Martin Kear, University of Sydney - Despite the euphoria surrounding the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Gaza is still wracked with violence. More than two dozen Palestinians have been killed in recent days in clashes between Hamas and members of various clans. Hamas has also reportedly executed blindfolded men in a public square. With the Israeli military withdrawing to pre-determined ceasefire lines, Hamas members are beginning to re-assert their control. However,...

J. Robert Branston, University of Bath and Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath - The privatisation of water companies in England and Wales was supposed to bring efficiency and investment to a vital sector that had...

By Margaret Ellis ~ Where they recall Türkiye, Istanbul cityscape silhouette or blue Aegean shores beach. But a different story of Turkey—where time slumbers, millennia hold the stones of tangle old worlds in awe, and gracious hosts are no obstacle to be overcome but an art to be savored. That is Anatolia, a history-shy and king-like nation with so much history, culture, and geography to burst the heart. Hattusa: Impressions of the Hittite Empire Hidden deep in north-central Turkey is the Hattusa, capital of the Hittite Empire. Ruins of Hattusa, rock-city gates, and walls all bear witness to the existence of competing Egypt and Mesopotamia of the Bronze Age. Amidst its ruins—the...

French Onion Soup – a traditional recipe. Love this time of year. Our temperatures have slightly dropped.  The sun is not as intense.  The mornings are cooler as well as our evenings. Soup is just calling my name this time of the year and onion soup makes it to the top of my favorite soups to make. Warm, savory, easy, and flavorful made with beef stock, wine, and loads of onions.  And, do not forget, topped with loads of cheese over French baguette slices. Heavenly! My version of the French onion soup recipe is very rich and sustaining due to the oxtail, the toasted bread, and loads of cheese that accompany it....

Justin Roberts, Anglia Ruskin University; Joseph Lillis, Anglia Ruskin University, and Mark Cortnage, Anglia Ruskin University Ageing is an inevitable part of life, which may explain our strong fascination with the quest for longevity. The allure of eternal youth drives a multi-billion pound industry ranging from anti-ageing products, supplements and diets for those hoping to extend their lifespan. If you look back to the turn of the 20th century, average life expectancy in the UK was around 46 years. Today, it’s closer to 82 years. We are in fact living longer than ever before, possibly due to medical advancements and improved living and working conditions. But living longer has also come at...

Comprehending the sufferings of the times' socio-political wars, emergent Palestinian artists turn to the arts—music, cinema, and poetry—lens to be narrative, culture, and world voice. New artists use their imagination to tell of individual and collective existence, rewriting only histories of Palestinian being and presence. There are Palestinian young musicians...

Lebanese literature from Lebanon is exquisite rich perspective of survival, history, and culture in Levant. Question-begotten sense without limits invites Lebanese writers to create identity, war, and being human in whatever literary piece they want to produce. Lebanese writers have written all kinds of histories aside from books, poems, essays,...