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‘Concerned IT specialists’ launch database of detained Belarusian protesters · Global Voices
Over 7,000 people have been detained in mass protests since August 9 Police vans, a souvenir from Belarus on sale at the Ў Gallery of Contemporary Art in Minsk, Belarus, 2017. Photo (c): Maxim Edwards, used with permission. When the official results of Belarus’ presidential elections were announced on AugustContinue Reading
A-level results: why algorithms get things so wrong – and what we can do to fix them
The scale of public anger over the automated downgrading of thousands of students’ A-level results highlights how much social and political power algorithmic decision-making now has. As well as students’ grades, algorithms are now deciding all sorts of things that hugely impact ordinary people’s lives, from loan applications to jobContinue Reading
A levels: government’s U-turn has left universities in the lurch
ESB Professional/Shutterstock The UK government has performed a U-turn on A level exam grades, awarding students in England the marks given by teacher assessment where they are higher than the moderated grades adjusted by what the government now admits was a flawed algorithm. While this is a source of reliefContinue Reading
From dubplates to debates: Election campaigning in Jamaica during a pandemic · Global Voices
Could issues be taking a back seat to music mixes? A DJ putting down a dubplate mix. Photo by Eduardo Pontes on Flickr, CC BY 2.0. When Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the island’s election date in parliament — instead of at a party rally, as is customary —Continue Reading
How the coronavirus pandemic may be shaping our feelings about people crossing the Channel in small boats
Ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s recently engaged in an unlikely exchange with the British government. In a series of tweets, the company pleaded with the home secretary to show more compassion towards immigrants who take on the dangerous journey across the English Channel to seek asylum in the UK,Continue Reading
Pets, livestock and wildlife can all catch coronavirus – does that make them dangerous?
Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock SARS-CoV-2 almost certainly originated in an animal. But ever since the virus infected humans the outbreak has been driven by efficient human-to-human transmission, resulting in the current pandemic. The role of animals in the ongoing spread of the virus is negligible. But does this mean we can ignoreContinue Reading
The combination of dementia and domestic abuse is all too often overlooked
Shutterstock/De Visu Across the world, domestic abuse affects one in three women, and every three seconds, someone develops dementia. Yet despite the prevalence of both these issues, little attention is given to what happens when they are combined. As a result, older people living with dementia are often the forgottenContinue Reading
What moments of uncertainty mean for war – and peace – between global rivals
The coronavirus pandemic has inflamed existing tensions between China and the US. China blamed the US for spreading the virus across international borders while the US president, Donald Trump, continues to focus the blame on China by referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus.” Tensions between them have also mountedContinue Reading
In eastern Sudan, a bloody intercommunal conflict raises national security concerns · Global Voices
Violence erupted allegedly along tribal lines in Port Sudan city A shopping area in Port Sudan, eastern Sudan, November 2008. Photo by Bertramz via Wikimedia CC BY 3.0. Last year, the Sudanese people held a revolution under the slogan of “freedom, peace and justice.” But until now, no peace agreementContinue Reading
Belarus in turmoil: the view from neighbouring Lithuania · Global Voices
Belarusians’ activism has surprised even their familiar neighbours in Lithuania Vilnius’ Cathedral Square, one of the most prominent landmarks of the capital of Lithuania. Photo by Filip Noubel, used with permission. Belarus and Lithuania share more than just a 600-km long border in the north of Central Europe. Although bothContinue Reading