Expert Comment

Dr David Lees, School of Modern Languages & Cultures, gives his view on the death of Jean-Marie Le Pen who has died aged 96. The founder of the Front National party in 1972, Le Pen re-established the extreme-right as a political force in France. 

President Joe Biden withdrawing from his campaign for re-election opens up the Democratic nomination at a crucial time in the election calendar. There are four weeks until the Democratic National Convention where the party will confirm their candidate for the presidency. It's important for the Democrats to show unity now and not descend into a period of damaging in-fighting, so it seems highly likely they will select Vice President Kamala Harris who Biden and other senior Democrats have already endorsed.

Dr Mark Fabien, associate professor in wellbeing from an interdisciplinary perspective with a particular focus on policy applications, responds to charity calls for government policies to undergo mental health tests.

"Stepping down was the only viable option for Yusaf given the lack of confidence from the Green MSPs and the difficulty of doing a deal with the Alba Party. Even if Alba had supported Yusaf in the confidence vote in him, the chances of running a sustainable government after that looked slim."

The lavish inauguration on Jan 22, 2024 of the temple dedicated to the Hindu god Ram in the historic town of Ayodhya in north India was a global spectacle. But sadly it can also be seen as a dark day for India's Constitution that still rests of secular principles.