Tag Archives: United States

27Oct/22

Pegasus: invasive spyware or national security?

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

I’m Samuel Woodhams, a digital rights researcher and journalist based in London.

The saga of the NSO Group’s invasive Pegasus spyware continues, with yet another victim confirmed this month by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab and digital rights group, R3D. The organisations said Mexican opposition politician Augustín Basave Alanís was targeted in September 2021, making him the fourth person allegedly hacked during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s presidency. Continue reading

27Oct/22

The whole world is facing a debt crisis – but richer countries can afford to stop it

Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow

Countries across the world are drifting towards a debt crisis. Economic slowdowns and rising inflation have increased demands on spending, making it almost impossible for many governments to pay back the money they owe.

Continue reading

26Oct/22

Four scenarios for a world in disorder

David Bach, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s recent speech to the Communist Party Congress could be one of the most consequential of the decade. He told the audience – and the world – that his economic growth-crushing zero-COVID policy is here to stay, and that Beijing is more determined than ever to reunify with Taiwan, peacefully if possible and by force if necessary.

Continue reading

25Oct/22

It matters that Rishi Sunak has become the UK’s first prime minister of Indian descent

Parveen Akhtar, Aston University

Following his uncontested run at the top job, Rishi Sunak acquires the less-than-coveted title of second successive un-elected British prime minister to take office in 2022. However, coming from Punjabi heritage, he also takes on the more esteemed title of the nation’s first British Asian leader.

Continue reading

13Oct/22

What is cultural appropriation and why is it so harmful?

Adam Haupt, University of Cape Town

Die Antwoord is a South African band that uses hip-hop music to create a style it calls “zef”. Since it first appeared in 2009, Die Antwoord has been criticised for cultural appropriation (using cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative way). It’s accused of copying the lyrics and styles of Cape Town artists rapping in South Africa’s Kaaps language, and of mimicking the visual styles of Cape Flats gang members. Adam Haupt has researched and written extensively on hip-hop and identity. He discusses cultural appropriation and the role of power in interactions between dominant and marginalised subjects in a case like Die Antwoord’s.

Continue reading

13Oct/22

DISTRIBUTION DEALS WITH CHARTER, NCTC, SKY, FREEVIEW, AND M7 BRINGING NEWLY LAUNCHED NETWORK TO AUDIENCES IN THE U.S., U.K., AND EUROPE

EarthxTV, the Dallas-based television entertainment network dedicated to environmental sustainability, is now available in millions of households in the U.S., U.K., and Europe through distribution deals with Charter Communications, Inc. and the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) in the U.S., Sky and Freeview in the U.K., and M7 in Europe, it was announced today by Rajan Singh, Head of Distribution for EarthxTV. The deals mark the launch of the ad-supported network with leading distribution platforms (MVPDs). The 24/7 linear network caters to audiences increasingly attuned to those pressing issues affecting our planet. Continue reading

12Oct/22

Horrible bosses: how algorithm managers are taking over the office

Robert Donoghue, University of Bath and Tiago Vieira, European University Institute

The 1999 cult classic film Office Space depicts Peter’s dreary life as a cubicle-dwelling software engineer. Every Friday, Peter tries to avoid his boss and the dreaded words: “I’m going to need you to go ahead and come in tomorrow.”

Continue reading

11Oct/22

How the UK press is failing victims of miscarriages of justice

Jon Robins, University of Brighton

On September 20 2022, Adnan Sayed had his murder conviction overturned by a Baltimore judge after spending nearly 23 years in jail. His case had featured in the groundbreaking true crime podcast Serial.

Continue reading

07Oct/22

Do we have free will – and do we want it? Thomas the Tank Engine offers clues

Matyáš Moravec, University of St Andrews

Are we free or are our actions determined by the laws of physics? And how much free will do we actually want? These questions have troubled philosophers for millennia – and there are still no perfect answers.

Continue reading

05Oct/22

Nobel prize: physicists share prize for insights into the spooky world of quantum mechanics


Members of the Nobel Committee for Physics announce the winners of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics (L-R on the screen) Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger.
TT News Agency / Alamy Stock Photo

Robert Young, Lancaster University

The 2022 Nobel prize for physics has been awarded to a trio of scientists for pioneering experiments in quantum mechanics, the theory covering the micro-world of atoms and particles.

Continue reading