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The UK government is revising the controversial policy of destroying recordings of trials in England and Wales after seven years, an investigation for The Conversation has revealed. The longstanding policy had been heavily criticised by lawyers and miscarriage of justice campaigners, who said the destruction of court records made challenging a conviction almost impossible.
In our latest Insights story, Brian Thornton, a journalism lecturer and senior fellow at Winchester University, explains how he found out about the change in policy following a Freedom of Information investigation. He says: “In its responses to me, the Ministry of Justice publicly disclosed for the first time that trial records will now be kept at least as long as the prison sentence – and possibly indefinitely.”
Elsewhere on the site, we look at a Liverpool research group which is challenging ideas about “blue zones”, supposedly special areas of the world where people live longer, by showing even people in areas with low life expectancy can be helped to make changes that reshape their health in later life. And we have the fascinating story about why it’s taken 800 years for the bones of St Francis of Assisi to go on display.
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Paul Keaveny
Investigations Editor, Insights
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Alexander Supertramp/Shutterstock
Brian Thornton, University of Winchester
The MoJ has publicly disclosed for the first time that trial records will now be kept at least as long as the prison sentence – and possibly indefinitely.
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Lucigerma/Shutterstock
Krisztina Rudolf, Liverpool John Moores University
You don’t have to live in a special “blue zone” to be live longer.
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A statue of St Francis in front of the Basilica dei Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome.
Giuseppe Barletta / Shutterstock
William Crozier, Durham University
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to pay homage to the remains of the 11th-century saint famous for his love of the natural world.
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World
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Sanam Mahoozi, City St George's, University of London
The US military buildup in the Middle East is now sufficient for Trump to order military action against Iran at any moment.
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Politics + Society
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Simon Peplow, University of Warwick
Immigration is fuelled by people moving for work, family or better opportunities.
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Pauline Maclaran, Royal Holloway, University of London
The royal family appear to have navigated their responses to the potential tarnishing of the monarchy in both official and unofficial ways.
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Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham
The number of people holding both British and EU passports increased significantly between 2011 and 2021.
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Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
Polling byelections is notoriously difficult so to predict a winner, you need to combine a variety of data.
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Arts + Culture
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Catherine Wheatley, King's College London
A film about religion that eschews all of the accepted thinking of what makes such a film revelatory.
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Laura O'Flanagan, Dublin City University
Modern cinema has become less interested in idealised depictions of motherhood, and more concerned with their inner lives – however messy.
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Fiona Brehony, The Open University
People who have lived in a place for decades hold memories that city planners cannot see.
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Matt Jacobsen, Queen Mary University of London
The film is an extraordinarily intense, probing experience that requires an actor of Rose Byrne’s calibre.
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Anna Drury, Lancaster University
Isabella Linton is reimagined as a kink-loving submissive, instead of a strong survivor of domestic abuse.
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Business + Economy
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Abdul Wase Samim, Aston University
The model – based on justice and social responsibility – is not just for Muslim investors.
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Environment
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Abdul Wase Samim, Aston University
The model – based on justice and social responsibility – is not just for Muslim investors.
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Fiona Brehony, The Open University
People who have lived in a place for decades hold memories that city planners cannot see.
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Jess Neumann, University of Reading
As the UK experiences high levels of rain, Somerset Levels in the south-west of England is trying to cope with extreme flooding and its consequences.
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Lionel Smith, Anglia Ruskin University
The hard science behind these dainty flowers.
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Health
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Sarah Morrow, University of Oxford
Evidence from multiple trials links weight loss with milder symptoms and improved wellbeing in people with psoriasis.
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Georgia Chronaki, University of Lancashire
People who have rejection sensitivity may experience anger, shame or shut down emotionally when they’re criticised or feel like they’ve been criticised.
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Science + Technology
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Dareen Toro, RAND Europe
Ofcom and the EU have launched investigations into the chatbot.
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Jess Neumann, University of Reading
As the UK experiences high levels of rain, Somerset Levels in the south-west of England is trying to cope with extreme flooding and its consequences.
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Lionel Smith, Anglia Ruskin University
The hard science behind these dainty flowers.
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