Mon 23 October 2023: “Splinternet” refers to the way the internet is being splintered – broken up, divided, separated, locked down, boxed up, or otherwise segmented. Whether for nation states or corporations, there’s money and control to be had by influencing what information people can access and share, as well as the costs that are paid for this […]
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Sat 21 October 2023: South Africa’s census is a vital source of information for policy making, planning and research, and so the Census 2022 findings released last week were eagerly awaited. It offers many insights on everything from marriage rates to language distribution. But as urban scholars and planning practitioners with decades of interest and […]
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Fri 20 October 2023: Israel is getting ready to attack and Palestinian fighters are preparing to defend Gaza. Both sides are determined and experienced and both have announced that they will ultimately prevail. Leaving aside for the moment the very important question of what would constitute victory for either of the warring sides, it is pertinent […]
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Fri 20 October 2023: Religion is highly present in Ethiopia. It’s visible in churches and mosques, in clothing, and in public rituals. The country’s main religious communities are Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Protestants. It’s home to one of the world’s oldest churches and has the third-largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa. Orthodox Christians account for about […]
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Workers move bags of fertiliser donated to Malawi by Russian company Uralchem in Mkwinda, Lilongwe district, Malawi. Wed 18 October 2023: Blantyre, Malawi – Joe Kambale has been stitching men’s suits from his living room in Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial hub, for the last eight years. Sometimes he makes about 200,000 kwacha ($173) a week, decent […]
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IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva during the World Bank Group and IMF meetings in Washington in April 2023. Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) via Getty Images) Mon 16 October 2023: The annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) are due to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, in mid-October. The city and […]
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Mon 16 October 2023: Amid the Israel-Gaza war, Indian right-wing accounts are among leading amplifiers of anti-Palestinian fake news. The cliche goes that the first casualty of war is truth. With Israel’s occupation of Palestine, disinformation often comes with a side of anti-Palestinianism and Islamophobia, turbocharged by social media amplification, especially under Elon Musk’s leadership […]
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Sun 15 October 2023: The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four Pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain Arab dynasty, or era. The black was the color of the banner of Muhammad; white was used by the Umayyad Caliphate; green was used by the Fatimid Caliphate; and […]
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Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza fence in southern Israel [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo] Sun 15 October 2023: As an invasion appears imminent, Israel has several reasons – even if lofty – for carrying out such an offensive. The order is ominous and is sowing panic and confusion. Israel’s military has told more than a million people living […]
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Mon 09 October 2023: Sometimes referred to as the “crack cocaine of gambling”, electronic gaming machines (EGMs) such as slot machines allow bets to be placed as quickly as once every 2.5 seconds, delivering a rapid and immersive gambling experience. Similar features are now being used to transform online sports betting, significantly increasing the risk of problem gambling. Sports betting […]
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