|
|
|
|
The news yesterday that Hungarian voters had opted overwhelmingly to oust the government of Viktor Orbán has been celebrated across Europe. After years of conflict with Brussels, Hungary now looks set to rejoin the fold.
During his time in power, Orbán gained a vice-like grip over Hungary’s news media and built a state-run propaganda machine which pulled out all the stops to re-elect the prime minister. But, writes democracy specialist Alexander Bor, this proved insufficient to persuade voters unhappy with the parlous state of the economy and disenchanted by Orbán’s pro-Putin stance. Bor’s own institution, the Central European University, has operated out of Vienna for the past few years after being targeted by Orbán’s administration and forced out of Budapest. But as Bor notes: “Hungary’s 2026 election has revealed that an information autocracy can have its
limits.”
As the US begins its blockade of Iranian ports, we look at the global economic fallout of the conflict in the MIddle East and find that some countries – notably the US – will fare better than others.
And here’s why we sometimes struggle to see objects that are right under our noses.
|
|
Jonathan Este
Senior International Affairs Editor, Associate Editor
|
|
Viktor Orbán’s propaganda machine and campaign of disinformation failed to convince voters, while Péter Magyar came across as the leader of a credible opposition.
EPA/Tibor Illyes, photocosmos1/Shutterstock
Alexander Bor, Central European University
Even controlling 80% of the media wasn’t enough in the face of a well-organised opposition.
|
William Barton/Shutterstock
Adi Imsirovic, University of Oxford; Antonio Fatás, INSEAD
And a US blockade of the strait of Hormuz is unlikely to ease the situation.
|
Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com
Michelle Spear, University of Bristol
Your brain isn’t just looking – it’s predicting. Here’s why that means you can stare straight at something and still not see it.
|
World
|
-
Amalendu Misra, Lancaster University
After decades of hostility, the Cuban government is allowing Cuban emigrants to return and invest in the private sector.
-
Karina Vamling, Malmö University
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union came rapid societal shifts. In Georgia, people called for the end of the Russification of their country and their culture.
-
Jonathan Este, The Conversation
As Israel continues to pound Lebanon, the chances of a Middle East ceasefire lasting 14 days seem remote.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Tom Frost, Loughborough University
The US may be powerful enough to ignore international law with little short-term consequences, but the UK is not.
-
Matilde Rosina, Brunel University of London
New proposals would introduce a 10-year ‘baseline’ for settlement, with refugees and benefits claimants facing the highest wait times.
-
Valerie van Mulukom, Coventry University
Hobbies are a fun way to turn down the noise and increase focus.
-
Jonathan Tonge, University of Liverpool; Alex Nurse, University of Liverpool; Anwen Elias, Aberystwyth University; Hannah Bunting, University of Exeter; Murray Leith, University of the West of Scotland
Five experts tell us what they will be keeping their eye on during the May elections in England, Scotland and Wales.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Alan Stewart, University of Portsmouth; Peter Howell, University of Portsmouth
Experts explain why some retro games feel magical again while others feel outdated.
-
Alex Fitch, University of Brighton; Louise Curran, University of Birmingham
Two graphic novel biographies of Jane Austen offer alternate, but equally rewarding, ways of recounting her life’s work in fascinating visual styles.
-
Mal James, University of Edinburgh
This excellent V&A exhibition challenges and expands our perception of the catwalk, fostering a deeper respect for the art of fashion and its cultural significance.
-
Anja Shortland, King's College London
In Greece it is now less attractive to sell fishy objects, and riskier to do so repeatedly.
-
Jolel Miah, University of Westminster
Bait is a quietly devastating study of the pressures placed upon British‑Pakistani men navigating identity, racism and aspiration.
|
|
Business + Economy
|
-
Jamie Torrance, Swansea University
New research shows most gamblers misunderstand “free bet” terms, leaving them exposed to far higher costs than expected.
-
Alex Dryden, SOAS, University of London
While Africa and Latin America have dominated these deals, Asia has lagged behind with just 13% of total global ‘debt-for-nature’ swaps.
-
Christoph Siemroth, University of Essex
Price caps can cause supply problems – but there are other options.
|
|
Education
|
-
Natalia López-Hornickel, University of Bath
Young people spend a large part of their daily lives in school: learning, debating, forming friendships and imagining their futures.
|
|
Environment
|
-
Heidi McIlvenny, Queen's University Belfast
Marine protected areas can’t stop pollution flowing in from the land and Northern Ireland’s seagrass meadows are paying the price.
-
Diana R. Andrade-Linares, University of Limerick
Soil fungi “borrow” bacterial genes to control the weather
-
Mokgadi Miranda Hlongwane, Tshwane University of Technology
Rhizobia-based fertiliser technology is cost-effective, non-toxic and sustainable.
-
Jess Neumann, University of Reading
River water is not expected to prove to be less polluted when results are published later this year.
|
|
Health
|
-
Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
Explosions don’t just destroy buildings. Here’s what missiles and drones actually do to the human body, and why the worst damage is often invisible.
-
Amy Pearson, Durham University; Aimee Grant, Swansea University; Monique Botha, Durham University
Research reveals a clear preference for how neurodivergent adults want to be described, though not everyone agrees.
-
Sarah Golding, University of Essex
While corticosteroid injections can be very effective at alleviating the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis, they might not be for everyone.
-
Justin Stebbing, Anglia Ruskin University
A large new study finds unmarried adults face significantly higher cancer rates, but the real story is about what marriage represents, not what it does.
|
|
| | |
