How Project 2025 became the blueprint for Donald Trump’s second term: Throughout the 2024 presidential election campaign, Donald Trump denied claims he intended to shape his second administration’s policies around Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a renewed conservative America. But despite his repeated denials, Trump 2.0 has adopted much of Project 2025 into …
The White House press pool became a way to control journalists – Trump is taking this to new levels: The recently appointed White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has begun her tenure combatively, aggressively defending the Trump administration’s policies and, at times, mimicking Donald Trump’s methods of dealing with the mainstream news media. Faced recently …
Five years on the road in Africa: how Lerato Mogoatlhe became a travel writer: South African journalist Lerato Mogoatlhe set off for three months in west Africa. She ended up drifting across the continent for five years. In 2019 she wrote a book about her travels, called Vagabond: Wandering Through Africa on Faith. As a …
How Benjamin Zephaniah became the face of British Rastafari: The sudden and untimely passing of Benjamin Zephaniah at age 65 has rightly brought reflection on his legacy as a poet and as a writer, the two fields in which he made monumental contributions. Zephaniah’s warmth, his accessibility –- and his lyrical genius – made him …
How Frozen became the catalyst for Disney’s shift from male-centric tales: The landscape of animated musical films has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Male storylines, once the hallmark of the genre, have taken a back seat, thanks to the revolutionary success of a film that centres around the relationship between two sisters: Disney’s …
Henri Lopes, the prime minister of Congo who became a famous novelist: behind the power of his writing: “On the other bank … that is where Henri Lopes now rests,” wrote novelist and journalist Nicolas Michel in a beautiful tribute to mark the passing of the celebrated Congolese author. It’s a reference, of course, to …
Economic Freedom Fighters became South Africa’s third largest political party in just 10 years. What’s behind its electoral success: South Africa is drawing nearer to a landmark national general election in 2024. Based on recent electoral trends and opinion polls, the governing African National Congress (ANC) is expected to drop below 50% of the national …
How disappearance became a global weapon of psychological control, 50 years on from Chile’s US-backed coup: For the few remaining women of Calama in Chile’s Atacama desert, September 11 holds a terrifying meaning. They understand the pain of watching forensic investigators meticulously scour through particles of dust, seeking to retrieve the tiniest fragments of lives …
Silvio Berlusconi: the property developer who became a media tycoon – and Italy’s most flamboyant prime minister: Silvio Berlusconi, who has died at the age of 86, was born into a middle-class family in Milan, a city heavily affected by the second world war. He attended a private school belonging to a religious order, and …
The Wicker Man at 50: how the strange 1970s British film became a cult classic: It tops the poll of the 50 greatest British horror films, according to readers of Horrified Magazine, while the Guardian pitches it at number four in its list of the 25 greatest horror films. David Bartholomew of Cinefantastique magazine described …
Stephen Lawrence: how family liaison officers became an integral part of policing in the wake of his murder: Family liaison officers are a vital part of murder investigations in the UK. CLICKMANIS/Shutterstock Stephen Lawrence was murdered on April 22 1993 in an unprovoked racist knife attack in south London. He was just eighteen at the …
Sudan created a paramilitary force to destroy government threats – but it became a major threat itself: The Rapid Support Forces emerged from the Janjaweed militia known for their violent tactics. Scott Barbour /GettyImages Sudan is in crisis. Fighting continues between Sudan’s military leader, Abdelfattah Al-Burhan, and his deputy on Sudan’s ruling council, General Mohamed …
Van Gogh Museum at 50: what painter’s letters to his family expose about why he became an artist: Vincent van Gogh fits the stereotypical image of the tragic modern artist: the tortured genius and scruffy bohemian battling mental ill-health and lack of recognition from peers and a public who couldn’t appreciate his audacious vision. Now, …
Prime: a YouTuber expert explains how Logan Paul and KSI’s drink became so popular: YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI released their drinks brand, Prime Hydration, in January 2022. One year on, Paul said the drink had generated US$ 250 million (£209 million) in retail sales worldwide, with US$ 45 million of that in January 2023 …
The Banyamulenge: how a minority ethnic group in the DRC became the target of rebels – and its own government: Banyamulenge community members at the funeral of one of their own in eastern DRC. Alexis Huguet/AFP via Getty Images The Banyamulenge are a minority ethnic group in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). …
How free-range eggs became the norm in supermarkets – and sold customers a lie: MJHeritage/Shutterstock The UK is in the grip of its largest ever outbreak of bird flu. As its name suggests, avian influenza primarily affects birds, but it can also infect humans and other mammals. The virus first emerged in China in 1996 …
With the two top jobs in politics now held by women, Italy just became a real-time case study in female leadership: Italy elected its first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia party, in October last year. Now, the leftwing opposition Democratic party has elected its own female leader for the …
Who is Joseph Kony? The altar boy who became Africa’s most wanted man: Joseph Kony speaks to journalists in southern Sudan in November 2006. Stuart Price/AFP via Getty Images Eleven years ago, a documentary catapulted the name Joseph Kony onto the global stage. The controversial film Kony 2012 told the story of a Ugandan warlord …