Spill The News

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Scientific discoveries rarely happen alone. Modern research often involves teams spanning institutions and even countries. Yet when research is published in academic journals, credit is reduced to a list of names –…

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Dogs can be very aggressive towards one another, as many people will have witnessed in public places. But in South Africa aggression between dogs occurs more often in people’s homes. We, a group of South African veterinary scientists…

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The 2026 Africa-France summit in Nairobi on May 11-12 is the first to be held in an African country that is not a former French colony. It is also the first to be held since the dramatic collapse of relations between France and a number of…

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The message to students used to be simple: “Just say no.” But in today’s schools, that message is not only outdated, it may be part of the problem. Across Canada, student substance use is a growing concern. According to the most recent…

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Recently, a spate of news coverage has raised concerns about grade inflation in schools across Canada . These concerns stem in part from policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was widespread cancellation of large-scale…

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Certain animals, like the lion, carry deep cultural and spiritual significance. But they also face extinction. Library of Congress In the grasslands and highlands of western Cameroon, some animals are believed to be sacred. Within the…

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La médecine moderne se targue d'être une science universelle, fondée sur les données issues des essais cliniques. Mais il existe un biais dans la recherche médicale. Alors que l'Afrique représente environ 25 % de la charge de morbidité du…

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The small community of Arviat, Nvt., has reportedly been selected to host the main campus of Inuit Nunangat University , the first Inuit-led university in Canada. The institution is expected to open in 2030. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK),…

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Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Across the UK, working‑class boys are navigating an unprecedented convergence of pressures. There are entrenched gaps between working-class boys and their peers in their levels of attainment at every…

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Modern medicine prides itself on being a universal science, built on evidence from clinical trials. But there’s a bias in medical research. While Africa accounts for roughly 25% of the global disease burden and 19% of the global population…

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School students in a National Day parade, Asmara, Eritrea. Angela N Perryman/Shutterstock It’s often assumed that expanding access to education is progressive – that it’s a means of ensuring social, economic and political development.…

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Freepik , CC BY South Africa’s 50 public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges are, in the main, struggling institutions. In many, throughput rates – how many students qualify in the expected time – are low . Some…

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Golubovy/Shutterstock It’s revision season. If you’re a student preparing for upcoming exams, you might be tempted to put aside sport or other physical activity for a while in order to dedicate more time to learning. But exercise is…

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Rock paintings are found throughout Zimbabwe. They were made during the last 10,000 years by hunter gatherer groups and later by farming communities. These came to the attention of the ERC Artsoundscapes project, based in Spain, in 2021.…

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Climate change and its associated impacts can worsen security challenges, including those associated with violent extremism. This is particularly the case in areas that are both vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and characterised…

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Well, well. Kenyan marathon runner Sabastian Sawe has officially broken through the fabled “sub-2-hour” marathon barrier . On a reportedly perfect Sunday, 26 April 2026 in London, the 31-year-old Sawe ran through the finish gate on the…

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Tens of thousands of Australians are expected to attend Anzac Day marches and services over the weekend. Many children will also be there with their families or school groups. Anzac events are often very sombre and can provoke serious…

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Ghana’s parliament ratified the country’s first lithium mining agreement in March 2026. This came three years after lithium mining was confirmed as commercially viable in September 2023. The Ewoyaa Lithium Project, in the Central Region of…

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HIV remains one of the biggest public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, a region that accounts for approximately two-thirds of about 40 million people living with HIV globally. Young people continue to account for a large share of…

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Vanessa Garcia/ Pexels Australia needs more teachers. It ranks among the worst-performing countries in the OECD for teacher shortages. This is particularly so for public schools . As of December 2025 , there was a reported shortfall of…

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Hampshire College's campus entrance on April 16, 2026, a few days after the school announced it is closing. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Hampshire College, a private college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, announced…

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should not be an arbiter of discussions about which other multilateral financial institutions should qualify for preferred creditor status. This is because the IMF is a direct beneficiary of the…

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DavideAngelini/Shutterstock Awkwardness and acne are the first things that spring to mind when thinking of adolescence, but they’re not always the full picture. We asked eight of our experts to tell us which book they feel best represents…

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In the heart of the Middle Atlas Mountains in central Morocco, a global team of palaeontologists and geologists has discovered new remains of a very unusual dinosaur. It belonged to the group called ankylosaurs , plant eaters whose bodies…

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The Canadian government launched the Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative in December 2025 designed to entice international researchers to come to Canada. The initiative, which the government says will “invest up to $1.7 billion over…

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The gutting of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025 has had catastrophic consequences , including in South Sudan where amid ongoing war, an estimated 33 million people require humanitarian assistance. The…

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Pope Leo XIV’s first official trip to Africa started with a fascinating stop in Algeria. Here the pontiff’s visit to the Grand Mosque of Algiers was an attempt to strengthen Christian-Muslim relations. The stop was also to pay homage to…

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Over the last several decades, the oceans have become more crowded. Aquaculture, wind and wave energy, and oil and gas exploration are taking up more space. This growth threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and coastal communities’…

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Africa has a challenge to retain the health workers it needs. The World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, with Africa predicted to face shortages ranging from five million to six million…

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Smallroombigdream/Shutterstock Around 1% of the global population has a PhD. It’s the highest academic qualification, the result of years spent on original research. But – and this is a question that many PhD students will have faced, at…

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Algonquin College in Ottawa recently announced that it’s suspended its Music Industry Arts (MIA) diploma program. Despite MIA having a robust graduate employment rate , the program was cut as of March 2026 amid broader institutional…

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VaLiza/Shutterstock Almost 1 million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training . These so-called Neets – aged 16 to 24 – face a significantly higher risk of long-term unemployment, poor health and involvement in…

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PeopleImages/Shutterstock In business, nature often gets reduced to numbers: emissions targets, sustainability metrics, biodiversity data. But when professionals rely too heavily on what’s measurable, they can risk missing what’s…

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The mental health effects of climate change are receiving growing attention , including how children and young people are uniquely affected. Supporting young people to build and sustain good mental health and wellbeing, and to feel…

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Dmitrij Galacewicz/Shutterstock Countries around the world, including France, Spain and Malaysia, are planning to follow Australia in enacting a ban on young people using social media. And now the UK is considering moving in the same…

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Students play with toys in a basin of soapy water at a child care center in New Britain, Conn., in March 2025. Mark Mirko/Connecticut Public via Getty Images I live in the small city of Rolla, Missouri, where half the child care centers…

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Student refectory at the School of Pharmacy in the 1960s UCL School of Pharmacy Library , CC BY-NC-ND Student finance in England is up for debate once again, with extensive discussion on the perceived unfairness of the Plan 2 student loan…

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Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock Student loans now sit at the centre of how higher education is funded in England, shaping how millions of graduates finance their studies. Many students leave university with debts of £50,000 or more and may spend…

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Zoriana Zaitseva/Shutterstock The higher education sector is more aware of disability than it was a few years ago. Universities are more willing to provide support, and attitudes have improved. What students describe day to day, however,…

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Prostock-studio/Shutterstock If you are a student in the UK, news of an outbreak of meningitis affecting university students in Kent may be causing you alarm. The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed 13 cases of invasive meningococcal…

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If you aren't working at it, you're not learning it − something college students need to understand as AI makes producing work easier. Sam Edwards via Getty Images I was early to the generative AI wave in higher education: I was among the…

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Columbia University, seen in June 2025, is one of the schools that made a deal with the Trump administration last year in order to avoid losing funding. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Several prominent universities, including Columbia…

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For students outside cities, participation in distance learning can be a lonely struggle. Tobi Oshinnaike via Unsplash Across Africa, distance education has become one of the most powerful forces for expanding access to higher learning.…

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Graduates aren't guaranteed a job. Nqobile Vundla/Unsplash Study hard, get your degree, and then step confidently into a stable, well-paid job. That’s long been the assumption about how to secure a livelihood: in neat, predictable stages.…