From the US to Brazil to India, deepening political polarisation is used as a frame through which to see a lot of 21st-century politics. But what can actually be done to depolarise deeply divided societies, particularly democracies? In this episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast we speak to a politicalContinue Reading
The death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police in September for not wearing the hijab properly was a fracturing point, prompting Iranian women to come on to the streets en masse to protest the regime’s violence and injustice. But our understanding of these protests should notContinue Reading
The inquest into the death of Chris Kaba opened on October 4 2022. Kaba, an unarmed black man, was shot and killed in Streatham Hill, south London on September 5 2022 by a Metropolitan police officer. Whatever the outcome of this inquest, the feelings it has evoked in black communitiesContinue Reading
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has criticised the way in which staff were let go at Twitter, saying that it was “not acceptable” and was “fairly unprecedented”. “We are concerned, and our concern is there for the employees of Twitter,” the Taoiseach told reporters in Co Tipperary. Twitter is letting a significantContinue Reading
Rishi Sunak is probably the biggest Star Wars fan to hold the post of UK prime minister. It has been reported that he looks to the films for inspiration, both personally and politically. One MP said, presumably with some hyperbole, that much of Sunak’s political philosophy comes from the tradeContinue Reading
Kremlin-backed media is spreading rumors of a Ukrainian “dirty bomb” attack to rouse support for extreme retaliation.Continue Reading
The comedian talked to WIRED about how he raided his address book to cast his biopic parody Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.Continue Reading
It has been reported that Iran is preparing to transfer short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use against targets in Ukraine, allegedly as part of a shipment of 1,000 additional weapons of unspecified type. Iran has allegedly already transferred a number of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia. Many ofContinue Reading
It looks very much as if Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, will soon be back in office. The results of the 2022 elections (the fifth in four years) give his bloc a clear lead in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. In each of the four elections, Netanyahu has madeContinue Reading
A fundamental principle at the heart of the UK constitution is that the crown never dies. On the death of one monarch, the heir to the throne immediately accedes. This smooth transition ensures that the government (which is carried on in the name of the crown) continues largely unaffected. WhileContinue Reading
