Kenya police brutality – it will take more than laws and public anger to change behaviour: Kenya has once again been reminded of brutality within its police force. Two events in mid-June 2025 pointed to the grave challenge that Kenya must confront to reform the service. The first was the death in police custody of …
Giorgia Meloni’s government is watering down Italy’s anti-mafia laws – four dangerous examples: Author Alison Jamieson once described the fight against organised crime in Italy as the “mafia-antimafia seesaw”. There have been plenty of ups and downs in this long history. And yet, at the moment, it looks as though the seesaw is weighted on …
Opt-out laws designed to make organ donation easier may have actually made it harder, says research: In 2020, England introduced an opt-out system for organ donation with the aim of making it easier for organs to be donated after a person’s death. The Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019 assumed that unless someone explicitly opted …
Namibia’s sodomy laws have been overturned – what that means for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country: Bennian/Getty Images, CC BY The Namibian high court recently invalidated the country’s colonial-era “sodomy law”, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual …
Kenya has tightened its laws to stop money laundering: why banks are the focus: Kenya’s banking industry has in recent years been in the crosshairs of national, regional and international watchdogs, given the country’s role as a financial hub in eastern Africa. In 2023 Kenya enacted laws to curb money laundering and combat terrorism financing. …
Ukraine war increasingly seen as ‘fought by the poor’, as Zelensky raises taxes and proposes strict mobilisation laws: After the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, Kyiv finds itself at a major crossroads and with no easy options. The demand late last year by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, for the mobilisation of an additional 500,000 …
Ukraine recap: Zelensky’s defiant new year speech foreshadows tough 2024 as government tightens conscription laws: Ukraine is alive. Ukraine lives. Ukraine fights. Ukraine advances, Ukraine overcomes the path. Ukraine gains. Ukraine works. Ukraine exists. In his new year’s speech this week, Volodymyr Zelensky was characteristically bullish about his country’s prospects as the war heads towards …
AI: the world is finally starting to regulate artificial intelligence – what to expect from US, EU and China’s new laws: Have a nice day Photo / Shutterstock Most mainstream applications of artificial intelligence (AI) make use of its ability to crunch large volumes of data, detecting patterns and trends within. The results can help …
AI: we may not need a new human right to protect us from decisions by algorithms – the laws already exist: Hiring algorithms could filter candidates before interviews even take place. fizkes / Shutterstock There are risks and harms that come with relying on algorithms to make decisions. People are already feeling the impact of …
The family home in South African townships is contested – why occupation, inheritance and history are clashing with laws: During apartheid, black South Africans could not own land – and therefore their homes – in what were classified as “white” cities. In racially segregated townships, living in “family houses” and passing them on depended officially …
Queer film in Africa is rising – even in countries with the harshest anti-LGBTIQ+ laws: A recent book, Queer Bodies in African Films, studies the growing LGBTIQ+ output from film-makers around the continent, from Morocco to South Africa. In the process it analyses what queerness is and means within the context of African countries. Its …
Young people with sexual or gender diversity are at higher risk of stopping their HIV treatment because of stigma and harsh laws: Ending the AIDS pandemic – particularly in eastern and southern Africa – cannot be achieved unless more resources are channelled to meet the needs of key vulnerable populations. This is one of the …
Cannabis is illegal in Nigeria but provides a living for families – study calls for rethink of drug laws: Arriving at the tranquil village health facility in southwestern Nigeria, we were met by a small gathering of men – young and old – with thinly veiled excitement. These rural farmers were visibly intrigued by our …
World Bank freezes loans to Uganda because of anti-gay laws. But it doesn’t mean it’s becoming a human rights watchdog: A gay pride rally in Entebbe, Uganda in 2014 before a tough anti-homosexuality law was passed. ISAAC KASAMANI/AFP via Getty Images Many people may be tempted to view the World Bank’s recent announcement that it …
US laws to promote home-grown industries will hurt African economies: Shutterstock The Biden administration has ratcheted up protectionism and industrial policy amid surging economic tensions with China. Legislation passed in 2022 unlocked hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies to spur domestic production of renewable energy and electric vehicles, and to support other decarbonisation goals. …
Gender pay gap: how new EU pay transparency laws will make men and women’s wages more equal: Pay transparency. stockphoto-graf/Shutterstock Even though 90% of Europeans think it’s unacceptable for women to be paid less than men, the average EU gender pay gap remained close to 13% in 2021. And there has been only a 4 …
How can a French protester be arrested under British terrorism laws in London? The alarming ‘schedule 7’ power explained: Moret was arrested after arriving at St Pancras International station. Shutterstock The arrest and charging of a French publisher as he arrived in London has raised serious questions about the use and abuse of power in …
Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal: how the Stormont brake could block new EU laws from Northern Ireland: After years of tensions and negotiations, the EU and the UK have announced their proposed solution to the problem of trade barriers between Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the EU. The Windsor framework is a political agreement which sets …