Ashraf Patel Every crisis presents opportunities, the Chinese saying goes. South Africa’s disinvitation from the G7 in France in 2026 is actually a blessing. The narrative goes that South Africa’s international relations IR is rooted in multilateralism and non-alignment. This approach supposedly allows it to participate in apex global forums
There is a particular kind of moment in history when the powerful, in their arrogance, do something so naked, so unfiltered, that the mythology holding power together cracks in real time. The United States’ war against Iran has been that moment. Not because the US has never behaved this way
The global automotive industry is entering a new era of electrification and innovation, with Volkswagen Group and BMW preparing to showcase their latest advances at Auto China 2026 in Beijing. Both companies are demonstrating how strategic market positioning and technological collaboration are shaping the future of mobility in China and
Something significant happened at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX Africa 2026) deserves more attention than a product showcase typically receives. When Moroccan technology company ABA Technology signed a strategic partnership with Atos to deploy its Fusion AI platform across the continent, it wasn’t just another tech deal announced at
Helium is not a commodity that most people think about. It is the second lightest element in the universe, and completely irreplaceable in the processes that make modern technology possible. In semiconductor fabrication facilities, helium does two things that nothing else can do. It cools silicon wafers during plasma etching
Trailing humanity like a shadow, war,sometimes justified as liberation, sometimes condemned as conquest, yet always leaving devastation in its wake. Across continents and centuries, it has uprooted families, erased homes, and fractured identities. The defeated are often dispossessed, vilified, or forced into exile, while the victor, at times, becomes the
The United Nations has urgently appealed for international assistance for Cuba, where a worsening humanitarian crisis, driven by an energy blockade and compounded by natural disasters, is placing severe strain on public services. The call for support comes amid escalating political tensions between Havana and Washington, where US President Donald
The next generation of blood-thinning medicine might not come from a laboratory synthesising new chemical compounds. It might come from a forest. Specifically, from the wood of the common spruce and a breakthrough by Russian chemists at the Krasnoyarsk Science Centre of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of
As India takes the helm of the BRICS Summit (https://iol.co.za/news/world/2025-11-17-brics-represents-a-new-era-for-the-global-south/) this year, the stakes have never been higher. In an exclusive interview, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, shares his insights on the multifaceted challenges facing the bloc, from geopolitical tensions to the pressing need for sustainable
The escalating conflict in the Gulf is no longer just a geopolitical story. It has become a manufacturing story. For North Africa and the wider Mediterranean industrial corridor, the disruption of key shipping routes and energy flows is exposing how vulnerable regional production systems remain to external shocks. What began