Wed 13 August 2025: Shop manager Olarewanju Ogunbona says he uses Styrofoam and plastic packs at least five times a day — nothing unusual in the megacity of Lagos, one of the world’s most plastics-polluted urban areas. The city’s over 20 million people contributed 870,000 tons of the world’s 57 million tons of . Lagos state authorities last month […]
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Wed 13 August 2025: Large language models speak over 100 languages fluently unless you’re one of Africa’s 1.2 billion people. Are so-called “universal” AI systems excluding an entire continent’s linguistic heritage from the digital future? Nine years ago, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai first pledged that artificial intelligence would make information “universally accessible” to everyone, regardless […]
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Wed 13 August 2025: The population of England and Wales is estimated to have jumped by more than 700,000 in the year to June 2024, the second largest annual numerical increase in over 75 years, figures show. Almost all of this rise was due to international migration, with natural change – more births than deaths – accounting for only a […]
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Wed 13 August 2025: Home to 44 000 African savanna elephants and a population that continues to grow, South Africa’s conservation efforts have demonstrated success when compared to the decline of elephant numbers in some other countries. “Our elephants are a national treasure, a keystone species, an integral part of our heritage and plays a […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: Capitec Bank and First National Bank (FNB) have signed up to the Department of Home Affairs’ new digital partnership model that aims to expand access to Smart ID and passport services. The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, announced that the partnership will see the expansion of Smart ID and […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: Social media platform X temporarily suspended its AI chatbot, Grok, on Monday after users found it was talking about Israel’s actions in Gaza. When users asked Grok why it was suspended following the software coming back online, Grok responded by saying its brief suspension occurred “after I stated that Israel and […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: The WFP says aid is being cut by 60 percent for the most vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and disabled people. The World Food Programme (WFP) has said it will need to drastically cut rations to refugees in Kenya due to reductions in global aid, including major funding cuts from the […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: A severe heat wave hit eight Arab countries on Monday, with meteorological agencies warning that extreme temperatures, high humidity, and wildfires would continue through the weekend, with the heat expected to subside by Friday or Saturday. Egypt The Egyptian Meteorological Authority said the country is experiencing “extremely hot weather across most […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: A study led by the University of Queensland discovered that Australian skinks have evolved molecular defenses to protect their muscles from deadly snake venom, which provides insights into how to treat snakebites in humans. The research, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, described the skinks’ adaptations as “evolution at its most ingenious,” according […]
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Tue 12 August 2025: E-Hailing Association Chairperson Siyabonga Hlabisa said preparations are underway by e-hailing drivers for a national strike, with association members set to meet to finalise the plan, logistics, and timing. The Western Cape branch will host a mass meeting to outline the action plan and secure the involvement of all provinces. The […]
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