It had been more than a year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when I took over the role of Global Editor for UEA’s Concrete newspaper. I had never imagined that as I wrote down my final thoughts over my tenure as Concrete’s Global Editor, seven months would have passed since recently escalated Israeli – Palestinian conflict.

With the growing tensions in other parts of Middle East, specifically Yemen, and recent exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran makes the future of global politics look bleak and unpredictable. In addition to the conflicts, the increase in extremism and racism are of alarming nature and of high concern. Furthermore, the intricate matter involving the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada is still ongoing. Both BBC and Aljazeera confirmed that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has alleged the Indian government may be involved in this case. According to Aljazeera, three Indian nationals have been arrested in Canada in relation to the killing. BBC further confirmed that police have stated that investigations were still ongoing, including into “connections to the government of India”.

In addition to this incident which occurred during the tenure of current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, article 370 of the Indian constitution was also revoked. According to Amnesty International, the revocation of article 370 exacerbated the human rights violations occurring against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also pertinent to note, BBC confirmed that PM Narendra Modi is “eyeing a historic third term” during India’s 2024 general elections. As a result, these issues are not only concerning but reporting on such sensitive matters can also be a slippery slope.

As a result, I would like to thank Co-Editors-in-Chief of Concrete newspaper, Eve Attwood and Matthew Stothard, for providing me with due support and assistance throughout the year. I would especially like to thank Concrete’s News Senior Writer, Jamie Bryson, for guiding me whilst I was working on a deep-dive article on Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I am also grateful to Concrete’s Global Senior Writer, Sankavi Naresh, who contributed to seven out of eight issues of the Concrete newspaper for the Global Section during my time. A special thanks to all the Global writers including Ross Gower, Leo Henry, Kasey Campbell and Marlowe North for providing insightful articles on global politics for which I am highly grateful. As a result, I am proud to confirm that Concrete’s Global team was able to report on issues occurring on various geographical locations of the world including Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Iran, Russia, Israel, Palestine, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ireland. 

My tenure as Concrete’s Global Editor is culminating along with Concrete’s 401 (May) issue. Therefore, I am leaving Concrete with a heavy heart but after learning a lot about global politics and journalism for which I am thankful to the entire Concrete team. On a final note, I wish the incoming Global Editor and Global Writers of Concrete newspaper with all the luck. God Speed!

Image: Concrete/Innes Henry