South African companies aren’t innovating enough: why support during tough economic times matters: South Africa’s innovation fund, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in the 2025 state of the nation address, was a response to the country’s urgent need for inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Evidence from South Africa shows that public financial support for innovation …
Why aren’t South Africans growing more indigenous crops? How farmers can be nudged to change their ways: Western diets make up most of South Africa’s food systems. This displaces indigenous crops and edible forest plants. The problems created by westernised diets include environmental damage caused by commercial farms. These diets also threaten African food systems. …
Critically ill patients in African hospitals aren’t getting the care they need: new survey: When someone falls critically ill, hospitals are expected to provide life-saving care. But in many African countries, intensive care units are rare. Critically ill patients are treated in general hospital wards, and the provision of essential emergency and critical care is …
Putin mulls over US-Ukrainian ceasefire proposal – but the initial signs aren’t positive: While Donald Trump’s special envoy was en route to Moscow to talk about a possible ceasefire deal with his opposite numbers in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin enjoyed a meet-up with his old friend Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, and the atmosphere …
Apprenticeships aren’t designed for young people any more: BigPixel Photo/Shutterstock The number of people in England choosing to enrol in an apprenticeship has declined markedly over the past decade. Apprenticeship participation has fallen overall from 908,700 in 2016-17 to 736,500 in 2023-24. Particularly notable has been a shift away from apprenticeships providing introductory skills for …
Big companies profit from poverty but aren’t obliged to uphold human rights. International law must change – scholar: There is some disagreement among legal practitioners and scholars about whether corporations have duties under international law. Many argue that only states are bound by international law, and it is those states which are obliged to regulate …
Malawi faces a food crisis: why plans to avert hunger aren’t realistic and what can be done: Malawi is heading towards a severe food crisis later this year. Drought brought on by the El Niño weather pattern has affected the harvest of maize, the staple food grown by nine out of 10 farming households in …
What’s the job of a company chair? South Africa’s rules aren’t clear and need fixing: Historically, the chair of the board of directors filled a procedural and ceremonial role. This was a low bar focusing on the chair’s role in meetings. But in recent years their role in companies has evolved to become much more …
Matric results: South Africa’s record school pass rates aren’t what they seem – what’s really happening in the education system: South Africa's minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga. Luba Lesolle/Gallo Images via Getty Images South Africa’s matric (grade 12) class of 2023, which wrote final school-leaving exams late last year, has been hailed by the …
Many survivors aren’t sure what to do after a sexual assault – here’s what you need to know: Bricolage/Shutterstock Millions of people have experienced sexual violence and abuse in England and Wales, but many do not know where to go, or who to turn to afterwards. Shame felt by victims and survivors of sexual violence …
Genetically modified crops aren’t a solution to climate change, despite what the biotech industry says: Barbara Van Dyck The European Commission launched a proposal in July 2023 to deregulate a large number of plants manufactured using new genetic techniques. Despite extraordinary attempts by the Spanish presidency to force a breakthrough, EU members have not yet …
Four ways to tell the designer fashion items worth investing in from the ones that aren’t: Qtran88/Shutterstock Whether it’s aspiring to the “quiet luxury” or “old money” looks taking over TikTok, or cringing at the “ludicrously capacious bag” scene in the last season of Succession, designer clothes and accessories have been a hot topic in …
Most investors aren’t paying attention to climate risks – the financial system needs to change: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. For example, extreme sea-level events, where large storm surges and high tides temporarily push the sea much higher than normal, currently occur once a century. However, they are projected …
Childhood pneumonia is surging in many countries – while the germs causing it are known, the effects of co-infections aren’t: castiglioni veronica/Shutterstock You may have heard reports about outbreaks of pneumonia affecting children in the Netherlands, Denmark and parts of the US and China, which are higher than usual for this time of year. Parents …
Low emissions and economic survival – countries in the global south aren’t getting a fair deal: In 2015, more than 140 countries signed up to the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. For countries in the global south this is a huge task. On the one hand they have committed to low emissions. On …
The most vulnerable shoulder rising energy costs because their homes aren’t efficient enough – here’s why that’s so hard to tackle: Maren Winter/Shutterstock In September 2023, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that landlords will no longer be required to improve the energy efficiency of their rental properties. The announcement marked a departure from decades …
South Africa’s universities aren’t training future civil servants for what the country needs: Many analysts blame state capture – the corruption of the management of public affairs – for the weakening of state capacity in South Africa. A judicial commission of inquiry into the problem laid it bare. They say the COVID pandemic worsened the …
Infections from a diarrhoea-causing parasite are on the rise in the UK – but experts aren’t quite sure why: Only two species of the _Cryptosporidium_ parasite cause infections in humans. Kateryna Kon/ Shutterstock Infections from a parasite which can cause long-lasting, severe diarrhoea has seen an “unprecedented and ongoing” surge across the UK. This increase …