Technology

Social media companies pause govt requests for user data from Hong Kong

The World

July 06, 2020

Updated

07/08/2020 - 9:30am

They are reacting to a controversial national security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong.

The Big Fix

Can direct air capture make a real impact on climate change?

The World

July 03, 2020

Swiss direct air capture company Climeworks is counting on it.

Conflict & Justice

How China uses malware to track Muslim Uighurs, even if they’ve fled the country

The World

July 02, 2020

A new report found that Chinese surveillance of Uighurs started much earlier and is more comprehensive than previously thought. The World speaks to security researcher Apurva Kumar, one of the report's co-authors.

Environment

COVID-19 lockdowns are a unique chance to study human-wildlife interactions, researchers say

The World

June 30, 2020

Wild animals emerged in unusual places after cities worldwide imposed lockdowns to slow the coronavirus. Researchers are calling the change in human activity an "anthropause" — and they're proposing a global effort to study how humans and animals may better share our crowded planet.

Free speech

In Thailand, posting a selfie with a beer is a potential crime

The World

June 25, 2020

Under a sporadically enforced law in Thailand, it is risky to say anything flattering about alcohol on social media. You can’t hold up a bottle of bourbon in a selfie and grin. Or show off a pint glass with a Heineken logo.

Media

How Russia laid the groundwork for future disinformation campaigns

The World

June 24, 2020

Nina Jankowicz describes how relocating the Bronze Soldier statue in Tallinn, Estonia, made the country vulnerable to a cyberattack over a decade ago that laid some of the groundwork for Russia's future disinformation campaigns.

Social media

Farmers become social media stars on Chinese TikTok

The World

June 22, 2020

Part of the appeal for Chinese urbanites is a peek into life in the countryside. But the promise of a bargain is also a draw.

Top of The World

Twitter purges state-backed disinformation accounts; US sanctions ICC staff, Syria

The World

June 12, 2020

Twitter has purged more than 32,000 accounts linked to state-backed disinformation operations. The Trump administration has authorized sanctions and visa restrictions on International Criminal Court personnel, in an attempt to undermine investigations into possible US war crimes. In Lebanon, there are increased calls for the government to resign after the currency plunged 25% in two days.

Justice

Doubts remain as Sweden closes case of Palme assassination after 34 years

Reuters

June 10, 2020

A Swedish prosecutor closed the case of the assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme after 34 years on Wednesday, accusing a graphic designer who died two decades ago of the country's most notorious unsolved crime.

COVID-19: The latest from The World

Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health amid COVID-19

The World

June 08, 2020

The mental health repercussions of the 2015 MERS outbreak were little acknowledged. But this time around, experts are sounding the alarm on the mental health crisis of the novel coronavirus as it sweeps the globe.

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