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War, poverty and inequality: Is there any good news? | UpFront
Harvard professor and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker's new book Enlightenment Now has sparked a debate on how we see the world. While wars and poverty continue to affect millions around the world, Pinker argues that both are in decline and challenges readers to see "how amazing our world has become." "Any aspect of human well-being that you measure has shown an increase," he says. "We live longer, more of us go to school, life is safer, fewer of us die in wars." According to Pinker, humanity's progress can be attributed to reason and science, ideas he says were expressed in 18th century Europe, during a period widely referred to as the Enlightenment. Pinker relies heavily on data to support his argument that prosperity is rising in the world. When challenged on the types of data chosen, particularly his use of the $1.90 extreme poverty line set by the World Bank, Pinker denies that other measures reveal more poverty. "No matter what cutoff you set, the direction is downward," he says. "Billions of people have been added to the world as a whole. What's relevant is the proportion." Pinker's views on climate change, expressed in his book, have also drawn criticisicm. It's not irrevocable," he says. "The trend is in the wrong direction, but that doesn't mean that nothing could work."

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🇬🇧 Is the UK still racist? | UpFront
According to journalist Afua Hirsch, "discussing race in contemporary Britain is still a radical act." In her latest book, Brit(ish), Hirsch argues that the UK has failed to reckon with its colonial past and that conversations about race, ethnicity and diversity have been silenced. "I'm not saying that we haven't made progress," says Hirsch, "but I think what's happened is that because racism has become less visible, and it's become more subtle and coded, we've become very complacent." While Claire Fox, author and director of the UK-based think-tank the Academy of Ideas, agrees that racism exists in the UK, she takes issue with some of the terms used in the conversation. "This is an aspect of identity politics that I feel very uncomfortable with," she says. "Rather than taking people for what they say and for the ideas they hold, we start to see people based on their ethnicity, or indeed on their gender or any number of things." But discussing race in the UK is necessary, according to Hirsch, because what exists now is a "victor's version of history". "We talk about West India merchants in our literature and period dramas. We never call them slave owners," she says. "We've found so many ways of coating this past so that it's more palatable".

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🇵🇪 Peru's president questioned over alleged corruption | Al Jazeera English
Peru's president has faced eight hours of questioning on his ties to a Brazilian construction giant. The company's being investigated over accusations of a kickback scheme for government contracts. It comes a day after Congress voted to begin impeachment proceedings against Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports from Lima. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇳🇬 Nigerians want change ahead of next year's election | Al Jazeera English
Nigeria has the largest economy and population in Africa. But nearly half of its people live in abject poverty. Three years after democratically electing Muhammadu Buhari as president, little has changed. People who elected him wanted him to end corruption, insecurity and to fix the economy. Today, many of them say he's failed to meet their expectations. Al Jazeera's Mohamed Vall reports from Abuja, Nigeria. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇷🇺 Crimea votes for first time in Russian elections | Al Jazeera English
Russians are to vote for their next president on Sunday. And as election fever grows, authorities in Crimea have reportedly been tasked with producing an overwhelming vote for Putin. That would be a validation of the referendum that saw Crimea become part of Russia four years ago after the territory was annexed from Ukraine. However, in Crimea's Tatar towns, like historical Bakhchisaray, the mood is different. People who opposed the annexation intend to boycott the election. But they say they're being pressured to vote. Al Jazeera's Rory Challands reports from Crimea. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇦🇫 Opium production in Afghanistan reaches record high | Al Jazeera English
Opium production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since the US invasion in 2001. Last year 9,000 tonnes were produced, an increase of 87 percent. As a result, the record number of people turning to drugs in desperation is also increasing. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Kabul, Afghanistan. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇪🇬 Egyptian expats cast their ballot amid calls for boycott | Al Jazeera English
Egyptians living abroad are casting their votes for who they want as president. But the election has been dismissed as a fix by some in the opposition, after several candidates were arrested or intimidated into pulling out. Some expats say they're not going to bother voting. Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi reports from Washington, DC. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇬🇧 Family of Egyptian student killed in the UK demand answers | Al Jazeera English
Egypt's foreign ministry is demanding answers after a teenager's death in the UK. Mariam Moustafa sustained severe head injuries in an attack by a group of young people in Nottingham last month. She was taken to a hospital, placed in an induced coma but never recovered. Al Jazeera's Emma Hayward reports. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇺🇸 FBI deputy chief Andrew McCabe fired, says he was being targeted | Al Jazeera English
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, less than two days before he could retire with his full pension. McCabe had been a frequent target of criticism from Donald Trump over his handling of the investigation of Trump's 2016 political rival, Hillary Clinton. The US president took to Twitter to celebrate the sacking. Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports on the controversial tenure of Andrew McCabe. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇿🇦 Jacob Zuma to face corruption charges | Al Jazeera English
South African former President Jacob Zuma is facing prosecution for corruption. The charges include fraud, racketeering and money laundering, over a $2.5bn arms deal signed in the 1990s. Charges related to the deal had previously been filed but were then dropped, and Zuma's opponents fought for years to have them reinstated. Zuma denies any wrongdoing. Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb reports from Pretoria, South Africa. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL

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🇸🇾 Syria's war: Offensives on Afrin and Ghouta continue | Al Jazeera English
Russia says more than 7,000 civilians have left Eastern Ghouta in the past few hours. This comes after a Russian air raid on the besieged Syrian enclave killed 70 people. Bombs hit a market in the town of Kafar Batna, within rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. The Syrian government and its allies launched an offensive to capture the area months ago. Further north, Turkish-led forces are preparing to attack the city of Afrin, where the UN says 48,000 people have been displaced. Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher reports from the Turkish-Syrian border. - Subscribe to our channel: http://ift.tt/291RaQr - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: http://ift.tt/1iHo6G4 - Check our website: http://ift.tt/2lOp4tL