‘Massacres are carried out during night hours when no-one is there to witness them.’  Full morgues were described by Tanzanian doctors following the country’s elections at the end of October . When President Samia Suluhu Hassan came to power in 2021 following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli, she was hailed  for her easing of political repression, and seemed to be a key cog in a journey back to full democracy in Tanzania. Yet here we are, four years later, and she

They called it a contract with the people to signify that promises made before the 2024 general election would be kept to their voters. Last Monday they finally put what was left of it in the shredder. With budget speculation having been at fever pitch in Westminster for well over a month, and expected to boil on at such heat for at least another three weeks (opting for a far later date than usual will do just that), Reform’s silence on economics had become one of the larger

“Turn the volume up!” was the emphatic cry from Zohran Mamdani to (a likely enraged) Donald Trump as he celebrated his victory in New York City’s 2025 mayoral election. Mamdani, who rode a wave of grounded progressivism rooted in affordability all the way to City Hall, could not have chosen a more apt phrase to mark the moment. As he left the stage to the Bollywood classic Dhoom Machale,   it became strikingly clear that it is indeed time to turn the volume up on the potentia

In the heat of Summer 2023, as tourists swarmed Crete’s postcard-perfect beaches, Greek police raided a fertility clinic  in the port town of Chania. What they uncovered was a sophisticated operation involving illegal surrogacy and human trafficking.  I first heard about the case through the Greek community in Melbourne. Some of the commissioning parents involved were known within those circles and word of the investigation in Crete circulated quickly. At first, the details w

I would describe myself as a cautious monarchist. It is not that I agree with the monarchy as an institution but rather that I fear a President Farage or someone of similar bilious intent. In an alternative world, I would see them consigned to a council estate in Wolverhampton, à la Sue Townsend, but we have to work with the circumstances we have, not the ones we want. The Andrew farce though has really caused me to question my views on monarchy altogether. While Andrew Mount

Europe is sabotaging its own climate goals by prioritising the protection of its car industry over allowing affordable Chinese electric vehicles in. This turns the green transition into a trade dispute with China, whilst risking the green transformation both sides urgently need. Europe doesn’t need a trade war, it needs a strategy. Instead of raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles , the EU should establish a Green Trade Truce based on transparency, cooperation and fair

Valencia has been the talk of the town this past year, but perhaps not for the best of reasons. In a period of political instability in Spain, the Valencian Community has stood out for various corruption cases and its worsening housing crisis . Most salient in the social sphere of late has been Valencia, a region of over 2.5 million people, falling silent to pay tribute to the 229 victims who lost their lives to flooding  just over a year ago.  In spite of the outbreak of cri

For context, ‘new left’ encompasses both the recently formed Your Party and the revitalised Green Party under Zack Polanski.  At the moment, these two separate parties have even been campaigning side-by-side, in a somewhat wholesome, but more so politically disconcerting joint campaigning effort that won’t last ten minutes. They appear tethered in a codependent manner, comparable to the graphic horror of Michael Shank’s Together , though they are distinct political entities w

Cyprus seldom appears in Europe's rule of law debates. While Brussels scrutinises Poland and Hungary for dismantling judicial independence , the Republic of Cyprus quietly maintains the façade of a well-governed democracy, small, stable, and uncontroversial. Yet beneath this appearance of order lies a legal system defined by concentration of power, minimal oversight, and selective accountability. The 2025 EU Rule of Law Report commends "further progress" ,  but its diplomatic

Newly elected leader of the Green Party, Zack Polanksi, has taken British politics by storm. The self-proclaimed ‘eco-populist’ has resurrected the Green Party’s reputation amongst voters and driven the Greens’ takeover of the Conservatives as the third largest political party in the UK. And it’s not only membership that has spiked; broadcast coverage  of the Greens has increased by 44% since early September. With the party currently holding just four seats in the House of Co

In a result that few expected, the centrist-liberal D66 has won  a plurality of seats in this year’s Dutch elections, narrowly fending off the far-right PVV. Many publications internationally have hailed  the results as a victory for the centre ground and, correspondingly, a defeat for the far-right. Delve closer into the results and the broader Dutch political context, however, and this analysis seems dubious. The snap vote follows elections held in 2023, which the PVV won  

When it comes to political crises in Latin America, Peru is always on everyone's lips. The country suffered yet another political earthquake early last month, ending the presidency of Dina Boluarte . The now former president, like her immediate and myriad other predecessors, was removed by Congress after a brief stint. Peru has had eight presidents in the last ten years, with Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) being the last to complete his term. Since then, instability has gone from

Halloween sees droves of endearingly-costumed kids break down our doors, yet there is another annual tradition that I am somewhat less looking forward to this year. Remembrance Day is normally a time of reflection, one that is about celebrating the bravery of those who have fought and died for us. On remembrance day, I might wear a white poppy for peace, and may also wear a red poppy.  One of these symbols has sadly been linked to the far-right,  despite the British Legion’s

On the 19th of October this year the first round of the local elections in North Macedonia were held. This country is home to one of the fastest growing left-wing parties in Europe: Levica (the Left). Since its founding ten years ago it has experienced a gradual rise in its number of elected officials. In the 2020 parliamentary elections two MPs from its ranks, including the party leader Dimitar Apasiev, took office, and in the 2024 parliamentary elections they expanded the p

October 4 th  saw a landslide victory for the Georgian Dream Party, securing them sixty-four out of sixty-four districts on only forty-one percent voter turnout, signalling significant corruption at work.  Over the summer, Tbilisi has been rocked by protests, but in the wake of last year's October election, it is apparent that the Georgian Dream is showing little tolerance for dissenting opposition. Strong economic performance, with GDP rising 7.9 percent  this past year, has

Nepal has one of the highest social media usages per capita in South Asia, so when the government announced its plans to ban 26 social media platforms including X and Facebook, the nation erupted. Primarily youth protesters flooded the streets to vent their anger. After two days of political unrest and smoke-filled cities, a new interim Prime Minister was elected to serve at the hands of the people. Many are hopeful for change, but the unrest will merely be redoubled if prote

Though AI safety is often perceived as an overly nihilistic field of study, it has become an increasingly prevalent feature  of international policy debates ranging from its use in courts and parliaments to the defence industry. AI safety has entered public discourse in the context of spurring on unemployment, AI misuse, and the potential for critical systems failures or bias. In a European context, the EU is explicitly seeking  to develop a uniquely European approach to deve

Though I cannot recall quite how, I recently stumbled across a fascinating POLITICO  article by former Harvard lecturer John F. Muller titled “ Halloween Is More Political Than You Think ”. It discusses trick-or-treating in America, focusing specifically on Milwaukee, and the surprising observations Halloween brings to the table in discussions on both racial and class divisions. Muller explores how poor, inner-city ethnic minorities often travel to affluent white suburbs duri

For the Senate Judiciary Committee to work, there must be a gap between the requisite information and the Senate’s ultimate decision. The committee should have a concentrated body of senators to discover information about a candidate to make a just decision. Pam Bondi’s recent hearing  would need to reveal something the Senate did not already know, and that new knowledge would have to play a decisive role in the political judgment.  As expected, this did not occur. Instead, w

Introduction In a country positioned at the crossroads of East and West, the battle for hearts and minds is increasingly fought not on the battlefield, but in the media. Once the frontrunner of the so-called “Associated Trio,” Georgia now finds itself among the most vulnerable to foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and broader information disorders, as media freedom and freedom of speech face growing threats. Amid ongoing protests, political unrest, and s