The much anticipated and hugely popular football World Cup tournament kicks off on Thursday in Russia. During previous World Cups, which take place every four years, African fans have often accused referees of being biased against teams from the continent. But, writes Chuka Onwumechili, that alleged discrimination will be kicked out of the game by technology, through the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee.
Fossil records have always suggested that the aquatic tetrapods - four-legged creatures - of the Devonian era hundreds of millions of years ago, never lived on what is today the African continent. A new fossil find in South Africa has turned that belief on its head. Robert W Gess explains his find and its significance.
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At the 2014 World Cup African fans felt that Nigeria were on the receiving end of poor refereeing.
Peter Powell/EPA
Chuka Onwumechili, Howard University
Video Assistant Referee’s at the World Cup finals in Russia might help African teams to do better than they have done so far.
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Science + Technology
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Robert W. Gess, Rhodes University
The discovery of two separate fossils tetrapod species proves that they lived all over the world by the end of Devonian.
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Business + Economy
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Sarah Logan, International Growth Centre
In coming years, Uganda's GDP growth is set to accelerate as recent and ongoing public investments begin to yield returns.
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Politics + Society
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Mashupye Herbert Maserumule, Tshwane University of Technology
Nelson Mandela's centenary celebrations provide a chance to debunk the lie that he sold out black South Africans.
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From our international editions
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Adam Ganz, Royal Holloway
Fairy stories come alive in the telling — and the retelling.
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Eran Shor, McGill University; Kimberly Seida, McGill University
Many claim that pornography is getting more violent. But a new study shows that porn has become less aggressive over the past decade, and videos in which women enjoy themselves are the most popular.
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Alex Johnstone, University of Aberdeen; Peter Morgan, University of Aberdeen
Experts say there is still a long way to go before we can make firm statements about the best time of day to eat.
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