South African president calls for ‘urgent reforms’ at UN Security Council to meet it mandate
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wants the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) “urgently reformed” so it can credibly and effectively meet its mandate. Ramaphosa is quoted by government news agency SAnews as saying Africa, with a population of 1.3 billion, does not have permanent representation on the UN Security Council....
Arsenal spends, but questions remain about how big money will shape Gunners’ push for elite league
Arsenal have a higher net spend than any other club in Europe since the summer of 2020, and a time will come at which he has to deliver. Here, as the three-word slogan that has come to dominate this summer’s football discourse would have it, we go. The arrival of...
Military says mastermind of ‘theft of millions’ on President Ramaphosa farm is not South African
A weekend report alleging the apparent mastermind behind what is termed the theft of “millions” in foreign currency from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s game and livestock breeding farm in Limpopo was in the ranks of the South African Army has been dismissed. South African Department of Defence (DoD) Head of Communication...
Why eating bananas and other foods is key to eliminating risks of breathing blockage and breathing difficulties
Bananas may be beneficial for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They are potassium-rich and contain antioxidants and fibre. Other sources of these nutrients are berries and whole grains. COPD is a group of diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These conditions cause a blockage to the airflow and...
EAC army deployment in Congo raises suspicions the move’s a ploy to create business opening for outgoing Kenyan president
Tensions are spiking once again in the chronically turbulent eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The M23 rebel movement – widely thought to be long dead – has dramatically resurrected. DRC President Félix Tshisekedi is now accusing Rwandan President Paul Kagame of again backing it with military support. Tshisekedi...
Abortion is a crime: Why US Supreme Court overturned right to pregnancy termination in 26 states
The constitutional right to an abortion has been struck down in the United States. The US Supreme Court announced on June 24 that it would overturn the 1973 landmark decision Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion access up until the point that a foetus can live outside the womb...
South African xenophobia becomes endemic as vigilante groups embrace the ‘negative nationalism’
A week after members of Operation Dudula allegedly threatened to burn it down, the iconic Yeoville market in Johannesburg was set on fire in the early hours of June 20. Most traders who rent stalls there are migrants from other African countries. The South African Human Rights Commission confirmed that...
Wine may no longer get sweeter with age as climate change takes its toll on fruit chemistry and taste
Warming, wildfires and unpredictable weather threaten to disrupt the delicate processes that underlie treasured wines. Researchers and producers are innovating to keep ahead. Soon after the devastating Glass Fire sparked in California’s Napa Valley in September 2020, wine chemist Anita Oberholster’s inbox was brimming with hundreds of emails from panicked...
Man United superstar transfer Ronaldo to Chelsea: Wishful thinking or work-in-progress?
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has held talks with Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent about a potential deal to take the Manchester United striker to Stamford Bridge, reports say. The 37-year-old returned to Old Trafford last summer with Ronaldo leading the club’s scoring charts in his first season back with 24 goals in...
Mutual respect and conversation, not name-calling and conflict, are key to America’s gun violence prevention
When an 18-year-old took a semiautomatic rifle to an elementary school in Texas last month and killed 19 students and two teachers, I was looking after my 10-year-old grandson. He knows I have spent most of my life trying to prevent gun violence. I had to tell him we had...