Distinctive Shots/Shutterstock.com When the British politician Dawn Butler was stopped by police while travelling in a friend’s car earlier this year, she accused the police of institutional racism. The same thing happened to Olympic athlete Bianca Williams in July. In this context, it is extremely positive to hear that policeContinue Reading
Still fit for purpose? seeshooteatrepeat via Shutterstock The future of UK public broadcasting is in play. On November 10 the culture minister Oliver Dowden announced that he was establishing a panel to advise his department as part of the government’s strategic review of public service broadcasting. Ominously he wrote, inContinue Reading
Peru is in deep crisis. The week-long regime of interim president Manuel Merino has been brought crashing down in the face of mass protests by tens of thousands of angry protesters. Three people were killed and dozens injured throughout the week when demonstrators took to the streets in Peru’s majorContinue Reading
Opposition is not welcome here. This was the clear message given to the people of Hong Kong following the expulsion of four MPs from the Hong Kong parliament on November 11 for their “unpatriotic” activities and “endangering national security”. The remaining 19 opposition MPs submitted their letters of resignation theContinue Reading
Tana888/Shutterstock.com When the British politician Dawn Butler was stopped by police while travelling in a friend’s car earlier this year, she accused the police of institutional racism. The same thing happened to Olympic athlete Bianca Williams in July. In this context, it is extremely positive to hear that police trafficContinue Reading
For many cabinet ministers, Dominic Cummings’ departure from 10 Downing Street will be seen as an opportunity for a reset. A controversial figure from the start, the hope is that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will pursue a different style of government without the influence of his chief adviser. Cummings raisedContinue Reading
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy secured yet another large majority in the Myanmar parliament in the national election. But, despite the Nobel peace laureate’s party being in power since 2015, progress in the war-torn and troubled country remains hampered by both structural restraints and the absence ofContinue Reading
The English believed God communicated through plague – and viewed the epidemic which decimated Algonquian territory between 1616-19 as a sign. John Eliot Preaching to the Indians, Gift of Martha J. Fleischman and Barbara G. Fleischman, 1999, The Met The Europeans who began colonising North America in the early 17thContinue Reading
Lockdowns have been a key tool in the war chest of many governments trying to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Some, however, have questioned the wisdom of lockdowns, arguing that their benefits do not outweigh the wider costs to society. Alternative strategies have been put forward, such as “focused protection”, whereContinue Reading
Records of the betting on US presidential elections can be traced back to 1868. Since then, no clear favourite for the White House had lost before 2016, except in 1948, when the 8 to 1 longshot and sitting president, Harry S. Truman, famously defeated his Republican rival, Thomas E. Dewey.Continue Reading
