Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s protesters and ruling generals Wednesday inked a deal that aims to install a civilian administration, a key demand of demonstrators since president Omar al-Bashir was deposed in a coup three months ago. The move loosens a deadlock that has gripped the country, following nationwide mass …
Read More »Buzz off: breakthrough technique eradicates mosquitoes
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | A breakthrough technique harnessing two methods to target disease-carrying mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate buzzing biters in two test sites in China, according to research published on Thursday. The mosquitoes targeted are a type that is particularly difficult to control called Aedes albopictus — more …
Read More »CLIMATE CHANGE: East Africa faces 2°C rise in temperature
Mbale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda is expected to continue having unpredictable rain and dry seasons, scientists have concluded, after projecting an increase in temperatures of about 2 degrees Celsius over the next 30 years in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. These climate changes will have a significant impact on the …
Read More »‘One giant leap’: US marks Apollo mission 50 years on
Cape Canaveral, United States | AFP | Fifty years after a mighty rocket set off from Florida carrying the first humans to the Moon, a veteran of the Apollo 11 crew returned to its fabled launch pad Tuesday to commemorate “one giant leap” that became a defining moment in human …
Read More »Industry and campaigners spar over S.Africa’s carbon tax
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | South Africa’s new carbon tax has provoked a storm of criticism from environmental campaigners who say it is too weak — and from industry that predicts it will cause mass job losses. The new tax, the first of its type in Africa, was cautiously …
Read More »Internet a distant dream for many in oil-rich E. Guinea
Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP | Equatorial Guinea is awash in oil, although little of the wealth has trickled down to the poor. Yet one of the most glaring inequalities here is access to the internet. Other parts of the world are pushing ahead with plans for fast, free — …
Read More »Dung and Dragons: Myanmar kids dodge cows to play rugby
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Sidestepping cowpats and garbage, Myanmar’s only home-grown junior rugby side train on the outskirts of Yangon, preparing to take on children from the city’s well-heeled international schools. When the Little Dragons aren’t running barefoot on the litter-strewn dirt, the makeshift field on the outskirts of Yangon is sometimes …
Read More »Training journalists in the era of fake news
Paris, France | AFP | As uncannily realistic “deep fake” videos proliferate online, including one recently retweeted by Donald Trump, journalism schools are scrambling to adapt to an era of misinformation — or fake news. Experts discussed how to train tomorrow’s reporters for these new challenges at the World Journalism Education …
Read More »What’s the point of education?
If it’s no longer just about getting a job | Luke Zaphir | For much of human history, education has served an important purpose, ensuring we have the tools to survive. People need jobs to eat and to have jobs; they need to learn how to work. Education has been …
Read More »Amazon workers strike as ‘Prime’ shopping frenzy hits
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Amazon workers walked out of a main distribution center in Minnesota on Monday, protesting for improved working conditions during the e-commerce titan’s major “Prime” shopping event. Amazon workers picketed outside the facility, briefly delaying a few trucks and waving signs with messages along the …
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