Five disinformation tactics Russia is using to try to influence the US election: The White House’s recent exposure of Russian attempts to influence this year’s US presidential election will come as little surprise to anyone who followed disinformation tactics during the last US election. During the 2020 campaign, the Kremlin used its state-sponsored media outlets, …
How Sicilians are resetting their social norms to strengthen future generations against mafia influence: Bearing witness to the profound consequences of violence and injustice for a long period of time can deeply fracture communities, resulting in collective trauma. But, where there is oppression, a determined resistance will always rise to challenge it. One such example …
From the Paris agreement to COP28, how oil and gas giants try to influence the global climate agenda: Sadi-Santos/Shutterstock There is “no science” behind demands to phase out fossil fuels, according to the current COP president. This level of cynicism at the top of the annual climate summit makes it less surprising that the conference …
Japan: Myths to Manga – Young V&A exhibition celebrates nature’s influence on Japanese culture: Japan: Myths to Manga at the Young V&A is loosely divided into four parts: sky, sea, forest and city. The underlying theme of the exhibition is showcasing how traditions developed in these contexts relate to contemporary Japanese culture. Japan’s dramatic natural …
Les communautés religieuses se mobilisent pour lutter contre le changement climatique : leur taille et leur influence comptent: Les "Anglicans Verts" lors d'une marche pour la justice climatique au Cap. Author provided Selon le Programme des Nations unies pour l’environnement (PNUE), plus de 80 % de la population mondiale ont des motivations religieuse ou spirituelle. …
FTX and Binance: how latest crypto scandals could influence public opinion on digital currency regulation: True believers in cryptocurrency have had a rough few weeks. The US government just fined Binance – the world’s largest crypto exchange – US$ 4.3 billion (£3.4 billion) for its involvement in money laundering. It forced the firm to accept …
Faith communities are rallying to check climate change – their size and influence counts: Green Anglicans at a Climate Justice March Cape Town. Author provided According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than 80% of the global population are motivated by a faith or spirituality. Faced with the triple planetary crises of pollution, …
India to Africa to the UK: Diasporas don’t influence politics in predictable ways: Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman (left) with prime minister Rishi Sunak. Both are of Indian-African descent. WPA Pool/Pool Leading politicians in the UK, including the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, are of African Indian descent. Other high profile examples include the country’s …
When Marx met Confucius: Xi Jinping’s attempt to influence China’s intellectual loyalties has met with a mixed reception at home and abroad: A new film series produced in China, When Marx met Confucius, was viewed more than 8 million times in the first two weeks after it was released online in October. But this is …
China’s Belt and Road Initiative turns 10: Xi announces 8 new priorities, continues push for global influence: China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which now includes 44 African countries, got under way 10 years ago. President Xi Jinping launched it in 2013 with a first speech in Kazakhstan and a second one in Indonesia. The initiative …
Le sommet Russie-Afrique permet à Moscou d’accroître son influence sur la scène mondiale: Le président russe Vladimir Poutine lors du sommet Russie-Afrique de 2019 à Sotchi, en Russie. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images Les 43 chefs d’État africains qui s’étaient rendus au premier sommet Russie-Afrique en 2019 avaient grand espoir que la Russie deviendrait une nouvelle source …
Russia-Africa summit provides a global stage for Moscow to puff up its influence: Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa Summit in 2019 in Sochi, Russia. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images Forty-three African heads of state attended the 2019 Russia-Africa summit. They had high hopes that Russia would emerge as a new source of investment and trade …
How China is increasing its influence in central Asia as part of global plans to offer an alternative to the west: The Kazakh port of Aktau will be useful in the expansion of trade routes in the region. Matyas Rehak/Shutterstock As G7 leaders were preparing for their recent summit in Japan, China’s president Xi Jinping …
We’re a step closer to learning how misplaced DNA could influence disease risk: Shutterstock DNA is our body’s instruction manual. It contains all the information that our cells need to make proteins and other molecules vital for our development, growth and survival. We inherit two different types of DNA from our parents: nuclear and mitochondrial …
Quantum mechanics: how the future might influence the past: FlashMovie/Shutterstock In 2022, the Physics Nobel prize was awarded for experimental work showing that the quantum world must break some of our fundamental intuitions about how the universe works. Many look at those experiments and conclude that they challenge “locality” — the intuition that distant objects …
Nigeria elections: the surprising influence of Afrobeats music on politics: In the run-up to Nigeria’s February 2023 elections, the country’s younger generation has mobilised to demand change and redefine the political landscape – and music has been pivotal. Despite being dismissed by several political commentators, Nigeria’s younger generations have shifted the former two-party liberal electoral …
Data bombing and dead cats – how PR uses practices of secrecy to influence media and society: Microgen/Shutterstock More than 100 years ago, sociologist Georg Simmel wrote that secrecy is a core part of all human relationships. The ratio of secrecy to openness in a society, he argued, can tell us much about that society. …
The BBC has a long history of failed attempts to rid it of political influence: Most people probably don’t know who the BBC’s chairman is, or even that the BBC has a chairman. Yet this normally obscure figure has recently hit the headlines. Richard Sharp, BBC chairman since February 2021, is a former banker and …