By Ahmet T. Kuru, Professor of Political Science, Director of Center for Islamic & Arabic Studies, San Diego State University
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu had expected to become Turkey’s opposition presidential nominee on March 23, 2025; instead, he lost his freedom and college degree.
On March 18, the politician – seen as a powerful rival to long-ruling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – saw his bachelor’s…
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By Mkhaimar Abusada, Visiting Scholar of Global Affairs, Northwestern University
In late February 2025, senior Hamas leader and ex-chairman of its politburo, Mousa Abu Marzouk, said he would not have supported Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel had he known how destructive Israel’s response would have been.
That remarkably frank admission takes on renewed relevance now, just weeks later, after the resumption of Israel’s…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image People hold posters of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu as they protest outside the Vatan Security Department, where İmamoğlu was taken following his arrest in Istanbul, Türkiye, March 19, 2025. © 2025 AP Photo/Francisco Seco (Istanbul, March 19, 2025) – The detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025, along with approximately 106 other municipal officials and politicians is a politically motivated move to stifle lawful political activities, Human Rights Watch said today. The mayor’s arbitrary detention undermines the rights of voters who…
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Wednesday, March 19, 2025
The Human Rights Council on Wednesday heard gruesome testimony of torture, rape and execution of Ukrainian detainees and soldiers allegedly committed by Russian forces, as a high-level independent probe into Russia’s full-scale invasion delivered its latest mandated report in Geneva.
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By Natalya Chernyshova, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History, Queen Mary University of London
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has agreed to pause attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days following a phone call with his American counterpart, Donald Trump. On social media, Trump said the call was “very good and productive” and came “with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a complete ceasefire”.
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By Denis J. Murphy, Emeritus Professor of Biotechnology, University of South Wales
Microplastics are hindering photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert energy from the sun into the fruit and vegetables we eat. This threatens massive losses in crop and seafood production over the coming decades that could mean food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.
So concludes an alarming new study. The authors combined…
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By Anthony Downey, Professor of Visual Culture, Birmingham City University
Even before the recent protest by a group of well-known musicians at the UK government’s plans to allow AI companies to use copyright-protected work for training, disquiet around artists’ rights was already growing.
In early February, an open…
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By Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice, Kingston University
If you are trying to stop smoking, you may have heard of nicotine patches or gum to help reduce cravings. But how about nicotine pouches? Small, tobacco-free sachets containing a powder made up of nicotine, flavourings and other additives, nicotine patches are placed between the upper lip and gum to release a nicotine buzz without the damage to lungs.
Nicotine pouches were first introduced to the UK market in 2019. Common brands in the UK include ZYN, Velo and Nordic Spirit. Nicotine pouches are
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By Siobhan Mclernon, Senior Lecturer, Adult Nursing and co-lead, Ageing, Acute and Long Term Conditions. Member of Health and Well Being Research Center, London South Bank University
As a nurse working in a neurocritical care, I witnessed the sudden and devastating effects of stroke on survivors and their carers.
Following my nursing career, I became a researcher specialising in stroke. Knowledge of stroke risk factors in the general public is poor, so stroke prevention is a priority for public health.
Stroke is
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By Benjamin Padilla-Morales, Postdoctoral Researcher of Bioinformatics, University of Bath
A longstanding question in evolutionary biology is how sexual selection influences how entire genomes develop. Sexual selection is where individuals with certain traits have higher reproductive success, leading to the spread of those traits throughout a species.
A study by me and my colleagues at the Milner Centre for Evolution has uncovered a significant link between the difference in body size between males and females – known as sexual size dimorphism (SSD) – and genetic changes in mammals. These findings provide…
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