New Humanist

3 weeks ago | newhumanist.org.uk | Sian Norris |Dominique Palmer |Andrew Copson |Lois Lee

Our world is experiencing seismic change with the rise of power-mad leaders, spiralling conflicts and climate chaos. At such times, the big questions of life are brought into sharp relief. And so amid this turmoil, religious leaders are hoping for a return to faith, while ideologues of all stripes are seeking to exploit anxiety by offering purpose and certainty. How should we navigate questions of meaning in our increasingly secular society, and how might a humanist approach serve as a guide?

3 weeks ago | newhumanist.org.uk | Marie Le Conte

There rarely is only one Lady Gaga. The video for “Disease”, the first proper single from her new album Mayhem, opens with her in a white dress, lying on the hood of a car. It is being driven, we soon find out, by another version of her, this time dressed in black. The two Gagas sing at each other menacingly for a while, from either side of the windshield. Eventually, a third Gaga appears, and drags white Gaga away. The pair end up fighting on the pavement, then running away. Black Gaga looks on.

1 month ago | newhumanist.org.uk | Ahmer Khan

History has shown that student uprisings often lead to nationwide revolt, and Bangladesh in recent years has been no exception. With former prime minister Sheikh Hasina forced out of office and reportedly seeking political refuge in India, an interim government now leads the country, including key figures from the student movement that led to her fall.

1 month ago | newhumanist.org.uk | Michael Rosen

Ceasefire, 20th century: a temporary suspension of fighting, usually between two armies One of the peculiarities of wars is that at some point they come to an end. Before a peace agreement is signed, there is usually a ceasefire. As you can see, it’s a compound noun, combining the two major sources of modern English – French and Old English – with “cease” coming from French (and before that, Latin) and “fire” from Old English.

2 months ago | newhumanist.org.uk | Lucy Popescu

A Nose and Three Eyes (Hoopoe Books) by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, translated by Jonathan Smolin Egyptian author Ihsan Abdel Kouddous, who died in 1990, is one of the 20th century’s most prolific and popular writers of Arabic fiction. Born in Cairo in 1919, a contemporary of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, Abdel Kouddous also enjoyed a long career in journalism. He was editor at the daily paper Al-Akhbar and editor-in-chief of the political weekly magazine Rose El-Youssef.