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Trinidad-born writer and Nobel Laureate VS Naipaul, who has died at the age of 85, wore his strong opinions about the postcolonial world on his sleeve. These divided readers and critics. Dilip Menon argues that Naipaul saw both the coloniser and colonised as wrapped in sentimental nostalgia for what might have been.
Roller coasters are the ultimate adrenaline rush for thrill seekers, and in an era of digital disruption many are being equipped with Virtual Reality technology. Candice Louw explains why that’s good news for the amusement industry and adventurous patrons.
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VS Naipaul after receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.
EPA
Dilip Menon, University of the Witwatersrand
Nobel prize winning author Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul was as hard on himself as on others.
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Science + Technology
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Candice Louw, University of Johannesburg
Steel roller coasters remain hugely popular. But virtual reality is becoming an increasingly important addition to the industry.
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Business + Economy
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Jannie Rossouw, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa's ruling party, the ANC , is mishandling the process leading towards land expropriation without compensation.
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Environment + Energy
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Leigh Ann Winowiecki, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF); Tor-Gunner Vågen, World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
A Land Degradation Surveillance framework could solve this problem by systematically measuring and tracking indicators of land health in Africa.
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Politics + Society
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Mia Swart, Human Sciences Research Council
Some prosecutions followed soon after President Cyril Ramaphosa promised accountability for the Marikana massacre.
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From our international editions
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Seán McLoughlin, University of Leeds
A look at Hajj-going among British Muslims shows how modern transport and marketisation have led to huge changes.
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Zia Mehrabi, University of British Columbia; Erle C. Ellis, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Navin Ramankutty, University of British Columbia
A new analysis explores what making space for nature means for our global food production systems.
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Alberto Micheletti, University of St Andrews
Men have come to dominate military combat but new evidence suggests this might be more an accident than an inevitability of evolution.
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Florian Sévellec, University of Southampton
The warm period will occur even on top of regular climate change.
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