Francesca M.C. Fazey

The Sign of the Cross: Are Egypt's Copts a Stepping Stone to Wider Attacks by Islamic State?

The Palm Sunday bombings at two Coptic churches in Egypt's Nile Delta demonstrated a renewed determination by Islamic State to target the country's Christian minority. But to what end? Francesca Fazey unpacks the motivations for the current escalation in the group's campaign, and considers its limitations.

Means, motive, opportunity: Why Yemen has become a hotspot for aid worker kidnappings

As the risks facing international aid workers increase around the world, Yemen consistently stands out as a significant location for kidnappings. Francesca Fazey examines the factors that have contributed to this threat.

Russian returns: How Moscow is likely to leverage its recent resurgence in the Middle East

Western hesitation to take action in the Syrian conflict left a vacuum that Russia has filled to its considerable advantage.

Failure to launch: Where is Islamic State in Algeria?

The recent assassination of a police officer in the province of Constantine is the first confirmed attack to be claimed by Islamic State in Algeria since 2014. However, the incident is unlikely to signal a change in the group’s struggle to gain momentum in Africa’s largest country. Francesca Fazey explores why.

Ennahda jettisons political Islam

Ennahda President Rached Ghannouchi told journalists that the concept of political Islam had become tarnished by the extreme ideologies of groups like Al Qaeda and Islamic State.

The Scattered State: What next for IS in North Africa?

Islamic State's losses in Sirte have exposed the weakness of the Caliphate's claim in Libya. Nevertheless, they will likely prompt a return to insurgent-style guerilla tactics. Francesca Fazey explores the likely implications for the wider region.

Hollywood "blown away" by SA production crews - Cape Business News

South Africa's international reputation for excellence in the film industry is fast extending beyond its scenic locations to now include the quality of its production crews. This is according to Chris Brancato, Executive Producer of "Of Kings and Prophets," the first big-budget television series from American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Studios to be shot entirely in South Africa.

VIctory at last: Viking vindicated over Lindsay sinking

Debris size and buoyancy influence the dispersal distance of stranded litter

Recent surveys of floating macro-debris in the southeast Atlantic Ocean found that debris increases in size with distance from shore, suggesting that many smaller items, which dominate litter close to urban source areas, sink before dispersing far into the ocean. We test whether this pattern is evident in beach litter in the same region.

Biofouling on buoyant marine plastics: An experimental study into the effect of size on surface...

Recent estimates suggest that roughly 100 times more plastic litter enters the sea than is found floating at the sea surface, despite the buoyancy and durability of many plastic polymers. Biofouling by marine biota is one possible mechanism responsible for this discrepancy.