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Ethiopia’s Amhara people are being portrayed as the enemy: the dangerous history of ethnic politics

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 6, 2023

When the TPLF entered the Amhara region, committing atrocities against civilians and taking over towns, the Fano worked with government forces to maintain local stability.

Key Points: 
  • When the TPLF entered the Amhara region, committing atrocities against civilians and taking over towns, the Fano worked with government forces to maintain local stability.
  • During and after the war, massacres and mass displacement of Amhara occurred in the Oromia region, the Benshangul Gumuz region and other regions of Ethiopia.
  • But the Amhara were left out of the agreement and continue to be targeted even by government forces.
  • I am a scholar of history, human rights and decolonisation in Africa with a keen interest in Ethiopia.
  • It is important to shine a light on what is happening and unpack the decades-long project of ethnic politics that has allowed the Amhara to be targeted.

The history of ethnic politics in Ethiopia

    • Ethiopia has a long history of ethnic harmony.
    • When the fascist Italian prime minister Benito Mussolini invaded and occupied Ethiopia from 1935 to 1942 dividing the country along ethnic lines took centre stage.
    • It was carried out along plans devised earlier by the Austrian Nazi Roman Prochazka to portray the Amhara as the enemy of all other ethnic groups.
    • After the expulsion of Italy, Haile Selassie sent Ethiopians from diverse ethnic groups overseas for higher education.
    • The two combined, organised other ethnic allies, and removed the Derg from power in 1991.
    • The TPLF led a transitional government which approved the secession of Eritrea from Ethiopia and the adoption of the current constitution.

The Amhara as national enemy

    • Although the Ethiopian monarchy was established in Tigray and many Tigrayan (and, indeed, Oromo, Amhara and mixed) emperors ruled the country, the TPLF singled out the Amhara as the monarchical oppressor of all ethnic nations.
    • This was partly convenient because Ethiopian emperors, regardless of ethnic origin, used Amharic as the language of their court.
    • The Amhara are labelled as neftegna, which means a monarchical soldier, despite the monarchy being an institution led by kings from mixed ethnic groups.
    • Even if one believes that the Amhara were monarchical oppressors, the monarchy was destroyed almost 50 years ago and the Amhara have been excluded from power ever since.

Heading towards genocide

    • In August 2023, Oromia state government representatives travelled to Tigray to declare war:
      The war we just started [on the Amhara] is a major war.
    • Right now, this group we are fighting wants to impose one religion, one country, and one language by force on all of us.
    • Similar demonisation of the Tutsi by Hutu genocide agitators led to genocide 30 years ago in which 800,000 Tutsis and Tutsi sympathisers were killed.
    • Without more attention and action from the media and global actors, Ethiopia could be heading towards a Rwandan-style genocide.

How hate speech during the Voice campaign can harm personal wellbeing, as well as democracy

Retrieved on: 
Monday, September 4, 2023

Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia will vote in the Voice referendum on October 14.

Key Points: 
  • Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia will vote in the Voice referendum on October 14.
  • Read more:
    How we can avoid political misinformation in the lead-up to the Voice referendum

Misinformation has multiplied

    • The surfacing of Donald Trump-style conspiracies has severed the link between political claims and established standards of truth.
    • We’ve heard claims such as the Voice would somehow lead to reparations for Aboriginal people or a new “Black State”.
    • It has also been argued Australia Day will be abolished and the courts would be overwhelmed with claims from the Voice.

Hate speech can cause physical and psychological harm

    • Hate speech causes harm at a social level, as it can worsen and even promote intolerance, divisiveness and hostility towards its targets.
    • It hinders public discussion by using polarising and exaggerated claims, disrupting any chance of civil discussion.
    • At the individual level, evidence shows hate speech can also cause physical and psychological injury, including increased risk of stress-related illnesses.
    • Hate speech can cause fear and anxiety, leading to social exclusion and isolation.

But it’s not too late to change course

    • And exaggerated claims calculated only to provoke discord should be named as such by existing fact-checking processes.
    • The authors of this article have developed a compendium of key resources that avoid ideological distortions and political grandstanding.
    • It is available free of charge to all Australians to help them make up their minds about how to vote.

How to get help or your money back after travel disruptions – experts explain

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Passenger numbers were up 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year.

Key Points: 
  • Passenger numbers were up 30% in the northern hemisphere in June 2023, versus the previous year.
  • Air travellers caught up in these events are legally entitled to care and assistance from airlines under UK law post-Brexit.
  • But our research shows that people are often unsure or completely unaware of their rights when travel is disrupted.
  • At present the regulator is unable to directly and independently fine an airline, it must bring a court action.

Uncertainty about legal rights of air passengers

    • But the mass cancellation of flights during the COVID pandemic and the failure of many airlines to refund some passengers really brought the problem to the wider public’s attention.
    • We have researched passenger experiences of flight cancellations during the pandemic, as well as the level of awareness among air passengers of both their legal rights and routes to redress.
    • These problems are even more acute for passengers who have booked through an online travel agent rather than directly with the airline.

How to get redress for travel disruption

    • If you don’t get a response, or are unsatisfied with the response, there are other options.
    • Further, not all airlines are members of the schemes and ADR decisions are not binding.
    • Alternatively, you could bring a court action against an airline, although this can be tricky if the airline is based abroad.
    • This allows you to make a claim to the bank or provider of the credit card you used to pay for your flights.

What about the airline regulator?

    • This pits the weaker consumer against the powerful interests and deeper pockets of the airlines.
    • The Department for Transport proposed reforms in January 2022, but the UK government has yet to act.

Half of migrant and refugee women we spoke to have been sexually harassed in Australian workplaces

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 29, 2023

These women most often experienced workplace sexual harassment when they were in insecure employment, in temporary, casual or contract positions.

Key Points: 
  • These women most often experienced workplace sexual harassment when they were in insecure employment, in temporary, casual or contract positions.
  • It was most common for these women to disclose the experience to friends and family, or informally to someone at work.
  • In November 2022, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins launched the fifth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces.
  • And 46% of migrant and refugee women in this study had experienced this in the workplace.

COVID boosters to be sold on the high street – here's what effect this may have on uptake

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 24, 2023

COVID boosters will be available to buy from high-street pharmacists and private healthcare providers across the UK in 2024.

Key Points: 
  • COVID boosters will be available to buy from high-street pharmacists and private healthcare providers across the UK in 2024.
  • The news comes just weeks after the UK government announced that free boosters would only be available on the NHS for over-65s this autumn.
  • As we adapt to living with COVID, prioritising resources (such as vaccines) to the most vulnerable people seems a sensible approach.
  • But the consequences this will have on the spread of COVID is less clear.
  • In many countries, most the population now have high levels of hybrid immunity against COVID, thanks to the combined effects of vaccination and immunity from COVID infections.

Flu v COVID

    • Offering boosters to purchase from next year is a similar strategy to the one used for the seasonal flu vaccine.
    • Data from 2022’s seasonal flu vaccination campaign in England show that 82% of GP-registered patients over 65 years old had a flu vaccine.
    • But with COVID boosters no longer being offered for free to under-65s this year, it raises concerns about how many people will actually pay for the COVID booster.

Cost is a factor

    • If reports are correct and private COVID boosters cost over £100, compared to the relatively low cost of a private flu shot in the UK (between £10-20), this will likely limit their uptake to those with higher incomes, presenting a significant barrier to those who can least afford them.
    • Doing so is estimated to have saved over one million lives in Europe alone – especially in those over 60 years of age.

Protecting endangered languages feels right, but does it really help people?

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

However, these stories tend to focus less on how such efforts materially help speakers of endangered languages.

Key Points: 
  • However, these stories tend to focus less on how such efforts materially help speakers of endangered languages.
  • As I explore in a peer-reviewed, open-access article, such efforts sometimes help, sometimes harm, and sometimes they do both at once.

Questions of identity

    • Encouraging someone to keep speaking – or to learn anew – a shrinking minority language could certainly buttress his or her sense of identity.
    • But as linguist Peter Trudgill argues, this too can hold a highly local identity.
    • Similarly in Singapore, “Singlish” (a mix of English, Mandarin, Malay, and others) holds an important identity function.

Addressing historical wrongs

    • The theme of righting historical wrongs among minority groups assumes they will somehow benefit from defence of their language.
    • Sure enough, enabling a people to use their traditional language can make them feel better about themselves.
    • Canadian researcher Chris Lalonde focused his work on health and well-being in Canada’s indigenous communities, and what he found was much more complicated.

Details matter

    • In Wales, legal recognition of the Welsh language has been momentous, countering centuries of denigration and decline.
    • Welsh is currently taught in schools across Wales, and that’s good news for families, be they Welsh- or English-speaking.
    • Some schools use Welsh a bit, some a lot, and an increasing number use only Welsh.
    • As is to be expected, Wales’s ambitious plan to substantially increase the use of Welsh brings with it many challenges.

Uncomfortable questions

    • These are uncomfortable questions to ask given the scale of minority language loss worldwide, alongside an acrid legacy of colonialism and repression.
    • However, it’s in no one’s interests to cause new problems while trying to right past wrongs.

Common heart medication less effective in south Asian people – new research

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

People who have recently had a heart attack are often prescribed clopidogrel, a medication that decreases the risk of having another heart attack.

Key Points: 
  • People who have recently had a heart attack are often prescribed clopidogrel, a medication that decreases the risk of having another heart attack.
  • While the drug is very effective at preventing subsequent heart attacks, it can only work if it’s activated by the body’s CYP2C19 enzyme.
  • For example, more than nine in every ten Indigenous people of the Pacific islands have one of these genetic variants.
  • Our new study has also shown that clopidogrel may not be effective for many British south Asians.

Wide verandas, picket fences or the CBD? How coastal cities near the capitals could ride post-COVID waves of growth

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Our research released today shows Australian cities and regions are continuing to change beyond the initial pandemic impacts.

Key Points: 
  • Our research released today shows Australian cities and regions are continuing to change beyond the initial pandemic impacts.
  • We found the pandemic has increased the attractiveness of regional cities that are large, coastal and close to a major capital city.
  • These preferences are likely to lead to two waves of decentralisation that drive growth in these cities.

Businesses still love the CBD

    • We found businesses still want CBD locations in the largest capital cities.
    • Businesses are willing to pay an extra $700 per square metre a year to be in a capital city CBD rather than a suburb in the same city.
    • The short-term impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns were especially harmful for businesses in capital city CBDs.
    • However, we predict high levels of CBD vacancies that occurred through the pandemic won’t last.

I’m working from home. Where will I get my coffee?

    • People not in the workforce want much more distance between them and the CBD – they prefer around 20-35km.
    • With these cities being attractive to both residents and businesses, we are likely to see growth in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
    • Read more:
      Regional Australia's time has come – planning for growth is now vital

Two waves of decentralisation

    • The combined effect of residential and business preferences means there are likely to be two waves of population decentralisation.
    • In the short term, people not in the workforce and those with fully remote jobs will lead the first wave of population decentralisation.
    • These two waves of decentralisation will lead to population movement out of inner-city addresses, and growth in the suburbs.

Who likes Donald Trump? Lots of Republicans, but especially Hispanic voters, plus very rural and very conservative people

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 11, 2023

We are a multiuniversity team of social scientists that has been regularly polling Americans in all 50 states since April 2020.

Key Points: 
  • We are a multiuniversity team of social scientists that has been regularly polling Americans in all 50 states since April 2020.
  • Our most recent survey, which ran from June 29, 2023, to Aug. 1, 2023, included 7,732 Republicans or Republican-leaning independents.
  • While Trump leads DeSantis across nearly all major demographic categories, his advantage is especially large among Hispanic voters.

Very conservative voter support

    • Their support for Trump in 2024 is overwhelming: They support Trump over DeSantis by a 69-12 margin.
    • Very conservative respondents were also the most likely to say that they were sure about which 2024 candidate they support.

Younger support

    • Despite the 77-year-old Trump’s being more than three decades older than DeSantis, he enjoys significantly higher levels of support among younger Republicans.
    • And 48% of even younger Republicans, ages 18 to 24, preferred Trump, as compared with 7% who support DeSantis.

Hispanic and white voters

    • Trump has a large advantage over DeSantis across all racial and ethnic groups we surveyed, but especially among Hispanic and white Republicans.
    • About 52% of white Republican people we polled, meanwhile, said that they support Trump, compared with 12.1% who preferred DeSantis.

No geographic or socioeconomic boundary

    • Trump has a commanding lead over DeSantis across all geographic areas, but his lead is particularly strong among Republicans in very rural communities.
    • Trump also holds a large lead over DeSantis regardless of socioeconomic status, but the gap widens among lower-income and less-educated Republicans.

Trump’s legal woes aren’t a deciding factor

    • Our goal was to test whether prompting them to think about the indictment affected respondents’ support for Trump.
    • Trump’s indictment has given some Republican voters pause, but this concern is not leading them to support DeSantis.
    • This lends credence to the idea some Republicans have articulated that indictments could benefit Trump, but only among the most conservative Republicans.

The bigger picture

    • Overall, potential indictment effects notwithstanding, our findings represent a picture of overwhelming domination by Trump across virtually all facets of the Republican Party.
    • Matthew A Baum receives funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

AI threatens to add to the growing wave of fraud but is also helping tackle it

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 10, 2023

There were 4.5 million reported incidents of fraud in the UK in 2021/22, up 25% on the year before.

Key Points: 
  • There were 4.5 million reported incidents of fraud in the UK in 2021/22, up 25% on the year before.
  • It is a growing problem which costs billions of pounds every year.
  • The COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis have created ideal conditions for fraudsters to exploit the vulnerability and desperation of many households and businesses.
  • And with the use of AI increasing in general, we will likely see a further increase in new types of fraud and is probably contributing to the increased frequency of fraud we are seeing today.

Fraud detection

    • Over the past few years, complex mathematical models combining traditional statistical techniques and machine learning analysis have shown promise in the early detection of financial statement fraud.
    • For example, the risk of fraud decreases if there is better corporate governance and a lower proportion of directors who are also executives.
    • We are also seeing new collaborations in the industry, with the likes of Deutsche Bank partnering with chip maker Nvidia to embed AI into their fraud detection systems.

Risks of AI systems

    • However, the advent of new automated AI systems bring with it worries of potential unintended biases within them.
    • In a recent trial of a new AI fraud detection system by the Department of Work and Pensions, campaign groups were worried about potential biases.
    • Read more:
      Scams, deepfake porn and romance bots: advanced AI is exciting, but incredibly dangerous in criminals' hands

      But AI systems should not be used as a fully automated process to detect and accuse fraud but rather as a tool to assist assessors.