Universities and politicians briefed on China and Russia spy threat Intelligence chiefs have met with leaders of 70 universities over security threats The Independent UK · Feb 9
Why threats to academic freedom are growing – and how universities can respond to intimidation Recent accusations that China pressured a UK university into pausing research on alleged human rights violations have raised questions about the state of academic freedom. The Conversation · Nov 10, 2025
MPs preparing to examine Chinese state influence at British universities Committee’s inquiry into review of UK-China relations to be broadened after Sheffield Hallam University disclosures The Guardian - UK · Nov 10, 2025
China’s threat to academic freedom in the UK Letters: Sara Rydkvist, the Hong Kong programme director of Amnesty International, and Francis Bown on the threat from China to academic freedom on British campuses The Guardian - UK · Nov 7, 2025
China-critical UK academics describe ‘extremely heavy’ pressure from Beijing Reliance on overseas students’ tuition fees under scrutiny as scholars describe chilling effect of being targeted The Guardian - UK · Nov 6, 2025
Counter-terror police investigate claim UK university halted research after Chinese pressure Sheffield Hallam University ordered professor to cease human rights study into Uyghurs forced labour in China The Guardian - UK · Nov 4, 2025
UK university halted forced labour research after China pressure, lawyers claim Leigh Day Solicitors said documents from Sheffield Hallam University suggested it had banned Professor Laura Murphy from continuing her research. Evening Standard · Nov 3, 2025
China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research - report Professor Laura Murphy says university staff in Beijing ‘harassed’ by Chinese authorities The Independent UK · Nov 3, 2025
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities The Guardian - UK · Nov 3, 2025
Passengers forced to pay thousands after flights cancelled during off-grid trek Exclusive: ‘We decided to pay more for Qatar Airways to be more secure’ – trekker Laura Murphy The Independent UK · Nov 20, 2024
What do we know about forced labour in Xinjiang? Beijing says labour transfers are poverty alleviation tool, but research raises concerns schemes are not voluntary The Guardian - UK · Nov 13, 2023
Illinois lawmakers banned campaign contributions from red-light camera companies but take them anyway Among those accepting campaign contributions after supporting what was portrayed as reform legislation: Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. Chicago Sun-Times · Oct 20, 2023
‘My self-worth plummeted every month’: the hidden disorder that can ruin women’s lives PMDD is a little-known condition that causes depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for a significant proportion of women. Sufferers and experts talk about its devastating effects, and the fight to improve diagnosis The Guardian - UK · Oct 16, 2023
The Dismissal review – Gough Whitlam musical both delights and drags Seymour Centre, SydneyNarrated by Norman Gunston, this musical about the former prime minister and the events of 1975 is often funny – but it’s messy and overstuffed The Guardian - AU · Sep 6, 2023
The Conversation · Sep 6, 2023 ‘An extremely serious musical comedy’ about Whitlam? Yes. The Dismissal is great fun, witty and sharply observed The Whitlam government has a mythical status in the Australian popular imagination. While it lasted less than two full terms between December 1972 and November 1975, it has had an outsized cultural presence ever since.
The Independent UK · May 3, 2023 Illinois lawmakers push back on library book bans Illinois lawmakers approved a measure requiring libraries to adopt an anti-book banning policy in order to receive state funding, in a Wednesday vote that fissured along party lines
ABC News · Apr 21, 2023 Asherman's syndrome can affect fertility. But many women say they struggled to get diagnosed These women had never heard of Asherman's syndrome before they were diagnosed with it. They're calling for greater awareness of the rare condition that can affect fertility.
The Guardian - UK · Apr 21, 2023 ‘Unzip your tent and take in the magic’: readers’ favourite UK campsites From the wild Highlands to the sunny Scilly Isles, our campers enjoy the simple pleasures of life: beaches, walks and stargazing
Al Jazeera · Apr 14, 2023 Exposed: The links between Indonesia’s deforestation and Xinjiang Chinese demand for Indonesian wood pulp is propping up industry ostracised elsewhere over sustainability concerns.
The Independent UK · Mar 23, 2023 House China panel turns focus to plight of Uyghurs Two women who experienced life in Chinese “re-education” camps for Uyghurs will be among the witnesses as a special House committee focused on countering China shines a light on human rights abuses in the country
Axios · Feb 6, 2023 The coming China-EV showdown in Congress Congress is launching probes into the EV industry's reliance on China and the potential risks to national security and efforts to prevent forced labor abroad.
The Guardian - UK · Nov 23, 2022 Major funds exposed to companies allegedly engaged in Uyghur repression in China Report finds stock indexes provided by MSCI include companies using forced labour or constructing surveillance state in Xinjiang
The Conversation · Oct 31, 2022 Bell Shakespeare's The Lovers is a sugar-fuelled, ironic adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream for Gen Z Review: The Lovers, directed by Shaun Rennie.
The Guardian - AU · Oct 29, 2022 The Lovers review – Shakespeare musical charms, but doesn’t always deliver The Playhouse, Sydney Opera HouseBell Shakespeare’s first ever musical puts some pop into A Midsummer Night’s Dream – and it is good fun, if you don’t think too hard about it
The Independent UK · Oct 25, 2022 UK court to hear Uyghur demands to ban Xinjiang cotton A Uyghur organization and a human rights group are taking the U.K. government to court to challenge Britain’s failure to block the import of cotton products associated with forced labor and other abuses in China’s far western Xinjiang region