Mon 05 February 2024: Many South African households are trapped. They are neither poor nor middle class. As a demographic they hover above the indigence threshold financially. But they are not yet securely in the middle class. This aspirant middle class – individuals whose income is above the indigent thresholds but too low to afford […]
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Fri 02 February 2024: Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power utility, struggles to generate and supply a stable flow of electricity to meet demand. In 2023, there were times when households and businesses had no power for up to 11 hours a day. Eskom has warned that load shedding will be worse in 2024. The result is that many South […]
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Tue 30 January 2024: In the realm of politics, blackmail and lobbying can intersect, prompting serious contemplation about the ethical bedrock of power dynamics. Both entail the tactical deployment of influence. However, their methodologies are markedly distinct. Often, lines are crossed, and the power of lobbying is not only driven by financial power and influence; […]
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Police deployed pepper spray against the people blockading the port [Leo Mace/Al Jazeera] Mon 29 January 2024: Melbourne, Australia – Ports have emerged as the centre of pro-Palestine rallies in Australia as protesters target Israeli ships, and vessels alleged to have links with the country. Last week, dozens of people attempted to stop the ZIM […]
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Mon 29 January 2024: Misinformation isn’t just blurring political lines anymore. It’s quietly infiltrating our shopping trolleys in subtle ways, shaping our decisions about what we buy and who we trust, as my research shows. Spurred by political events, misinformation has garnered widespread media coverage and academic research. But most of the attention has been […]
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Fri 26 January 2024: Islamabad, Pakistan – Journalist Amir Mehmood* was getting ready for work when his phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message. As a member of the top management at a private news channel in Pakistan’s second-largest city, Lahore, Mehmood was used to getting non-stop calls and messages, even at odd hours. But the name […]
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Wed 24 January 2024: Palestinian tax revenue destined for Gaza has been frozen by Israel since November – here’s what’s happening now. On Sunday, Israel approved a plan to send taxes earmarked for Gaza to Norway instead of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Since November, taxes that would ordinarily […]
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Sun 21 January 2024: Is it possible for there to be ghosts? – Madelyn, age 11, Fort Lupton, Colorado Certainly, lots of people believe in ghosts – a spirit left behind after someone who was alive has died. In a 2021 poll of 1,000 American adults, 41% said they believe in ghosts, and 20% said they […]
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Pakistani activists of Muslim Talba Mahaz (MTM) protest against Iranian missile strikes at the Pakistani border village in Balochistan province, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 18 January 2024. EPA / Sohail Shazad Fri 19 January 2024: In just two days this week, Iran launched missiles – first into Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region and Syria, and then […]
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Wed 17 January 2024: Waging war is a costly business for any state – and raising the funds required to fight one can be laden with political controversy. But when that state’s cabinet is volatile, mistrustful and deeply divided, then the stakes can be higher still. Indeed, the 37th government of Israel has rarely enjoyed much […]
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