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Sat, Apr 27, 2024 08:55 AM All times are UTC

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Zuma's about-turn shows power of the South African media, and the markets

Dec 14, 2015 10:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africa has had three finance ministers in the space of four days. First President Jacob Zuma replaced his trusted and competent finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with David van Rooyen, a malleable backbencher with a...

Zuma learns his lessons

Dec 14, 2015 08:57 am UTC| Commentary Politics

Anyone who has been following updates on South Africa, will grossly agree that president Jacob Zuma has learned his lessons. On Wednesday, South African president replaced, long standing finance minister, Nhlanhla Nene,...

Why South Africa should gird itself for tumultuous times

Dec 11, 2015 17:24 pm UTC| Politics

President Zumas latest cabinet reshuffle in the Ministry of Finance is arguably the most controversial of all his executive decisions. It is the seventh cabinet reshuffle since he became President in 2009 and the third...

Scholars: Trump's call to 'ban Muslims' is un-American

Dec 11, 2015 15:28 pm UTC| Politics Law

Q: Presidential candidate Donald Trump called Monday for barring all Muslims from entering the US. He previously called for surveillance against mosques and a database for all Muslims living the US. What can you tell us...

Zuma's leadership: political expediency trumps the interests of South Africa

Dec 11, 2015 14:56 pm UTC| Politics

South African President Jacob Zumas decision to replace a finance minister who was widely respected with someone who is unknown has raised questions about his political acuity as well as his style of leadership. Thabo...

Europe and the Great Recession: is it a crisis wasted?

Dec 10, 2015 11:05 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Economy

It is a common refrain of political strategists that you should not let a good crisis go to waste. Seven years on from the beginnings of the global financial crisis, we can make an assessment of whether that maxim was...

The 'Climate Games' aren't just activist stunts – they're politics beyond the UN

Dec 09, 2015 13:56 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

At the moment, most people interested in the politics of climate change (including me) are focusing on a small site in Pariss northern suburbs. This is where the COP21 negotiations are taking place. While to us this is...

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Economy

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Why is the London Stock Exchange losing out to the US

London Stock Exchange (LSE), which can trace its heritage to the coffee houses of the 17th century, is failing. The volume of shares traded is sharply declining, and some UK companies are swiftly moving to the US...

Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal – and why it won’t go back

One year ago, Germany took its last three nuclear power stations offline. When it comes to energy, few events have baffled outsiders more. In the face of climate change, calls to expedite the transition away from fossil...

What if the Reserve Bank itself has been feeding inflation? An economist explains

Heres something for the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia to ponder as it meets next month to set interest rates. It has pushed up rates on 13 occasions since it began its attempt to restrain inflation in May...

Politics

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy?

One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many...

Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight

In the early hours of April 15 2023, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a Sudanese paramilitary force attacked the military airstrip in the town of Merowe and deployed troops across strategic locations in Sudans capital,...

Turkey’s suppression of the Kurdish political movement continues to fuel a deadly armed conflict

The world has 91 democracies and 88 autocracies. Yet 71% of the worlds population (some 5.7 billion people) are living under autocratic rule, a big jump from 48% ten years ago. This trend towards authoritarianism can...

Georgia is sliding towards autocracy after government moves to force through bill on ‘foreign agents’

Georgias ruling party attempted to pass a controversial bill on foreign agents in March 2023. The law would have required civil society groups and the media to register as being under foreign influence if they receive...

Science

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...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Could a telescope ever see the beginning of time? An astronomer explains

The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST for short, is one of the most advanced telescopes ever built. Planning for JWST began over 25 years ago, and construction efforts spanned over a decade. It was launched into space on...

US media coverage of new science less likely to mention researchers with African and East Asian names

When one Chinese national recently petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become a permanent resident, he thought his chances were pretty good. As an accomplished biologist, he figured that news...

Technology

DJI Faces Possible US Ban by Congress, Echoing Concerns Over TikTok and China

Congress is poised to include DJI in the FCCs list of banned technologies under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, highlighting similar US security concerns as those with TikTok. Congressional Action to...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Other AI Leaders Join Federal Safety Board, Pledge to Protect Children Online

Sam Altman of OpenAI and executives from Microsoft, Google, and Nvidia have joined a new government AI safety board. This initiative, part of a broader effort to regulate AIs deployment in critical sectors, coincides with...

Mainland China Investors Blocked from Accessing New Hong Kong Bitcoin ETFs

Despite launching new Bitcoin and Ether ETFs in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese investors remain sidelined due to longstanding cryptocurrency bans in their home country. Spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs Launch in Hong Kong, But...

SHIB Price Climbs as Shibarium Upgrade Sparks Optimism Among Investors

The Shiba Inu cryptocurrency surged over 4% on April 26, buoyed by executive enthusiasm for the forthcoming Shibarium upgrade to enhance the platforms functionality and security. Shibarium Upgrade Fuels Market Optimism,...

China Investigates Digital Yuan Architect Yao Qian Amid CBDC Concerns

Yao Qian, a pivotal figure behind Chinas digital yuan, is under investigation for alleged misconduct, casting uncertainty on the future of Chinas CBDC initiatives. Probe into Yao Qian Shakes Foundations of Chinas...