From eco-friendly roofing and waste collection to AI-powered healthcare and farming, 2024 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation finalists revealed

Four innovators from Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda have been selected from a shortlist of 16 to compete for the £50,000 Africa Prize in its tenth anniversary year · Their innovations address recycling in construction, AI tools for healthcare and farming, and reengineered waste collection · The three runners up will each receive £15,000, and a £5,000 prize – titled ‘One to Watch’ – will be awarded to […]

May 14, 2024 33

Entertainment

Universal’s music is returning to TikTok, ending a spat that hurt fans more than anyone

By James Hall, Edith Cowan University A longstanding feud between TikTok and Universal Music Group seems to have finally reached an end, with both parties signing a deal that will see Universal-backed music returned to the social media platform. Universal first removed its artists’ work from TikTok about three months ago, restricting access to tunes from household names such as Billie Eilish, Adele, Harry Styles, Drake, Kendrick […]

May 6, 2024 32

Entertainment

AI can now generate entire songs on demand. What does this mean for music as we know it?

PeamDesign / Shutterstock Oliver Bown, UNSW Sydney In March, we saw the launch of a “ChatGPT for music” called Suno, which uses generative AI to produce realistic songs on demand from short text prompts. A few weeks later, a similar competitor – Udio – arrived on the scene. I’ve been working with various creative computational tools for the past 15 years, both as a researcher and a producer, and the […]

May 6, 2024 56

Entertainment

Harvey Weinstein to be retried in New York

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will be retried in New York, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in court on Wednesday, a week after the state's highest court threw out his 2020 rape conviction. This report produced by Freddie Joyner for Reuters. Weinstein appeared in court before Judge Curtis Farber in a wheelchair and a black suit, more than four years after his conviction was hailed as a milestone for […]

May 2, 2024 40

Entertainment

Baby Reindeer: how the Netflix TV show brings a fresh perspective to male sexual victimisation

By Dimitris Akrivos, University of Surrey This article discusses sexual assault and contains spoilers for Baby Reindeer. Baby Reindeer is a gripping new Netflix show based on a true story and adapted from an acclaimed play by Scottish actor Richard Gadd. The show delves into the harrowing experiences of its main character, Donny (a fictionalised version of Gadd), whose life unravels after he becomes the target of […]

April 24, 2024 23

Entertainment

‘A Story of Bones’ documentary screens at Goethe-Institut

The documentary ‘A Story of Bones’ was screened at the Goethe-Institut Namibia, followed by a panel discussion. This is after the documentary was shown around the world since its premiere in New York City in 2022. The film sheds light on the ongoing struggle for the proper memorialisation of the remains of thousands of formerly enslaved Africans in the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena. Here’s Annina van Neel the […]

April 23, 2024 96

Africa

Burna Boy, Siya Kolisi, William Ruto are among world’s most influential people

Afrobeats megastar Burna Boy, Kenya's President William Ruto, and captain of South Africa's national rugby team Siya Kolisi are leading the group of Africans who have been recognised by Time magazine among the world's most influential people. The BBC further reports that Burna Boy was featured in the icons category, Kolisi was recognised for his leadership through “wisdom and humility”, and President Ruto was named for spearheading Africa's climate action.

April 18, 2024 29

Entertainment

Quiet on Set highlights how we don’t keep child stars safe – in Hollywood or online

Adonis Page/Shutterstock By Edith Jennifer Hill, Flinders University The new documentary Quiet on Set investigates children’s television station Nickelodeon from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The five-part series highlights the abuse many child actors faced while working for the station. The child stars on these shows – now adults in their 30s – share their experiences working on the Nickelodeon sets. The series raises questions about […]

April 15, 2024 38

Entertainment

South Africa’s conservation model: why expanding the use of biodiversity to generate money is a good idea

By Hayley Clements, Stellenbosch University; Alta De Vos, Stellenbosch University, and Matthew Child, University of Pretoria South Africa’s government is calling for public comments on an updated version of its existing biodiversity economy plan. The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy aims to conserve biodiversity while also contributing to job creation and economic growth. It proposes to do this by promoting sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. The […]

April 5, 2024 16

Entertainment