Why many Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language

President Putin at an annual ceremony marking the Kyivian Rus. Sodel Vladyslav/Shutterstock The issue of the Ukrainian language and who speaks it has become highly politicised during the Russian invasion. Vladimir Putin has even used it as a cover to annex some occupied areas of Ukraine with large numbers ofContinue Reading

Italian Camicie Nere (Blackshirts) taking possession of the railway station at Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, in May 1936.

Much of the international community has condemned Russia’s annexation of four provinces of Ukraine as illegal. Joe Biden accused Vladmir Putin of a “fraudulent attempt” to claim Ukrainian territory and said the move was “trampling on the United Nations charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere”. The UK’sContinue Reading

COVID: how ICUs in England were stretched to cope with the pandemic

VILevi/Shutterstock There has been much discussion recently about how governments handled the COVID pandemic during 2020 and 2021. In particular, debate has centred on the costs and benefits of the various social restrictions, including lockdowns. The rationale for implementing social restrictions and other non-pharmacological measures in the UK was toContinue Reading