The last 48 hours have seen the subject of bitcoin in the headlines again as the price of the crypto currency plunged by 30%. Its ability to grab world attention has obscured a more fundamental, and interesting, subject: the far-reaching benefits that could accrue from the technology that underpins it. Iwa Salami sets out how and why blockchain could be a game-changer, particularly for developing countries. She unpacks a deal recently signed by Ethiopia – the largest blockchain deal ever signed by a government – to create a database of identities of teachers and students. Using blockchain technology to give millions of people a digital identity could have major knock-on benefits.

The conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is now in its seventh month, with reports suggesting that conditions for people living there continue to deteriorate. The head of Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church, Abune Mathias, said recently that “genocide is being committed” in the region, a view echoed by rights groups and media agencies. As Firew Tiba explains, establishing whether genocide is taking place is complicated. No government will announce its genocidal intentions to the world, which means that only a credible and independent investigation can get to the bottom of the allegations.