The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
South Africa's Advertising Standards Authority has ordered Monsanto to withdraw an ad in the widely read You magazine. The full-page magazine advert titled 'Biotechnology -- the true facts', sought to assure South Africans about the safety of gm foods. It, in fact, held that gm foods were "safer and more …
What motivates more than 800 people from 101 countries around the world to meet at a World Environmental Education Congress? And how does one make the most of such an incredible gathering of people, cultures, thoughts and minds? What did people learn and was it worthwhile? These are just some …
India's retail sector's estimated worth is US $350-380 billion. About US $15 billion of this is in organised retail chains. Although the retail boom in India started quite late, the growth rate in the past two years has been very high
The wrongs and rights of ivory sales FOR anybody who cares about animals, the biggest fixture on the diplomatic calendar is a bunfight that happens every three years to review the working of a convention on the international trade in endangered species, known as cites. At the current gathering, now …
More than 300 destitute people of South Africa's Johannesburg city are currently facing eviction from their squats. The move is part of Johannesburg's inner-city regeneration programme ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Two stadiums are being readied for the tournament. The process, which has been stalled over the past …
in a recent meet in Germany's Potsdam city on March 16-17, 2007, g8 countries and five other major developing countries agreed to launch the Potsdam Initiative aimed at preventing biodiversity loss due to climate change. It was for the first time that developing nations took part in the annual g8-ministerial …
The World Diamond Council has expressed concerns over reports that rough diamonds from Zimbabwe are being smuggled into South Africa for sale into the world market under fraudulent
This document address the value-added of the right to water, its basis in international law and provide an overview of the content of the right. It also includes a number of resources useful for training and advocacy.
This report summarizes the state-of-the-art of science on the subject of “Climate Change as a Security Risk”. It is based on the findings of research into environmental conflicts, the causes of war, and of climate impact research. It appraises past experience but also ventures to cast a glance far into …
is life possible without oxygen? As far as a particular kind of bacteria are concerned, the answer is an unambiguous yes, according to scientists of the Princeton University, us. In a paper published in the October 20 issue of Science (Vol 314, No 5798), scientists have revealed that a bacteria …
Conservationists are building fibreglass igloos for a colony of endangered African penguins, the Jackass penguins. Their effort is to replicate natural nesting grounds of the penguins on Dyer Island, near Cape Town, and bring the penguin population back to a sustainable level. The population of these endangered penguins is now …
The South African government has put its health officials on high alert after an outbreak of xdr tb (extremely drug resistant tuberculosis). According to a who report, the disease is virtually untreatable with currently available drugs. In a recent case, doctors at a Johannesburg hospital had to seek a court …
South Africa, Namibia and Angola have signed an agreement that enables them to utilise the marine and coastal resources of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (bclme), along Africa's southwest coastline. The Benguela Current Commission Agreement, the first of its kind in the world, also facilitates the understanding, conservation and …
antibiotics may get a fresh lease of life following the discovery of a potent compound by a team of scientists at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, in the us. Called platensimycin, the compound was isolated from a fungus-like bacterium found in a soil sample from South Africa. The …
This report highlights the importance of social protection in the struggle against global poverty. Social protection aims to enhance the capacity of poor and vulnerable persons to manage economic and social risks, such as unemployment, sickness, disability and old age.
High levels of air pollution in Johannesburg in winters and the rising exhaust emissions on its roads has prompted the city to adopt stringent air-quality measures. Atmospheric scientist Margot Richardson, who works in the city's department of development planning, transportation and environment, said that tests in Johannesburg during winter found …
The prolonged shutdown of oil refineries in South Africa has sparked a critical shortage of fuel, stemming from a change to cleaner fuels like unleaded petrol and low-sulphur diesel. Many petrol stations are running short of fuel. Some flights in South Africa were cancelled due to fuel shortage. This shortage …
