Evening Report

Source: The Conversation – Canada Canadian companies that disclose their climate-related risks and impacts have a considerable advantage over those that don’t when it comes to attracting financing from European institutional investors, according to our recent report for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University. That advantage matters now more than ever.

Source: The Conversation – Canada A Ghana fan blows white powder into the air during the Ghana-England match at the FIFA World Cup on June 23, 2026. (Thogden/YouTube) One of the most notable figures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup emerged during Ghana’s first match of the tournament: the “juju man,” Kailani Ibrahim Kpa, who was famously seen blowing white powder into the air during the game.

Source: The Conversation – UK When Alexander Litvinenko was murdered in London in 2006, poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 slipped into a pot of tea, the UK was shocked. Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer who had become a critic of Vladimir Putin’s government, died after a highly publicised illness. A later public inquiry concluded that his killing was probably approved at the highest levels of the Russian state.

Source: The Conversation – UK Nasa is planning to build up its lunar base in stages. Nasa Sixty years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a race to the Moon, which the USA won. The 21st-century lunar contest, with China stepping in for the Soviet Union, has many similarities, but key differences. The Apollo astronauts planted the stars and stripes in lunar soil, bounced – and drove – around, set up experiments and collected scientifically valuable rock samples.

Source: The Conversation – UK London is under water. The Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England are all submerged. Far away, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets have collapsed, triggering accelerated sea level rise which, combined with a storm surge in the North Sea and a high spring tide, has led to water flooding over the Thames Barrier. Thousands of shops, offices, schools and houses are several feet deep in effluent-rich water.

Source: The Conversation – UK Anton Vierietin/Shutterstock.com Evidence that beetroot juice can improve athletic performance has long been inconsistent. While some studies reported benefits, others found little or no effect. Now, a new study, combining results from 33 studies, provides the clearest evidence yet that it can enhance exercise performance. The meta-analysis included data from more than 500 professional and recreational athletes.

Source: The Conversation – Canada In a time of social media distractions and deep inequalities, glimmers of hope arise when readers connect deeply with a book. (Pixabay) Recently, a group of high-profile economists wrote a piece for The Guardian about how growth is a doomed strategy. The piece took a holistic look at global poverty, inequality, living wages, extraction of resources, debt servicing, Indigenous struggles and climate justice.

Source: The Conversation – Africa Each year, millions of young Africans enter the labour market in search of stable and fulfilling employment. In Mozambique alone, more than half a million young people join the workforce annually. Many will find work in agriculture, but opportunities for formal employment remain limited. Even in urban areas, many jobs are informal, offering little security and falling short of the aspirations of an increasingly educated young population.

Source: The Conversation – Africa Africa’s young population is often described as a demographic dividend: a potential economic advantage if young people can gain the skills and jobs needed to contribute productively. But for many young people, that promise is slipping away. They leave school or training and enter labour markets where formal jobs are scarce and public programmes too often miss the people who need them most.

Source: The Conversation – Africa Towfiqu Barbhuiya, Pexels, CC BY Running a business in South Africa has become increasingly difficult. The challenges range from the economic after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to limited access to finance, increased global competition, shifting trade relations, technological change and governance issues.