Affairs

The Ethiopian civil war and its escalation

The Horn of Africa has long been a region of strategic importance and persistent instability. Ethiopia, once seen as a bulwark of stability in the region, has in recent years become the epicenter of a devastating civil war with far-reaching consequences. The conflict, initially concentrated in the Tigray region, has since escalated into a broader……

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The kettle and the cage: rising authoritarianism in the UK

A reaction to being kettled and reflection on the authoritarian turn of the British state through policing It produces a horrible feeling.  Animal instincts and feelings swell up as you are trapped in an enclosed space by other animals.  They form a tight circle around you and slowly constrict that circle, coming closer to you,……

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Kashmir on edge: the Phahalgam attacks and renewed tensions between India and Pakistan

The Kashmir region has long been a crucible of conflict between India and Pakistan, with its people enduring decades of violence and uncertainty. Recent attacks in Phahalgam have once again thrust this disputed territory into the global spotlight, exacerbating already fraught relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. This article explores why Kashmir remains such a……

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UK slides in corruption perception index after series of political scandals
EditorsJul 6, 2024

UK slides in corruption perception index after series of political scandals

The UK has fallen down Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index (CPI) after a year of high-profile government scandals. The CPI is not a measure of corruption itself but a measure of how much corruption is perceived to exist across a country’s public sector. For the UK government, already focusing very much on the next general election amid multiple scandals, perception matters.… Continue reading UK slides in corruption perception index after series of political scandals

Britain’s ‘broken’ water system: a history of death, denial and stomach aches

In the spring of 2024, residents of the south Devon harbour town of Brixham kept falling ill. Their symptoms – including “awful stomach complaints, bad diarrhoea and severe headaches” – went on for weeks. A retired GP who ventured to the pub after finally recovering from the illness recalled that, when someone asked those present to “raise……

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Wise women: six ancient female philosophers you should know about

When we conjure up ancient philosophers the image that springs to mind might be a bald Socrates discoursing with young men in the sun, or a scholarly Aristotle lecturing among cool columns. But what about Aspasia, the foreign mistress of the foremost politician in Athens who gave both political and erotic advice? Or Sosipatra, mystic, mother……

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US to reclassify cannabis as low-risk drug

US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, an official said Tuesday — a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion. The US attorney general sent a proposal to the White House on Tuesday to “reclassify marijuana,” Justice Department spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa……

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