SONIC BOOMS – THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE ISRAEL USES TO SOW FEAR IN LEBANON

Image courtesy: Amit Agronov Sun 11 August 2024: Beirut, Lebanon – The first time Eliah Kaylough, 26, heard the thunderous blast, he was so terrified, he instinctively ran for cover. On Tuesday this week, he had just started his shift as a waiter at a restaurant on bustling Gemmayze Street in east Beirut when he was […]

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MALI’S SPAT WITH KYIV: IS THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR SPILLING OVER INTO AFRICA?

Fri 09 August 2024: Bamako has cut ties with Kyiv, accusing it of complicity in an attack that killed Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner troops. A row between unlikely sparring partners. This week, Mali announced it was severing ties with Ukraine, after accusing Kyiv of having a hand in a devastating ambush in the West […]

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RIOTS IN THE UK: ONLINE PROPAGANDISTS KNOW HOW TO WORK THEIR AUDIENCES – THIS IS WHAT WE ARE MISSING

Thu 08 August 2024: The frightening scenes of far-right extremists clashing with police and even rioting in British towns and cities in recent days have many wondering how to stop the spread of the propaganda that encourages racism, violence and misogyny. The tough truth is that in seeking to fact check misinformation and force social […]

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WRESTLING WITH BULLS, MEAT-ONLY DIETS AND SEX BANS: HOW THE ANCIENT OLYMPIANS PREPARED

Thu 08 August 2024: The Greek historian Arrian (c. 86-160 AD) said he appreciated the glory of victory at an Olympic games, but also warned it was very difficult to achieve: Do you wish to win an Olympic victory? So do I, by the gods! But consider the matters which come before that, and those which follow after, and […]

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SOUTHPORT RIOTS: WHY SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE IN UNREST IS OVERBLOWN

Sun 04 August 2024: More than 100 people have been arrested in riots following the fatal stabbing of three young girls in an attack on a dance class. Suspected supporters of the far-right English Defence League violently clashed with police officers after a peaceful vigil in Southport on Tuesday, despite pleas for calm from the victims’ families. […]

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SOCIAL MEDIA ISN’T ENOUGH: WHY PROTESTS DON’T GO AS FAR AS THEY USED TO

Fri 02 August 2024: Many recent movements, including Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street, started out strong but often didn’t lead to lasting changes. Here’s why. The 21st century has been a time of immense global protest. With the Green Movement in 2009, Iran saw its biggest protests since the 1979 revolution, as thousands of people […]

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SAVING FOR RETIREMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA? FOUR TIPS TO NAVIGATE THE NEW PENSION RULES

Wed 31 July 2024: South Africa is changing its pension laws. The new system is designed to give individuals the opportunity to access only a portion of their retirement funds before they retire in the case of dire need – or even in case of desire. To an extent, this makes sense, given the low savings rate […]

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7 WAYS TO AVOID BECOMING A MISINFORMATION SUPERSPREADER WHEN THE NEWS IS SHOCKING

Tue 30 July 2024: The problem of misinformation isn’t going away – and may be getting worse, in the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Internet platforms like Facebook and X have taken some steps to curb its spread and say they are working on doing more. But no method yet introduced has been […]

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WHERE ARE THE WORLD’S MILLIONAIRES AND HOW IS WEALTH DIVIDED GLOBALLY?

Tue 30 July 2024: The world has at least 58 million US dollar millionaires, accounting for 1.5 percent of the global adult population, according to the 2024 UBS Global Wealth Report (PDF), which sampled 56 markets that account for 92 percent of global wealth. The United States has the highest number of millionaires, with some […]

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83 BOTTLES OF WINE PER PERSON: HOW EXPERTS ARE CALCULATING THE PARIS OLYMPICS’ CARBON FOOTPRINT

Mon 29 July 2024: The 2024 Paris Olympics aim to be the greenest edition on record, and the first compatible with the Paris climate agreement. Talk of “green games” goes back to April 2021. At the time, the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) had even aspired to carbon neutrality by removing more greenhouse gases […]

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