Where there’s a coup, there will probably be an internet outage. From a report: Internet disruptions in Myanmar early Monday morning coincided with reports that top politicians, including the country’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were being rounded up by the military. That’s no surprise: internet blackouts are now common around the world when power hangs in the balance. At…
Tag: Uganda
Uganda Orders All Social Media To Be Blocked
Uganda ordered internet service providers to block all social media platforms and messaging apps on Tuesday until further notice, a letter from the country’s communications regulator seen by Reuters said. From a report: Users had complained earlier on Tuesday that they were unable to access Facebook and WhatsApp, social media platforms being widely used for campaigning ahead of Thursday’s presidential election…
Conservationists spot unique ‘dwarf’ giraffes
For the first time ever, abnormally short ‘dwarf’ giraffes have been spotted in Uganda and Namibia. Resembling miniature versions of their regular cou… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/342800/conservationists-spot-unique-dwarf-giraffes…
A virus and bacteria may ‘team up’ to harm babies’ brains
For nearly 20 years, a small hospital in Uganda has been treating thousands of cases of hydrocephalus in children. Source: https://www.livescience.com/virus-bacteria-hydrocephalus-uganda.html
Is Momentum Growing for Universal Basic Incomes?
“A successful basic-income trial in Stockton, California, has inspired a chain of similar pilots in other cities,” reports Business Insider:
The city council of Saint Paul, Minnesota, voted to approve funding for a pilot there on Wednesday. The program is set to begin this fall and will give up to 150 low-income families $500 per month for up to 18 months —…
Will China’s AI Surveillance State Go Global?
China already has hundreds of millions of surveillance cameras in place, reports the Atlantic’s deputy editor, and “because a new regulation requires telecom firms to scan the face of anyone who signs up for cellphone services, phones’ data can now be attached to a specific person’s face.” But the article also warns that when it comes to AI-powered surveillance, China “could…
EU May Ban Travel From US As It Reopens Borders, Citing Coronavirus Failures
European Union countries rushing to revive their economies and reopen their borders after months of coronavirus restrictions are prepared to block Americans from entering because the United States has failed to control the scourge, according to draft lists of acceptable travelers seen by The New York Times. From a report: That prospect, which would lump American visitors in with Russians and…
Robot ‘spy’ gorilla records wild gorillas singing and farting, because nature is beautiful
An undercover animatronic gorilla captured astonishing footage of wild mountain gorillas singing while they ate. Source: https://www.livescience.com/singing-gorillas-uganda-pbs.html
Mountain gorillas killed by lightning strike
A freak accident has resulted in the deaths of four rare mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Mgahinga National Park. Having long been the subject of conserv… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/334445/mountain-gorillas-killed-by-lightning-strike…
African Countries Are Struggling To Build Robust Identity Systems
The first thing that visitors to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg see is a wall of identity cards– the pieces of paper that determined where people could live and work and whom they could love. From the outset, the apartheid regime’s ability to discriminate against “nie-blankes” (non-whites) depended on having a robust system of identifying people. The opposite problem confronts most…