News – Page 5 of 37 – The Orbital

‘A Doctor’s Oath, A Dictator’s Rule: The Making of Bashar Al-Assad’

1Feb

By Sakeenah ButtNo Comments

News

‘A Doctor’s Oath, A Dictator’s Rule: The Making of Bashar Al-Assad’

Sakeenah Waqas Butt, Associate News Editor The fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s 24-year rule in Syria has led to widespread celebration in Damascus and in the homes of the Syrian diaspora. Following a 13-year civil war between Assad and opposition forces, the leader fled on the 8th of December 2024. Before his rule, Assad was on a shockingly different trajectory - an eye doctor in London. Before presidency, Bashar was described to be in the shadow of his extroverted older brother, Bassel Al-Assad, as people perceived Bashar as more reserved. Bashar graduated in 1988 from the University of Damascus with a degree in medicine. He then decided to pursue his residency at the Tishreen military hospital before he travelled to the UK to work. Despite his family’s involvement in politics, Bas...

17Jan

By Evelyn Fernandez-JarvisNo Comments

News

What Happened on the 5th of November?

By Evelyn Fernandez-Jarvis, Deputy Editor-in-Chief 05.11.24 This is a date that will go down in history. This is the day that the 47th president was introduced to the world. After a long wait of campaigning we finally got to see state by state whether they would go blue or red. I am sure like a lot of people that we were all anticipating the announcement of the new president of the United States. On the 5th of November I was staring at my laptop watching the American map turn blue or red. This feeling of not knowing what would happen was excruciatingly long, and yet at the same time the result felt already known. At some point in the night I closed my laptop knowing that the election had clearly been won. Now confirmed that the 47th president will be Donald Trump.&nb...

17Jan

By Madeline SidgwickNo Comments

News

The Focus on Being Female

By Madeline Sidgwick -- Editor-in-Chief British politics has undeniably diversified in the last 50 years, especially from a gender perspective. However, as women enter parliament, more specifically entering a ministerial role, we must consider why it is gender that gets pointed out first. Headlines of ‘The First Female Chancellor’ were splashed onto the front pages of newspapers as Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour Budget in 14 years. Now I am not aiming to remove from Reeves’ achievements in becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer, but it must be questioned why it was her gender rather than her policies that were the opening lines in most articles this October. Reeves herself eloquently paid homage to being the first women to have the role stating, “to girls and young wom...

‘An Obituary for Counterculture: A plea for its rebirth, and the subsequent reformation of societal truth.’

18Nov

By Alex RobsonNo Comments

News

‘An Obituary for Counterculture: A plea for its rebirth, and the subsequent reformation of societal truth.’

By Alex Robson, Senior News Editor Prior to the Labour Party’s success in the latest UK General Election, recent political agendas strived to diminish the arts and creatives alike. Through the medium of culture wars and a lack of funding, Conservative Cabinets of late have managed to destabilise and disestablish the society of the arts. Both creativity and counterculture have been rendered unattainable. But what effect does this have on our society? How can societal truth be found within the arts and, more crucially, counterculture? At the steps of the Albertina Museum in Vienna, I stood, with this exact question, with the hope that, perhaps, I could find a suitable answer. Neo Rauch was, at the time, an unfamiliar name to me, however, his paintings quickly became revolutionary...

‘Unveiling P Diddy: Sean Combs charged and incarcerated’

17Nov

By Sakeenah ButtNo Comments

News

‘Unveiling P Diddy: Sean Combs charged and incarcerated’

Sakeenah Waqas Butt, Associate News Editor On September 16th 2024, Sean Combs, known as P Diddy, was arrested at a hotel in New York, following racketeering conspiracy, sexual assault and sexual trafficking charges. Combs, who is described as “one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the past three decades” by Sky News, founded the globally known music media company, Bad Boy Records. The “music mogul”, a label used for Combs by many media outlets, was widely known in the industry for hosting grand parties with famous artists in attendance including Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Beyonce. Although Combs was celebrated vastly within the music industry, with celebrities eager for his sought-after party invitations, he has a turbulent history with lawsuits an...

The Psychological Effects of Witnessing Cruelty to Animals on Social Media: An Interview with Dr Kieschnick and Dr Lawlor

17Feb

By Felix PoréeNo Comments

Lifestyle, News, Opinion

The Psychological Effects of Witnessing Cruelty to Animals on Social Media: An Interview with Dr Kieschnick and Dr Lawlor

By Felix Porée Royal Holloway graduate Felix Porée, who is studying for his MA in War Studies at Kings College London, recently collaborated with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics to interview Dr Dustin Kieschnick and Dr Katie Lawlor. Dr Kieschnick holds a Doctorate of Psychology as a graduate of the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium as well as being a licensed clinical psychologist, and Dr Lawlor holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Stanford and specialises in the human-animal bond, grief, and pet loss. Felix specialises in the studies of 19th-century German philosophy, ethics, and terrorism. More information can be found via his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixporee/ In a discussion centred around animal cruelty and its links with social media, Felix, Dus...

Luton Town Football Club Face £120,000 Fine for Homophobic Chants

9Jan

By Beth McCowenNo Comments

News, Sports & Socs

Luton Town Football Club Face £120,000 Fine for Homophobic Chants

Image by Sky Sports By Beth McCowen Luton Town Football Club has been hit with a £120,000 fine and a two year action plan by the FA. The club has accepted the charge, which is a consequence of an incident that took place during the Town’s first game of the 2023/24 season on August 12th in Brighton, where a portion of the away side’s fans took part homophobic chanting. The action taken by the FA in this instance sends a strong message to both clubs and their supporters regarding the importance of stamping out all forms of discrimination. Luton were promoted to the Premier League, the top tier of football in England, after the 2022/23 season came to an end. Prior to this breakthrough, they had not been a part of the country’s top flight in footbal...

16Nov

By Madelaine GrayNo Comments

News

Prime Minister in Waiting?

Keir Starmer may be the presumptive PM, but where’s the vision? By Madelaine Gray The polls show it, the pundits are promising it, and everyone with an interest in politics across the country is holding their breath in anticipation (whether joyful or despairing) for the next general election. It is pretty much undeniable that Labour will win at the next nationwide polling day. Trust in politics across the spectrum is crumbling, but the Conservative Party has internal schisms so large it seems unfathomable that they could cross the post to win another majority. After thirteen years in power, and five prime ministers to boot, an inevitable Labour generation (or era, perhaps, depending on the party’s longevity in power) is coming. I’m a member of the Labour Party, and I look forwar...

Healing Wounds and Fostering Hope in the City Of Joy: The Battle of Dr. Denis Mukwege

15Nov

By Olivia TaylorNo Comments

News

Healing Wounds and Fostering Hope in the City Of Joy: The Battle of Dr. Denis Mukwege

By Olivia Taylor Trigger Warning: Discussions of rape and violence. Rape is the cheapest weapon in war. It has the power to destroy families, empty villages and rid victims of any sense of dignity. Finding a solution for a crime against humanity like this feels almost hopeless. Still, there is one man who has dedicated his life to changing the world’s perspective by saving the lives of thousands of Congolese women who have endured the harrowing weaponisation of rape in times of war. Dr. Denis Mukwege decided to study medicine after witnessing the complications that women in the Congo experience during childbirth due to their lack of specialist medical attention. As a result, Dr. Mukwege established Panzi Hospital to address his country’s alarming maternal mortality rates. It was ...

Turkey and Syria Earthquake: “if one of us can’t breathe, none of us can breathe.”

1Mar

By Ilayda KaplankiranNo Comments

News

Turkey and Syria Earthquake: “if one of us can’t breathe, none of us can breathe.”

Turkey and Syria woke up to a 7.8 magnitude quake in the early hours of Monday (6th February) morning, killing more than 40,000 people in Turkey and a death toll of 5,800 in Syria. With numbers expecting to rise, and the situation becoming seriously unprecedented, it is important to demonstrate compassion for those suffering such a great loss. As the region awaits help, the emotional outburst from grieving survivors saddens nations already crippled by economic and political uncertainties. Enduring traumatic injuries and having to sleep outside in blistering conditions has become the norm for those living in the affected areas. Silence… After hours of hearing ominous cranes and smashed rubble, the rescue teams pause for the faintest noise. Anguished and fe...