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Reuben Loffman

Lecturer in African History, Queen Mary University of London

I joined Queen Mary in 2013. Having taught English for eight months in Tanzania, I studied for my BA in History at Lancaster University. This was followed by two MAs, at SOAS and Durham University respectively.

Afterwards, I completed a PhD at Keele University. Before joining Queen Mary, I taught at Keele University, the University of Manchester, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Bristol.

My work highlights the agency of local people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and their responses to imperialism, war, and international development following formal decolonisation in 1960. My research explores relations between local intermediaries, state cadres, and international actors. In particular, I am interested in the spaces that Congolese people carved out over and above authoritarian rule and how these spaces affected patterns of development, governance, and violence.

Poll in the DRC looms. But the election is unlikely to bring change

Nov 26, 2018 16:50 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Its no easy task to stage an election in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Just ask the countrys electoral commission, which started 2017 by publicly announcing that the general election, planned for December 2018 might...

Kabila's decision to step aside won't change the DRC's power dynamics

Aug 14, 2018 04:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The ruling party in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), The Peoples Party for Reconciliation and Democracy, made an announcement recently that took everybody by surprise that Joseph Kabila will not be its...

Economy

Asian Stocks Rally on AI Spending Optimism as Middle East Tensions Push Oil to Six-Week High

Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday as strong artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans from major U.S. technology companies boosted confidence in the regions semiconductor sector, while escalating conflict in the...

Australia Jobs Surge in June Strengthens Case for More RBA Rate Hikes

Australias labor market posted a stronger-than-expected performance in June, reinforcing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could raise interest rates again to curb persistent inflation. Data released by...

Oil Prices Rise as Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers Heighten Middle East Supply Fears

Oil prices extended their rally for a fifth consecutive session during Asian trading on Thursday as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East fueled concerns over potential disruptions to global crude supplies. The...

South Korea Q2 GDP Beats Forecasts as AI Chip Exports Drive Growth

South Koreas economy expanded faster than expected in the second quarter of 2026, supported by resilient semiconductor exports as global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continued to boost the countrys...

Nasdaq Drops as AI Earnings, Oil Surge and Middle East Tensions Weigh on Wall Street

U.S. stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as investors turned cautious ahead of key earnings from major technology companies while rising oil prices and escalating tensions in the Middle East added to inflation concerns. The...

Politics

Amish Shah Wins Arizona Democratic Primary in Key U.S. House Race

Moderate Democrat Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for Arizonas 1st Congressional District, according to media projections, setting up a closely watched general election contest that could play a significant role...

Trump Administration Opens Civil Rights Probes Into Five U.S. Medical Schools Over Admissions

The U.S. Department of Education has launched civil rights investigations into five medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions, expanding President Donald Trumps campaign against diversity, equity,...

ASEAN Forum Puts Middle East Conflict, South China Sea Tensions in Spotlight

Top diplomats from Asia, Europe, and North America gathered in Manila on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), with the escalating Middle East conflict and South China Sea tensions expected to dominate discussions....

Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to push back against claims that the United States has a kill switch capable of shutting off access to U.S. technology products, according to a State...

Maduro U.S. Drug Trafficking Trial Set for June 2027 as Immunity Defense Looms

A U.S. federal judge has scheduled the criminal trial of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for June 1, 2027, in a high-profile drug trafficking case that could carry a life sentence if...

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

Alphabet Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AI Spending, Google Cloud Growth Fuel Outlook

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, driven by rapid growth in Google Cloud and continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite beating Wall Street...

Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call

The possibility of a merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX gained fresh attention after Teslas second-quarter earnings call, with Deepwater Managements Gene Munster increasing the odds of a deal taking place in...

IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, although its shares gained about 3% after the company had already warned investors about weaker...

OpenAI Australia Data Center Switches Cooling Strategy After Recycled Water Plan Fails

OpenAIs planned mega data center in Australia will rely on a more energy-intensive cooling system after developers abandoned plans to use recycled water, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The change comes...

US Investigates Moonshot Over Alleged Use of Advanced AI Chips and IP Theft

The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has launched an investigation into whether Chinese artificial intelligence companies, including Moonshot AI, have gained access to advanced U.S. AI chips in violation of U.S....