On the wooded hill above the Stan Terg lead and zinc mine in Kosovo, there is an old concrete diving platform looming over what was once an open-air swimming pool. Before the break-up of Yugoslavia, people who worked at the mine would bring their families here to swim, sunbathe on the wide terrace with its view across the valley, and picnic among the trees. Now the pool is slowly disappearing into the forest, the view obscured by birch saplings.
Tag Archives: South Africa
Saudi snitching app turns citizens into social media police
- Saudi government apps seen encouraging citizen spies
- Apps needed for greater efficiency, authorities say
- Digital vigilantism on the rise worldwide
By Nazih Osseiran
BEIRUT, Sept 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A Saudi app that lets ordinary people “play the role of a police officer” may have alerted authorities to the tweets of a student whose sentencing to 34 years in jail has drawn international condemnation.
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South African tech entrepreneurs tackle digital divide in townships
- Tech education taken to South Africa’s townships
- WiFi access and apps could boost informal economy
- But technology alone is not the answer, experts warn
By Kim Harrisberg
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Moss Marakalala was 11 when he first used a laptop at an after-school programme in Johannesburg, sparking an interest in technology that inspired him to provide young people like himself from South African townships with digital education. Continue reading
EskomSePush alerts users to rolling blackouts while Panda provides spaces to vent their frustrations
- Power outages by Eskom lead to surge in app downloads
- Apps help build community dialogue, solve problems
- Digital literacy needed to protect data privacy
By Kim Harrisberg
At the start of each school day, South African teacher Lori Cooperman prepares her lessons, plans students’ meals and – most importantly – checks an app to see if there will be electricity. Continue reading
Beyoncé has helped usher in a renaissance for African artists
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.
As online hate speech hits Africa, social media firms told to act
- Online hate speech targets Zimbabweans in South Africa
- Widespread digital abuse also seen in Ghana, Kenya
- Culturally sensitive content moderation key, say activists
By Kim Harrisberg and Nita Bhalla
JOHANNESBURG/NAIROBI, Aug 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Social media used to be a source of light entertainment for Nora, a 47-year-old Zimbabwean domestic worker living in South Africa. But lately, it has become a source of fear.
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Africans turn to crypto as charity funding dwindles
- Fundraising via crypto, NFTs grows amid funding downturn
- Advocates say crypto donations faster, easier to access
- Challenges include internet, power access and gender gap
By Kagondu Njagi
NAIROBI, July 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A sculpture of a giant tap spewing plastic waste greeted delegates at U.N. environment talks in Kenya earlier this year – a reminder of the urgent need for them to agree a global pact to curb plastic pollution.
The Cost of Living Crisis: The Human Impact
People around the world are facing increasing pressures on their day-to-day lives. Food, energy bills and living costs are rocketing as inflation reaches record levels due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and rising global instability.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation has spoken to people living in 18 countries around the world in an attempt to gauge the human impact of the crisis.
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Startups eye metaverse, NFTs, to solve Africa’s economic woes
- Startups target unemployment and governance issues
- Founders launch virtual African nation, marketplace
- Critics fear replication of continent’s inequalities
By Kim Harrisberg
JOHANNESBURG, July 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – It might sound like science fiction, but a Nigerian-born tech entrepreneur thinks he has found a way for Africans to escape problems like inequality and bad governance – a virtual nation born online.
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