The Latest Breaking News from the British Academy

Humanities among degrees being ‘extinguished’ by hard-up universities

Exclusive: Experts fear rise in education ‘cold spots’ and social immobility as 4,000 academic posts lost in one year

The Guardian - UK · Jul 14

'Trust has been so eroded': Philosopher Miranda Fricker on epistemic injustice today

A world-renowned philosopher has told FRANCE 24 she's still shocked that 20 years after she coined the phrase "epistemic injustice", she is still talking about it. Miranda Fricker is now Julius Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University and co-director of the New York Institute of Philosophy. She's also…

France 24 · May 26

Amazon is making drone deliveries in the UK – here’s why nimbyism could hamper a wider rollout

There is a new buzz around Darlington: the sound of delivery drones. This northern English town is now the only place outside the US where retail giant Amazon offers airborne delivery to people’s homes via its Prime Air company.

The Conversation · May 12

Indian townships are rebuilding after landslides – but not everyone will benefit

In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

The Conversation · Jan 19

US action against Greenland would undermine Nato, but now is not the time to panic

Shortly after the US military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on January 3, US president Donald Trump restated his claim to Greenland. The White House sees Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, as crucial for national security and is reportedly considering a range of options…

The Conversation · Jan 7

EU agrees €90 billion loan to Ukraine, but squabbles over frozen Russian assets expose the bloc’s deep divisions

By agreeing to provide a loan of €90 billion (£79 billion) for the years 2026-2027, EU leaders have set the direction for the future of support for Ukraine.

The Conversation · Dec 19, 2025

Many shoppers take a strange comfort of buying now and paying later – but it can come with a sting after Christmas

It’s that time of year again, and retailers are pulling out all the stops to get us spending – from Black Friday to new year’s sales.

The Conversation · Dec 18, 2025

Telling people to use antibiotics responsibly isn’t enough. What will work instead

Antimicrobial resistance is projected to cause up to 10 million deaths each year by 2050, making it one of the most pressing global health challenges of this century. In 2021, an estimated 4.71 million deaths were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance.

The Conversation · Dec 8, 2025

Ukraine: another week of diplomatic wrangling leaves Kyiv short of defensive options

Following another week of diplomatic flip-flopping in the United States, Ukraine’s European allies did not disappoint when it came to the fulsomeness of their diplomatic rhetoric. Yet concrete action to strengthen the capabilities Ukraine needs to win the war remained at a snail’s pace.

The Conversation · Oct 27, 2025

Do British people want to leave the ECHR? What a decade of polls reveals

Withdrawing the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), once a fringe idea, has become a defining issue for political parties. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who previously opposed leaving, has now said the Conservatives will take the UK out of the convention if they win an election.

The Conversation · Oct 9, 2025