel’s options to strike back at Iran?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his immediate war cabinet are considering what action to take following Iran's attack on Saturday. Allies including the United States have urged Israel not…

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What are Israel’s military capabilities?

Israel’s military has long been supported by the United States, with $3.3 billion in annual funding, plus $500 million toward missile defense technology. Israel is one of the best-armed nations…

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Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system

Israel’s short-range Iron Dome air defence system has had a 96 per cent success rate in intercepting rockets fired from Gaza during the latest round of fighting between Israel and…

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Iran’s missile capabilities

Iran has developed a range of ballistic missiles and drones in a programme that has long worried the West. The missiles are an important part of the arsenal at Tehran's…

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