India-Pakistan conflict over water reflects a region increasingly vulnerable to climate change: Water from the Chandra Taal lake in Himachal Pradesh, India, ultimately flows into Pakistan and the Indus river. ImagesofIndia / shutterstock In an unprecedented move, India recently suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, citing cross-border terrorism. This was one of a …
Stevie Wonder’s Ghanaian citizenship reflects long-standing links between African Americans and the continent: There’s a long history of African Americans settling in Ghana or keeping in close contact with the first African country to gain independence. This relationship has most recently been exemplified by musician Stevie Wonder taking up Ghanaian citizenship. Ghana, which gained independence …
How HBO’s The Gilded Age reflects wider tensions within 19th-century New York and American society: “The opera is where society puts itself on display,” claims Bertha Russell, one of the main protagonists in season two of HBO’s The Gilded Age. New York, where the show is set, was at the centre of the era of …
Israel-Hamas war: Lebanese peace plan reflects country’s lack of appetite for more conflict: As the Lebanese prime minister, Najib Mikati, outlined a three-step peace plan for the conflict in Gaza on October 31, he made a statement which may seem ordinary to a western audience: “We will consider the right of Israel and the right …
South Africa’s medium-term budget reflects difficult and contested decisions: The medium-term budget policy statement presented by South Africa’s finance minister, Enoch Godongwana, to parliament on 1 November 2023 is intended to provide a preview of government’s public finance plans over the next three years. It does not actually commit government to anything, either in law …
Nigeria’s slick Netflix epic, Jagun Jagun, explores a rich past that also reflects the world today: Netflix’s recently released film Jagun Jagun (The Warrior) is set in pre-colonial Nigeria and follows the story of a feared warlord named Ogunjimi. While playing out in the past, it is steeped in contemporary universal cultural, political and socio-economic …
Rising sexual violence in Sudan conflict reflects entrenched patriarchy — but women and girls are fighting back: Watching and hearing the horrifying reports of violence and savagery in Sudan, those of us working to end violence against women and girls immediately become concerned about how it will inevitably spill over into sexual violence. As recently …
Rahima Moosa: South Africa’s only mother and child hospital is falling apart – a veteran doctor reflects on why: Papi Morake/ Gallo Images via Getty Images South Africa’s health ombudsman recently published the findings of an investigation into Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. The investigation followed the publication of a video showing pregnant women …
Ukraine: Kremlin warning of ‘forever war’ reflects shifting Russian rhetoric about ‘special military operation’: Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, warned Russians that they must prepare for a “forever war”. “Things will get much harder,” Peskov told a gathering of the country’s political elite. “This will take a very, very long time.” It’s a far cry …
In China, a debate over sanitary pads on trains reflects long-held beliefs about women and menstruation: tommaso79 / Shutterstock Discrimination against and repression of women is a global problem. In authoritarian states, it is also intertwined with regime survival. Take recent events in Iran, where women-led protests against strict hijab laws are challenging the country’s …
BBC at 100: a trusted international news source, but it’s important to remember whose values it reflects: As the BBC turns 100 we should celebrate its extraordinary history as a public service broadcaster bringing news and other programming to audiences around the globe. In 2020-2021 the BBC announced that its World Service achieved its highest-ever …
100 years of innovation and inventions: South African vice chancellor reflects on what’s next: Vice Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi and others in the IBM Lab at the opening of Wits university's Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. Lauren Mulligan/Wits University We live in a world characterised by inequality, poverty, economic volatility, globalisation, climate change and ambiguity. In …
US Capitol attack: how the public reaction to the January 6 hearings reflects deep divisions in the US: After nearly a year of investigating the attack on the US Capitol on January 6 2021, the Democrat-led House Select committee is holding a series of public hearings to present its findings to the US public. These …
Russia’s long journey from partner of the west to pariah reflects a huge failure of its diplomacy: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine two months ago, the world has grown used to the sight of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky’s diplomatic initiatives, initially from hiding in the besieged capital, Kyiv, and more recently in …
Writing history: 30 years on, a former Moscow correspondent reflects on the end of the USSR: The Soviet anthem hailed the socialist union that it celebrated as “indestructible”. Yet 30 years ago this week, the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, together with the leaders of Ukraine and Belarus, signed the agreement that created the Commonwealth …
South Africa in the news: From Home and Away to Hollywood: Tammin Sursok reflects on her “life-changing” career: Since arriving back on home soil in June, Tammin Sursok has been counting her blessings. “I’m a big believer in manifestation, and this year was all about getting back on set and doing what I love, …: …
Metaverse: how Facebook rebrand reflects a dangerous trend in growing power of tech monopolies: KoshiroK/Shutterstock Facebook’s rebranding as Meta has been seen by many as the company’s latest attempt at corporate crisis control. The social media giant has been publicly attacked for creating an environment that fosters far-right extremism and violating individuals’ data privacy. Yet …
South Africa in the news: When maritime traffic reflects economic activity even in spite of officialdom’s officiousness: An occasional column based on glimpses of the goings-on at Cape Town port — and how politics and economics are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.: “South Africa” – BingNews MUNGOSHI SURVIVES HORRIFIC CRASH IN …