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Category: Society and politics

Legal aid cuts prevent the police from being held accountable for their actions

Legal aid cuts prevent the police from being held accountable for their actions

Who holds the police to account for their actions? Is it just institutions, such as the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the elected police and crime commissioners, and the forces’ disciplinary procedures? Something that’s often forgotten is the essential role played by lawyers as they try to obtain justice for the individuals who have been wronged […]

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OU research reveals smartphone hazards for refugees en route to Europe

OU research reveals smartphone hazards for refugees en route to Europe

The lives of refugees travelling from war-torn Syria and Iraq to Europe are made more perilous due to a deficit of vital news, Open University research has found. What they need is timely, relevant and reliable information and news, the report learned. The research also found that the smartphones carried by refugees pose both a […]

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Homeless man

Homelessness in our towns and cities: policing disorder?

Dr Daniel McCulloch, an Open University lecturer in criminology and social policy, on the complexities of policing homelessness – looking after the welfare of rough sleepers while trying to move them away from prime city spaces…   Rough sleepers and the police often come into contact on our streets. Policing homeless populations is a complex […]

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Prof Parvati Raghuram

OU geographer earns Royal Geographical Society honour

A top award from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) has been given to The Open University’s Professor of Geography and Migration, Parvati Raghuram in recognition of her “outstanding contribution to geography”. She is among just 21 people worldwide named in their annual awards. Award recognises migration and globalisation research Professor Raghuram has been awarded the Society’s […]

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Voting. Image credit: Thinkstock

Podcast: UK election results summary

The OU’s Dr Richard Heffernan, Interim Head of Politics and International Studies, caught up with OU News over the phone following results of yesterday’s (May 6th) UK elections. In this short podcast, he talks about local elections, the Scottish Parliament result and poll predictions…

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Turin tower block by Victoria Canning

Occupying Turin: refugees breathe life into abandoned buildings of Olympic village

Arriving at the Olympic Village in Turin, the stage for the 2006 Winter Olympics, it is easy to guess which buildings have been maintained as student houses and youth hostels, and which have been occupied by refugees. The peeling blue and grey paint is visible evidence of Olympic enthusiasm turned to detachment. Since 2013, four […]

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Why New York-style rent controls would not work in London

Why New York-style rent controls would not work in London

Unaffordable rents have put New York City’s fabled diversity and creativity at risk. They have forced artists, small businesses and lower-income households out of the central areas, leaving them a monocultural wasteland of bankers and businessmen. Those who stay are crammed into ever more cramped and unsanitary accommodation, while those who now commute from distant […]

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Woman opening her arms up in happiness on top of a mountain. Image credit: Thinkstock

How happiness is challenging GDP as the measure of a country’s health

Denmark reclaimed its place as the happiest country in the world, according to the latest annual World Happiness Report. Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Finland followed in quick succession at the top, while Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi languished at the bottom. The nations that top the usual measure of a country’s health – its […]

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Close up of female accountant or banker making calculations. Image credit: Thinkstock

OU academics review 2016 budget statement

George Osborne today delivered his eighth budget as Chancellor. We spoke to two Open University academics with different areas of expertise to get their take on the headlines… Lecturer in finance Jonquil Lowe on how the budget might impact personal finances… Lecturer in economics Alan Shipman gives an overall summary of today’s budget statement… https://youtu.be/HTRuvF9YWxw

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Ankara, Turkey

Bombing in Ankara: who is fighting who in Turkey?

Hours after Ankara was rocked by the second bomb attack in less than three weeks, killing at least 37 people and injuring 70 others, Turkish jets bombed PKK bases in the Qandil mountains deep inside the Kurdish region of Iraq. Turkish security officials told reporters that two suspects in the bombing had ties to the […]

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