Contributed, Author at Future Media News

‘Gun control is dead and we killed it’: unmasking the ‘lonely incel’ who designed the world’s most popular 3D-printed firearm

This anonymised image of FGC-9 creator ‘JStark1809’ was posted online with the gun’s designs in 2020. JStark1809/Deterrence Dispensed via Wikimedia, CC BY-NC By Rajan Basra, King's College London Every year, on Easter Sunday, Irish republicans commemorate their martyrs, remembering lives lost during the 1916 Easter Rising and in the years since. Such events have a pattern: a street parade, speeches and flowers at the cemetery. The […]

1 July, 2024

Uncategorized

We research online ‘misogynist radicalisation’. Here’s what parents of boys should know

Komorebi Photo/Unsplash , CC BY By Steven Roberts, Monash University and Stephanie Wescott, Monash University Many parents are worried about their children using social media. But these concerns tend to focus on privacy, exposure to explicit material or contact with strangers. As researchers looking at sexism and misogyny in Australian schools and the influence of social media, we think it is also important for parents to […]

1 July, 2024

Africa

Fossil insects help to reconstruct the past: how I ended up studying them (and you can too)

By Sandiso Mnguni, University of the Witwatersrand When I tell people that I study fossils, many assume I am talking about dinosaurs or some equally impressive extinct creatures. But there’s far more to be found in the global fossil record, like plants, fish and insects. Researchers who study fossil insects preserved in rock or amber deposits are called palaeoentomologists – and I’m one of […]

1 July, 2024

Africa

Kenya’s protests happened in every major urban centre – why these spaces are explosive

By Lena Gutheil, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Kenya has a long history of protests. Mass protests took place during the colonial period and continued in the post-independence era. Important democratic gains were achieved through protests, such as the introduction of multi-party politics in 1991. Many will also remember the violent clampdown that followed the disputed 2007 elections, which left more […]

28 June, 2024

Africa

Kenyan farmers turn to WhatsApp & AI tools to combat crop diseases

Farmers in Kenya and other countries are using online chat groups and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help combat crop losses due to pests and diseases. New research shows chat groups modeled on those used in human health care can offer benefits to farmers and enhance their communication with plant doctors. Organizations such as PlantVillage and CABI are using such digital tools and chat groups to expand their […]

27 June, 2024

South Africa

South African firm to supply container wagons for Lobito railway

By Oliver Ochieng, bird story agency South Africa's Galison Manufacturing has secured a concession to supply modern container wagons to the Lobito railway, furthering localisation in the modernisation drive for the 1300km rail corridor between Zambia and the Atlantic Ocean. Announcing the award, Galison said it would provide 275 new container wagons to the Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR) consortium. “The new wagons are […]

27 June, 2024

Africa

Nigeria’s cholera outbreaks: why they happen and are so hard to control

By Stella Ifeanyi Smith, Mountain Top University On 9 June 2024 the Lagos State government declared a cholera outbreak. Three days later, it announced that 324 suspected cases had been reported in the state, including 15 people who died and 40 who were discharged after treatment. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as of 11 June, 1,141 suspected cholera […]

27 June, 2024

World

Two ultraconservative candidates exit Iran presidential race

Two ultraconservative candidates have pulled out of Iran's Friday presidential vote, leaving four contenders including one reformist still in the race. Tehran's ultraconservative mayor, Alireza Zakani, announced his withdrawal in a post on social media platform X on Thursday, after earlier denying he was ending his campaign. Zakani's withdrawal came hours after a statement by the Ministry of Interior confirming the exit of Amirhossein Ghazizadeh-Hashemi, another […]

27 June, 2024

Africa

Kenya protests: Ruto pulling the finance bill is unlikely to satisfy angry young protesters – here’s why

By Kathleen Klaus, Uppsala University In a move that shocked observers, Kenya’s President William Ruto announced on 26 June he was withdrawing his government’s highly controversial finance bill. This followed two days in which tens of thousands of mostly young protesters took to the streets in nationwide rallies against the proposals contained in the country’s 2024 budget. Kathleen Klaus, who has studied […]

27 June, 2024