Group

ECB publishes progress report on digital euro and study on possible features of a digital wallet

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

- PRESS RELEASE

Key Points: 
  • - PRESS RELEASE
    ECB publishes progress report on digital euro and study on possible features of a digital wallet
    24 April 2023
    - Digital euro potentially available initially to euro area residents, merchants and governments
    - Digital euro could be made available via existing banking apps and Eurosystem app
    - Offline and person-to-person payments across euro area seen as highly valued
    The European Central Bank (ECB) today published the third progress report on the digital euro, as well as the findings of focus groups commissioned by the ECB concerning people’s views on the features of a potential digital wallet.
  • In its initial releases, a digital euro would be accessible to euro area residents, merchants and governments.
  • The report also anticipates the potential provision of cross-currency functionalities with other central bank digital currencies outside the euro area.
  • The digital euro project is for the people of Europe”, said Executive Board member Fabio Panetta, who chairs the High-Level Task Force on a digital euro.

The NHS COVID app is closing down – here’s where it succeeded and where it went wrong

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 24, 2023

The NHS recently announced that its COVID contact tracing app will be discontinued on April 27, amid reports of falling use.

Key Points: 
  • The NHS recently announced that its COVID contact tracing app will be discontinued on April 27, amid reports of falling use.
  • But just over 100,000 of those downloads have taken place in 2023, perhaps an indicator of declining public interest as we learn to live with COVID.
  • The conclusion of this app offers an opportunity to assess where it succeeded and where it fell short of expectations.

What went wrong?

    • If the system fell offline even briefly, it could cause major problems for users trying to board flights or enter venues.
    • As part of our research on the app, we conducted focus groups with users and non-users.
    • They talked about unclear or false notifications, such as alerts about possible exposures, which some found confusing or frightening.
    • For certain participants in our research, if they couldn’t afford to miss work, they turned the app off to avoid notifications.

The importance of trust

    • User trust is a broad issue, driven by a range of factors including the system’s accuracy, reliability, security, resilience, transparency, and alignment to users’ values and needs.
    • In other words, the technology needs to be judged as “legitimate” for the public to use it as intended.
    • What’s more, political trust affects how people view technology deployed by governments.
    • Political trust was shaky in the UK during the pandemic, and declining trust in government may have undermined the public’s attitudes to the app.

Autistic people often feel they’re ‘doing love wrong’ – but there’s another side of the story

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, April 23, 2023

In her third book, Love and Autism, she returns to her journalist foundations to explore how love and autism shape each other.

Key Points: 
  • In her third book, Love and Autism, she returns to her journalist foundations to explore how love and autism shape each other.
  • The book is supported by a significant amount of research, but its heft is in the life stories of five autistic Australians: Jess, Chloe, Noor, Tim and Michael.
  • Through interviews with Kerr, each narrates their experience of the many types of love that have inflected their daily lives, from childhood through to adulthood.

Exploding myths

    • It is thrilling because it is even more thoughtful, practical and delightful than I imagined it could be.
    • It is saddening because, as far as I’m aware, such a book has not been written before.
    • Read more:
      Real-life autism disclosures are complex – and reactions can range from dismissal to celebration

‘Refrigerator mothers’ and other misinterpretations

    • (He finally retracted his theory in 1969, but by then Bruno Bettelheim’s redeveloped version of it was already more popular.)
    • By the 1980s, as parents strengthened their advocacy against these untrue portrayals of their parenting skills, researchers shifted their attention from them to their autistic children.
    • If autism wasn’t a “normal” mind destroyed by outside influences, perhaps there was no mind, or awareness of mind, to destroy, they speculated.
    • Research groups have since been unable to replicate the 1985 study (or other theory of mind studies) on humans.
    • Read more:
      Disabled people were Holocaust victims, too: they were excluded from German society and murdered by Nazi programs

The double empathy problem

    • Yet it’s equally true that non-autistic people sometimes struggle to understand autistic communication.
    • In 2012, autistic researcher Damien Milton published his own theory of autistic and non-autistic communication differences (one that has been replicated): the “double empathy problem”, which explains these differences as cultural.
    • Milton’s model emphasises that neither group – autistic or non-autistic – lacks the ability to communicate.
    • The solution to the double empathy problem is for both cultures to be accommodated, rather than autistic people being expected to conform to non-autistic culture.

A ‘proudly autistic’ book

    • Structurally, too, this book is proudly autistic.
    • It is divided into five sections, which feature experiences from the same period of life of all five subjects.
    • Yet although the sections are in chronological order, the order of the subjects within each section is different each time.
    • In this way, the book as a whole charts a leisurely, meandering path, with additional digressions into research – and stories from Kerr and others – as it goes.
    • The five subjects of the book each describe their own versions of discovering and affirming their autistic needs.

Authentically loving ourselves and others

    • The five autistic people profiled share a range of ideas for how to authentically – which for them, means autistically – love themselves and others.
    • Chloe explains about her relationship with her partner Jacob, who is also autistic:
      We have a lot of fun that maybe neurotypical couples don’t, really.
    • You know, there’s this stereotype of the childish joy autistic people can still hold on to, and I think we can find that.
    • We also echo each other, like whatever echolalia we have picked up for the day we will bounce back and forth.
    • You know, there’s this stereotype of the childish joy autistic people can still hold on to, and I think we can find that.

Navigating discrimination

    • Even if the wider world or people who are not very kind say that [it is], don’t ever believe it.
    • Basically, all the things I wish I had heard from my parents when I was growing up.
    • I will definitely say to her that it’s the way Allah created you and me.
    • Even if the wider world or people who are not very kind say that [it is], don’t ever believe it.
    • Her observation highlights the reality that disclosing an autism diagnosis carries real risks of discrimination, particularly when you belong to other minority groups.

Raw materials, or sacred beings? Lithium extraction puts two worldviews into tension

Retrieved on: 
Friday, April 21, 2023

Though EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases than fuel-powered vehicles, their batteries require more minerals – especially lithium, which is also used to make batteries for smartphones and computers.

Key Points: 
  • Though EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases than fuel-powered vehicles, their batteries require more minerals – especially lithium, which is also used to make batteries for smartphones and computers.
  • Unlike its neighbors Chile and Argentina, Bolivia has yet to become a major player in the global lithium market.
  • In part, this is because its high-altitude salt flats aren’t suited to the usual extraction method, solar evaporation.

The Pachamama

    • Aymara and Quechua peoples comprise most of the Indigenous communities in the Andes Mountains.
    • Instead, it is seen as a group of beings with personhood, history and power beyond human reach.
    • For example, the female divinity of fertility, to whom people owe respect, is the Pachamama.
    • Since she sustains and secures the reproduction of life, Andean Indigenous people make offerings to the Pachamama in ancestral rituals known as “challas” that seek to reinforce their connection with her.

Lifeless matter

    • The modern economy turns nature into a source of raw materials: morally and spiritually inert matter that is there to be extracted and mobilized worldwide.
    • In the way Christians adapted his idea of prime matter, everything was ordered by its level of “perfection,” ranging from the lowest level – prime matter, the most basic “stuff” of the world – to rocks, plants, animals, humans, angels and, finally, God.
    • The Catholic Church and the Spanish Empire later used this medieval understanding of matter as something passive, without spirit, to justify the extraction of resources during colonial times.
    • The closer things were to prime matter, their argument supposed, the more they needed human imprint and an external purpose to make them valuable.

The road ahead

    • However, extraction initiatives have faced severe setbacks in the last few years, including social protests, the 2019 political crisis and a lack of necessary technology.
    • The Chinese deal represents a new milestone, yet its outcomes are still uncertain: for the economy, for local communities and for the Earth.

Reserve Bank to have two boards after overhaul by inquiry

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 19, 2023

The long-awaited independent review of the Reserve Bank commissioned by Treasurer Jim Chalmers will be released on Thursday, with the treasurer already flagging in-principle agreement with all its recommendations.

Key Points: 
  • The long-awaited independent review of the Reserve Bank commissioned by Treasurer Jim Chalmers will be released on Thursday, with the treasurer already flagging in-principle agreement with all its recommendations.
  • Titled “An RBA fit for the future”, the report makes 51 recommendations under 14 broader headings.
  • Chalmers will announce on Thursday two new RBA board members, to replace retiring members Wendy Craik and Mark Barnaba.
  • Lowe has been under fire for indicating the cash rate would likely not increase before 2024, which influenced the decisions of some house buyers.

Child sexual abuse: what the data tells us about perpetrators and victims

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Braverman suggested that the lion’s share of child sexual abuse is carried out by organised gangs, populated by British Pakistani men victimising predominantly adolescent white girls.

Key Points: 
  • Braverman suggested that the lion’s share of child sexual abuse is carried out by organised gangs, populated by British Pakistani men victimising predominantly adolescent white girls.
  • While some child sexual abuse is perpetrated by gangs, evidence indicates that this is a small percentage of the whole.
  • ONS data from 2016 found that around two-thirds of perpetrators were either family members or close to the child.
  • A report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) also found that the majority of known perpetrators are young, white men.

Uncovering truth

    • This silence is what inspired researchers to launch the Truth Project in 2016, as part of the IICSA.
    • More than 6,000 adults shared their experiences of surviving childhood sexual abuse as part of the Truth Project.
    • Read more:
      Grooming: an expert explains what it is and how to identify it

      The Truth Project found that for 35% of participants, the abuse started when they were between four and seven years old.

    • Nearly 90% of Truth Project participants said that their mental health had been affected by their experiences.

The silence of child sexual abuse

    • But failing to learn about them risks exacerbating the silence and shame that has long shrouded child sexual abuse.
    • Misleading or limited portrayals of child sexual abuse, particularly by political leaders, threatens to silence survivors further.
    • Receiving a disclosure of child sexual abuse can be shocking and unexpected.

Kenya should decriminalise homosexuality: 4 compelling reasons why

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 18, 2023

This has happened with the tacit approval of a law enforcement apparatus that’s supposed to guarantee the right to equal protection.

Key Points: 
  • This has happened with the tacit approval of a law enforcement apparatus that’s supposed to guarantee the right to equal protection.
  • The continued criminalisation of same-sex sexual relations among consenting adults in Kenya worsens social disparities and inequalities.
  • Research has shown that sexual and gender minorities are consistently targeted for unfair dismissal from jobs or business opportunities.

Inclusive development for economic growth

    • This often leads to poorer outcomes in terms of income, human capital endowments and access to employment.
    • People who are discriminated against tend to lack a voice in national and local decision making.
    • The exclusion of minorities, therefore, means the loss of a workforce and their contribution to economic development.

Better health outcomes

    • Social exclusion contributes to poor health among sexual and gender minorities.
    • In a 2020 report, the group estimated that discrimination against sexual minorities costs Kenya up to Sh105 billion (US$782 million) annually in poor health outcomes.
    • Our research shows, for example, better health such as decreased new HIV infections in societies that adopt laws that advance non-discrimination and decriminalise same-sex relationships.

Enhancing safety and security

    • The resolution expresses grave concerns about increasing violence and other human rights violations – including murder, rape and assault – of individuals based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
    • Safety and security are some of the biggest challenges facing sexual and gender minorities in Kenya.
    • Kenya has seen an escalation of negative rhetoric and violence targeting sexual and gender minorities, and related organisations.

Acceptance of diversity


    Sexual and gender minorities are socially excluded because of the criminal label the law imposes on them. This affects their self-acceptance and mental health. Homophobic acts are widespread even in countries where same-sex relations are legal. However, decriminalisation helps facilitate some level of acceptance among minority groups and within wider society. Studies have found that decriminalisation reduces societal violence.

The way forward

    • Social exclusion constitutes perhaps the most serious challenge towards attaining sustainable and inclusive development.
    • The criminalisation of same-sex relations among consenting adults in Kenya’s penal code exposes the weaknesses of the constitution in ensuring inclusivity.
    • It would certainly open a new chapter in the lives of sexual and gender minorities.
    • Lucy Wanjiku Mung’ala is affiliated with Hivos, where she works as the strategy and impact lead - gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Voter ID: analysis shows Conservative MPs offering weak justification for law which is now in force

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 17, 2023

This controversial new rule was brought in on the insistence that the “integrity of elections” needs to be protected.

Key Points: 
  • This controversial new rule was brought in on the insistence that the “integrity of elections” needs to be protected.
  • But it has the potential to prevent many people from taking part in elections.
  • I found both Conservative and Labour MPs agreed that the number of reported voter fraud cases is small.

Increasing already high confidence?

    • Conservative MPs also often argued that voter ID is needed to strengthen public confidence in the electoral system.
    • In fact, more people agree there are sufficient safeguards in place to prevent electoral fraud than those who don’t.
    • Most people believe barriers to democratic participation for minority ethnic groups pose more of a problem than electoral fraud.

Voters pay the price

    • Unlike most countries where a government ID is required to vote, Great Britain has no widely adopted free or low-cost ID option.
    • Concerns have been raised that asking prospective voters to show photo ID to cast their ballot might make it harder for people from minority backgrounds and those who are less well-off to participate in elections.
    • This is interesting since Conservative MPs consistently portrayed voter ID as a benefit to all British voters and therefore positioned themselves as speaking for the electorate.
    • Voters can now apply for a free voter ID but a government-commissioned survey conducted in 2022 found that less than half of those without the correct ID said they would apply to get a free voter ID card.

DNA study opens a window into African civilisations that left a lasting legacy

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, April 15, 2023

Pre-colonial African history is alive with tales of civilisations rising and falling and of different cultures intermingling across the continent.

Key Points: 
  • Pre-colonial African history is alive with tales of civilisations rising and falling and of different cultures intermingling across the continent.
  • We have now shed more light on some of these societies using the science of genetics.
  • In a study published in Science Advances, my co-authors and I used DNA information from people from the present-day continent to shed light on important civilisations that existed before colonialism.
  • Previous work shows that the Roman empire, the Mongol empire, and Silk Road trade probably all left lasting legacies in the genomes of modern-day people across Eurasia.

Hidden in the genome

    • African genome data is underrepresented compared with that from other world regions.
    • This means that lots of genetic diversity – or variety – in the DNA of populations is probably being missed by scientists.
    • Studying genetic diversity has many potential uses – such as understanding risks to health and developing new treatments for disease.

Dating events

    • This provides a way of dating when mixture events took place.
    • The longer the DNA segments matching, for example, west Africans or Europeans, the more recent the mixture event was.

Peace treaty

    • Makuria signed a peace treaty with the Egyptian Arabs in the middle of the seventh century that lasted almost 700 years.
    • The majority of mixing between these two ancestral groups, one closely related to Arabs and the other to Sudanese, dates to after the peace treaty began breaking down.
    • Aksum was once considered one of the world’s four great powers, alongside contemporary empires in China, Persia and Rome.

The expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples

    • Genetic studies have also found evidence of a continent-wide migration known as the expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples.
    • There has been debate about whether the Bantu languages spread largely as a transmission of culture, or whether large-scale migration was involved.
    • This migration started in a small area of western Cameroon roughly 4,000 years ago, before rapidly spreading south and east.

Voter ID: Conservative MPs gave weak justification for law that could stop people voting

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, April 15, 2023

This controversial new rule was brought in on the insistence that the “integrity of elections” needs to be protected.

Key Points: 
  • This controversial new rule was brought in on the insistence that the “integrity of elections” needs to be protected.
  • But it has the potential to prevent many people from taking part in elections.
  • I found both Conservative and Labour MPs agreed that the number of reported voter fraud cases is small.

Increasing already high confidence?

    • Conservative MPs also often argued that voter ID is needed to strengthen public confidence in the electoral system.
    • In fact, more people agree there are sufficient safeguards in place to prevent electoral fraud than those who don’t.
    • Most people believe barriers to democratic participation for minority ethnic groups pose more of a problem than electoral fraud.

Voters pay the price

    • Unlike most countries where a government ID is required to vote, Great Britain has no widely adopted free or low-cost ID option.
    • Concerns have been raised that asking prospective voters to show photo ID to cast their ballot might make it harder for people from minority backgrounds and those who are less well-off to participate in elections.
    • This is interesting since Conservative MPs consistently portrayed voter ID as a benefit to all British voters and therefore positioned themselves as speaking for the electorate.
    • Voters can now apply for a free voter ID but a government-commissioned survey conducted in 2022 found that less than half of those without the correct ID said they would apply to get a free voter ID card.