World press releases

Traditional fuel cooking giving off polluting smoke

Zambia runs on mostly green power, but households use polluting cooking fuel: study suggests how to fix this

Zambia, like many African countries, is facing a crisis over clean cooking fuel. Over 80% of the population still relies on polluting fuels like charcoal and firewood. This exposes families to toxic indoor air, deepens poverty and gender inequality, drives deforestation, and adds to climate change.
The minister of youth and empowerment from Ghana meets staff at Loughborough University

Loughborough University welcomes Ghana youth minister to discuss future partnership

Ghana’s Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment George Opare-Addo visited the East Midlands today to meet academics from Loughborough University and talk about a possible research collaboration.
Canadian flag and ballot box

“The ‘Trump effect’ led Canadians to choose continuity over change, and technocracy over populism” – expert comments on why Canadians chose Liberal

After the Liberal party’s stunning political turnaround in the 2025 Canadian Election earlier this week, politics and international relations expert, Dr Chris Zebrowski, comments on what swayed the Canadian public towards government newcomer, Mark Carney.

pope francis

How Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s foreign policy

When the late Pope Francis first stepped on to the balcony of Saint Peter’s Basilica following his election 12 years ago, he remarked that he had been called almost from the “end of the world”. He was the first non-European pontiff since Gregory III, elected in AD731, who was of Syrian origin. And he was the first pope in history to come from Latin America.
Iran and US flags together

Iran and US to enter high-stakes nuclear negotiations – hampered by a lack of trust

The announcement of planned talks between the US and Iran in Oman signifies a crucial development – especially given the history of distrust and animosity that has characterised their interactions.
White House silhouette with economic graphics

“Donald Trump fails to understand that America has prospered for 80 years because global trade agreements have facilitated US companies, to develop technologies and operate across the globe.”

After Donald Trump announced a new set of tariffs that sent economic shockwaves around the world, Dr Huw Edwards, an expert in international economic relations, and trade theory and policy, comments on how Donald Trump’s flawed understanding of economics is not going to make their country great again.

graphic of america with tariffs on

‘Rise of the Regions’ - a scenario in which countries respond to global trade tensions by retreating into localised production

Later today, Donald Trump is preparing to unveil sweeping tariffs, that analysts fear could push up prices and trigger a trade war. Dr Arman Mazhikeyev, a researcher in international trade, barriers to trade, and regional trade agreements, explains what the economic implications could be for these actions.

The word 'English' in the dictionary

“Speak English!” Has Donald Trump weaponised English by making it the official language of the United States?

President Trump’s recent executive order, Designating English as the Official Language of the United States, declares that "it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one - and only one – official language.”
A small sprout coming out of soil with edited circles around it to give it a tech/AI feel.

New AI model can measure weed growth – here's how it could help ensure global food security

A new AI model has been developed that can quickly tell how much weeds have grown – and it could help ensure global food security by accelerating the development of next generation herbicides.

shadows of people playing football in the sunset

The world’s first global thematic report on sport trafficking unveils critical insights into exploitation

Loughborough University, in partnership with Mission 89 and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch of the British Parliament, has released the first-ever comprehensive global thematic report on sport trafficking.
Ice floating around in the arctic sea

Growing Trump-Putin detente could spell trouble for the Arctic

During a wide-ranging 90-minute speech to the US congress of March 4, Donald Trump revisited his determination to “get” Greenland “one way or the other”. Trump said his country needed Greenland “for national security”. While he said he and his government “strongly support your right to determine your own future” he added that “if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America”.
The Capitol building in the US

The Trump revolution: where it came from and where it’s going

As Donald Trump prepares for his inauguration, the world is preparing for the beginning of the second Trump Revolution. Trump’s second term will be very different from his first, when his powers were more limited and restrained. In 2016 he did not win a majority of the popular vote.
Fighters flying the Syrian flag

Syria: fall of Assad a blow for Iran’s ‘Shia crescent’ – here are its foreign policy options in the new-look Middle East

When Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite minority member, seized control of the Ba'ath Party in Syria in 1970, he faced a significant backlash. The Syrian Constitution stipulated that only Muslims could hold the presidency, and the Alawites were deemed non-Muslim by many Sunni groups.
A woman working in the Global South

Rethinking the circular economy to benefit the Global South

As the world embraces the circular economy (CE) as a solution to the global sustainability crisis, experts warn that without integrating social justice into its framework, CE could inadvertently deepen existing inequalities – particularly in the Global South.
A woman uses the Aftrak tractor in Malawi.

“We are no longer living in the dark.” – Malawi communities praise impact of Loughborough initiative

People living in rural villages throughout Malawi have praised the impact of a Loughborough University initiative that aims to bring affordable green energy and food security to communities across Africa.
rural Zimbabwe mountains in the background three huts in the foreground

Green energy for all: Zimbabwe will need a new social contract to roll out projects like solar power

The Zimbabwean government is racing against time to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, the race towards green energy is top-down and mostly privatised. New technology is being introduced or sold to individuals or small families, but renewable energy is not being made part of a decent life for the entire community. Sustainable transitions researchers Ellen Fungisai Chipango and Long Seng To have researched ways to use the communal ethic of African ubuntu, expressed as “a person is a person through other persons”, in the rollout of renewable energy.
A blue globe with lines going around it, you can see different countries on the globe with lights making them look active

IT outage causes issues across the globe: cyber resilience researchers react

Andrew Peck, a cyber resilience PhD researcher at Loughborough University who, prior to joining the institute, had a career delivering IT solutions to big industry, healthcare and government, and Professor Oli Buckley, an expert in cyber security, have reacted to the IT outage news.
doctor with covid vaccine and syringe

People who hold populist beliefs are more likely to believe misinformation about COVID – new report

Over a fifth of Americans and Poles surveyed believed that COVID-19 vaccines can change people’s DNA.
A mobile phone with the words Fake News on the screen

Election disinformation: how AI-powered bots work and how you can protect yourself from their influence

Social media platforms have become more than mere tools for communication. They’ve evolved into bustling arenas where truth and falsehood collide.
Pictured is a farmer spraying their crops with a water mist, with mountains in the background. The image is in yellow tones, making the climate appear warm.

Global food production at risk as rising temperatures threaten farmers’ physical ability to work – new study

The future of global food production is under threat as temperature rises will impact farmers’ physical capacity to work, a new study has revealed.
A pan of steaming food on the hob

Why traditional cooking isn’t always healthier: the case of Ghanaians in Manchester and in Accra

In popular discussions of healthy eating, including political rhetoric and nutrition counselling, women are often blamed for a lack of nutrition knowledge or cooking skills, leading to the assumption that a decline in cooking skills is connected with unhealthy diets and obesity. This has been called a “deficit approach” and my research with Ghanaian women set out to challenge some of its assumptions.
Ghana football fans look at the camera

Africa Cup of Nations showcases the continent’s finest footballers – and China’s economic clout

When the Africa Cup of Nations begins on January 13, the opening match between Guinea Bissau and the hosts, Ivory Coast, will be played at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The state-of-the-art venue is one of six stadiums being used during the football tournament.
person being rescued by stretcher in war torn Ukraine

BESIEGED PODCAST: “The sound of bombs, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, was nonstop.” Ukrainian aid workers describe life on the frontline

Loughborough University graduate Madeline MacKenzie is in Ukraine working for a humanitarian aid agency, STAY SAFE UA – set up by five friends who refused to stand by and watch people suffer. Earlier this year, Madeline, Andriy, Taras, Yuriy, David and Libby (the rescue dog) visited Loughborough’s London campus to talk to Peter Warzynski – host of the University’s Besieged podcast – to give firsthand accounts of the war which ravages their home.

Wind farm over looking the sea

New Electricity Transition Playbook will help developing nations switch to clean energy

A practical guide aimed at helping developing nations switch from traditional fuel sources to clean energy has been launched online.

Loughborough development helps provide green hydrogen cooking and electricity for African communities

A first of its kind development at Loughborough University will aim to provide green hydrogen cooking and electricity for those living in off-grid communities in Africa.