DES ABEND NEWS

The use of genetically modified (GM) crops is underway in Kenya after a ban was reversed last month, but not everyone is so certain of GM’s role in the country. Credit: Alliance for Science. By: Derry Salter. For the latest four seasons, Kenya has seen no annual rain, with fellow African counties like Ethiopia and Somalia succumbing to the same fate. 1.5 million have fled their homes in the last year to seek for food and water. 4 million people in Kenya remain starving. Earlier last month, Kenya lifted their ban on the use of genetically modified crops after seeing the worst drought to affect the country in over 40 years. Reversing the ban was the first move to hopefully improve crop yields and the future of food security in the country. GM was first banned in Kenya in 2012, with a scientific report concerning a close relationship between cancer in rats and GM crops providing the basis for the ruling. Scientists celebrated the lift of the ban and many see GM crops as the answ...

A team of Swedish engineers have developed the first crash test dummy designed on the real average body of a woman. Credit: NBC News. By: Derry Salter Crash test dummies have been used to determine the safety of a car since the 1970s. It estimates the effectiveness of seatbelts, airbags and other safety features. However, safety is only ensured for men as a majority of crash test dummies are based on the average male build and weight. Women make up more than half of the population and half of all drivers, they are also more prone to injury in accidents. A woman is three times more likely to suffer whiplash injuries in rear car collisions than a man, according to data from the US government. Whiplash is not always fatal, but when it is, it can lead to permanent disabilities. Women who are even wearing seatbelts in a collision are 47% more likely to be injured than their male counterparts. Scarily, women are 17% more likely to die in crashes too. When a crash test dummy is ‘female...

  * This article deals with topics of suicide and self-harm which may be triggering to some readers* The tragic death of Molly Russell, 14, in 2017 has proved to be a ‘watershed moment’ after inquest  rules  social media  contributed  to her suicide. Credit: BBC News. By: Derry Salter. Molly Russell took her life in 2017. After her death, her family looked into her Instagram and Pinterest accounts and uncovered distressing material concerning depression and suicide. In the last six months of her life, Molly used her Inst a gram account more than 120 times a day. Her father stated that Instagram “helped kill my daughter. ” In a record move, the coroner investigating Molly’s death called for her social media in f o r mation to be handed over in November 2019. Jess Elliott, family barrister, first told the courts of social media’s involvement in Molly’s death in 2019 stating that the platforms provided a c cess to “a self-supplying world of self-harm and suicide.”...

Andrew Tate believes rape victims are to blame, women are the sole property of men, and only dates women aged 18-19 to make an imprint on them. Yet this influencer has received millions of views and likes online, reaching fame for talking about hitting women, stopping them from going out, and choking any ‘dumb hoe.’ Credit: Essentially Sports. By: Derry Salter. Former reality-TV star-turned- influencer Andrew Tate was banned from Facebook and Instagram last weekend after the ‘King of Toxic Masculinity’ drew concerns over his attitudes towards women.  Interestingly, Tate’s close friends list boasts the likes of Brexiteer Nigel Farage, anti-Islam activist and former EDL leader Tommy Robinson and even former US President Donald Trump. The former kickboxer has millions of followers across his social media, but was recently banned from most of these sites for his worrying stance on women.   His money-making program for his followers, Hustler’s University, was quickly shut down. Day...

Gaming giants Sony PlayStation are being sued £5 billion for ‘ripping off customers’ with game prices and in-game purchases. Photo: barkingdrum.com. By: Sam Feierabend.   The legal action, led by consumer rights champion Alex Neill, could see millions of everyday gamers owed money should the lawsuit be accepted by courts. The case claims that Sony PlayStation’s actions have driven up prices for consumers, resulting in customers being overcharged for digital gaming purchases over the past six years. This would be a complete abuse of the company’s position as market leader to impose terms and conditions on games’ developers and publishers, including a 30% commission on evert digital purchase on the PlayStation Store. The estimated damages per individual in the claim is said to be between £67 and £562. This applies to any customer who has purchased digital games or add-on content on their console since August 2016. As many as nine million claimants could benefit from this lawsuit. M...

Online child sexual abuse is at an all time high, with new legislation holding tech firms across the UK accountable for their role in tackling such abuse. Similar moves have been restricted in the past due to privacy concerns, however, the need for protection is at an all time high. Credit: Sky News. By: Derry Salter. On Wednesday 6 July, Home Secretary Priti Patel published an amendment to the drafted Online Safety Bills which will force tech companies to roll out new technology to identify child sexual abuse material on their platforms. The amendment promises both privacy and security to tackle the crime, by requiring tech companies to identify child sexual abuse material posted or sent privately on their platforms. Such legislation is essential at a time like this with offences labelled ‘Sexual Communication with a Child’ increasing 80% over the past four years. Patel inculpated large tech firms: 'We must all work to ensure criminals are not allowed to run rampant online a...