Gill Jamieson, University of the West of Scotland It’s one of the most famous climactic scenes in film: a tense and shocking denouement that sees a series of brutal assassinations intercut with the central character calmly renouncing Satan as he … Continue reading The Godfather at 50: celebrating the mob saga that raised the bar for gangster films
Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University The invasion of Ukraine has placed Russia on the verge of bankruptcy. Interest rates have doubled, the stock market has closed, and the rouble has fallen to its lowest level ever. The military costs of war have been exacerbated by an unprecedented level of international sanctions, sustained by a large coalition of countries. Russian citizens, now unable to spend at IKEA, McDonald’s or Starbucks, are not allowed to convert any of the money they do have into foreign currency. Generous estimates suggest the Russian economy could shrink by 7% next year, instead of the 2% growth … Continue reading The cost of war: how Russia’s economy will struggle to pay the price of invading Ukraine
The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine has changed the international security architecture. But we cannot say we did not see it coming, since the premises of Putin’s future actions could be noticed in both his previous statements and actions, and the West’s arrant dismissal of them. Now, with both NATO and EU standing closely behind Ukraine, we wonder how it was possible to let this happen, and where we are now. March 3, 2022 – Łukasz Kamieński Maciej Smółka Wojciech Michnik – AnalysisUkraineAtWar Protesters hold rally and march against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in front of the UN headquarters in New York City. Photo: … Continue reading Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: a dramatic game-changer
T.J. Thomson, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology, and Paula Dootson, Queensland University of Technology Amid the alarming images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the past few days, millions of people have also seen misleading, … Continue reading Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it
Frank Ledwidge, University of Portsmouth Ukraine’s ramshackle military offered no resistance to the Crimean annexation in February 2014. Since then the poorly equipped but well-motivated Ukrainian Army has taken thousands of casualties while fighting separatist forces in the eastern Donbas … Continue reading Ukraine’s military is outgunned but can still inflict a great deal of pain on Russian forces
Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham and David Hastings Dunn, University of Birmingham Now that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to start negotiations at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, one of the key questions is what should be on the agenda to provide … Continue reading Why the idea of a ‘neutral’ Ukraine is a non-starter in peace talks
Alexander Piel, UCL and Fiona Stewart, Liverpool John Moores University The chimpanzees of the Rekambo community in Gabon, West Africa never fail to surprise. For a start, they are known to kill and eat tortoises, which set them apart from … Continue reading Chimpanzees rub insects on open wounds – new research suggests treating others may not be uniquely human
James Hodgson, University of Manchester Going on a retreat seems like the very definition of a solitary experience. You leave behind your friends, family, and colleagues, giving up everyday life, responsibilities, cares and frustrations, for some quality time on your … Continue reading ‘I did not see them; I saw their soul’: retreats are more about magical encounters than self-exploration
Lata Mangeshkar – here are some of her songs. Hope you will enjoy and remember this legendary singer. Lata died this morning in Mumbai. Those not acquainted with her voice, the following songs are a good start. Also look for … Continue reading Lata Mangeshkar RIP (Listen to some of her most beautiful songs).
Edl Schamiloglu, University of New Mexico Some of the cases of the mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on since 2016 in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries most likely were caused by pulsed electromagnetic energy, according to a report by a panel of experts convened by national intelligence agencies. The report’s findings are similar to those of another report released by the National Academies in 2020. In that report, a committee of 19 experts in medicine and other fields concluded that directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy is the “most plausible mechanism” to explain … Continue reading Experts suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work
Mohammed Abbasi 