Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, May 17, 2024 06:33 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Derick Blaauw

School of Economic Sciences, North-West University
Derick Blaauw received the Doctor Commercii (D-Com) degree in economics from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2010. He is currently professor in the School of Economic Sciences at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus). Prior to taking up this position, he lectured economics on a full-time basis at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) and at the Soweto and Bloemfontein Campuses of Vista University. He also lectured on a part-time basis at the University of the Free State (UFS) and Monash South Africa. His research interests are mainly in the field of labour and development economics. His current work focusses on the precarious forms of work and the socio-economic dynamics of vulnerable groups in the informal economy, such as car guards, day labourers, street traders and waste pickers. He has authored and co-authored several articles in respected accredited international and national journals and regularly presents papers at national and international conferences and symposia.

South African tourism: informal traders need support, not more red tape

Sep 26, 2023 03:56 am UTC| Business

South Africa is an attractive tourist destination for foreign travellers on the African continent. It ranks 27th out of 128 countries in the world when it comes to visitor arrivals. Its top attractions are its wildlife...

Economy

What should you do if you can’t pay your rent or mortgage?

The cost of living crisis is making it difficult for many people to pay their bills, including housing costs. Private sector rents have increased by an average 9% over the year to February 2024, and rising interest rates...

Reducing energy demand and improving efficiency will help prevent the next gas crisis

Gas prices have relaxed, Europe has come out of the winter with record gas storage levels and a surfeit of liquefied natural gas is set to reach the shores of Europe over the coming years. Many commentators are hopeful...

Minimum wage for South African farm workers: study shows 2013 hike helped reduce poverty even though compliance was poor

Minimum wage policies are typically aimed at reducing poverty. Yet there is little direct evidence of this effect, especially in developing countries. And none for South Africa. In a recent paper, we consider the...

Gas is good until 2050 and beyond, under Albanese gas strategy

The Albanese government is talking up the crucial role of gas as a transition fuel through to 2050 and beyond. In a gas strategy to be released on Thursday, the government envisages the fuels uses would change over...

South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed

The South African governments Just Energy Transition Implementation Plan was launched in November 2023. It is a roadmap guiding the country away from reliance on coal-fired power towards renewable energy alternatives by...

Politics

Donald Trump Allegedly Offers Oil Execs a Deal to Scrap EV Incentives for $1B Donation

Former President Donald Trump reportedly proposed a $1 billion deal to oil executives, offering to end electric vehicle (EV) subsidies in return for campaign funding, according to The Washington Post. This move underscores...

US Supreme Court upended decades of precedent in 2022 by allowing voters to vote with gerrymandered maps instead of fixing the congressional districts first

For the 2022 midterm elections, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use congressional districts that violated the law and diluted the voting power of Black citizens. A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in February...

Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections

Ahead of the European parliament elections in June, Germany has lowered the age limit on participation to 16. This makes it the largest of just a handful of states in the EU to allow people under the age of 18 to vote....

South Africa will be president of the G20 in 2025: two much-needed reforms it should drive

South Africa will play an important international role in 2025 as president of the G20. The G20 is a group of 19 countries as well as the African Union and the European Union. Between them they represent 85% of global...

What early 2024 polls are revealing about voters of color and the GOP

By the end of winter 2024, the return of Donald Trump to the top of the GOP presidential ticket has revealed a surprising trend in the former presidents base of support: his increasing popularity among Black and Latino...

Science

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you’ve likely never heard of

Algorithms have become integral to our lives. From social media apps to Netflix, algorithms learn your preferences and prioritise the content you are shown. Google Maps and artificial intelligence are nothing without...

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

Technology

Altcoins a ‘Relatively Huge’ Risk as Big Returns Fade, Analysts Warn Investors

Analysts caution that altcoins now represent a relatively huge risk, with the days of massive returns fading. Markus Thielen of 10xResearch suggests the high-reward era is over as crypto market narratives...

Bitcoin Has Best Day in 2 Months as SHIB to Get More Scarce with Shibarium

Bitcoin experienced its largest single-day rise in nearly two months, while ShibaSwaps expansion to Shibarium is set to increase SHIBs scarcity by boosting its burn rate. ShibaSwap Launches on Shibarium, Increasing SHIB...

Kia's Electric Pickup Spotted in US Testing, Targets Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning

Kias upcoming electric pickup, designed to rival the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and Ford F-150 Lightning, has been spotted testing in the U.S., marking a significant step in its development. Kias Strategic Move into...

OpenAI Strikes Deal with Reddit to Bring Content to ChatGPT, Boosting Stocks

OpenAI and Reddit announced a partnership on May 16 to integrate Reddit content into ChatGPT, enhancing the chatbots capabilities and driving Reddits stock up 12% in extended trading. Reddit Diversifies Beyond...

Giga Shiba Inu Whales Shift 3.5 Trillion SHIB, Boosting Market Activity

Shiba Inu whales are gradually waking up as the asset has emerged from anemia and has shown some positive price performance in recent days. Fortunately, those big transactions are not related to any sales activity and are...