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FRIDAY, 29 MARCH 2024, 06:37

Top Stories

News24 | FRIDAY BRIEFING | The populists are in town

Today at 06:33 AM, via News24

In this week’s Friday Briefing, we take a look at the phenomenon of populist politicians and whether their “promises”, such as removing “foreigners” or changing the Constitution, attract voters.

Education

Goldsmiths academics to strike over ‘incomprehensible’ redundancies

Yesterday at 21:02 PM, via The Guardian

Union says cuts will make the ‘creative powerhouse’ unrecognisable and risk ‘unprecedented industrial unrest’

Staff at Goldsmiths, University of London have voted to strike over plans for an “almost incomprehensible” number of redundancies, a trade union has announced.

More than 87% of University and College Union (UCU) members at the south London institution voted for strike action in a ballot...

Education

Ethiopia: Ethiopia, Japan Solidifying Education Partnerships

Yesterday at 12:04 PM, via AllAfrica

[Ethiopian Herald] ADDIS ABABA — Japan needs to expand and deepen its diplomatic and economic relations with Ethiopia through education and people-to-people ties, the country’s ambassador said.

Entertainment

IN PICS | Metro FM Music Awards 2024 unveil nominees

Yesterday at 18:27 PM, via SowetanLIVE

Artists, music lovers, media colleagues and honoured guests got together for the unveiling of the Metro FM Music Awards 2024 nominees on Wednesday evening in Bryanston, Johannesburg.

Science/Tech

Methane From Landfills Is a Big Driver of Climate Change, Study Says

Today at 05:30 AM, via Slashdot

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: They’re vast expanses that can be as big as towns: open landfills where household waste ends up, whether it’s vegetable scraps or old appliances. These landfills also belch methane, a powerful, planet-warming gas, on average at almost three times the rate reported to federal regulators, according to a study published Thursday in the...

Science/Tech

Song lyrics getting simpler, more repetitive, angry and self-obsessed – study

Today at 03:33 AM, via The Guardian

Researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across several genres from 1980 to 2020

You’re not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.

Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music...

Science/Tech

Michigan Nuclear Plant Aims To Be First Ever To Reopen In US

Today at 03:00 AM, via Slashdot

The Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan has won a $1.5 billion conditional federal loan to reopen after being closed for decommissioning in 2022. Canary Media reports: If the loan is granted (subject to Holtec meeting closing conditions) and the 800-megawatt reactor located on Lake Michigan is repowered, it would be the first nuclear plant in the U.S. to reopen after being closed for...

Science/Tech

Cloud Server Host Vultr Rips User Data Ownership Clause From ToS After Web Outage

Today at 02:20 AM, via Slashdot

Tobias Mann reports via The Register: Cloud server provider Vultr has rapidly revised its terms-of-service after netizens raised the alarm over broad clauses that demanded the “perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free” rights to customer “content.” The red tape was updated in January, as captured by the Internet Archive, and this month users were asked to agree to the changes by a pop-up that...

Health

How 2 Families Faced a Catastrophic Birth Defect

Yesterday at 17:00 PM, via New York Times

Cases of trisomy 18 may rise as many states restrict abortion. But some women choose to have the babies, love them tenderly and care for them devotedly.

Nature

News24 Business | Cabinet approves ban on lion, rhino breeding

Yesterday at 16:00 PM, via News24

Plans to end lion breeding began more than a decade ago as the practice of releasing tame big cats into small enclosures and having them shot by hunters for a fee spawned the term ‘canned hunting’ and attracted international condemnation.