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University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity

University graduates in Ghana must serve society for a year – study suggests it’s good for national unity: Almost 70 years after independence was gained across the continent, many African countries continue to face the complex task of managing ethnic diversity and building national cohesion. National cohesion is a broad and often abstract concept. It …

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One year on: South Africa’s coalition government boosted optimism, but will it last?

One year on: South Africa’s coalition government boosted optimism, but will it last?: For the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994, the ruling African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in 2024. After 30 years in power, it had to form a coalition with 10 other political parties to govern the country. …

Read moreOne year on: South Africa’s coalition government boosted optimism, but will it last?

No government in half a century has built 300,000 homes every year, but that’s what Labour wants to do now

No government in half a century has built 300,000 homes every year, but that’s what Labour wants to do now: Labour is changing the way sites for new homes are chosen. Francesco Scatena The election of the Labour government has been accompanied by a renewed appetite to deal with England’s housing crisis. Among the first …

Read moreNo government in half a century has built 300,000 homes every year, but that’s what Labour wants to do now

The leap year is February 29, not December 32 due to a Roman calendar quirk – and fastidious medieval monks

The leap year is February 29, not December 32 due to a Roman calendar quirk – and fastidious medieval monks: St Benedict delivering his rule to the monks of his order. WikiCommons, CC BY-SA Have you ever wondered why the extra day of the leap year falls on February 29, an odd date in the …

Read moreThe leap year is February 29, not December 32 due to a Roman calendar quirk – and fastidious medieval monks

El Niño: Malawi’s harvest of maize – its staple food – may fall by 22.5% this year

El Niño: Malawi’s harvest of maize – its staple food – may fall by 22.5% this year: Maize is the preferred staple of most of southern Africa. In Malawi it supplies two-thirds of national calorie intake. Nine out of 10 farming households produce maize and devote over 70% of their land to growing it. Most …

Read moreEl Niño: Malawi’s harvest of maize – its staple food – may fall by 22.5% this year

Ukraine recap: Zelensky’s defiant new year speech foreshadows tough 2024 as government tightens conscription laws

Ukraine recap: Zelensky’s defiant new year speech foreshadows tough 2024 as government tightens conscription laws: Ukraine is alive. Ukraine lives. Ukraine fights. Ukraine advances, Ukraine overcomes the path. Ukraine gains. Ukraine works. Ukraine exists. In his new year’s speech this week, Volodymyr Zelensky was characteristically bullish about his country’s prospects as the war heads towards …

Read moreUkraine recap: Zelensky’s defiant new year speech foreshadows tough 2024 as government tightens conscription laws

Britain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023

Britain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023: Solar now provides about 5% of Britain's electricity. StudioFI / shutterstock There are many milestones to pass in the transition from a high to low-carbon sustainable energy system. There is the first hour without …

Read moreBritain likely to generate more electricity from wind, solar and hydro than fossil fuels for the first year ever in 2023