Only 6% of gen Z actually favour dictatorship – not half, as some reports would have you believe: Shutterstock/Dedraw Studio America’s constitutional framework was designed specifically to prevent the concentration of power and to impede any president’s authoritarian aspirations. It is certainly being put to the test right now. When US vice-president J.D. Vance recently …
Rape is still rape even if you’re married – report finds some South African men don’t believe it is: Sexual violence, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), includes any sexual act or attempt to obtain sex through coercion, regardless of the relationship between the parties. This encompasses rape, unwanted sexual touching, and non-contact …
Ukraine recap: Russia won’t attack Nato countries says Putin, believe it or not: Vladimir Putin says he has no intention of attacking any Nato members. Visiting an airbase in Torzhok, on the road between Moscow and St Petersburg, the Russian president told a group of pilots he didn’t plan to spark a war with any …
Some believe the 1889 Russian flu pandemic was actually caused by a coronavirus – here’s why that’s unlikely: COVID-19 was the first coronavirus pandemic. The original Sars virus from 2003 and the Mers virus that created a health emergency in South Korea in 2015 were both coronaviruses, but fortunately failed to turn into pandemics in …
Should we believe Rishi Sunak’s hint that the election will be in October? What the evidence tells us: So now we know. After weeks of speculation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is “working on the assumption” that a general election will take place in the second half of this year. That’s just a …
Five rare and unusual psychiatric syndromes – including one where people believe they are dead: Most people are familiar with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but some conditions are so rare that many psychiatrists won’t come across a single case in their professional lives. Here I present five of the rarest – …
Jurors who believe rape myths contribute to dismal conviction rates – but judge-only trials won’t solve the problem: Shutterstock After years of consultations and reports, the Scottish government is proposing to conduct a pilot to test out running rape trials with just a judge – and no jury. The conviction rate in Scotland for rape …
Bullying, power and control: why people believe in conspiracy theories and how to respond: Belief in conspiracy theories is often linked to lack of trust in institutions. Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock From vaccine uptake to violent extremism, conspiracy beliefs are linked to distrust in major institutions or powerful figures. Research developed in the last decade shows how …
Why do so many Turkish people believe ‘secret clauses’ in the 1923 Lausanne treaty will be unveiled this year?: Commonly regarded as the “birth certificate” of modern Turkey, the 1923 treaty of Lausanne was the last of the peace settlements signed at the end of the first world war. This year’s centenary has already provoked …
Free will: why people believe in it even when they think they’re being manipulated: Shopping centres manipulate us. Sonpichit Salangsing/Shutterstock We all like to believe that we are free to make our own choices. At the same time, many people think that psychological techniques are constantly being used to sway us – from social media …
Young people may be more likely to believe in conspiracy theories that deny COVID facts – here’s how to respond: GaudiLab/Shutterstock The COVID pandemic has been a shock. Practically nobody alive today has previously encountered a virus so contagious that it spreads worldwide, infects at least half a billion people, kills millions, and brings everyday …
Should we really believe scientific facts will last forever when history is full of revolutions in thinking?: Phrenology has long since been overturned, but it was once very popular among scientists. Holly Anne Cromer/Shutterstock Astronomers once believed the Sun revolved around the Earth. In the 19th century, scientists thought the shape of a person’s skull …
Ukraine Recap: who is winning this war? Both sides, if you believe the claims: We’re now five months into the war in Ukraine and the effects of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” are spreading their sinister tentacles far beyond eastern Europe in a manner that is affecting life for just about everyone. Grain shortages are …
Ukraine: Russians I met recently in St Petersburg believe there will be no invasion – foreign policy expert: All is calm: Christmas in St Petersburg Alexander Titov, Author provided While preparing for a trip to Russia in late December 2021, I was half-joking to friends that my return to the UK could well be delayed …
Don’t believe the claim that only 17,371 people have died from COVID in England and Wales: There is no doubt that the pandemic has led to many deaths; however, in the past week, new claims have emerged that the true number of people who have died from COVID in England and Wales is much lower …
A pandemic of armchair experts: how we decide who and what to believe: We appear to live in an age of misinformation. Certain broadcasters and social media celebrities openly promote fake facts or misrepresentations of science and data to their audience, many of whom do not seem to care whether they are right or wrong, …
South Africa in the news: How COP26 is making me believe that things are different this time: The unveiling of a multibillion-dollar partnership between the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and the EU to help South Africa finance a quicker transition away from burning coal for energy means that …: “South Africa” – BingNews ANALYSIS: …
South Africa in the news: Gregor Townsend is right – we should believe, Scotland’s narrative is changing: If any previous Scotland coach had said that the next stage is for the national team to believe they can beat anyone, he might have been answered with a sceptical “oh aye” or “pull the other one”.: “South …