Morocco’s fabulous football year – what’s behind their success on and off the field: In 2022 Morocco became the first African and Arab national football team to reach a Fifa World Cup men’s semi-final; and Wydad AC won the Africa Champions League. The good news continued in 2023 with the women’s team making history by …
E3: why the world’s biggest video game event just closed for good – and what’s next for the industry: The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), an annual trade event for the video game industry, has been permanently cancelled by its organisers, who cited the COVID pandemic and changes in company marketing techniques as the reason for …
What’s east Africa’s position on the Israel-Hamas war? An expert unpacks the reactions of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda: The reactions of some east African countries to the ongoing conflict in Gaza have been less dramatic than South Africa’s. South Africa’s parliament has passed a resolution calling for the closure of its embassy in Tel Aviv. …
Needing to borrow money? Four tips on what’s okay and what’s not: It’s a financially challenging time for most households. With interest rates rising, many are spending even more money on debt repayments or taking out loans to help make ends meet. A report released recently in South Africa, compiled by one of the country’s …
Terror in Uganda: what’s driving the Islamic State-linked rebels: The Islamic State Central Africa Province recently attacked and killed two foreign tourists and a citizen in a Ugandan nature park. Located in the country’s west near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 400km from the Ugandan …
‘Conversion therapy’: UK government kicks ban down the road – and there’s a major problem with what’s been proposed so far: Motortion Films/Shutterstock For the first time in four years, the king’s (or queen’s) speech has left out a promise to ban so-called “conversion therapy”. This widely discredited set of practices aims to “cure” LGBTQ+ …
Cockney and Queen’s English have all but disappeared among young people – here’s what’s replaced them: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock Cockney and received pronunciation (Queen’s English) were once spoken by people of all ages, but they are no longer commonly spoken among young people in the south-east of England. In new research, colleagues and I recorded the voices …
Bird flu in South Africa: expert explains what’s behind the chicken crisis and what must be done about it: An outbreak of avian flu – a highly contagious viral infection that affects wild birds as well as poultry – has hit poultry farms in South Africa. Two different strains are causing outbreaks in the country …
Hamas-Israeli conflict: what’s at stake for Egypt: As the Israeli-Hamas crisis continues, a great deal of focus is shifting to Egypt. Egypt shares a border with both Israel and Gaza – the narrow strip of Palestinian territory which is currently under blockade following the violent attack against Israel by Hamas, a radical Islamist organisation that …
Kenya’s cost of living crisis: expert unpacks what’s driving it and what should be done: Kenyans are grappling with the high cost of living. Policy analyst Adan Shibia led a technical team that prepared a recent report on the state of Kenya’s economy. We asked him to unpack what’s driving costs, who’s affected and what …
Estonia-Finland pipeline explosion: what’s the evidence that the damage was deliberate?: Finland’s president, Sauli Niinistö, has alluded to “outside activity” and said sabotage is likely to be the cause of damage to an important gas pipeline that links it to Estonia. The pipeline suffered a leak in Finnish waters on October 8, caused by an …
Here’s what’s driving the record autumn heat (it’s not just carbon emissions): Climate scientists have detected a striking jump in global temperatures during 2023. September was 1.75°C above Earth’s pre-industrial average temperature and a whole half-degree celsius warmer than the previous hottest September. These observations have been variously described as “shocking”, “mind-blowing” and “gobsmacking” by …
Economic Freedom Fighters became South Africa’s third largest political party in just 10 years. What’s behind its electoral success: South Africa is drawing nearer to a landmark national general election in 2024. Based on recent electoral trends and opinion polls, the governing African National Congress (ANC) is expected to drop below 50% of the national …
What’s the carbon footprint of owning pet fish? An expert explains: One of the most popular species of fish found in tropical marine aquariums is the common clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris). jflin98/Shutterstock While the environmental impact of having dogs and cats as pets has been examined to some extent, the impact of keeping pet fish has …
King Charles makes state visit to France – a year into his reign, here’s what’s changed under the new British monarch: King Charles’s three-day state visit to France, a year into his reign, has marked the return of the British monarchy’s international dimension. The trip, along with is his first state visit earlier in the …
Mahsa Amini: A year into the protest movement in Iran, this is what’s changed: Iran’s rulers continue to enforce tight public controls as the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the “morality police” approaches. Amini died after being arrested for allegedly breaching hijab rules. The news of her death prompted …
Antarctica is missing a chunk of sea ice bigger than Greenland – what’s going on?: Deadly heatwaves, raging wildfires and record global temperatures are upon us. But far from the flames, at the southernmost tip of the planet, something just as shocking is unfolding. It’s Antarctic winter, a time when the area of floating sea …
Mali crisis: UN peacekeepers are leaving after 10 years – what’s needed for a smooth transition: Malians march against the UN peacekeeping force in Bamako in September 2022. Ousmane Makaveli/AFP via Getty Images The UN Security Council voted on 30 June 2023 to end its peacekeeping mission in Mali, Minusma, after Mali officially requested its …