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Professor Jonathan Darling on the use of hotels in housing asylum seekers

The UK Government is seeking to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers. Professor Jonathan Darling, from our Department of Geography, explains the situation and how ‘asylum hotels’ became so contentious.
A group of women standing around with bags on the floor.

Has immigration led to a new form of labour market protectionism in Europe?

Drawing on a study of legislative changes in Austria, Germany, Ireland and the UK, Omar Hammoud-Gallego, Pat McGovern and Eiko Thielemann identify a new development in immigration control that extends beyond borders into the workplace.
A welder at work wearing a visor with sparks showing.

Enslaved Africans, an uprising and an ancient farming system in Iraq: study sheds light on timelines

Written accounts tell the story of the Zanj rebellion – a slave revolt that took place in the late 9th century in southern Iraq. Some of the rebels were enslaved Africans working in various sectors of the local economy. Here Honorary Fellow in Archaeology, Peter Brown sheds new light on the timelines.
In southern Iraq, a massive agricultural system was likely built by enslaved Africans who ended up staging a revolt. Courtesy the authors/Cambridge University Press

The UK Space Agency has been absorbed into the science department. The potential effects are still unclear

The UK Space Agency has become part of the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Dr Bleddyn Bowen, Associate Professor in Astropolitics and Space Warfare, in our School of Government and International Affairs (SGIA), looks at what this might mean.
The Sun rising above the horizon of the Earth as seen from space.

A Bermuda stalagmite reveals how the Gulf Stream shifted – and what it might do as the climate changes further

An ancient Bermuda stalagmite has revealed more about past shifting of the Gulf Stream. Professor James Baldini, in our Department of Earth Sciences, and PhD candidate Edward Forman, Climate Tipping Points, University of Southampton, tell us more and what it could mean for a major system of ocean currents.
A cave with stalactites hanging from the ceiling being reflected in a pool of water beneath them.

From Army to Academia: History PhD Student Becomes BBC New Generation Thinker

PhD student and former soldier Ashleigh Percival-Borley is exploring the untold stories of World War II's Special Operations Executive. She has recently been announced as a BBC New Generation Thinker for 2025. We caught up with Ashleigh to find out more about this, her research and how being a military veteran informs her work.
Ashleigh Percival-Borley facing the camera smiling