If Vladimir Putin launches a new offensive in Ukraine this spring as expected, the key to its success or failure will be the ordinary Russian soldier. Moscow has shown little consideration for these soldiers over the past 12 months. In February 2022 troops who were told that they were goingContinue Reading
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 8 million Ukrainians have been displaced across Europe. The vast majority – 86% – are women and children. The most popular destination countries in the UN refugee response plan are Poland with more than 1.5 million refugees and theContinue Reading
The recent bout of shuttle diplomacy around the capitals of Europe by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, appears to be yielding results. Zelensky’s appearances in the UK, France and Brussels had two main aims. The first has been constant since the war begin a year ago: to maintain western focus onContinue Reading
Mark Zuckerberg has a new subscription service for Instagram and Facebook. That blue check mark looks awfully familiar.Continue Reading
I was standing in a forest at night, by a dark lake taking part in a Mother Earth ritual. Shaman drums echoed between the cliffs. The witch leading the ritual suddenly encouraged us to sound like wild animals. The other women seemed to greet this as something predictable and expected.Continue Reading
Gardai increasingly fear that a fatality could occur within their members when they are called out to manage anti-social behaviour amongst large groups of people, according to Antoinette Cunningham, General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI). Ms Cunningham told Today with Claire Byrne, on RTE RadioContinue Reading
Record numbers of Cubans are fleeing their country as the island suffers its worst socio-economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The number of Cubans seeking entry to the US, mostly at the Mexican border, leapt from 39,000 in 2021 to more than 224,000 in 2022. Many haveContinue Reading
Joe Biden has made it clear he intends to stand for re-election in 2024. But despite his state of the union address reflecting a fighting spirit that many interpreted as another indication for a 2024 bid, Biden’s intention may not necessarily hold up. Within the Democratic party, concerns have grownContinue Reading
Ukraine undoubtedly remains on top of the global political agenda. Not only did it dominate discussions at the Munich security conference, but the surprise visit of the US president, Joe Biden, to Kyiv sent an unmistakable message to Russia, and the rest of the world: the west stands with UkraineContinue Reading
People go out at night because they want to socialise, drink and be entertained. Unfortunately, all too often that leads to violent behaviour in our towns and city centres. But the events that lead to such violence are poorly understood. We set out to explore some of the possible explanationsContinue Reading
