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“What can a person do when their home – that place within them that carries so much meaning – has effectively been murdered?”
So writes the author of our latest Insights long read, the Oxford academic Ammar Azzouz. Azzouz was forced to flee his home in Homs, Syria, 12 years ago as the war there began tearing apart streets and neighbourhoods.
He examines how modern wars, whether in Iraq, Ukraine, Syria or Yemen, are increasingly putting civilians on the frontline, turning cities into battlefields and displacing millions across the world. Azzouz has spent his years in exile researching how to rebuild cities after war and it is here where he sees glimmers of hope. As long as reconstruction isn’t taken out of the hands of the local population by “star architects” with their own visions.
Elsewhere, an expert in agriculture, food and health looks into those miniature leafy salad crops known as microgreens to see just how healthy they are. And have you ever wondered what would happen to your body if you got stuck in a walk-in freezer, like an unfortunate Pret a Manger worker reportedly did? We find out here.
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Paul Keaveny
Investigations Editor
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Photograph from 2022 shows how buildings in Homs, Syria, remain in ruins years after destruction.
Provided to author with request of anonymity.
Ammar Azzouz, University of Oxford
Wars are no longer fought in the trenches, they’re fought in the streets and civilians are on the frontline.
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Natallia Khlapushyna/Alamy Stock Photo
Carol Wagstaff, University of Reading
Young vegetables, known as microgreens, are said to be good for your health.
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The employee was only wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
Cast Of Thousands/ Shutterstock
Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
The bizarre case of a Pret a Manger employee being stuck in a -18℃ freezer for two-and-a-half hours highlights the dangers of cold temperatures.
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Politics + Society
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Catherine Durose, University of Liverpool; Vivien Lowndes, University of Birmingham
Institutional misogyny affects women and girls every day, not just in cases of horrific violence.
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Daniel Salisbury, King's College London
Despite the UN sanctions against North Korea, Russia is apparently trading weapons and technology which could help Pyongyang’s missile programme.
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Arts + Culture
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Leighan M Renaud, University of Bristol
This well-researched book brings to life the odd case of Sir Roger Tichborne and those around him.
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Fiona Scott, University of Sheffield
A concerning range of digital games played by children are still failing to build in progressive representations of disability and diverse bodies.
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Business + Economy
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George Kladakis, Edinburgh Napier University; Alexandros Skouralis, City, University of London
A swift intervention by the US Federal Reserve has kept most banks on their feet, but September/October is often the time when financial crises come to a head.
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Abhisek Kuanr, University of Essex; Debasis Pradhan, XLRI Xavier School of Management
Fake social media campaigns can negatively affect both influencers and brands.
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Environment
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Philip C J Donoghue, University of Bristol; James Clark, University of Bristol; Sandy Hetherington, The University of Edinburgh
Plants have not lost their capacity for innovation over the years, finds new study.
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Science + Technology
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Blake Morton, University of Hull; Kristy Adaway, University of Hull
Research shows urban foxes may not be getting more cunning, as people believe.
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