On March 18 – a day after announcing that President John Magufuli had died from “a heart ailment” – the then Vice President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, and all her security details and other top officials...
In Depth
A Brief History of Globalization
When Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in 2018 announced it had chosen the ancient city of Xi’an as the site for its new regional headquarters, the symbolic value wasn’t lost on the company: it had...
Why White Supremacists And QAnon Enthusiasts Are Obsessed – But...
From Charlottesville to the Capitol, medieval imagery has been repeatedly on show at far-right rallies and riots in recent years. Displays of Crusader shields and tattoos derived from Norse and...
Can the Laws of Physics Disprove God?
The reader’s question: I still believed in God (I am now an atheist) when I heard the following question at a seminar, first posed by Einstein, and was stunned by its elegance and depth: ‘If...
Black Historical Figures Who Shook The World, From a Warrior...
February marked Black History Month in the United States and Canada, a time to reflect on the ways Black people have contributed to society. But the contributions of Black people don’t just apply to...
The Five Biggest Threats to Human Existence
In the daily hubbub of current “crises” facing humanity, we forget about the many generations we hope are yet to come. Not those who will live 200 years from now, but 1,000 or 10,000 years from now...
Myanmar: Despite Appearances the Country’s Military Might is...
A fortnight after Myanmar’s military coup and the momentum of protest is growing. On February 1 2021, Myanmar’s armed forces, officially known as the Tatmadaw, announced on the military-run TV...
The Northern Irish Ghost Companies That Mask Crime Worldwide
Exploitation of workers, corruption and money-laundering, all kept in the shadows by lax regulation. Could Northern Ireland become “the new Panama”? Nikolai Sukhanov is used to flags of convenience...
Durex Condoms: How Their Teenage Immigrant Inventor was...
Around 975 Durex condoms are sold every minute. The global condom market is predicted to grow to over US$11 billion (£8 billion) by 2023, and Durex is in the privileged position of...
Another ‘Roaring Twenties’? Only if the Rich Pay Their Fair Share
Are we about to enter another ‘Roaring Twenties’? Some experts certainly think so. In a recent article, the Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane said the UK economy was “poised like...
Will Google’s News Showcase Help Save Journalism?
On 16 February 2021, Google signed a deal worth AU$30 million (approx £16,751) with Australian media company Nine Entertainment. It comes mere weeks after the company announced it was launching...
From Duck Houses to Nuclear Weapons: What we Know Because of the...
Over the past 20 years, Freedom of Information legislation has helped expose many abuses of power, but now it’s under threat. What are ministers claiming expenses for? How much do oil companies pay...
Global White Supremacy Cult: Qanon – The South African...
Amid the maelstrom of footage emerging from the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol in Washington DC, a video of a white South African rioter emerged, much to the surprise of many...
21st-Century Lobbying: How Big Data Lets Big Businesses Get The...
In July Facebook was fined US$5.1bn by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for not being honest about how it was handling user data. The personal data of 87 million of its users had been harvested...
Covid-19 Worsens Xenophobic Attitudes in South Africa
As Covid-induced hardships bite deeper, hyper nationalistic hashtags such as #PutSouthAfricaFirst and #WeWantOurCountryBack are becoming increasingly popular with many in South Africa. As soon as the...
Explainer: Why is the South China Sea Such a Hotly Contested...
In the past week, both the US and Australia rejected large parts of China’s extensive maritime claims in the South China Sea, as well as territorial claims by any state to...
Why are the Indian Farmers’ Protests Happening Now?
At the borders of India’s capital of New Delhi, thousands of farmers have been camping out since November 25 2020. The largely peaceful farmer protests have recently taken a deadly turn, with...
What if the World Was One Country? A Psychologist on Why We Need...
There are countless different species on the surface of this planet. One of these is the human race, which has over seven billion members. In one sense, there are no nations, just groups of humans...
How Self-proclaimed ‘Prophets’ from a Growing Christian Movement...
In addition to symbols of white supremacy, many of the rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6 carried signs bearing religious messages, such as “Jesus Saves” and “In God We Trust” while others chanted...
Whilst Rich Countries Hoard COVID-19 Vaccines, Herbs Remain The...
As the second – more deadly – wave of the Coronavirus sweeps through Africa sending infection and death rates soaring, citizens without access to modern medical services and unsure if any vaccines...