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Blue whales are the largest, and one of the most elusive, animals on Earth. They were nearly hunted to extinction for their blubber, largely used as an industrial lubricant and lamp oil. Even though blue whale hunting was banned in 1966, they’re still extremely rare. So it was a phenomenal moment when Jeremy Kiszka and his team sighted blue whales near the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. No information on blue whales in these waters had been available since the last was killed in the region in 1964. Kiszka tells us about their discovery.
South Africa’s apartheid-era security forces were instruments of repression, used to keep the oppressed black majority population in check, and the minority settler-colonial regime in power. Their death squads were responsible for the maiming, disappearance, and murders of those who dared to challenge the might of the regime. So, one of the major tasks that faced the post-apartheid government was to reform the security apparatus and make it serve democracy. Sandy Africa examines the transformation process over the last 30 years.
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Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University
The first dedicated scientific surveys have confirmed the presence of blue whales in Seychelles.
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Sandy Africa, University of Pretoria
The security services that watch over South Africans today are a far cry from the instruments of minority rule of the apartheid era. They are subject to the constitution and the rule of law.
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Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, Crawford University
Social inclusion gives slum dwellers a voice to advocate for their rights and interests, leading to more inclusive and equitable policies and practices.
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Sifiso Ndlovu, University of Mpumalanga
At 88 the artist Esther Mahlangu is world famous and is the subject of a major exhibition in Cape Town.
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From our international editions
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Kunal Sen, United Nations University
Modi has aimed to improve the lives of ordinary Indians, but some are still finding jobs hard to come by.
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Fern R. Hauck, University of Virginia
Rates of sudden unexpected infant deaths have not gone down significantly over the last 20 years, and in some racial groups the numbers are rising.
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Nitish Boodhoo, University of Guelph
Bird flu in U.S. dairy cows has Canadian public health experts on high alert. With one human case identified in Texas, what is the likelihood of H5N1 influenza moving from birds to mammals to people?
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Liz Bucar, Northeastern University
In religious traditions, patience is more than waiting, or even more than enduring a hardship. But what does patience look like? And when should we not exercise patience?
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Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation; Dannielle Piper, The Conversation
Experts say mainstream media coverage of the war in Gaza is severely skewed — with Palestinian voices getting stifled.
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