Alexander M. Laskaris, University of Florida and Olivier Walther, University of Florida Kidnapping for ransom has a long history in the west African Sahel. In 1979, a rebel group led by Chad’s future president Hissène Habré kidnapped a French archaeologist and a German medical doctor in the north of the country. The kidnappers
Francesco Grillo, Bocconi University European leaders must agree on how to respond to the accusation that their continent faces “civilizational erasure”. These were the strongest words used in the most strongly-worded national security strategy ever released by a US government, making it clear that allyship is no longer a given. And yet, what
When Professor Alicja Krzemień set out to turn one of Poland’s largest coal-mining waste heaps into a thriving meadow, she faced an uphill battle. Together with fellow researchers in an EU-funded collaboration called RECOVERY, her team revitalised the barren terrain at the Janina mine in Libiąż, southern Poland. They applied soil substitutes, aiming
Forty metres beneath the sea off north-western Italy lies one of the country’s best-preserved World War II shipwrecks. The Equa, an Italian cannon-equipped submarine chaser, sank with no casualties after being accidentally rammed by a German ship in 1944. The vessel now hosts rich marine fauna that attracts divers and fishers. The site
terekhov igor / shutterstock James Heydon, University of Nottingham Wood-burning stoves are booming in the UK, a cosy response to high energy prices and cost of living pressures. But this comes with a hidden cost. So-called domestic burning is now a leading source of one of the most harmful forms of air pollution,
Monument to Socrates and Confucius in Athens, Greece. Collection Maykova/Shutterstock Sara Kells, IE University In ancient Athens, the agora was a public forum where citizens could gather to deliberate, disagree and decide together. It was governed by deep-rooted social principles that ensured lively, inclusive, healthy debate. Today, our public squares have moved online
Viviamo in un’epoca in cui il concetto di leadership è stato divorato dai ruoli, dai KPI, dalle performance, dalle tecniche motivazionali e dai personal brand. Ma la vera leadership non è un ruolo da interpretare. È una presenza da incarnare. Ogni volta che mettiamo una maschera per sembrare più sicuri, più bravi, più
Federico Donelli, University of Trieste Djibouti’s president, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, pushed through constitutional changes removing presidential age limits in October 2025. The changes enable him to remain in power beyond 2026. He has already ruled for 26 years and is a shoo-in at elections in April 2026. Guelleh leads a country on the
Ph. Displaced Syrian families form a return convoy to their destroyed village. Moawia Atrash/picture alliance via Getty Images Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond Close to 1.5 million Syrian refugees have voluntarily returned to their home country over the past year. That extraordinary figure represents nearly one-quarter of all Syrians who fled fighting during
When the justices weigh the arguments, they will focus on the meaning of the first sentence of the 14th Amendment, known as the citizenship clause. zimmytws/Getty Images Morgan Marietta, University of Tennessee The Supreme Court on Dec. 5, 2025, agreed to review the long-simmering controversy over birthright citizenship. It will likely hand down a