In a world increasingly shaped by climate extremes, environmental experts are delivering a blunt warning: four rapidly emerging threats could reshape life for millions unless urgent action is taken. From ancient microbes awakening in melting glaciers to toxic pollutants unleashed by floods, the dangers are no longer distant or theoretical. They are here, and they…
United Nations — Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly developing and leaving its mark across the globe. Yet the implementation of AI risks widening the gap between the Global North and South. It is projected that the AI market’s global revenue will increase by 19.6 percent each year. By 2030, AI could contribute USD 15.7 trillion…
Winter in some parts of South Africa is a time of low (or no) rainfall and high fire danger. Sheldon Strydom studies the relationship between weather and fire, in particular how Berg winds, also known as mountain flow events, are linked to periods of enhanced fire danger. Mid-July is typically a high risk period. He…
GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG – UNAIDS today launched its 2025 Global AIDS Update, AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform, which shows that a historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are…
United Nations — UNAIDS called the funding crisis a ticking time bomb, saying the impact of the US cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could result in 4 million unnecessary AIDS-related deaths by 2029. A historic withdrawal of global HIV/AIDS funding threatens to derail decades of hard-won progress in the fight…
What Exactly are We Accelerating? The African Union has made headlines with the Nouakchott Declaration, marking the launch of the Decade of Education beginning from this year, 2025-2034 – a ‘Decade of Accelerated Action for the Transformation of Education and Skills Development’. The announcement was bold, backed by concrete commitments: 4-7% of national GDPs to…
Modernisation is a risk management strategy. From rising maintenance overhead to lost innovation potential, legacy technology is more than just old – it’s risky. Many large enterprises still run critical operations on legacy systems. These platforms have proven their resilience, but they come with hidden costs and risks that are increasingly difficult to ignore: Legacy…
AFP/Getty At his 1,200-person cleaning business in Maryland, chief executive Victor Moran carefully screens new recruits to make sure they are authorised to work in the US. Even so, President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants is starting to chip away at his workforce. About 15 people have left his company, Total Quality, since Trump won…
On day six of the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the Council heard urgent updates on rising internal displacement driven by organised crime, escalating genocide risks and the trafficking of women in the domestic work sector. Of the record 83 million people internally displaced worldwide, at least 1.2 million were…
Global fears rise over nuclear risk from confrontation in the Middle East. Israel says that ending Iran’s nuclear programme is a key aim of its attacks on the country. Israel is widely believed to have nuclear arms, but has never admitted that. So, what are the nuclear capabilities of both sides, and what are the…
