South Africa’s fight over VAT raises a key question: who should bear the burden of taxes?: The unprecedented postponement of the tabling of South Africa’s 2025 budget because of disagreement within the coalition government over a two percentage point increase in value added tax (VAT), highlights the country’s dilemma. The government needs to raise revenue …
Ukraine war increasingly seen as ‘fought by the poor’, as Zelensky raises taxes and proposes strict mobilisation laws: After the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, Kyiv finds itself at a major crossroads and with no easy options. The demand late last year by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, for the mobilisation of an additional 500,000 …
Ukraine recap: naval success raises hopes of advantage against Russia this winter: War in wintertime is especially challenging militarily. Troops have to deal with the risk of frostbite while vehicles can’t always move over muddy or frozen terrain. It’s no wonder then that wars tend to move much more slowly during the colder months. Cold …
Viral TikTok raises concerns about a commonly prescribed contraceptive – what you need to know: A viral TikTok video by online influencer Morgan Roos has panicked some users of a commonly prescribed injectable contraceptive called Depo-Provera. In the video, Roos said she was shocked to learn the contraceptive she had been using for ten years …
Russia’s decision to ditch cold war arms limitation treaty raises tensions with Nato: Russia has pulled out of an important cold war-era treaty which limited categories of conventional military equipment that Nato and the then-Warsaw Pact could deploy. The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) was intended to use the warming of …
Why surging sales of large electric vehicles raises environmental red flags: alexfan32/Shutterstock Electric cars are getting bigger and heavier. In 2019, 30% of the electric vehicle (EV) models available worldwide were sports utility vehicles (SUVs). Fast forward to 2022 and that figure stood at 40% – equivalent to the share of small and medium car …
The Black Book is a gritty new thriller that raises the bar for Nollywood: Nigerian thriller The Black Book has been in the headlines for reportedly topping global figures at streaming service Netflix, with 5.6 million viewers in its first two days. Does it live up to the hype? In my view, as a critic, …
South Africa’s new Marriage Bill raises many thorny issues – a balancing act is needed: Brides attend a mass wedding ceremony at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, south of Johannesburg. Ihsaan Haffejee/AFP via Getty Images South Africa is changing its marriage law to recognise all types of intimate partnerships – irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, …
Wagner debacle in Russia raises red flags for African states and how they manage their security: 10 tons of ammunition previously laid in civilian settlements by Libyan militia and Wagner group mercenaries . Hazem Turkia/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The brief rebellion led against the Kremlin by the head of the Wagner mercenary forces in …
Arms-to-Russia row raises doubt about South Africa’s compliance with arms control. It could face tougher scrutiny in future: The Russian Volunteer Corps insignia on the sleeve of a soldier near the border in northern Ukraine in early 2023. Getty Images The recent furore over accusations by the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, that …
Russian ‘spy ship’ in North Sea raises concerns about the vulnerability of key maritime infrastructure: A new documentary produced by a consortium of public broadcasters in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway has revealed what appears to be a profound threat to maritime and undersea energy and data infrastructure in the North Sea and the Baltic …
Thabo Bester’s escape from a privately-run South African prison raises questions about corruption: Policeman Shane Naidoo, left, leads Thabo Bester from holding cells in Durban. City Press/Gallo Images/Getty Images Recently, South Africans were told about an extraordinary escape story – they learnt that a convicted rapist, Thabo Bester, had been at large for a year …
Ukraine war: ‘soccer plot’ raises fears of fresh Russian attempts to destabilise neighbouring Moldova: Moldova has been sliding into yet another crisis following the resignation of its prime minister, Natalia Gavrilita, and fears that Russia was plotting a coup to overthrow the pro-western president, Maia Sandu. At a press conference in the Moldovan capital Chisinau …
Link between crime and politics in South Africa raises concerns about criminal gangs taking over: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa receives reports of the of the state capture commission from Justice Raymond Zondo. The reports found exposed massive state corruption involving private individuals and companies. GCIS A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised …
Burkina Faso coup raises questions about growing Russian involvement in west Africa: As if fighting in what – for now, at least – appears to be a losing battle in Ukraine weren’t enough, the Wagner Group, a private army of Russian mercenaries commanded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, is heavily committed …
Waiting for Ethiopia: Berbera port upgrade raises Somaliland’s hopes for trade: Dubai-based port operator DP World and the Government of Somaliland, opened a container terminal at Berbera Port in June 2021. Photo by ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images Berbera port is the main overseas trade gateway of the breakaway Republic of Somaliland. The port city …
First synthetic embryos: the scientific breakthrough raises serious ethical questions: synthetic mouse Weizmann Institute of Sciences Children, even some who are too young for school, know you can’t make a baby without sperm and an egg. But a team of researchers in Israel have called into question the basics of what we teach children about …
Somalia’s election raises more questions than answers: Newly elected Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud waves after he was sworn-in, in the capital Mogadishu, on May 15, 2022. Photo by Hasan Ali Elmi / AFP via Getty Images Somalia now has a new parliament – and a president elected by its 329 lawmakers. This followed more …