Russia has quietly built a sprawling billion-dollar network across Central and West Africa. Its secret weapon is a mix of mercenaries, resource deals and shadowy trading companies that funnel money directly to Kremlin-linked paramilitaries and indirectly to Moscow itself. Wagner Group and now its successor, Africa Corps, operate at the heart of this system, blending… Continue reading The Kremlin’s African gold rush — how Moscow turns gold into power
As I am writing this piece, Palestinian families, friends and neighbours are gathered in their ancestral olive groves. The small green or black fruits are ready for plucking during the annual mawsim al-zaytoun (“olive season”), which typically lasts from the 1st of October to the 30th of November. Once the freshly picked olives are packed… Continue reading Eco-sumud — olive harvests as resistance in Palestine
Of all the New Year’s resolutions to have been put forward by various celebrities, I find Zarah Sultana’s message to be the most hopeful. Her short, sweet and simple tweet didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the heart of the matter. It read: “My message of hope for 2026. Abolish the monarchy.”… Continue reading Abolishing the monarchy through identity
As early as the 14th Century, a woman exhibiting signs of sexual confidence, prosperity or self-expression was deemed inherently evil. An excerpt from 1486’s Malleus Maleficarum — perhaps the most notorious “witch hunter’s manual” — reads: “All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable… What else is a woman but a foe… Continue reading She’s a witch — influential women, mysticism and reversing misogynistic narratives in music
Any planned US annexation of Greenland would give America almost total control over an increasingly vital trading route. The US government’s recent abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has drawn widespread condemnation from those who see it as a breach of international law. These events have been followed particularly closely by the people of Greenland,… Continue reading Trump, Greenland and the Polar Silk Road
On 13 January, Mark Zuckerberg announced the appointment of Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chairman of Meta. Powell McCormick — who previously served on Meta’s board of directors and was a key advocate for deeper ai integration across the company’s platforms — brings an extensive background as a senior finance executive. Her appointment,… Continue reading The silent coup of American public discourse
The alluring title of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique serves as a successful façade for the book’s rather morose themes. 15 years following her graduation from the all-female Smith College, Friedan constructed a questionnaire for her classmates — now all wives and mothers, but once equally academics. Despite the domestic reverie that had been portrayed… Continue reading What would Betty Friedan make of the 21st-century tradwife?
It is a regular, boring and average night at my house, and I am in bed, doomscrolling as always on my phone on Instagram. My eyes are heavy, and my thumb is on autopilot as the lingering thought in the back of my mind says to me, “I should really be going to sleep right… Continue reading All roads lead to Rome — the White Rabbit meme and Gen Z’s ironic search for meaning and completion
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” — 1 Timothy 2:11–12 There is something almost admirable in the efficiency with which religion has managed, across time and geography, to persuade women to defend systems… Continue reading Blessed are the obedient — women, worship and the architecture of conformity
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remains one of the most debated and scrutinised federal agencies in the US. Established in 2003 under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 following the 11 September attacks, ICE consolidated immigration enforcement and customs investigative functions previously housed in the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the US Customs… Continue reading The current state of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — ICE
