Society + Politics - The Deeping

Jan 31, 2025

Mpox in the DRC: residents of the slum at the centre of Kinshasa’s epidemic have little chance of avoiding this major health crisis

Yap Boum, Mbarara University of Science and Technology Walking through the crowded streets of the Pakadjuma neighbourhood in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, I am struck by the vibrant atmosphere around me. Children play happily in puddles, surrounded by piles of plastic bags and open ditches of sewage. Shacks patched

Jan 29, 2025

Equitable governance of agri-food data is imperative for global food security

by Policy Options. Originally published on Policy Options On farms around the world, data is increasingly being used to guide agricultural practices from influencing what crops to plant and when to plant them, to managing pests and allocating resources efficiently. Vast swaths of information — on crop yields, soil health, weather patterns, worker

Jan 28, 2025

Lobbying in ‘forever chemicals’ industry is rife across Europe – the inside story of our investigation

Forever chemical or PFAS contamination is widespread, but so too are lobbying efforts. Melnikov Dmitriy/Shutterstock Gary Fooks, University of Bristol A team of academic researchers, lawyers and journalists from 16 European countries has exposed a huge lobbying campaign aimed at gutting a proposed EU-wide restriction on the use of “forever chemicals”. This campaign

Jan 27, 2025

Can Trump just order new names for Denali and the Gulf of Mexico? A geographer explains who decides what goes on the map

Known as Mount McKinley until 2015, Denali’s current name reflects what Native Alaskans call the mountain. Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Innisfree McKinnon, University of Wisconsin-Stout President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska’s Denali, the tallest peak in the country, has resulted in lots of discussion.

Jan 23, 2025

EU enlists researchers’ support to tackle smuggling and security threats at sea

A container ship sailing at night through the Baltic Sea, travelling along the Polish coast, pulls alongside a fishing boat. This behaviour immediately triggers the Polish authorities and raises questions. “You need to ask why are two vessels meeting in the middle of the sea in the middle of the night? Are they

Jan 23, 2025

Gaza deal: what it means for peace in the Middle East – expert Q&A

Scott Lucas, University College Dublin After 15 months of bitter conflict on the Gaza Strip, a ceasefire deal has been agreed which promises an end to the fighting and will allow for the access of food and other desperately needed humanitarian aid to the civilian population. Since the Israel Defense Forces launched their

Jan 22, 2025

Putin’s obsession with total victory is major obstacle for Trump’s Ukraine plan

Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex Donald Trump has already walked back on his claim that he would solve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours of taking office. Just as he once stated that he would resolve the healthcare crisis in the US easily, then backtracked to say “nobody knew that health care was

Jan 22, 2025

Trump signals he will start pushing for a new world order in first 100 days

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 2025 is widely seen as ushering in a period of significant upheaval for US foreign policy, and a change in the way diplomacy is done. Trump’s favoured style of bluster and threats against foreign leaders already seems to

Dec 17, 2024

What Syria’s rebel takeover means for the region’s major players: Turkey, Iran and Russia

Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex When I was buying coffee at a cafe owned by a Syrian man in the UK on Sunday, I asked him what he made of the news that longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad had been ousted from power. He responded optimistically that he and the 7 million Syrians that

Dec 17, 2024

Response to CEO killing reveals antipathy toward health insurers − but entire patchwork system is to blame for ill feeling

The killing of a UnitedHealthcare executive has prompted a closer look at the health insurance industry. AP Photo/Jim Mone Simon F. Haeder, Texas A&M University The U.S. health care system leaves much to be desired. It is convoluted, fragmented, complex and confusing. Experts have also raised concerns about quality, and disparities are rampant.

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