A bombshell report published recently by news agency Reuters revealed that in early 2020, the US military began a secret social media campaign in the Philippines to undermine trust in the vaccines provided by China. It turns out, as Caitjan Gainty explains, there’s a long and shocking history of disinformation and dirty tricks around vaccination programmes around the world.
Protests against a new finance bill have erupted across Kenya’s major cities and towns. More are planned with calls for a nationwide strike unless the bill, which introduces a raft of new taxes many fear will exacerbate a cost-of-living crisis, is scrapped. Young Kenyans have moblised in innovative ways. Digital activism expert Job Mwaura provides insights into the tactics the tech savvy “Gen Z” are using.
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Caitjan Gainty, King's College London
Not for the first time the US government has harmed public health in developing countries with covert ops.
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Job Mwaura, University of the Witwatersrand
Kenyan activism is witnessing a shift from ethnic-based mobilisation to issue-based activism.
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Gengsong Gao, University of Richmond; Dan Chen, University of Richmond
Regulators in China are scouring social media platforms and censoring those deemed to be engaged in morally corrupt behavior.
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Marie-Ann Betschinger, HEC Montréal; Olivier Bertrand, Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo da Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV/EAESP)
When developed countries cut foreign aid, it doesn’t just hinder international development, but also jeopardizes the international competitiveness of a donor country’s domestic businesses.
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Federico Donelli, University of Trieste
Kigali wants to be seen as a reliable security provider at home and abroad.
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Emily Hemendinger, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
A growing body of research points to links between social media use and mental health harms, but establishing clear cause and effect is difficult.
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Irene Reppa, Swansea University
We locate beautiful items quicker than less appealing ones.
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Hestia Moningka, UCL
Momentary shifts in mood profoundly alter the brain’s response to pleasure in people with bipolar disorder.
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Joel Gray, Sheffield Hallam University
The animated hit has garnered a lot of success in nearly every iteration.
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Nicole Granucci, Quinnipiac University
It’s not a competition, but if it were, Saturn would be winning.
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