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PeopleImages/Shutterstock When an exam board for England, Wales and Northern Ireland recently clarified that students are now permitted to use gender-inclusive or gender-neutral forms in French, Spanish and German exams, it marked more…

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banhan chueatong/Shutterstock In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang are up against a new challenge: Bonnie’s tablet. Even Rex the toy dinosaur is worried about going extinct again. The storyline reflects a broader shift in…

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Students’ textbooks, provided by USAID, at a school in Malawi, 2016. By Lawrence Jackson, Wikimedia Commons Over a year has passed since the Donald Trump administration dismantled USAID , cutting more than 5,000 programmes and slashing…

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Students’ textbooks, provided by USAID, at a school in Malawi, 2016. By Lawrence Jackson, Wikimedia Commons Over a year has passed since the Donald Trump administration dismantled USAID , cutting more than 5,000 programmes and slashing…

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South Africa’s hunger crisis is no longer a distant warning. Millions of poor households are forced to choose between food, electricity, transport and water every month. The country also faces worsening climate shocks, such as floods ,…

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Transactional sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have engaged in this exchange in South Africa, 23% in Nigeria…

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The federal government recently announced two policies that will shape the future of Canadian youth’s interactions with artificial intelligence: the AI for All strategy and the Safe Social Media Act . The government says the AI for All…

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Students are using AI to cheat, but the problem isn't limited to that. VectorMine/iStock/Getty Images Plus My colleagues and I recently spoke with a group of talented, interesting students who just completed their first year of college…

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La FIFA, l'instance dirigeante du football mondial, présente la Coupe du monde 2026 – et le football mondial en général – comme une célébration de l'inclusion et de la diversité . Elle est présentée comme un symbole de paix et d'espoir ,…

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Depuis plus d'une décennie, l'Union européenne (UE) s'appuie sur des partenariats extérieurs pour renforcer le renvoi des migrants qui n'ont pas le droit de séjourner en Europe. Elle a progressivement mis en place un réseau étendu…

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Marches , Mozambicans murdered , state-sponsored evacuations , a nationally televised presidential address . Anti-immigrant mobilisation has again drawn the world’s attention to South Africa. The continental backlash threatens tourism,…

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Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels The federal government has announced another A$3.6 billion to boost childcare workers’ pay. The government says combined with other changes to the minimum wage, this will mean about $255 more per week for a typical…

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LinkedIn Sales Navigator/Pexels A university place is often described as a “ pathway to opportunity ”. But for many students, getting in is only part of the challenge. The other challenge is affording to stay. This is becoming more…

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Thx4Stock team/Shutterstock Most of my ecology and evolution undergraduates have never held a pair of binoculars or looked at a bug through a magnifying glass. They don’t know how to use a key to identify a plant or insect, let alone why…

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Grand structures don't mean that coercion was used to build them, say archaeologists. Janice Bell , CC BY-SA For more than a century, Great Zimbabwe has stood at the centre of a powerful story about the Zimbabwe culture . This remarkable…

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Banditry is widespread in Nigeria. It has been defined as “a loose collection of various criminal groups involved in kidnap-for-ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape and sexual violence, pillage and attacks on traders, farmers and…

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In an age of instant communication, it is easy to assume that everyone receives disaster warnings. Smartphones buzz, sirens sound, alerts flash across screens. But for millions of people who speak minority or Indigenous languages, the…

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EF Stock/Shutterstock The UK government’s decision to introduce restrictions on children’s access to social media marks a significant moment in the evolution of online safety policy. For supporters, it represents a long-overdue response to…

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Students and teachers pose outside a National Freedmen's Bureau school in Beaufort, S.C., in 1865. Corbis/Getty Images The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his…

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David Hockney, who died on June 11, was perhaps the most successful and well-known British artist of his lifetime. His exhibitions, from career-spanning shows like David Hockney 25 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2025) to his…

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As Toronto hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the city is welcoming large crowds, international visitors and volunteers into stadiums, transit hubs, fan spaces and public areas. For many people, the World Cup is about soccer, national pride…

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Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas this Thursday. The latest instalment of the film franchise addresses a dilemma many parents face: what happens to playtime when children become obsessed with screens? The original Toy Story movie was…

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The child at five is immersed in a material world they come to name, know and understand through direct tactile experiences, mediated by talk and interaction with peers and adults. (Allison Shelley/EDUimages) , CC BY-NC It’s the time of…

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Adolph Johannes Brand was born on 9 October 1934 in Cape Town. He would become better known as Dollar Brand and then Abdullah Ibrahim , an artist of mixed ethnic descent who personified the city’s multiculturalism and represented it on the…

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Xavier Lorenzo/Shutterstock Is the time teenagers spend on social media really damaging their wellbeing and mental health? Around the globe, youth mental health problems are on the rise. This has coincided with an ever increasing amount of…

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Housing in Vienna's new development area, Seestadt Aspern. Judith M. Lehner , CC BY-NC-SA South Africa faces a housing backlog of at least 2.6 million units, for more than 12 million people . The state supply of new, subsidised housing has…

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Kenya hosts nearly a million refugees , mainly from South Sudan and Somalia. Many of them have been living in refugee camps for decades. Now, the country is attempting a major shift in refugee policy. The Kenyan government and the United…

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Vukasin Ljustina/Shutterstock The UK government has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16. This follows a consultation on the impact of social media on young people’s mental health,…

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Students often learn best when they take risks and struggle to get it right, including on the playground. Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images A child at a playground tries to climb, jump or negotiate with…

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Bricolage/Shutterstock As the UK prepares to introduce an “Australia plus” ban on social media for under 16s, many lessons can be learned from Australia’s experiment. Many people may think Australia’s ban is a success, with nearly 5…

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Dans la plupart des pays africains multilingues, la politique linguistique est un sujet très sensible et controversé. Elle touche à l'identité régionale, à la religion et au pouvoir politique – comme on le voit clairement au Tchad, en…

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Wall of remembrance in Lagos for missing Nigerian schoolgirls. Beendy234 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 , CC BY According to Unesco, around 250 million children (16%) globally are out of school although they are of an age to be at school in…

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Wall of remembrance in Lagos for missing Nigerian schoolgirls. Beendy234 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 , CC BY According to Unesco, around 250 million children (16%) globally are out of school although they are of an age to be at school in…

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Kampus Production/Pexels Sleep can be one of the trickiest things for families with little kids. It’s not just important for parental sanity or a child’s grumpiness levels the next day. Sleep is crucial for brain development , especially…

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While many men are remembered as heroes of political struggles, women seldom get enough attention. Vesta Smith is a good example. She fought for South Africa’s liberation from white minority rule, called apartheid . Historian Maria Suriano…

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It’s 50 years since the Soweto uprising in South Africa. On 16 June 1976, tens of thousands of young black South Africans protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language (alongside English) at school. At the time, under apartheid…

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It’s 50 years since the Soweto uprising in South Africa. On 16 June 1976, tens of thousands of young black South Africans protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language (alongside English) at school. At the time, under apartheid…

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Thirty-two years after South Africa became a democratic state, the futures of millions of young people in the country are shaped to a large degree by uncertainty, exclusion, poverty and discouragement. As one lens on this scene,…

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Thirty-two years after South Africa became a democratic state, the futures of millions of young people in the country are shaped to a large degree by uncertainty, exclusion, poverty and discouragement. As one lens on this scene,…

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Miriam Makeba in 1969 in exile. Rob Mieremet/Nationaal Archief , CC BY Miriam Makeba sang a famous song about the 16 June 1976 uprising in her birthplace, South Africa. The protest was a pivotal point in the fight against apartheid and…

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À Madagascar, la préparation des élections de 2027 passe par la refonte biométrique du registre électoral national avec l’objectif clair de fiabiliser les listes, mieux identifier les électeurs et renforcer la crédibilité du scrutin. Dans…

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The Canadian government’s new artificial intelligence strategy positions AI as a major driver of job creation, economic growth and national competitiveness. It has also drawn some criticism for not providing enough detail on safety and…

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Deep in Book VII of Plato’s Republic, Socrates describes prisoners chained inside a cave, mistaking shadows cast on a wall by firelight for reality itself. They name the shadows, debate them and develop expertise about them. The prisoners…

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Forced labour in cybercrime might call to mind scam compounds in south-east Asia . A growing body of scholarship , journalism and policy attention has entrenched that stereotype. Images of fortified compounds , armed guards and confiscated…

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Our relationships with wildlife are dynamic. They can change rapidly and unexpectedly. In South Africa, these changes are visible in tourists searching kelp forests in Cape Town for octopuses and communities contesting baboon management in…

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Being an elderly person in South Africa presents a range of challenges. Apartheid shaped diverse experiences of ageing and elderly care along racial and ethnic lines. In the post-apartheid era, however, these patterns have begun to change.…

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Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped from the Gold Coast, today's Ghana. National Maritime Museum, London , CC BY The transatlantic slave trade was a multilayered, highly commercialised global enterprise that lasted from…

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Foot and mouth disease is common in South Africa’s wildlife reserves. There are constant efforts to make sure it doesn’t spread to farmed animals. But since 2019 the country has seen repeated outbreaks on farms. In 2026 the country’s R80…

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BearFotos/Shutterstock In a recent BBC documentary, former England men’s football manager Gareth Southgate explored the challenges facing young men in Britain, including low school attainment, declining employment opportunities, low…

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Le Sénégal traverse une période de tensions marquées par une rivalité entre le président de la République Bassirou Diomaye Faye et son ex-Premier ministre Ousmane Sonko. Cette rivalité entre les deux principales figures du parti au pouvoir…

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The last 18 months have seen a historic decline in development aid budgets from various donor countries, in a period where many of them are earmarking more funds for rearmament . The biggest waves have been made by the abrupt and massive…

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Mauritius set out its national AI strategy in 2018, the first by an African country. Since then over a dozen African states have adopted national AI policies of some sort or another. As a national policy plan, an AI strategy typically sets…

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Nigeria’s electricity regulator triggered a big tariff shock in April 2024. It increased rates for some consumers by over 240%, citing the cost of producing and delivering power. The regulator classifies consumers into five bands, A…

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Global football body Fifa is branding the World Cup 2026 – and global football in general – as a celebration of inclusivity and diversity . It’s presented as a harbinger of peace and hope , and even somehow a saviour of African migrants…

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It’s time South Africa faced up to an honest question: what if the formal economy can’t deliver the jobs that are needed? I am an economist who has been working closely with South Africa’s administrative tax data over the past five years –…

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The National Science Foundation's Washington headquarters seen in July 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images As a university researcher focused on education , I have spent hundreds of hours designing studies to help the field and that might attract…

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Alors que la nouvelle de l'épidémie d'Ebola se répandait à la mi-mai 2026, l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) a publié un rapport sur les pandémies. Il s'intitulait : « Un monde au bord du gouffre : priorités pour un avenir…

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Quand on flâne dans les rues de Dakar ou une de ses banlieues, on est frappé de voir régulièrement des établissements tous désignés par les Dakarois comme des « fast-food » bien qu ils se différencient sur le plan architectural les uns des…

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As the school year winds down and families start planning summer activities, possibly anticipating those inevitable rainy days, I have found myself returning to a simple but powerful joy: sharing museum experiences with young children. As…

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Threats and deadly conflict over migration are spreading fast in South Africa. This is hugely worrying and could result in widespread injury and killings, as it has in the past. The region’s investment prospects could be dimmed too, due to…

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Cape gannets colony, South Africa. Asher Pardey, Unsplash , CC BY Conservationists analyse overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions…

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Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/Unsplash , CC BY Le West African Senior School Certificate ( WASSCE ) est un examen décisif. Depuis des décennies, il constitue la porte d’entrée vers l’enseignement supérieur dans cinq pays : le Ghana, le Nigeria, la…

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Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Changes are on the horizon for the food that students can choose in English schools. The government is proposing updates to the school food standards, which set out what schools can serve. The changes…

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Le 15 mai 2026, des propos sexistes et misogynes prononcés depuis le sommet du perchoir de l’Assemblée nationale ont marqué l’actualité congolaise. Dans une vidéo largement partagée sur les réseaux sociaux, on voit Micheline Mpundu,…

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Design Pics/ Getty Images At the end of each school year, we see the same ritual play out . Year 12 results are released and newspapers publish league tables, ranking schools by their exam results. What you almost never see on the front…

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Anti-migrant campaigns in South Africa are increasingly being framed as acts of community protection. Protesters present their efforts as a response to community concerns about crime, unemployment and failing public services. Leaders of…

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In the rugged and mountainous Drakensberg grasslands of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, farmers rear sheep for food, cultural practices and financial security. The steep slopes, cold winters, frost and seasonal droughts shape…

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In Ghana, community resource management areas are the main way that local communities get involved in managing natural resources that fall outside protected areas. In this way, rural people protect their natural environment and earn a…

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Astronomers using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa have discovered the most distant hydroxyl megamaser ever detected, opening a new radio astronomy frontier. A hydroxyl megamaser is a natural space laser, and this one is located…

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The ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda has now killed 61 people , with 359 confirmed cases. The Bundibugyo strain of the virus has a fatality rate of between 30% and 50%, and there is…

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Approximately $2 billion in earmarked money went to colleges and universities from September 2025 through October 2026. Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus U.S. politicians have perhaps never been more divided , including when it…

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Des millions de personnes en Afrique centrale dépendent de la viande de brousse pour leur alimentation, en particulier dans les zones rurales situées autour de la forêt tropicale du Congo, la deuxième plus grande forêt tropicale humide du…

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SolStock/ Getty Images Educators have long debated whether students should be “streamed” – or organised into different classes based on their academic performance. Is it better for students to be learning with students of a similar…

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Canada’s federal government is waiting for a special joint parliamentary committee’s recommendations on the issue of MAID expansion to include mental illness . Justice Minister and Attorney General Sean Fraser told CTV the government…

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Across Africa, countries are redesigning school curricula to prepare children for the demands of the 21st century. These reforms aim to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving rather than rote memorisation…

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Across Africa, countries are redesigning school curricula to prepare children for the demands of the 21st century. These reforms aim to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving rather than rote memorisation…

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Digital technologies create great opportunities, but the transformation they offer isn’t equally within reach of everyone. Access is determined by a vast digital divide. The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals and…

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Nature-based solutions have become central to global climate strategies. From tropical forests to wetlands, restoring nature means trees and plants can capture carbon dioxide, reduce global warming and regenerate biodiversity . Among these…

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“Today, everyone recognises that trade is as much a security issue as an economic one.” European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde made this comment in February 2026, while addressing the Munich Security Conference . Although she…

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Un dossier climatique historique est actuellement examiné par la Cour africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples. La requête a été déposée par l’ Union panafricaine des avocats et d'autres organisations de la société civile africaine.…

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More than half of Australia’s universities dropped in global rankings this week. Individual results always bounce around. But this drop, via the Centre for World University Rankings, suggests the decline of Australia’s standing in many…

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The first day of kindergarten is a momentous occasion for children and families. It’s an exciting milestone that comes with new friends, teachers and learning opportunities. It can also bring parental anxiety about whether their child is…

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Uganda’s environmental impact assessment system is meant to protect the environment from harmful development projects. For nearly 30 years, the law has required developers applying for approval to consider alternatives to their proposed…

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Mauritius is a small African island where natural disasters like floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events have become frequent and intense. They are expected regularly. Rising sea levels, flash floods and tropical cyclones cause…

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Agbogbloshie, in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, is a sprawling, open-air scrapyard located next to a lagoon and a growing informal settlement. Roughly 6,000 people dismantle, recycle and burn old and broken electronics there. The world…

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Climate change is making southern Africa hotter . While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools…

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Climate change is making southern Africa hotter . While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools…

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The former Anna Howard Shaw Middle School in Southwest Philadelphia became Hardy Williams Elementary, a K-6 charter school, in 2015. Julio C. Vega , CC BY-NC-SA The Philadelphia School Board voted in May 2026 to close 17 of its 218…

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Three years into the civil war in Sudan that began on 15 April 2023, a coalition of civilian, political and armed factions has launched a new peace initiative . Announced in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in May 2026, the roadmap seeks to end…

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La Coupe du monde de football masculin de 2026 marque un tournant majeur dans le paysage footballistique mondial. La décision d'élargir la phase finale du tournoi de 32 à 48 équipes a considérablement profité à la Confédération africaine…

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As an educator, I attest to the remarkable aspects of the teaching profession. Teachers truly have the capacity to be agents for positive change in this troubled world. That said, a myriad of factors have left the teaching field in a…

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Research shows that some 'distraction blocker' apps can deepen feelings of shame and inadequacy around productivity for neurodivergent people. (Unsplash/Nubelson Fernandes) In today’s attention economy , social media platforms,…

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fizkes/Shutterstock Spend ten minutes talking to a soon-to-be graduate about their job search and you might come away convinced that a university degree has become a confidence trick. The class of 2025 spent the better part of a year…

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Bilateral aid to Africa fell by nearly a quarter in 2025 , the largest annual decline in the history of official development assistance. Meanwhile, sovereign debt interest payments now consume on average 27% of government revenues across…

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In most multilingual African countries, language policy is a highly charged and controversial issue. It touches on regional identity, religion and political power – as is evident in Chad, in central Africa. Around 130 languages are spoken…

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Globally, agriculture faces mounting pressures. These are driven by climate change , land degradation , labour shortages , supply chain disruptions and the demand for food from a growing population . At the same time, productivity is…

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South African teacher education qualifications are expected to comply with the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications . But evidence points to gaps in teacher competence and the quality of instruction. Many students who…

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South African teacher education qualifications are expected to comply with the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications . But evidence points to gaps in teacher competence and the quality of instruction. Many students who…

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An undocumented Honduran immigrant walks her child to a school bus stop in November 2025 at an unspecified location in the U.S. John Moore/Getty Images All public schools in the U.S. must provide an education to all students, regardless of…

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La société civile peut être définie comme l'ensemble des organisations, associations, syndicats, organisations communautaires, mouvements citoyens, organisations non gouvernementales et autres structures qui agissent dans l'espace public…

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Justin Paget/ Getty Images If your child has ever dug their heels in on the morning of the school athletics or cross country day, or refused to speak in front of the class, you’re not alone. For some children, these kinds of events bring a…

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For over a decade, the European Union (EU) has relied on external partnerships to increase the return of migrants who don’t have the right to stay in Europe. It has used a growing web of funding instruments, projects and bilateral…

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Globally, about one in five people in jobs live in poverty . A key reason lies in how global supply chains are organised. From agriculture to tourism, many jobs are embedded in systems that keep wages low, even as they generate value for…

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Nearly a quarter of the land in Ethiopia is degraded . It has lost its quality and can no longer grow crops, support plant life, or hold water as it used to. The causes are mainly human pressures (deforestation, overuse, poor land…

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Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/Unsplash , CC BY The West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( WASSCE ) is a high-stakes test. For decades, it has served as the gateway to post-secondary education across five countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra…

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Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/Unsplash , CC BY The West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( WASSCE ) is a high-stakes test. For decades, it has served as the gateway to post-secondary education across five countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra…

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Nicholas Ellinas/Shutterstock From comics aimed at very young children to university-level textbooks, comics are known to be an effective medium for helping people to learn new information. This is because they represent information in two…

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La transition vers les énergies renouvelables échouera si les pays riches ne contribuent pas au financement de systèmes énergétiques plus propres, de l'industrialisation et de la transformation locale des minerais sur l'ensemble du…

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In August 2019 , India took the significant step of ending the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution granted Jammu and Kashmir semi-autonomous status following the territory’s accession to…

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Picture this: you have spent decades building a career. You have a master’s degree. You have taught hundreds of students. You walk into work every morning with a sense of purpose. Then, almost overnight, the gates close. You are told you…

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A landmark climate case is being heard by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The request was brought by the Pan African Lawyers Union and other African civil society organisations. They’ve asked the court to issue advice on…

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South Africa’s schooling system presents a striking paradox. Fewer than one in five grade 4 learners can read for meaning, yet more than 60% of young people (aged 15 to 24) eventually complete grade 12. Matric (school leaving exam) pass…

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South Africa’s schooling system presents a striking paradox. Fewer than one in five grade 4 learners can read for meaning, yet more than 60% of young people (aged 15 to 24) eventually complete grade 12. Matric (school leaving exam) pass…

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyday newsroom work across Africa. It has entered quietly through routine tasks such as transcription, headline writing, translation and content preparation. In southern Africa, where AI…

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Kareem Neal, a teacher at Maryvale High School in Phoenix, poses in his classroom in October 2022. Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images Having Black teachers and other educators of color improves students’ classroom experiences, research…

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Plusieurs grandes villes du Mali ont subi des attaques coordonnées en avril 2026 menées par une nouvelle coalition de groupes djihadistes et séparatistes. Alors que la coalition prenait le contrôle de la ville de Kidal , dans le nord du…

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Abstract Aerial Art/ Getty Images The latest data on Australian schooling shows about 81.5% of Year 10 students go on to Year 12. This is a modest rise of 1.6 percentage points on the previous year, but figures have been largely stable…

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The first shipment of Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable that prevents HIV with two shots a year, arrived in South Africa from the United States in early April 2026. Clinical trials showed close to 100% efficacy . The rollout, expected…

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PeopleImages/Shutterstock Over the last decade, UK universities have put increasing effort into supporting student mental health. This often means following frameworks: documents that outline good practice, typically developed by sector…

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The campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Catherine Robotis/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images In 2014, a group of students at Bowdoin College thought it would be fun to dress up as Pilgrims and Native Americans for a…

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Many Chinese and Chinese American students do not seek the mental health care they might need, sometimes because of stigma. Jonathan Kirn/The Image Bank/Getty Images She has straight A’s, a full schedule of Advanced Placement classes, a…

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Lorsque les taux d'intérêt augmentent, la plupart des gens ressentent les effets de cette hausse sur leur budget, car les remboursements de prêts immobiliers, d'achats de voitures ou de prêts personnels s'alourdissent. Cela réduit le…

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As the news spread about the outbreak of Ebola in mid-May 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report about pandemics. The title was: A World on the Edge: Priorities for a Pandemic-Resilient Future. The document was…

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The origin of turtles has always been a bit of a puzzle for scientists who study the evolution of animals. To this day, where they fit in the tree of life remains a highly debated topic. The evolutionary relationships of most vertebrate…

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Ghana fans will be cheering their team alongside nine other African nations at the World Cup finals. Adera Abdoulaye Dolo/Pexels , CC BY The 2026 men’s Fifa World Cup marks a seismic shift in the global football landscape. The decision to…

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The supply of crude oil to the world had been reduced by about 7.5% to 10.1% by March 2026 in what the World Bank described as the largest oil market disruption in history . The fall was a result of the attacks on Iran by Israel and the US…

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A recent development in the credit rating space could signal important progress in one of the more intractable challenges in global development finance. The challenge is how countries can manage periods of acute debt stress without being…

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Smith College is one of the 30 all-women's colleges in the U.S. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Since 2015, Smith College, one of the largest and most prestigious women’s liberal arts colleges in the United States, has…

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De nombreux pays africains ont adopté des politiques d'éducation de base universelle au cours des dernières décennies. Cependant, des données récentes ont révélé que plus de 100 millions d'enfants et d'adolescents ne sont toujours pas…

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Tsuguliev/Shutterstock School trips are often remembered as a highlight of childhood education. Whether it’s exploring a castle, visiting a museum or spending the day at a farm or zoo, these experiences offer something the classroom often…

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Ethiopia is preparing for a national election on 1 June amid deep political uncertainty and growing insecurity. Officially, the polls are expected to reinforce the country’s democratic transition and political stability. But the conditions…

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Outgoing prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn (right) hands a copy of the Ethiopian constitution to his successor Abiy Ahmed in 2018. Wikimedia Commons , CC BY Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed has revived debate over whether the country…

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Ethiopia’s general election on 1 June 2026 will take place amid armed conflicts and political fragmentation . This has raised questions over voter participation and legitimacy and the future of the country’s multi-ethnic federal system.…

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Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has been the most disruptive force to hit education in a long time , and educators are still absorbing the impact. My colleagues and I have had to reprogram our approaches and classroom…

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Millions of people in central Africa rely on wild meat for their nutrition, especially in rural areas around the Congo rainforest, the second largest tropical rainforest in the world. Here, meat from domestic animals is scarce due to poor…

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Frazao Studio Latino/ Getty Images The latest round of national testing has shown Australian school students’ skills around digital tools, such as computers and tablets, has dropped. This is despite students spending significant time…

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Power struggles often play out in Senegal’s political arena, both within a party and between rival parties. To summarise British foreign minister Lord Palmerston’s argument in 1848: In politics, there are no permanent enemies, no permanent…

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How was iron produced 2,000 years ago in Senegal? A recent study at the Didé West 1 archaeological site, in the Falémé Valley in eastern Senegal, sheds light on an ancient iron production technique. Passed down from generation to…

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Bullying is a widespread global problem, with extensive research across countries showing that no school is immune. In South Africa, the scale is particularly concerning, with studies indicating that between a fifth and over half of…

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Bullying is a widespread global problem, with extensive research across countries showing that no school is immune. In South Africa, the scale is particularly concerning, with studies indicating that between a fifth and over half of…

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Les autorités maliennes ont annoncé le 4 mai 2026 que le chef de la junte, le général Assimi Goïta, occuperait le poste de ministre de la Défense après l'assassinat du général Sadio Camara une semaine plus tôt. La mort de Camara est…

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Attila Csaszar/Getty Images In years gone by, school leavers had one main chance to get into university – by finishing their Year 12 exams with certain marks. Media coverage of Year 12 results perpetuates the idea everything hinges on your…

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In Canada, we need more qualified teachers . Alberta’s Expedited Teaching Certificates , introduced in April 2026 , have been presented as a solution to getting more teachers in classrooms. So have other shortened university teacher…

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Several of Mali’s major cities experienced coordinated attacks in April by a new coalition of jihadists and separatist groups. As the coalition took over the town of Kidal in the north of Mali , images of Russian troops being escorted out…

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The United States’ retreat from aspects of global climate and health leadership has exposed the risk Africa took in relying on external funding for these projects. When the US pulled back on aid , many African programmes and plans that…

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Moving to renewable energy will fail unless wealthy nations help finance cleaner energy systems, industrialisation and local mineral processing across the African continent. This was the argument that African countries put to a recent…

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Peter Cade/ Getty Images New data shows 27.2% of Australian students are receiving an adjustment for disability at school. This is up from 25.7% in 2024 and 18% in 2015. An educational adjustment helps students participate on the same…

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Decades of research in child development confirms that young children’s play is linked to positive outcomes in mental health, cognitive and social development as well as fewer behavioural problems. Despite this consensus, play is becoming…

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It is forgivable to think that an oil shock mainly hurts at the petrol pump. After all, that is where households feel it first. But when my colleagues and I at the Bureau for Economic Research started digging through South Africa’s fuel…

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When conflicts break out, most people around the world rely on international media to understand what is happening. These reports do more than inform. They shape how crises are interpreted, which actors are seen as responsible and where…

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Mali and Nigeria, two of the countries in the Sahel region of west Africa, are separated by approximately 1,000 kilometres, with the Niger Republic between them. They differ in population size and government, but they face some of the same…

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By the second week of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo it was already clear that containing the spread of the haemorrhagic disease was proving to be difficult. On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization…

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L’arène politique sénégalaise est souvent le théâtre de luttes d’influence, soit entre acteurs d'un même parti, soit entre acteurs de partis distincts. Comme le soutenait Lord Palmerston , chef de la diplomatie britannique en 1848: En…

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La Coupe du monde masculine de football la plus multiculturelle de l'histoire se déroule aux États-Unis, à un moment où les ressortissants étrangers se sentent de moins en moins les bienvenus dans le pays. La compétition de 2026 débutera…

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Cottonbro Studio/Pexels , CC BY Generative AI (GenAI) is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content – like text, images, or ideas – by learning patterns from existing data. GenAI, particularly through large language models…

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A series of conferences held in Entebbe, Uganda, between 2023 and 2025 have resulted in a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values . The meetings were organised by the Inter-parliamentary Network on African Sovereignty and…

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Misleading information online is often treated as a technical glitch, something that better algorithms or stricter moderation can fix. But research points to a more complex reality. That is, the rise of “misfluencers”, individuals who…

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Halfpoint/Shutterstock Around one in six adolescents worldwide report having self-harmed at some point in their lives. In England, an NHS mental health survey of 2,370 children and young people found that more than one in three young…

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Il y a plus de quarante ans, des leaders réunionnais finançaient clandestinement le Congrès national africain (ANC) de Nelson Mandela. Parmi eux, Paul Vergès , fondateur du Parti communiste réunionnais, arrachait au Parlement européen les…

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Né dans la ville historique de Ouidah (Bénin) en 1958, Patrice Talon apparaît comme le produit d’une trajectoire sociale marquée par une forte ascension dans le monde des affaires. Président, il a dirigé le pays d’avril 2016 à mai 2026. Le…

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College commencement ceremonies celebrate students' achievements, but also have become occasionally fraught with politics. photosbyjim/iStock/Getty Images Plus Delivering a university commencement address used to simply be a unique kind of…

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Many of us, at one time or another, have been in situations where something someone said or did felt offensive, hurtful or dismissive. These can be subtle, often unintentional, comments, questions or actions that suggest bias and negative…

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Africa is providing cheap liquidity to wealthy nations. In return it is paying huge interest rates to external institutional investors at the cost of its own development. For instance, African central banks export their reserve funds for…

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When imagining our early human ancestors in prehistoric Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago, one might envision trekkers plodding across a savanna, baking under an equatorial sun. Research, however, suggests that our species’ unique…

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Severe bleeding after birth (postpartum haemorrhage) is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally. It causes approximately 70,000 deaths annually . About 80% occur in Africa and South Asia. A recently published World Health…

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Built in the 1950s to generate electricity, Lake Kariba in Zambia and Zimbabwe has since supported activities such as tourism, fishing and conservation. All of these are affected by changes in water levels. The 40km wide and 223km long…

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Co-organisé par la France et le Kenya à Nairobi les 11 et 12 mai 2026, le sommet France-Afrique se présente comme un rendez-vous consacré aux partenariats entre l’Afrique et la France pour l’innovation et la croissance. Il affiche…

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Imaginez qu'un membre de votre famille souffre d'un cancer avancé. La douleur est intense, constante. Vous cherchez de la morphine orale, l'un des médicaments essentiels pour soulager cette souffrance. Dans de nombreux pays francophones…

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When interest rates rise, most people feel the financial pinch as repayments for home loans, car purchases or personal loans increase. This leads to less money for everyday spending and tightens the household budget. Middle- and…

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Africa is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. But much of its biodiversity remains poorly studied . Research from the continent contributes to less than 1% to global scientific output . This pattern is often explained by limited…

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Children with special needs often experience a range of early developmental challenges that can affect their readiness for learning and their participation in school. This population includes children with a wide range of…

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Banning students from writing theses and dissertations on sexual orientation and gender identity could be seen as curtailing students' freedom of speech rights. Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images Texas Tech University, a public university in…

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Pendant l’épidémie d’Ebola de 2014 à 2016, Musu, une habitante de Monrovia, au Libéria, a contracté le virus Ebola, tout comme son mari, ses cinq fils et sa fille. Quelques semaines plus tard, six membres de sa famille sont décédés. Musu…

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South Africa has a paradox when it comes to food availability. Its supermarkets are overflowing . But it continues to record high levels of stunted growth . This seems to be a global problem. Data suggest that the world has produced more…

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Dans les prairies et les hautes terres de l'ouest du Cameroun, certains animaux sont considérés comme sacrés. Au sein des royaumes autochtones (fondoms, chefferies) de la région, bon nombre de ces animaux sont également considérés comme…

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Late last week, the Australian Research Council quietly made an announcement that sent shockwaves through the academic community. The federal education minister, Jason Clare, blocked research funding to 13 projects “for reasons relevant to…

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10'000 Hours/Getty Images Getting the kids out the door for school can feel like herding cats in the rain. Just when one child is ready, another can’t find a shoe, someone remembers homework, and someone else starts crying because they…

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Malian officials announced on 4 May 2026 that junta leader General Assimi Goïta would take on the post of defence minister after the killing of General Sadio Camara a week earlier. Camara’s death occurred amid an offensive by the Azawad…

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Hantaviruses are not new. They have circulated for decades in rodent populations, particularly in rats and mice. Humans can become infected if they are bitten or scratched by a rodent or by inhaling aerosolised particles. These are tiny…

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For decades, science educators have been encouraged to “stick to the science” and leave politics at the classroom door. But as disinformation spreads online and public trust in science seems to erode in some contexts , this advice is no…

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Le conflit dans le golfe Persique perturbe l'approvisionnement en engrais , et les systèmes alimentaires africains risquent d'en pâtir. Les systèmes agroalimentaires (les activités qui relient les personnes, les investissements et les…

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During the Ebola epidemic of 2014 to 2016, Musu, a resident of Monrovia, Liberia contracted the Ebola virus along with her husband, five sons and daughter. A few weeks later, six members of her family died. Musu and her youngest son…

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Westend61/ Getty Images For Year 12 students, final exams are getting closer and applications for university and other courses are opening. So naturally, conversations at home and with wider family and friends are turning to what’s going…

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The most culturally diverse men’s football World Cup in history is taking place in the United States at a time when foreign nationals feel less and less welcome in the country. The 2026 competition kicks off on 11 June with games in…

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The World Bank made history in 1994 by creating the Inspection Panel , the first independent accountability mechanism at any international organisation. Its function is to investigate complaints from communities who allege they were harmed…

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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is taking an unusual step to secure its critical minerals. It plans to create a new paramilitary unit to protect mining sites and transport routes, backed by funding and support from the United States…

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Across many cities and towns in South Africa, turning on a tap no longer guarantees water. Instead, trucks – known as water tankers – arrive to deliver water to communities facing shortages. Water tankers have shifted from being an…

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Emphasizing the sounds of certain words to young children can help them retain language, not confuse them about speaking properly. MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images Many parents have heard the warning: Don’t use baby talk…

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Sudan lies at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. It has played a key role in human demographic movements , reflected in the diversity of its cultures and languages . Although much of the country is arid, the Nile River has long…

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There have been four major floods in Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, over the past 14 years. The floodwaters swamp the open-air markets of Oshodi, one of the city’s largest informal trading centres, and rise through the stilted walkways of…

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Julius Malema , the leader of South Africa’s fourth-largest party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is a divisive figure: loved by some, hated by others. Malema made headlines in April 2026 after a lower court found him guilty of…

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At the dawn of Kenya’s colonial era in 1902, consumption of home-made alcohol was deeply embedded in society. For instance, among the Mijikenda of coastal Kenya, palm wine was integral (p.290) to traditional ceremonies, such as marriage…

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Alistair Berg/Getty Images The federal government has announced a new “ safeguard ” around how funding is spent to support school students with disabilities. The budget papers say there is an issue with “ inaccurate claiming ” by schools…

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The shape of the word bubble resembles the shape of an actual bubble, according to research participants. (Unsplash) Think about a word that looks like its meaning. For instance, the word bed kind of looks like a bed, with the vertical…

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Agriculture is the lifeblood of Africa. More than 60% of African households depend directly or indirectly on the land for their livelihoods. And the continent has nearly 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land . Farming is a fragile…

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The global economy still largely follows a simple pattern: extract natural resources, manufacture products, use them and then throw them away. This “take, make, dispose” model has driven economic growth for decades. But increasing use of…

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Malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia are preventable childhood diseases that are major causes of death in young children. They’re transmitted largely in and around the home, where children spend most of their time. For example, around 80% of…

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Many countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data has revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school, out of a total potential population of…

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Many countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data has revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school, out of a total potential population of…

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Le sommet Afrique-France 2026 organisé à Nairobi les 11 et 12 mai est le premier à se tenir dans un pays africain qui n’est pas une ancienne colonie française. C’est également le premier depuis la rupture spectaculaire des relations entre…