Month: May 2023
Kosovo-Serbia tensions
Kosovo is a mainly ethnic Albanian populated territory that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008. Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo flared anew this weekend after Kosovo’s police raided Serb-dominated areas in the region’s north and seized local municipality buildings. Kosovo’s independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the
Poland approves Russian influence bill
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent war and energy crisis, the PiS party accused the previous party in power, the liberal Civic Platform (PO) of making Poland overly dependent on Russian fossil fuel. The bill, which was passed by parliament on Friday, allows for the creation of a
anti-LGBTQ bill into law in Uganda
Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda under a law that dates back to the British colonial period. The new law contains a provision that would punish “aggravated homosexuality” with the death penalty. The legislation has been met with broad international condemnation. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the UN’s HIV/AIDS program
Trading in local currency between India and Tanzania
In a press release posted on its website, the Indian High Commission in Dar es Salaam said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had cleared the way for trade using local currencies by allowing authorised banks in India to open Special Rupee Vestro Accounts (SRVA) in Tanzania. To trade under this mechanism, Tanzanian banks will
National plastic pollution treaty
Plastic manufacturers produce about 460 million tons of plastic a year — a quarter of which ends up polluting the planet, according to the UNEP. Less than 10% of plastic is recycled. The rest is buried in landfills or incinerated. Plastic waste is set to triple by 2060 and may already have exceeded safe planetary
Turkey’s Presidential run off
Ahead of the vote, observers criticized unjust conditions on the campaign trail, with Erdoğan enjoying the use of state resources and dominating the media landscape. Sunday’s election result in the NATO member country will have repercussions beyond its borders and the wider region. Polling stations were open on Sunday across Turkey for a crucial second
Twitter has pulled out of voluntary code to fighting disinformation in European Union
Dozens of tech firms both big and small are signed up to the EU’s disinformation code, including Meta – which owns Facebook and Instagram – as well as TikTok, Google, Microsoft and Twitch. The code was launched in June last year, and aims to prevent profiteering from disinformation and fake news, as well as increasing
Use of ChatGPT in case research
Millions of people have used ChatGPT since it launched in November 2022. It can answer questions in natural, human-like language and it can also mimic other writing styles. It uses the internet as it was in 2021 as its database. There have been concerns over the potential risks of artificial intelligence (AI), including the potential
Battle for play station control
In 2005, Microsoft gets a head-start on Sony by releasing the Xbox 360 a full year before its rival can get the PlayStation 3 (PS3) out of its factories. It’s not the smoothest launch – gamers struggle to actually get their hands on one at first. Sony unveiled its latest PlayStation 5 line-up this week,
Russian drone attack on Kyiv
Kyviv Russia of targeting Kyiv deliberately as residents prepared to celebrate Kyiv Day – the anniversary of the city’s foundation more than 1,500 years ago and a popular holiday before the war. Russia – which launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 – has stepped up its attacks on Kyiv, seeking to overwhelm the capital’s