Anders Sandberg, University of Oxford
It is a cliche that not knowing history makes one repeat it. As many people have also pointed out, the only thing we learn from history is that we rarely learn anything from history. People engage in land wars in Asia over and over. They repeat the same dating mistakes, again and again. But why does this happen? And will technology put an end to it?
April 27, 2023 /Media/ — Lukwesa Burak is a Zambian-born British journalist and news presenter who is known for her work on the BBC. She is the main presenter of Inside Out East Midlands, and has also presented on BBC News, BBC World News, and BBC Radio Leicester.
Burak was born in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1974. She moved to the UK with her family when she was 10 years old. She studied English and History at the University of Nottingham, and then went on to work as a journalist for a number of newspapers and magazines.
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April 24, 2023 /Entertainment/ — The casting of Adele James as Cleopatra is controversial because there is no consensus on what Cleopatra’s race was. Some historians believe that she was of Macedonian Greek descent, while others believe that she had African ancestry. The casting of James, who is a black British actress, has been seen by some as an attempt to “blackwash” history. Others have defended the casting, saying that it is important to represent Cleopatra as a diverse figure. Continue reading
LONDON, April 19, 2023 /Business/ — Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million on April 18, 2023, just hours before opening statements were scheduled to begin in a defamation trial. The settlement was the largest ever in a defamation case involving a media company.
There are several possible reasons why Fox News agreed to settle. First, the network was facing a strong case. Dominion had already won several key rulings in the case, including one that found that Fox News had defamed the company. A jury was also likely to find in Dominion’s favor, and a large verdict could have been devastating for Fox News.
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Angus Nurse, Nottingham Trent University
Louise Casey’s review of the standards of behaviour and internal culture at the Metropolitan police makes for uncomfortable reading. It was commissioned following the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, who was a serving Met officer at the time.
Casey highlights the prevalence of sexism and homophobia. Crucially, in considering police culture she draws different conclusions on the existence of institutional racism than the position taken in 2021 by Boris Johnson’s government on race.
April 16, 2023 /Technology/ — Knowledge graphs are a type of graph database that is used to represent knowledge about the real world. They are made up of nodes, which represent entities, and edges, which represent relationships between those entities. Knowledge graphs can be used to represent a wide variety of knowledge, including facts about people, places, things, and events.
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LONDON, 13 April 2023 / Policy/ –Financial literacy and inclusion are essential for a strong and vibrant economy. When people have the knowledge and skills to manage their finances, they are better able to save, invest, and plan for the future. They are also less likely to fall into debt or become victims of financial fraud.
There are a number of things that can be done to improve financial literacy and inclusion. One is to provide more financial education in schools and workplaces. Another is to make financial products and services more accessible to everyone, regardless of income or background. Finally, it is important to break down the stigma associated with debt and financial hardship.
Here are some specific ways to improve financial literacy and inclusion: Continue reading
LONDON, 13 April 2023 / — It is still too early to say what the full impact of Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia investigation will be on Africa and its leaders. However, the investigation has already had a number of significant impacts. Continue reading
Niall Ó Dochartaigh, University of Galway
In February 1990, in the midst of the Troubles, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness publicly invited the British government to reopen a back-channel used during previous phases of contact with the IRA in the 1970s and during the 1981 hunger strike.
If [the British government] think there is something to be lost by stating publicly how flexible they would be, or how imaginative, we are saying they should tell us privately … there is an avenue which they are aware of whereby they can make what imaginative steps they are thinking about known to the Republican movement.
It was a crucial early step on the road to the Good Friday Agreement.
This week, Virgin Atlantic’s brand new A330neo touched down at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and to showcase the amazing experience customers can expect on board this route to London, the airline has been delighting customers in Manhattan with a unique “Taxi For Takeoff” experience. The distinctive Virgin red hackney carriage picked up customers around the city, surprising them with a special guest appearance from founder Sir Richard Branson. Continue reading