insert_link Health / Medical Assisted dying: Canada grapples with plans to extend euthanasia to people suffering solely from mental illness David Pereiras/Shutterstock By Gemma Ware, The Conversation For decades, people who want to end their life with the help of a doctor, and who have the means to do so, have travelled to a handful of countries, commonly Switzerland, for euthanasia. But gradually, more countries around the world have begun to permit some form of assisted dying. Politicians in a number of others, including Ireland, Scotland and […] todayMay 20, 2024 18
insert_link Africa Will training AI to be more “African” undermine our literary ownership? By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Recent pushback by Singaporean writers against state efforts to use their work for AI training, has cast the spotlight on a similar conundrum in Africa. As efforts to imbue Large Language Models (LLMs) with a deeper understanding of African perspectives and narratives gain traction, the African literary community stands at a crossroads. Will they protect their intellectual property like […] todayMay 20, 2024 42
insert_link Africa African table tennis stars storm Kigali for Paris tickets By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Africa’s table tennis talent is at full display in Rwanda as the East african country plays host to the 2024 edition of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) tournament alongside the African Olympic Qualification Tournament. The two combined tournaments, which also serve as Olympic qualifiers are being hosted at the BK Arena in Kigali from May 15 to 18 […] todayMay 20, 2024 30
insert_link World Modi’s anti-Muslim rhetoric taps into Hindu replacement fears that trace back to colonial India Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is popular but divisive. Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images By Archana Venkatesh, Clemson University The world’s largest election is currently under way in India, with more than 960 million people registered to vote over a period of six weeks. Spearheading the campaign for his Bharatiya Janata Party, incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spending that time crisscrossing the country, delivering a message he hopes will […] todayMay 20, 2024 22
insert_link Entertainment Bridgerton season three – all the usual froth, but a more mature edge as Regency fears of spinsterhood explored By Danielle Mariann Dove, University of Surrey Note this piece contains spoilers for seasons two and three of Bridgerton Netflix’s Regency-inspired romance series Bridgerton has returned in all its garish glory (at least if you’re a Featherington) for the show’s much-anticipated third season. Transporting viewers once again into the glittering world of high society scandal, gossip and romantic intrigue, this latest instalment shifts the focus […] todayMay 20, 2024 60
South Africa South African communities vs Shell: high court victories show that cultural beliefs and practices count in climate cases Oyster gatherers on a Wild Coast beach at low tide. The sea is integral to these communities’ lives and culture. PaulGregg By Louise Du Toit, University of Southampton; Brewsters Caiphas Soyapi, North-West University, and Louis Kotzé, North-West University When the Shell petroleum company announced in 2021 that it wanted to explore for fossil fuels off South Africa’s pristine Wild Coast, Indigenous communities in the area immediately fought […] todayMay 20, 2024 35
insert_link World Kenya’s flood evictions may violate the law – scholar By Smith Ouma, University of Manchester Recent floods in Kenya have left at least 270 people dead, displaced more than 200,000 and destroyed property, infrastructure and livelihoods across the country. In Nairobi, hundreds of people in informal settlements were left homeless and thousands were displaced. And now, the government has been evicting people from flood-prone areas. Smith Ouma is a legal expert with a focus […] todayMay 20, 2024 16
insert_link Africa Rwanda’s role in eastern DRC conflict: why international law is failing to end the fighting By Kerstin Bree Carlson, Roskilde University The power of international law lies in its potential to offer alternatives to force and violence. The ideal is that states submit their grievances to a court rather than duke them out on a battlefield, or carry them out against civilians. As concerns armed violence, there are two international courts that countries can engage. The first is the International […] todayMay 20, 2024 18
Africa More African women are accessing the internet – report Bonface Orucho, bird story agency A surge in mobile phone ownership has increased internet usage among women in Africa, leading to a drop in the mobile internet adoption gender gap to 32%, the lowest level it has reached since 2017. This is according to a new report, ‘Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024’ by GSMA released on May 15. It examines women’s mobile access and use across 12 […] todayMay 20, 2024 13