insert_link Africa Rwanda’s Tutsi minority has been in power for 30 years – but study finds ethnicity doesn’t matter to people if their needs are met By Réginas Ndayiragije, University of Antwerp and Marijke Verpoorten, University of Antwerp Thirty years ago, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a predominantly Tutsi armed group, took over Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city – and soon after, the country’s governance. This victory occurred amid a horrific genocide masterminded by a Hutu-dominated regime. Rwanda’s main ethnic groups are the Hutu, who make up a majority of the population, and […] todayJuly 9, 2024 25
insert_link South Africa Road to Paris: African Olympic hopefuls shine in Durban ahead of the Paris Olympics By Stephen Granger, bird story agency Just a month before athletes head to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, some of the Africa's top marathoners gathered in the port city of Durban on July 7 to compete in the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10k — and the results highlighted a depth of talent that suggests the Paris Olympics will be a specatacle of African running […] todayJuly 8, 2024 38
insert_link 2 Sport Biniam Girmay’s historic cycling triumph mirrors Africa’s growing pedalling prowess By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency When 24-year-old Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay crossed the finish line first in the fourth stage of the Tour de France on Monday, July 1, it was a resounding testament to the growing prowess of African cyclists on the world stage. Girmay who cycles for Intermarche Wanty, a French cycling club, scooped the historical win becoming the first black […] todayJuly 8, 2024 61 2
insert_link World New UK finance minister vows to power economy New UK finance minister Rachel Reeves vowed Monday to immediately "fix the foundations" of Britain's economy, fuelled by onshore wind power and house building, after her Labour party won power. In her first major speech since being appointed the UK's first woman chancellor of the exchequer by new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Reeves said there was "no time to waste" on reversing "the legacy of fourteen years […] todayJuly 8, 2024 13
insert_link Africa Ecowas summit: 6 steps the leaders can take to restore stability and growth in west Africa By Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University This year’s summit of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) takes place against a challenging environment for the regional bloc. Recent developments in the region have included coups, insecurity and economic instability. Climate change also poses challenges. Six successful and two attempted coups in the region since 2020 were followed by the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina […] todayJuly 8, 2024 26
insert_link Namibia Namibia’s sodomy laws have been overturned – what that means for LGBTIQ+ rights in the country Bennian/Getty Images, CC BY By John Nakuta, University of Namibia The Namibian high court recently invalidated the country’s colonial-era “sodomy law”, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” were unconstitutional. This ruling follows a separate decision in 2023 where Namibia’s supreme court ruled to recognise certain same-sex unions […] todayJuly 8, 2024 32
insert_link Africa Kenya’s protests are different this time: 3 things that make it harder for government to crush them By Awino Okech, SOAS, University of London On 25 June 2024, a youth-led protest primarily composed of Gen Zs, as they are popularly referred to, stormed Kenya’s parliament. Legislators voted to pass the Finance Bill 2024 in its third and last reading ahead of presidential assent. This was the second countrywide protest over the proposed taxes in the draft law and excesses in government […] todayJuly 8, 2024 19
insert_link South Africa South Africa’s healthcare system: eight steps that would get it on the right track By Lilian Dudley, Stellenbosch University; Catherine Mathews, South African Medical Research Council; Flavia Senkubuge, University of Pretoria; Guinevere Lourens, Stellenbosch University; Leslie London, University of Cape Town, and Sharon Fonn, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa’s healthcare system suffers from widespread problems in its governance. A number of indicators point to this dysfunction. These include the large number of managers in acting positions, frequent […] todayJuly 8, 2024 39
insert_link Sport Fandom usually means tracking your favorite team for years − so why are the Olympics so good at making us root for sports and athletes we tune out most of the time? A fan cheers for U.S. tennis players in the men’s doubles gold medal match during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano By Noah Cohan, Washington University in St. Louis Every four years, millions of Americans join billions of their fellow humans across the globe to celebrate the astonishing athletic feats at the Summer Olympics. Warm-weather sports such as swimming and track that usually […] todayJuly 4, 2024 12