Global development

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It’s no surprise that an AI-faked presidential speech condemning foreign exploitation went viral – the world is suffering from a leadership vacuum

Attributed to the president of Namibia, the speech is still being shared as citizens across Africa and the Caribbean cry out for moral leaders willing to speak uncomfortable truthsFor a moment, the speech attributed to Namibia’s president travelled across the world like a gust of hope. It was fierce. Defiant. Unapologetically sovereign. The speaker denounced […]

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‘What you see here is a wetland without water’: how the datacentre boom is exacerbating Chile’s mega-drought

The country is positioning itself as Latin America’s next technology hub, but communities are pushing backThe Andes mountains frame what was once a wetland – now a stretch of dry, yellowed grass. Rodrigo Vallejos, a final-year law student, noticed the change five years ago while observing the Quilicura wetland, on the northern outskirts of Santiago.

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Cape Verde bets on tech to reverse postcolonial brain drain

African archipelago hopes startups, digital infrastructure and diaspora investment can transform its economyFor much of its history since its discovery by the Portuguese in the mid-15th century, the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of west Africa served as a hub of the international slave trade, with Africans forcibly transported to marketplaces before being distributed

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‘If your wife asks you to change diapers, change your wife’: Lebanon’s hit show parodying the patriarchy

The female-created YouTube sketch series Smatouha Minni (You Heard It From Me) uses satire to confront misogynistic attitudes In Beirut’s Gemmayzeh neighbourhood a rented flat has been transformed into a film set: bright studio lights in a cosy living room. At its centre is Maria Elayan – though she is barely recognisable. Filming for the

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Media coverage of violence against women reaches ‘dismal’ low, report finds

Analysis finds stories citing terms of misogynistic abuse fell to 1.3% of global online news in 2025Media coverage of violence against women and girls and misogynistic harassment is at a “pitiful” low, despite a proliferation of high-profile cases of men abusing women and children, and a rise in AI-assisted violence against women and girls, new

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Sluts, simps and body shaming: the rise of Africa’s manosphere

Experts have been alarmed at the growth of deep misogyny dressed up as self-help on social media. We profile seven men from across the continent who are gaining tractionIt is not just Europe and the US that are grappling with a growing landscape of misogynistic influencers online. While Andrew Tate, Myron Gaines, Sneako and other

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‘Prosthetics aren’t made for people like us’: the brothers creating innovative artificial limbs for Africans

When Ubokobong Amanam lost his fingers in an accident he teamed up with his brother John, a special effects artist, to design a prosthetic that suited him – now they run a thriving business On a humid morning in Uyo, Nigeria, Ubokobong Amanam shows off the lifelike prosthetic where his fingers once were. The skin

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India’s scattered workforce: the chatbot keeping families in touch during emergencies

Covid exposed the lack of data on the country’s 140 million mobile migrant workers, but a new project in Odisha is helping to fill in the gapsRaja Pradhan is sitting cross-legged, scrolling on his phone in his village in eastern India when a green WhatsApp chat bubble pops up on the screen. “Namaskar! Apana bahare

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‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts

Countries across the continent have spent more than $2bn on Chinese tracking technology that is not ‘necessary or proportionate’, new report findsThe rapid expansion of AI-powered mass-surveillance systems across Africa is violating citizens’ right to privacy and having a chilling effect on society, according to experts on human rights and emerging technologies.At least $2bn (£1.5bn)

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Tech firms and AI farming tools ‘playing with the food system’, warns thinktank

Google, Microsoft and Amazon among companies using algorithms and AI to influence what crops are grown and how, say criticsTech companies and industrial agriculture are “playing with the food system” by using AI and algorithms to undermine farmers in choosing what the world eats, leading food security experts have warned.Companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon,

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