Afghanistan: Humanitarian work at risk after Taliban took control of ‘keys to the server room’ with biometric data
From ethical dilemmas on data security to worst-case scenarios unfolding in real time – the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan is spurring urgent concern about the safety of data that aid groups have collected over the past 20 years. Data protection experts warn that aid groups must quickly review...
Largest study yet on Covid spread puts to rest doubts about effectiveness of masks in reining in transmission
A study involving more than 340,000 people in Bangladesh offers some of the strongest real-world evidence yet that mask use can help communities slow the spread of Covid-19. The research, conducted across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, is the largest randomised trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of surgical masks, in...
UK parliamentary group wants greater inclusion of women, minority ethnic groups in sciences
A cross-party group of UK parliamentarians is urging the government to increase the diversity of the nation’s workforce in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Among other recommendations, a report issued by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths...
Religious groups in UK misuse concept of ‘forgiveness’ to sweep sexual crimes under carpet
There are “shocking failings” and “blatant hypocrisy” in the way major UK religious groups handle child sex abuse allegations, an inquiry has found. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) said some religious organisations in England and Wales were “morally failing” children. It examined evidence from 38 groups, including...
Distress calls flow out of Afghanistan as scholars fear Taliban reprisals after US military forces exit
“The situation in Afghanistan is horrifying. We need immediate assistance.” This is one of several distressing messages sent out by researchers in Afghanistan, following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul on August 15 and the evacuation of US military forces on August 31. Researchers are among those who are now especially...
English football fan opens up on how daughter’s ‘stern’ gaze changed his view of Black players
When England overcome Poland 2-0 on October 19, 2013 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a newspaper in the host country headlined the story “The animals are coming.” It was an expression of disgust of the English raw behaviour that underlies hooliganism. The headline summed up all...
Counsellor: Some sex workers in Kenya are openly talking about their trade and it’s slowing down HIV/Aids incidence
HIV/Aids counsellor and service provider at Nyahururu Referral Hospital William Ruto has seen it all: death caused by the virus and the stigma hat comes with it is devastating. After years of waiting for patients at the hospital, Ruto opted to venture out and del with the problem before it...
From brothels with skill and confidence to create condom use awareness: tale of a prostitute in Kenya
The oldest ‘profession’ in the world is a vice that moralists preach against. Anybody involved in the flesh-pot hunger business is scorned. As the saying goes: perfection is the disease of a (puritanical) nation,” sang American R&B musician, Beyoncé. A commercial sex worker in Nyahururu town, Laikipia County, north of the...
EU-supported Malian army accused of killing more civilians than jihadist insurgents they’re fighting
Boulkessi, once a large and thriving village in central Mali, is deserted – its orange, mud-brick houses now standing empty. Malian soldiers are the only people who live there, entrenched in a fortress of sandbags on the outskirts of the village. Sent to defend Boulkessi from jihadist insurgents, they are...
Unpacking South Sudan’s food crisis as war, flooding and donor weariness persist
South Sudan is experiencing its worst food crisis since independence as seasonal flooding sets in amid an economic downturn and renewed conflict that has spiked despite a peace agreement and the formation of a unity government. Efforts to distribute food have been complicated by funding gaps in the humanitarian response,...
