Foreign Capital Buying up Land to Increase Control over Global Food Chain

Picture: Civil society activists protest outside the World Bank Glenn Ashton - Reams have been written about corporate land acquisitions around the world - land grabs, if you will. The hard reality is that there is a sound business case to be made for commercial interests to aggressively attempt to control the very foundation of the food chain, the land itself. Through direct control of suitable land it is possible not only to control food production but also to manage whatever else happens on, around and with the land. This extends further than simply the corporate...

John Oliver Gets His Wish: Sepp Blatter Resigns from FIFA

Picture: Last Week Tonight Video Last week high-ranking officials from football’s governing body, FIFA, were arrested in an overnight raid in Switzerland – the result of a sweeping FBI investigation. “I don’t know what I’m more surprised by; that FIFA officials were actually arrested or that America was behind it. It took the country that cares the least about football to bring down the people who have been ruining it,” jokes comedian John Oliver in his hilarious take down of FIFA and...

FIFA Exposes a Chink in the ANC's Control of Government

Picture: President Jacob Zuma greets FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the FIFA world Cup finals held at Rio De Jainero, Brazil, courtesy GCIS Alexander O'Riordan - Last night Sepp Blatter resigned after seventeen years in the position, as president of football’s global governing body, FIFA. The resignation was to be expected since American criminal investigators last week indicted a host of FIFA executives on charges related to corruption and wire fraud. Notably, these charges allege that South Africa paid over a hundred million rand in bribes to secure its 2010 World Cup Bid. In South Africa this should hardly be breaking news: one would be hard...

The Future Is Here, but South Africa Is Stuck in the Past

Picture: Urbee Hybrid - the world Fazila Farouk - Some parts of our world are already being delivered into a new industrial revolution, but this revolution is one that will likely pass by South Africa due to our continued reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Embracing the forward-thinking technological advancements of the 21st century, the economies of Northern Europe are realigning completely to adapt to new modes of production based on renewable energy. Clean technology is integrating into the digital economy to produce a new...

Career Advice for Aspiring Journalists: 'Don't Bother'

Picture: Al Jazeera Video A few months ago, British financial journalist, Felix Salmon served up some career advice to aspiring journalists and the long and short of it was: don't bother. The mock letter made the rounds online and created a healthy debate, so Al Jazeera’s Listening Post decided to get him in front of a camera to deliver his "advice" on screen. Today is a wonderful time for journalism, argues Salmon, who is constantly astonished by the quantity and quality of the martial being produced...

From Norway to Scotland to Hawaii: Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign Racks up Major Wins

Picture: Waging Non-Violence Nadia Prupis - Rack up some more wins for divestment: the University of Hawaii System, the University of Edinburgh, and the Norwegian wealth fund have all within the last week answered the growing global call for institutions to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry. Norway's parliamentary parties announced on Thursday that the government would divest its $900 billion sovereign wealth fund from coal, citing the industry's impact on climate change. According to the Associated Press, environmentalists...