Author: NLM Editor

Research has shown that the pressures of a crisis can trigger physical reactions capable of distorting perceptions, decisions and outcomes, including: stimulation of the amygdala, which activates the “flight or fight” response, reduction of available working memory and a (self-reinforcing) lack of sleep. These conditions can then impair executive function in numerous ways, including: a tendency to mistake assumptions for facts; the inability or reluctance to make any decision “until all the facts are in” (a luxury rarely available in a crisis); “tunnel vision” (seeing only the fire that needs to be put out, or focusing only on what has…

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By PwC Team A crisis can touch many aspects of an organisation — from its financial, legal, and competitive standing to its technology, processes, and reputation. What too often gets overlooked is the human factor. After all, while companies are said to “face” crises, the reality is that it’s people who actually deal with them, and people who hold the key to outcomes. And, as crisis specialists, we know that how you treat your human stakeholders, both internal and external, will likely make all the difference in whether a company is irreparably harmed or emerges transformed for the better. Here’s the…

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By Shadrack Muyesu K nowledge, critical thinking, mental fortitude and fidelity to truth in the face of adversity. Antonin “Nino” Scalia is the enduring personification of these four critical elements that constitute the moral being. They say that our experiences fuse into our personality; the past is an ingredient. It’s exactly what happened in Scalia’s case. Born into a Catholic family on March 11, 1936 as an only child, he would be an object of fuss for his larger family being particularly close to his mother who nursed him while his father, a college professor, fended for the family. Scalia…

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By Lord Jonathan Sumption I shall begin with a quotation: “For 150 years, power has been deposited in Parliament, and for the last 60 and 70 years, Parliament has been becoming more and more unpopular.” Sounds familiar? The author of these words was not a lead writer in a daily paper or an angry demonstrator in Parliament Square; it was Benjamin Disraeli, perhaps the only true genius ever to rise to the top of British politics. He put them into the mouth of his hero, Sidonia, in his novel Coningsby. Coningsby was published in 1844 at a time of great constitutional…

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By Daniel Benson Kaaya The majority decision in ‘Simon Mbugua & another v Central Bank of Kenya & 2 others [2019] eKLR’ in respect with the issue of whether the design of new Kenyan currency notes violates Article 231 of the Constitution, especially the design of the one thousand note, perpetuates and irrigates the mischief that the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 intended to uproot. The purpose of Article 231(4) was to exclude from the design of any notes and coins the likeness or depiction of any person. The purpose is to depart from personal branding and adoration of individuals through…

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By Antony Mutunga In the digital era, the gig economy has created new opportunities, especially in the developing world. Gigs are becoming the new norm, and 8 to 5 jobs are not the only way to source an income. Today, if you have a skill, you can use it in your free time or full time to earn. For instance, around the world, many people have taken advantage of the gig economy through the likes of Uber and Airbnb. Its characteristics are flexibility, greater independence, and the choice to select what job one wants is what has attracted most people…

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BY Mark MacCarthy The US Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and state attorneys general have grabbed headlines over potential antitrust cases against digital platforms. But advocates calling for expanded sector-specific regulatory controls are playing the longer game. They benefit from widespread scepticism that antitrust actions under current jurisprudence and resource constraints will justify society’s interest in the proper operation of big technology companies. Proponents of a new regulatory regime seek to define the scope of a new regulatory regime based on the standard conception of digital platforms as digital companies that provide service to two different groups of…

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Artificial intelligence technology is proliferating fast across the world and is being deployed in applications from speech recognition to deepfake videos and monitoring traffic congestion. It’s also increasingly being used to monitor and track citizens, according to a new report. At least 75 out of 176 nations surveyed globally are actively using AI technologies for surveillance purposes, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. These include facial recognition systems, smart policing tools, and the establishment of safe city platforms. The leading vendors of these systems globally are Chinese firms, led by Huawei, which has supplied these technologies to at least 50 states worldwide.…

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Africans are still paying way too much for their internet access due to a myriad of challenges including infrastructure investment and weak competitive environments in local markets. Getting all Africans online by 2030 will require around $100 billion in investment with a majority of that sum pegged for infrastructure-based spending. But most African countries do not currently have policy environments needed to make that spending worthwhile, according to the latest broadband affordability report by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). The report analyzes the current ability of national policies to “lower industry costs and ultimately create more affordable broadband.” More African countries…

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Sukuk issuance continues to expand at a fast pace across Africa in line with expectations, as outlined in an 2018 report “Promising growth prospects for Islamic finance in 18 African Countries”. Since the prior report, there has been approximately $0.5 billion of African sukuk, or Islamic bond, issuance. Observers estimate that African sukuk outstanding still makes up just 0.5 percent of global sukuk outstanding. Sukuks continue to provide alternative funding sources for both African sovereigns and financial institutions, and issuance is supported by the increasing financing needs in Africa (especially for infrastructure projects) and global investors’ growing comfort with Islamic…

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