Pik Botha and Namibia: ambiguities and contradictions

Oct 17, 2018 22:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Roelof Pik Botha, South Africas foreign minister under apartheid, who has died at the age of 86, was a man of contradictions. He could, for example, be charming. But, though a long-serving diplomat, he was often very...

Universities need to take note of the gap between expectations and experience

Oct 17, 2018 22:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The student population at South African universities have changed dramatically in the last two decades. Its now much more diverse in terms of age, race, culture, backgrounds, educational experience and academic...

Kenya is planning to privatise prisons: why it's risky and needs careful planning

Oct 17, 2018 22:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

Kenya is taking steps towards privatising its prisons. Gráinne Perkins asked expert Rob Allen, an independent researcher and cofounder of Justice and Prisons, about the benefits and risks of prison...

Why a new national carrier for Nigeria is never likely to get off the ground

Oct 17, 2018 22:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

One of the most vexatious ironies about Nigeria perhaps even an embarrassment is the lack of a national airline. Nigerians are often very piqued to be travelling on airlines owned by smaller less resource-endowed African...

Curious Kids: if you have lots of the thing you're allergic to, does your body get used to it?

Oct 17, 2018 22:00 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children of all ages. The Conversation is asking young people to send in questions theyd like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome: find out how to enter at the...

Are two parents better than one? Yes, but only if you're a burying beetle

Oct 17, 2018 22:00 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Parenting behaviour varies greatly across the animal kingdom. In most mammals, only mothers look after the young, and in most fishes, only fathers look after the young. When it comes to birds, mothers and fathers usually...

France: The road to a low-carbon building sector by 2050 will be a long one

Oct 17, 2018 21:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views Law

In the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement, France has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to 75% below 1990 levels. To help achieve this ambitious target and as part of its energy transition strategy,...