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Un fossile d'apparence banale, resté oublié dans un tiroir pendant 40 ans, s'est avéré être le premier os de dinosaure jamais découvert en Antarctique.

Un fossile d'apparence banale, resté oublié dans un tiroir pendant 40 ans, s'est avéré être le premier os de dinosaure jamais découvert en Antarctique.

Collective care should not be reduced to practices that merely keep us strong enough to survive hostile conditions. Collective care should also make us question, resist, and transform the very systems of power that generate harm. Credit: Humanis

By Nisrina Nadhifah Rahman
Jul 2 2026 (IPS)

“To respect strength, never power” is one of my favorite quotes from the acclaimed writer and activist, Arundhati Roy. For years, this quote has stayed with me. It encourages a way of life grounded in compassion rather than dominance.

It was particularly on my mind as I returned from the June 2026 Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC26) in Manila, an annual forum organized by EngageMedia. Co-hosted by local partners, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) and DAKILA, it brought together more than 800 digital rights practitioners, researchers, funders, journalists, technologists, and activists from across the Asia-Pacific region.

But my participation in DRAPAC started long before I arrived in Manila. Throughout the first half of 2026, through the Connect, Defend, Act! program, I had been engaging with civil society actors at workshops held across different regions.

Moving in harmony with one another

During a session on collective care at one of them, we asked if abstract principles like human rights, solidarity, resilience, and collective care could be translated into concrete care practices. If so, what would that look like?

One group responded with a local expression: “Na Pada Ajong Ta.” It means to move in harmony with one another, walking side by side and sharing a common rhythm.

I was instantly struck by the phrase.

AI outputs are shaped not only by data, but also by the social, political, and economic structures that determine whose knowledge is collected, whose views and experiences are prioritized, and whose realities are ignored

We are constantly being told to “unite” by both figures of authority and agents of change. But what they want is us to move in the same direction, at the same pace, and with the same voice. Yet perhaps what we need is something closer to “Na Pada Ajong Ta,” walking side by side without marching in lockstep.

Resilience is important, but so is interrogating power

The DRAPAC Assembly took me back to these questions about power, accountability, humanity, and collective care, especially in the discussions on how we frame activists and human rights defenders.

An important discussion revolved around the growing glorification of the “resilience” of activists and human rights defenders. Stories of sacrifice, adaptation, and perseverance are often presented as inspiring accounts of brave individuals fighting for justice in increasingly challenging environments.

Yet I found myself wondering: What happens when resilience becomes an unquestioned virtue? What if our admiration for people’s endurance blinds us to the systems that oppress them? Or traps us in a worldview that celebrates those strong enough to endure, while those who struggle or fall behind are quietly left to fend for themselves?

So, interrogating power in conversations about resilience also means challenging a narrow understanding of collective care. It should not be reduced to practices that merely keep us strong enough to survive hostile conditions. Collective care should also make us question, resist, and transform the very systems of power that generate harm.

AI (just like any other technology) is never neutral

Throughout DRAPAC, countless sessions explored different dimensions of Artificial Intelligence (AI). For me, the most interesting ones treated AI as a political development.

One recurring insight was that AI outputs are shaped by far more than users’ prompts. They are also influenced by invisible system prompts, training datasets, institutional priorities, commercial interests, and political decisions embedded within the technology itself.

In other words, AI reflects the values, assumptions, and most importantly, the power relations built into it.

One of the most well-known principles in computer programming is the phrase “Garbage In, Garbage Out” (GIGO). At its simplest, the principle suggests that the quality of an output depends on the quality of the input.

But after the discussions at DRAPAC, I have come to see GIGO as more than a technical principle. It is also a political one. “Garbage In, Garbage Out” is ultimately a question of power. AI outputs are shaped not only by data, but also by the social, political, and economic structures that determine whose knowledge is collected, whose views and experiences are prioritized, and whose realities are ignored.

The power of the attention economy

Writer and scholar Alfie Bown’s 2022 book, Dream Lovers: The Gamification of Relationships, explores how human desires are increasingly shaped to suit certain economic and political agendas, creating a profound dependency on algorithm-driven technology.

At DRAPAC’s “Algorithm Anonymous” session, we also explored how digital platforms are actually systems of control designed to both capture attention and influence habits, desires, and emotional attachments.

We started off by acknowledging that our choices, behaviors, and things we pay attention to online are often shaped by algorithms. And we examined the deceptive design tricks used by websites and apps that get users to do things they hadn’t planned to, like buying something, sharing more data, or signing up for services.

Then we reflected on how social media, fitness applications, and health platforms create validation loops that encourage continuous engagement, often treating privacy and user agency as an afterthought.

The many forms power takes

As I left DRAPAC, I couldn’t help but think that Arundhati Roy’s reminder to “respect strength, never power,” is perhaps not enough. Because strength, much like power, also has layers that need to be scrutinized and questioned. And while doing so, we also need to re-examine our own roles and individual social and political identities.

We must be clear on where we stand in relation to the systems and structures around us. That doesn’t mean to stop questioning power, but to remain curious about the many forms it takes, including those we may have internalized without realizing it.

Nisrina Nadhifah Rahman is the Indonesia country-level Lead for the Connect, Defend, Act! program at Humanis.

In Eich LU kam es am Donnerstagmittag zu einem tragischen Unfall: Eine 19-Jährige starb, ein 25-Jähriger wurde schwer verletzt. Der Vorfall ereignete sich während der Vorbereitungen für ein Ferienlager einer Luzerner Jugendorganisation.

Vladimir Petkovic (62) hat an dieser WM schon zwei Torhüter eingesetzt. Kommt gegen die Nati mit Lausanne-Goalie Melvin Mastil (26) die algerische Nummer drei zum Einsatz?

Der Bio-Hof «Chinzi» in Ruppoldsried BE wurde am Mittwochabend durch ein Feuer vernichtet. Die Familie Ruchti verlor Tiere, Hab und Gut. Die Gemeinde ruft zu Spenden auf, um den Wiederaufbau zu unterstützen.

Nach heftiger Kritik an einer möglichen Wiedereröffnung ihrer Restaurants melden sich die Anwälte von Jessica und Jacques Moretti zu Wort. Sie sprechen von Hass und Todesdrohungen – und erklären, weshalb die Lokale trotzdem wieder öffnen sollen.

La wilaya de Batna a publié un démenti catégorique après que des publications alarmistes ont inondé les réseaux sociaux, faisant état d’une vague massive d’intoxications […]

L’article « 135 cas d’intoxication à la pastèque à Batna » : la wilaya publie un communiqué officiel est apparu en premier sur .

Schock-Anruf im Baselbiet: Falsche Polizisten haben eine ältere Person um mehr als eine Million Franken gebracht. Die Kantonspolizei jagt nun die Täter und warnt eindringlich vor der fiesen Betrugsmasche.

YB möchte Jaouen Hadjam verkaufen. Teuer. Dazu braucht der algerische Linksverteidiger ein Topspiel gegen die Schweiz. YB steckt also in einem Patriotismus-Dilemma.

Die vierfache Schweizer Nationalspielerin Leela Egli geht fortan auf Klubebene für Union Berlin auf Torejagd.

Die WM befindet sich in der K.o.-Phase und forderte mit Deutschland bereits ein prominentes Opfer. Wer trifft auf wen? Und wer wartet in der nächsten Runde? Hier gibts den Turnierbaum und den kompletten Spielplan als PDF zum Ausdrucken und Resultate ausfüllen.

Die Vorwürfe gegen die Solothurner Spitäler AG bewegen die Leserschaft von Blick. Während viele strengere Kontrollen und Rückforderungen verlangen, sehen andere im Fall ein grundlegendes Problem des Gesundheitssystems.

Donald Trump sorgt mit einem bizarren KI-Video auf Truth Social für Aufsehen. Der 80-Jährige inszeniert sich als Arzt und präsentiert eine absurde «Behandlung» gegen das von ihm erfundene «Trump Derangement Syndrome».

Manchester City verpflichtet Elliot Anderson (23) von Nottingham Forest. Noch nie hat der zehnfache englische Meister für einen Transfer derart tief in die Tasche greifen müssen.

En pleine maraude dans le centre de Paris, des bénévoles de l’association Li’llah auraient été la cible d’une violente agression. L’organisation, engagée auprès des sans-abri, […]

L’article « Cassez-vous les bougnoules ! » : à Paris, une maraude d’une association vire à l’agression islamophobe est apparu en premier sur .

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Some residents reluctantly hung their dogs to avoid being arrested or fined, locals tell the BBC.

The UN’s ongoing liquidity crisis has forced peacekeeping operations to implement contingency measures that have significantly reduced personnel, patrols, mission footprints, and programmatic activities. As missions adapt to these constraints, they face difficult trade-offs in maintaining mandate delivery while responding to increasingly complex security environments.

In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), in partnership with the permanent missions of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Pakistan to the United Nations, convened a workshop to examine how UN peacekeeping operations are adapting to contingency measures. The discussion brought together member-state representatives and UN officials from headquarters and the field to assess the operational implications of the cuts and identify lessons for the future of peacekeeping.

Key themes from the discussion included the growing reliance on mobile operational approaches, the impact of reduced mission presence on the protection of civilians and community engagement, increasing risks to peacekeeper safety and security, the opportunities and limits of digital technologies, the importance of strategic communication with host states and local communities, and the critical role of partnerships in sustaining mandate implementation amid resource constraints.

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The post How UN Peacekeeping Operations Are Adapting to Contingency Measures appeared first on International Peace Institute.

Der Nati-Kracher gegen Algerien startet bereits um 5 Uhr morgens. Doch wie wird man um diese Uhrzeit fit? Fünf Schweizer Frühaufsteher verraten ihre ganz persönlichen Tricks – vom Sonnenaufgang bis zur kalten Dusche.