
The UK has historically been held up as leading democracy with free and fair elections. However, our new report shows election quality in the UK is now ranked in the bottom half of countries in Europe. The Global Electoral...

Have you noticed that Nigel Farage doesn’t talk about Donald Trump anymore?
Each is the main political subject in their country, and one is the main political subject in the world. Each rode the populist wave in 2016, campaigning for the other. In 2024 the tandem surfers remounted on to an even...

International student activism histories show how education can foster democracy
On March 25, 2025, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, Rmeysa ztrk, was walking in a Boston suburb when she was detained by plain-clothed federal agents. A video of the encounter went viral, sparking fear and...

Ruth First and activist research: the legacy of a South African freedom fighter
Ruth First, born 100 years ago, was a South African freedom fighter, journalist and scholar who worked against the racist system of apartheid during white minority rule. She was assassinated by apartheid forces in her...

Queen Hatshepsut’s statues were destroyed in ancient Egypt – new study debunks the revenge theory
After the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut died around 1458 BCE, many statues of her were destroyed. Archaeologists believed that they were targeted in an act of revenge by Thutmose III, her successor. Yet the condition of the...

South Africa has one of the worlds richest fossil records of hominins (humans and their fossil ancestors). But many misconceptions still exist regarding human evolution, and school textbooks contain inaccuracies. South...

Men and family planning: studies from 23 African countries reveal gaps in what we know
When people think about family planning in Africa, they often picture women visiting clinics, women making decisions, and women bearing the responsibility. Yet family planning affects both men and women. How is male...