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Cash-strapped Congolese eye deep inequalities ahead of vote

Cash-strapped Congolese eye deep inequalities ahead of vote

FIVE years after graduating with a diploma in computer network maintenance, Georges Bamue, 27, still navigates the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital as a motorcycle taxi rider, unable to find a job or raise enough to start a business in his trained field. On a good day, he makes around $30, but with Congo's rampant inflation, the depreciation of the local currency, and multiple demands on his meagre income, he struggles to make ends meet by paying rent and making sure his family does not go hungry. Bamue, like millions of Congolese who will head to the…
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A free messaging app seemed useful for disadvantaged South African students: why they didn’t agree

A free messaging app seemed useful for disadvantaged South African students: why they didn’t agree

SOUTH African higher education is plagued by inequalities due to the social and economic legacies of apartheid. More than 50% of enrolment in higher education is from black, working-class, disadvantaged households from rural areas who depend on state-funded student aid. At the same time, some institutions of higher learning are also historically disadvantaged: they were designated for non-white students during the apartheid era. These institutions suffered discrimination, underfunding and limited resources, creating disparities in the country’s higher education system. FAZLYN PETERSEN, Information Systems Senior Lecturer, University of the Western Cape In a rapidly evolving digital era, one of the big…
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Five human rights wins in a year marked by COVID-19 backsliding

Five human rights wins in a year marked by COVID-19 backsliding

SONIA ELKS THE coronavirus pandemic deepened entrenched inequalities and took an especially heavy toll on the most vulnerable, but in a grim year there were some notable wins for human rights, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. From Black Lives Matter protests showcasing people power to climate lawsuits holding corporations to account and a groundswell of action to fight violence against women, the rights group highlighted bright spots in its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide. Here are five of the human rights wins and positive trends identified by Amnesty: 1. Black Lives Matter protests The death of George Floyd…
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As COVID-19 vaccines launch, digital certificates seen deepening inequalities

As COVID-19 vaccines launch, digital certificates seen deepening inequalities

RINA CHANDRAN  AS COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out worldwide, a push for identity proofs and digital certificates risks excluding poorer and vulnerable groups from vaccination and the benefits that come with it, according to rights experts. India announced guidelines this week for the first phase of vaccinations for about 300 million people, requiring eligible recipients to first register online with photo-identity documents, including the Aadhaar digital ID. Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the lobby group of the world's airlines, said it would launch a digital health travel pass early next year that will include passengers' COVID-19 vaccination data. But insisting on a…
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