Before Mikhail Gorbachev came along, the Soviet Union seemed an immovable superpower in perpetual antagonism to the United States. With a breathtaking series of reforms, Gorbachev changed all that — and redirected the course of the 20th century. Alongside Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Gorbachev was a key protagonist in a global drama that many...
The embalmed heart of the emperor who declared Brazil’s independence has returned to the South American nation for ceremonies worthy of a head of state on Tuesday as the nation prepares to celebrate its bicentennial. The heart of Pedro I, contained in a golden reliquary, arrived from Portugal on Monday in a Brazilian air force...
Survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking are taking to the stage to tell their harrowing stories as part of an innovative performance project aimed at tackling the worldwide issue. The project – led by University of the West of Scotland (UWS) – focuses on the experiences of survivors in Ghana; a country in which...
My father left my mother while she was pregnant – she gave birth when he had already left. People call me “daughter of a bitch”. They disturb and hurt me so much. They say they will chase me because I am a foreigner. I am suffering. These are the words of Emma* – a 13-year-old...
Photos of civilians killed or injured in the Russia-Ukraine war are widespread, particularly online, both on social media and in professional news media. Editors have always published images of dead or suffering people during times of crisis, like wars and natural disasters. But the current crisis has delivered many more of these images, more widely...
Climate change is already affecting much of the world’s population, with startlingly high temperatures from the Arctic to Australia. Air pollution from wildfires, vehicles and industries threatens human health. Bees and pollinators are dying in unprecedented numbers that may force changes in crop production and food availability. What do these have in common? They represent...
Analysing the Haitian Revolution offers new perspectives on our times. Research from the University of Gothenburg shows that it was during this revolution that the relationship between political rights and inequality first came to a head, as reflected in contemporary global developments. The origins of human rights and democracy have previously been traced back to...
A new report published as a preprint on medRXiv.org from researchers at the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) reveals alarming trends in attitudes toward violence, including political violence, in the United States. The survey is the first of its kind to explore the participants’ personal willingness to engage in specific political violence scenarios. “We expected the findings to be...
Members of the Network Contagion Lab at Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NC Lab), found evidence of a sharp rise and evolving patterns of hate speech directed toward the Hindu community across numerous social media platforms, according to a new report. “Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media” details how white supremacist and 4chan...
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a divisive arch-conservative and one of his nation’s most powerful and influential figures, has died after being shot during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan, according to NHK public television. Abe, 67, was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech in Nara. He was airlifted to...
