13Aug/22

MasterClass Launches Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice’s Class on Diplomacy

August 13, 2022PoliticsAfrican-American people, Albright, American diplomats, Condoleezza Rice, Federal government of the United States, Madeleine Albright, MasterClass, Rice, United States, United States Department of State, United States Secretary of Stateadmin

MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced the launch of a class on diplomacy with two former U.S. secretaries of state—Condoleezza Rice and the late Madeleine Albright. In their class, Albright and Rice provide members with lessons they learned as secretaries of state, including how to build trusted teams, reconcile differences, overcome failed decisions and apply diplomacy in everyday life. Albright and Rice’s class is part of the “MasterClass Presents the White House” series and now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 150+ instructors with an annual membership. Continue reading

11Aug/22

Scam loan apps extorting Mexicans thrive in Google Play Store

August 11, 2022Finance.google, Android, Avi Asher-Schapiro, Citizen Council for Justice and Security, Cloud clients, Computing, Dafne Méndez, Diana Baptista, Digital technology, Eduardo, Eduardo Apáez, Garrido He, Google Play, Google Play Store, India, Internet privacy, José Cash, Kenya, Mexico, MEXICO CITY, Mobile app, Mobile software, Online marketplaces, Operating systems, Óscar Rosado, Pedro Figueroa, Philippines, Rosado, Salvador Guerrero, Smartphones, Thomson Reuters, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Tlapacoyanadmin

Menacing messages, threats spiral along with debt
Legal loophole creates Wild West for lending apps
Complaints mount but regulators powerless to act

By Diana Baptista and Avi Asher -Schapiro

MEXICO CITY, Aug 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A week after Pedro Figueroa borrowed 10,000 pesos ($500) from José Cash, a popular Mexican lending app, the barrage of online abuse began.

A slew of WhatsApp messages swamped his phone, threatening harm – to him and his reputation – if he did not pay. Continue reading →

11Aug/22

Why searching an ex-president’s estate is not easily done – 4 important things to know about the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago

August 11, 2022PoliticsAmerican people of German descent, Clark D. Cunningham, Climate change skepticism and denial, Creative Commons, Donald Trump, Eva Marie, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, George III, Giorgio, Joe Biden, John Eastman, John Wilkes, Mandel, Mar-a-Lago, Merrick Garland, Palm Beach, Politics by country, Right-wing populism in the United States, Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, Special Counsel investigation, United States, W. Lee Burge, William Barradmin

Clark D. Cunningham, Georgia State University

The FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s estate on Aug. 8, 2022, caught Trump by surprise – and prompted immediate speculation about exactly why and how the law enforcement agency secured a search warrant.

“My beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. … They even broke into my safe!” Trump said in a statement released through his political action committee, Save America.

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11Aug/22

Issey Miyake – a conceptual fashion designer for the many

August 11, 2022FashionClothing, Creative Commons, Culture, Fashion, Fashion design, Franck, Grace Jones, Hibakusha, Hiroshima, Humans, Issey Miyake, Japan, London, Madeleine Vionnet, Milan, Miyake, New York, Noorin Khamisani, Osaka, Paris, Pleat, Rei Kawakubo, Seibu, Tokyo, Women's oversized fashion in the United States since the 1920s, Yohji Yamamotoadmin

Noorin Khamisani, University of Portsmouth

Designer Issey Miyake has died aged 84, leaving an indelible mark on the fashion world. He was celebrated for clothing that responded to the body in movement and which was conceptual in design but also completely appropriate for the everyday. His garments were often based on simple geometric shapes made in finely pleated fabrics that resulted in new and unexpected silhouettes.

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10Aug/22

‘Carter’ Director Byung-gil Jung Launches Multiverse-themed NFT Project Through ARKPIA

August 10, 2022ArtAcademic disciplines, Byung, Byung-gil Jung, Carl Jung, Fungibility, Multiverse, Natural sciences, NFT, Non-fungible token, Physical sciencesadmin

ARKPIA, a global Non-Fungible Token (NFT) brand, has launched filmmaker Byung-gil Jung’s new NFT artwork, which embodies a multiverse concept envisioned by the director. Continue reading

09Aug/22

Barclays deploys Microsoft Teams globally as its preferred collaboration platform to enable better connectivity for its employees worldwide

August 9, 2022InternetBanks, Barclays, Barclays Bank PLC, Clan Barclay, Companies, Financial services, First Capital Bank Limited, Microsoft Corp.admin

On Tuesday, Barclays Bank PLC (Barclays) and Microsoft Corp. announced Barclays has deployed Microsoft Teams as its preferred collaboration platform, powering collaboration for more than 120,000 colleagues and service partners in key locations around the globe. Under the agreement, Barclays is streamlining its existing communications and collaboration solutions, with Teams replacing several point solutions previously in use across the company. Continue reading

09Aug/22

Is race an issue for Rishi Sunak? It’s a difficult question for pollsters to investigate but the information we do have is telling

August 9, 2022PoliticsBoris Johnson, British people, Carlton Television, Conservative Party, Creative Commons, David Cameron, English people, International Democrat Union, Leaders of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss, Opinion poll, Paul Whiteley, Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, Toryism, United Kingdom, University of Essex, YOUGOVadmin

Paul Whiteley, University of Essex

A YouGov poll of party members completed on August 2 shows Rishi Sunak to be trailing Liz Truss 31% to 69% in the Conservative leadership contest. A similar poll completed on July 21 had him on 38% to her 62%. She appears to be winning the contest hands down.

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08Aug/22

Kenya election: four ways to better safeguard and defend democracy

August 8, 2022PoliticsArticles, Carter Center, Disinformation, Election monitoring, Electoral fraud, Fraud, Health, Jair Bolsonaro, Media manipulation, Nic Cheeseman, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Petra, University of Birmingham, William Rutoadmin

Nic Cheeseman, University of Birmingham and Petra Alderman, University of Birmingham

More elections are being held than ever – but the number of questionable polls being held around the world is fuelling fears of a “global democratic recession”, whereby the will of the people is not reflected in the results being announced. Two countries with elections coming up in the next few days and months, where opposition parties or international bodies are worried the process will not be fair, are Kenya, which goes to the polls on August 8, and Brazil, which votes on October 2.

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07Aug/22

Monkeypox: an expert explains what gay and bisexual men need to know

August 7, 2022HealthcareChildhood immunizations in the United States, Chloe Orkin, Chordopoxvirinae, disease, HIV/AIDS, infections, Midwest monkeypox outbreak, Monkeypox, Outbreak, Pandemics, Poxviruses, Queen Mary University of London, RTT, Smallpox, University, University of London, Viruses, World Health Organizationadmin

Chloe Orkin, Queen Mary University of London

Since early May, more than 23,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide. This is the largest ever global outbreak of the disease.

Cases have now been reported in 78 countries including the UK, Spain, Germany, France, the US and Brazil. Given the scale of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared the current monkeypox epidemic a global health emergency.

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05Aug/22

Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists

August 5, 2022MusicAfrican music, African popular music, African-American culture, African-American music, Afrobeats, Albums, Beyoncé, Beyoncé Black, Black Is King, Bob Marley, Brenda Fassie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Creative Commons, Disco, Donna Summer, Drake, Funk, Ghana, Gloria Gaynor, James Chikomborero, James Chikomborero Paradza, Kenya, Lemonade, Music, Nigeria, Parkwood Entertainment, Pretoria, Pretoria Beyoncé, Run the World, South Africa, Tems, The Lion King, United States, University of Pretoria, Warsan Shire, Wizkidadmin

James Chikomborero Paradza, University of Pretoria

Beyoncé has released her seventh solo studio album, titled Renaissance (2022). The album, an event in global popular culture, is the first of a three-part project by the US artist. Her previous outing, the visual album Black is King (2020), collaborated with a host of African artists. Renaissance pays tribute to black dance music and again features African artists, including Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems, who is having a global moment of her own.

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