insert_link Opinion Pieces School uniforms may trigger sensory overload in kids who are sensitive to fabrics – our research can help macniak Lizette Diedericks, University of Pretoria and Karin van Niekerk, University of Pretoria Many people live with what’s known as sensory over-reactivity or over-responsiveness. Those with this condition experience an over-reaction to sensory stimuli, such as touch. When overstimulated, the brain triggers a fight-or-flight response, which can lead to irritability, withdrawing from people, and temper tantrums. Over time individuals can learn to manage this condition, but children often struggle. This […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 15
insert_link Health / Medical Stressed out? Why mindfulness and meditation help us cope with the world By Lucy Draper-Clarke, University of the Witwatersrand In a world fraught with anxiety, stress, and environmental and humanitarian disasters, people are looking for ways to cope. Many have turned to practices originating in ancient eastern philosophies for guidance. Among these is mindfulness, which is linked to meditation. Lucy Draper-Clarke, researcher and author of The Compassionate Activist, spoke to health & medicine editor Nadine Dreyer about looking inwards and cultivating compassion, […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 24
insert_link Africa Ghana’s electricity crisis is holding the country back – how it got here The Akosombo Dam is an important source of power in Ghana. jbdodane/Flickr, CC BY Naaborle Sackeyfio, Miami University For well over a decade Ghana was exalted as one of the most promising and fastest growing economies on the continent. But recent reports of the country’s steep economic dip, high inflation and rolling blackouts, popularly referred to as “dumsor”, suggest the era of inconsistent electricity between 2012 and 2016 is back. […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 7
insert_link Opinion Pieces Studying engineering is tough: 6 insights to help university students succeed Support and a sense of community are among the ways that students build academic resilience. ASphotowed/iStock/Getty Plus Curwyn Mapaling, University of Johannesburg Engineering courses are a popular choice among South African university students. But these courses are also gruelling and the attrition rates are high. The Council on Higher Education reports that half of the engineering students enrolled at South African universities do not complete their studies. That figure is […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 12
insert_link Business / Economics Trends for African telcos in 2024 By Louis Avenant, Senior Project Manager at Itemate Solutions Customer experience, efficiency to drive growth of Africa's telco sector this year Africa's vibrant telco sector is set for a bumper year in 2024 as it expands operations and broadens service offerings to meet the needs of an increasingly digital-savvy customer base. Industry projections estimate the Africa telco sector will grow by $2.24-billion between 2020 and 2024, with longer-term growth expected […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 7
insert_link Lifestyle Time to choose a career? A psychologist offers tips on the journey after high school By Kobus Maree, University of Pretoria Pivotal decisions loom large for high school graduates and those with responsibility over them. The trajectory has been a fairly straightforward line until now – learning and more learning. Having completed high school, will the journey now lead directly to university? If so, what field of study? Will it be the technical training route? Or will it be perhaps a direct leap into […] todayJanuary 10, 2024 8
insert_link Opinion Pieces South Africa’s genocide case against Israel: expert sets out what to expect from the International Court of Justice By Magnus Killander, University of Pretoria The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will be holding public hearings on 11-12 January at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the court, in a case brought by South Africa against Israel. South Africa has accused Israel of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in its military bombardment and siege of Gaza, which started after the deadly 7 October Hamas attack […] todayJanuary 9, 2024 16
insert_link Opinion Pieces Indonesia is one of the world’s largest democracies, but it’s weaponising defamation laws to smother dissent Tim Mann, The University of Melbourne Two former coordinators of one of Indonesia’s most prominent human rights organisations have escaped conviction in a defamation case brought by a powerful government minister. While their astonishing acquittal is welcome, the case marked a bleak new low for freedom of expression in one of the world’s largest democracies. Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti, who had coordinated the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims […] todayJanuary 9, 2024 18
insert_link Opinion Pieces Australia is still reckoning with a shameful legacy: the resettlement of suspected war criminals after WWII By Jayne Persian, University of Southern Queensland In the Canadian parliament last year, an outcry erupted after 98-year-old Ukrainian-Canadian Yaroslav Hunka was presented to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a hero of the second world war. It turned out Hunka had fought against the Allies as a voluntary member of the Nazi German Waffen-SS Galizien division. The incident was deeply embarrassing for Canada; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was forced to […] todayJanuary 9, 2024 15
