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Azal Ashraf

Lecturer in School of Politics & International Relations, Loughborough University
Afzal Ashraf has broad experience of International Relations and security issues, both as a practitioner and as an academic. This includes service as a senior officer in the UK Armed Forces in operations ranging from famine relief in Africa to stabilisation operations in the South Atlantic, deterrence support in the Cold War and strategic aspects of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has worked in support of diplomacy in the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and in information fusion, analysis and communication in some of UK’s security related government departments. He has been Head of Training Management for the Royal Air Force where he had responsibility for physical fitness, combat survival and through life learning. He has run a private security consultancy covering areas such as cyber security and countering violent extremism and was a Consultant Fellow at the UK’s oldest Think Tank, the Royal United Services Institute.

Afzal Ashraf has been teaching undergraduates and post graduates a range of international relations and security modules, including designing new ones, at Russell Group Universities in recent years. Before coming to Loughborough University he was Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham where he is now a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism. He is in demand as a commentator on current affairs, with over 200 television and radio appearances in less than a year on national and international channels and was nominated for University of Nottingham’s 2018 Impact Awards.

Ukraine war: Sweden and Finland eye the Nato option, but it's a security dilemma for the west

Apr 16, 2022 02:31 am UTC| Politics

The Kremlin has issued an ominous warning to Nato about the consequences for the Baltic if it allows Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, as has been widely reported. Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and a close...

Economy

Oil Prices Slip as Iran Sanctions Relief and Hormuz Shipping Recovery Ease Supply Concerns

Global oil prices moved lower on Tuesday, extending losses from the previous session as concerns over supply disruptions eased following signs of increased shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz and a temporary...

Wall Street Slides as AI Stocks Tumble Following South Korea Tech Sell-Off

U.S. stocks closed lower on Tuesday as a sharp sell-off in technology shares weighed heavily on Wall Street. Concerns surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) demand intensified after a major decline in South Koreas...

US Dollar Climbs to One-Year High as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Surge

The U.S. dollar strengthened on Tuesday, reaching its highest level in more than a year as investors continued to react to the Federal Reserves unexpectedly hawkish stance. Growing expectations of future interest rate...

Singapore Inflation Stays Muted in May as Core CPI Misses Forecasts Ahead of MAS Review

Singapores inflation rate remained subdued in May 2026, with both headline and core consumer price inflation coming in below market expectations, reinforcing expectations that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) may...

South Korea Stocks Tumble as AI-Fueled Rally Faces Profit-Taking Pressure

South Korean stocks suffered a sharp decline on Tuesday, with the benchmark KOSPI plunging nearly 6% as investors rushed to lock in profits after a historic rally driven by artificial intelligence (AI) optimism,...

Politics

U.S. Eases Iran Team Travel Restrictions Ahead of Seattle World Cup Match

The United States has relaxed travel restrictions for Irans national soccer team ahead of its upcoming FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, allowing the squad to enter the country two days before kickoff instead of just one...

Peru Election Dispute Deepens as Roberto Sanchez Rejects Runoff Results

Perus presidential election dispute intensified on Tuesday after leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez announced that he would not recognize the outcome of the tightly contested presidential runoff, alleging electoral fraud...

Marco Rubio Seeks Gulf Support for U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Amid Regional Concerns

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun a diplomatic tour of the Gulf region as the Trump administration works to ease concerns over its newly signed peace agreement with Iran. Rubio arrived in the United Arab...

Russia Signals Frustration Over Unfulfilled U.S. Commitments After Alaska Summit

Russia has intensified its criticism of the United States, accusing Washington of failing to honor key understandings reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump during their Alaska...

Trump Highlights Manufacturing Agenda in Pennsylvania as Midterm Elections Approach

U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail on Tuesday with a visit to Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, as he sought to strengthen support ahead of the November midterm elections. Speaking at a...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Cerebras Revenue Forecast Tops Expectations, but Margin Concerns Weigh on Stock

Cerebras Systems delivered a strong revenue outlook for 2026 that exceeded Wall Street expectations, but investors remained cautious as the companys profit margin forecast highlighted the challenges of competing with AI...

SpaceX Stock Rebounds After Sharp Selloff, But Valuation Concerns Persist

SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) recovered modestly on Tuesday, closing 0.9% higher at $156.06 after briefly falling below its post-IPO opening price during intraday trading. The stock touched a low of $147.11, slipping beneath the...

Alphabet Replaces Verizon in Dow Jones Industrial Average

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), the parent company of Google, will replace Verizon Communications in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) effective June 29, according to an announcement from SP Dow Jones Indices on Tuesday....

Tencent Reviews Marvelous Stake as Gaming Giant Reassesses Global Investment Strategy

Tencent Holdings (HK:0700) is reportedly exploring potential exits from several investments in Japanese game developers, including its stake in Marvelous Inc. (TYO:7844), as the Chinese technology giant reevaluates its...

WiseTech Global Denies Knowledge of Investigation Into Founder Richard White

Australia-based logistics software company WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC) has stated that it is unaware of any investigation involving its Executive Chair and founder, Richard White, following media reports that triggered a...