Year abroad students have spoken to Online Editor, Maddie Baker, and Deputy Editor, Richard Ainslie, about how COVID-19 has changed their plans abroad.
Russia
Where’s Waldo: Russia Edition
Russia has a precedent – as with the Chernobyl emergency, they are not speaking up. There is a rouse in place, that of a national holiday from work, to mask the very real lockdown occurring in Russia, too. This shows that Russia, like everyone else, is faced with a pandemic-shaped threat, which they are actually reacting to. But why stay quiet about it, and why not help the rest of the world, which is what is expected of a superpower?
Africa: Continent at the Crossroads
Online Features Editor Bryan Knight reports on the recent political developments in Africa and assesses the threats faced by the continent. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an ambitious initiative that would revamp an ancient trade network that connected the Eastern world with the West. This ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, as it is commonly […]
Volodymyr’s Victory: The Ukrainian Elections and Their Consequences
Foreign Correspondent Coordinator, Maddie Baker, takes a look at the new Ukrainian president and what his unconventional rise to power may have in store for Ukrainian politics.
Around the World in LGBT Days
The gay community has been slowly making strides toward legislative progress in the Western world, with Australia recently having voted in support of gay marriage. Yet the world still has leaps and bounds to go when it comes to equality everywhere, whilst some countries legalize same-sex couples adoptions, others criminalize same sex relationships. Features writers explore the world of LGBTQ+ movements around the globe. […]
What is so great about Russia’s Vladimir Putin?
Vladimir Putin is set to lead Russia for another six years after securing 73.9% of the vote in Sunday’s presidential election. Yes, the same man who is currently being blamed for the attempted murder of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The turn out for the elections this year was 63.7%, less than the number […]
Moscow: A City Haunted By Its Past?
“Please, be careful!” The parting words from a 90-year-old Russian woman I met on the metro this week. This may come across initially as nothing more than friendly advice, but it was not the first time in the conversation that she had expressed concern over my safety in Moscow. As the train pulled away I […]
What Does Putin’s Controversial Birthday Present Really Tell Us?
On Saturday 7th October, Russian president Vladimir Putin turned 65, and to mark the occasion Alexei Navalny’s campaign organised protests in around 80 cities across Russia. Ahead of a protest rally in the week leading up to Putin’s big day, Navalny was sentenced to 20 days in prison for organising unsanctioned rallies and on 7th […]
World War 3 – Should we be worried?
Ever since Kim Jong-Il threatened to withdraw North Korea from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1993, eventually leaving ten years later, in 2003, North Korea has been on a slow and steady trajectory towards nuclear weapons. This trajectory has been continued, if not quickened, by Jong-Il’s son Kim Jong-Un. The reality of this ambition has […]
James Comey’s testimony: enough to bring down Trump?
Donald Trump’s presidency has been less than stable thus far, and that is, perhaps, an understatement. Trump and his team have been plagued by rumours and accusations since he announced he would run for office. Some of these have been ridiculous fairy tales invented by political opponents; others have been worryingly likely with ominous consequences. […]