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In 2020, a play called Finist the Bright Falcon premiered in Moscow. It sought to understand the decisions of a group of young Russian women who were seduced online to become brides of Isis fighters and charged with terrorism offences when they returned home. Three years later, the theatre world was shocked when the women behind the play, writer Svetlana Petriychuk and director Evgeniya Berkovich, were themselves arrested.
The pair were charged with terrorism offences relating to Isis propaganda. If found guilty, they could face up to seven years in prison. While there’s seemingly no substantial evidence of their guilt, with the acquittal rate in the country’s courts standing at less than 1%, their chances don’t look good, as professor of Russian literature Julie Curtis explains.
Elsewhere, a new study has shown that the rising rate of divorce in Sweden is boosting gender equality – almost half of children with separated parents in the country now split their time equally between the two households. And professors of housing and public policy explain why Labour’s plan to ban tenant bidding wars might be easier said than done.
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Anna Walker
Senior Arts + Culture Editor
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Svetlana Petriychuk on trial in Moscow.
EPA-EFE/Yuri Kochetkov
Julie Curtis, University of Oxford
It is the first time a playwright and director have been put on trial for a play in Russia.
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Malinka333/Shutterstock
Helen Eriksson, Stockholm University
Almost half of children in Sweden with separated parents now split their time equally between the two households.
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Diego Schtutman/Shutterstock
Alex Marsh, University of Bristol; Kenneth Gibb, University of Glasgow
Keir Starmer says a Labour government would take action to stop bidding rounds organised by landlords, but will it work?
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World
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Dafydd Townley, University of Portsmouth
US academic Dafyyd Townley watched the debate and gives his rundown of key moments.
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Joel Rookwood, University College Dublin
Georgia’s football team has surpassed expectations as political turmoil rumbles on at home.
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Robyn Klingler-Vidra, King's College London; Ba-Linh Tran, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City
Russia and Vietnam pledge to strengthen ties as Vladimir Putin visits Hanoi.
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Sambit Bhattacharyya, University of Sussex
The west wants to punish Russia for the war in Ukraine, but there are huge potential downsides.
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Politics + Society
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Sam Power, University of Sussex
When the serious melds with the absurd, it’s easy to react in the wrong way.
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Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
An expected low turnout could threaten Labour’s poll lead.
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Alia Middleton, University of Surrey; David Cutts, University of Birmingham
Rishi Sunak hasn’t visited a hospital yet, which is a very unusual move for a prime minister.
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Rachel Saunders, University of Nottingham
The Equality Act does not explicitly state what a man or woman is, or cover non-binary identities.
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Arts + Culture
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Howard Monk, University of Southampton
The event benefits hugely from extensive coverage on the BBC.
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Anna Walker, The Conversation
The top picks from our academic experts, from Fancy Dance to House of the Dragon.
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Tania Phipps-Rufus, University of East London
The show goes some way to correcting the historical oversight of the significant impact of models on fashion culture.
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Business + Economy
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Robert Gausden, University of Portsmouth
Gordon Brown’s reforms to CGT encouraged stock market speculators and private equity asset strippers, while it was the Thatcher government that brought rates into line with income tax.
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Conor O'Kane, Bournemouth University
The 1944 conference to create a post-war international monetary system marked the beginning of America’s global dominance.
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Environment
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Keith Hiscock, Marine Biological Association
Although marine conservation around Britain has shown some success, many of the tools that are in use today are irrelevant, or missing entirely.
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Health
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Marko Nikolic, UCL; Kaylee Worlock, UCL
In a human ‘challenge trial’ we deliberately infected volunteers with COVID to get the answer.
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Judith Dyson, Birmingham City University; Fiona Cowdell, Birmingham City University
No matter how messy the festival, keep your hands clean.
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Rahul Sidhu, University of Sheffield
This study confirms what many smaller studies have previously shown about the role genetics plays when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease.
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Orla Muldoon, University of Limerick
Adverse outcomes post-trauma are most likely experienced by those who’re isolated, blamed for their own misfortune, or displaced or disconnected from their family or community
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Science + Technology
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Adrian Hopgood, University of Portsmouth
The past can tell us lots about the future when it comes to artificial intelligence.
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