Labour MPs push for permanent ban on crypto political donations - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

8 July was the most meaningful book launch: I discussed OCCUPIED REFUGE with researchers from Kakuma refugee camp at the Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH) in Kakuma 2. Question & discussion were incredible and I learnt a lot in the process. Glad the book resonates with so many folks! A huge honour❤️🙏

Wahey! Chilterns walking ideas for families, by yours truly. www.oxfordtraveloptions.co.uk/better-journ...

Extremely exciting news. New report out: Enabling Atrocity in the MENA and #Sudan The report documents three large-scale influence networks operating across MENA on X/Twitter, involving 27,000+ inauthentic accounts and over 250,000 posts across multiple languages. www.sc.edu/study/colleg...

Truly, we are blessed. 😊 "My job is to demonstrate that British democracy is wonderful and unique in the entire Cosmos" 'Count Binface told BBC Breakfast why he plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election.' via x.com/i/status/207...

Zelensky is a comedian who ran as a joke and ended up fighting a superpower in the bloodiest war since WWII. I hope Count Binface is ready for that responsibility.

The Somali translation of the D-HUM policy brief is now available. The brief explores how Somali diaspora communities mobilise humanitarian support during crises, and the challenges they face. Read it here: tinyurl.com/3wxvtc5z 🧵1/2

Labour can threaten a £10k charge on migrants and still it’s never enough for the hard right. Perhaps there’s a lesson here? 🤔

Ethiopia makes deal to cut payments on $1bn bond - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

BRIEFING PAPER: STATE CAPTURE IN AFRICA How do elite networks undermine democracy, development and security? Nic Cheeseman explores how state capture operates across Africa and what can be done to strengthen accountability and governance. Read more: tinyurl.com/y9a4th3s

EWNET Ep 7: Bridging Research and Policy with Practice For 25 years, the Women, Peace and Security agenda has evolved beyond participation to tackle financing, institutional change and patriarchy. Samiha Abdulmelik shares lessons from the field. Listen: tinyurl.com/5t59k9rz

Glorious

In a sentence we never expected to write, a landowner near Banbury has submitted a retroactive planning application for a Neolithic style Long Barrow, built in 2021 as an ornamental folly. At Paradise Farm, near South Newington, it is intended to “replicate traditional long barrows like Belas Knap”.

Long shot, but if anyone in North #Oxford has lost a tortoise with a surprising turn of speed in the heat, do get in touch..

Interesting from Gregory Johnsen: The Houthi Balancing Act - AGSI agsi.org/analysis/the...

🚨The warning signs were there for El Fasher. Up to 60,000 people were slaughtered, as the world looked on. 🚨 The warning signs are there for El Obeid. We can’t fail the civilians of Sudan again.

📚 | On 20 and 21 May, the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), @chathamhouse.org, and @rvinews.bsky.social convened a group of experts to discuss the ‘The New Geopolitics of Eastern Africa’ Read the event report: riftvalley.net/wp-content/u...

NEW How a county council has obtained an injunction against those hoisting flags on the public highway A guided tour of the High Court injunction against "persons unknown" At the Empty City substack (non-substack link to follow). emptycity.substack.com/p/how-a-coun...

The political discourse around bond markets is unmoored. Nice corrective here. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Is there some way to buy this guy a drink?

How were Iran and its Axis of Resistance able to weather the conflicts of recent years, and even score a strategic victory? With support from @XCEPT_Research we've been studying exactly this question @TCFdotorg You can read our findings here: t.co/e4jgMwMeS2

"The British government had received intelligence that Ethiopia appeared to be supporting a genocidal militia in Sudan’s civil war as far back as 2024 but did not go public with the news for fear of upsetting the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a parliamentary committee will hear."

Eastern Africa’s geopolitical landscape is changing. This brief, produced following discussions convened by BIEA, Chatham House and RVI, explores the implications for regional order, conflict and cooperation. Read more: tinyurl.com/5hx7hyxd

“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid, by @annamaria.bsky.social

Iran war supercharges electric vehicle uptake in Africa - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

If you’re in Nairobi, please come and join my book launch at Soma Nami! FREE ENTRY, all welcome! Details below:

Gold mined illegally in Tigray, a war-torn region of Ethiopia, has become a cornerstone of the Ethiopian economy. The industry promised economic prosperity; instead it’s deepening corruption and instability in the region. @clairelwilmot.bsky.social and Gisa Tunbridge report.

Useful intervention from Partha, Abel & Mohamed: Somalia-Ethiopia ties in a precarious Horn parthamoman.substack.com/p/somalia-et...

This is an embarrassing image for the UK. A self-respecting British fox should be dragging Binface's contents out over the stage

“My sense is there’s a huge appetite for information and not just to consume information, but to stimulate dialogue.” In Ep. 5 of the Beyond Series, David Deng reflects on the importance of creating spaces for public dialogue. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT5 🧵1/2

“The vast amount of research on the ground in somewhere like the Horn of Africa is done by researchers from the locations in question.” In Ep. 5 of the Beyond Series, Freddie Carver reflects on who shapes research agendas and whose voices are heard. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT5 🧵1/2

My SWP research paper on the crisis of international conflict management in the #HornofAfrica is now out in English! I look at peace processes in #Sudan, #SouthSudan and #Ethiopia.

Come see our exhibition ‘Forging Urban Citizenship’ in Nairobi 23-30 June. Together with sixteen artists from Nairobi - Harare - Blantyre - Lilongwe we are reimagining what political claims-making through art might look like in four African cities. Funded by @glasgow.ac.uk GCID

“One of the counterparts to the question of who sets the agenda, who’s doing the research, is who’s the audience?” In Ep. 5 of the Beyond Series, Jason Mosley reflects on how research priorities are shaped and whose questions get asked. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT5 🧵1/2

How is knowledge produced, and who gets to shape it? A new article from #SHECONF2026 reflects on conversations around gender, power, conflict, culture and the role of research in public life. Read more: tinyurl.com/SHECONF26

Beyond surveillance and control: how are data and AI mobilized as infrastructures of resistance? This paper shifts attention from data and AI as instruments of authoritarian power to their potential as infrastructures of resistance and political organizing. doi.org/10.1080/0272...

As debates rage about where to get the money for higher defence spending, it’s important we have a clear picture of how we spent the peace dividend while it was around. Thread 🧵⤵️

The fact that in the same 7 day news cycle Elon Musk incited racist pogroms in the UK and became the wealthiest man in the world should really trouble us more, not least because processing those two pieces of information simultaneously seems completely impossible for so many big name outlets.

Can't believe I've read a review of Hunt's economic vision that doesn't mention his act of cynical fiscal vandalism on the way of office? Get in the sea, Mr Hunt. Can We Be Rich Again? — Jeremy Hunt on how to fix the UK economy - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Call for Applications: The British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) Regional Research Associates | British Institute in Eastern Africa biea.ac.uk/call-for-app...

Call for Applications: Endangered Heritage Research Grant | British Institute in Eastern Africa biea.ac.uk/call-for-app...

Now let me tell you all about the thousands of students, employees, business owners, and government officials from Africa that are denied visas to Europe and the US..[checks notes]..every single day. #Artan

The decline of the Roman Empire offers insights into the crisis of African states in the 19th century, which paved the way for colonial conquest. Join us on next Wednesday June 10 for a virtual IHR African History Seminar with Allegra Ayida (Yale) to find out how! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Northern Ireland battles to contain disorder after Belfast knife attack - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

I was certain Ethiopia's first foreign licence would go to a Kenyan bank. Interesting.

I know a great deal of residents who walk or cycle to Sainsbury's via Rose Hill face disruption as a result of the sudden closure of the Cottesmore Rd bridge. This vital link needs to be reopened urgently. Please sign Ed Turner's petition calling for certainty about its future. buff.ly/s5pDUrl

When participants are fully engaged, learning goes further. RVI Bespoke Courses are designed to deliver interactive, relevant and impactful learning experiences tailored to your organisation's needs. Learn more: tinyurl.com/RVIBespokeCo...

“It’s not the absence of order, rather it’s a space governed by its own rules.” In Ep. 4 of the Beyond Series, Sahra Ahmed Koshin challenges assumptions about informal trade, arguing that these economies operate through their own systems and relationships. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT4 🧵1/3

"Women are running these foundational networks of trade across borders." In Ep. 4 of the Beyond Series, Nicki Kindersley reflects on the central role women play in sustaining livelihoods, economies and connections across Sudan and South Sudan. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT4 🧵1/2

Our June 2026 RVI Newsletter is here! Catch up on the latest stories, insights, research and updates from across the Rift Valley Institute's work and programmes. Read: tinyurl.com/RVINewslette... To receive future editions, subscribe to our mailing list: tinyurl.com/RVINewsletter