Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize has won such praise for his handling of the coronavirus crisis that he’s being touted as a possible successor to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

As part of Penn State’s 2020 spring commencement activities, Andrew Bernstein will represent the Department of Political Science in the College of the Liberal Arts as the department’s student marshal. Bernstein, a Paterno Fellow and Schreyer Scholar, will graduate with bachelor of arts degrees in political science and Spanish, with a minor in economics.

Threat trends show political and economic intentions of cybercriminals.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered his mother on Mother's Day and said that the courage and determination with which his mother faced the life, taught him valuable lessons and laid the...

A new DAA initiative to increase ad transparency offers instant access "to information and control over interest-based advertising"

Let's review some notable news headlines from the month of November.

Elections can only be representative if all members of society, including women, play a role, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said Wednesday.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) has reacted to the Supreme Court’s nullification of the conviction of a former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu. Also nullified was the judgement against his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and Jones Udeogu, a former Director of Finance and Account of Abia State Government. The apex court […]

Supreme Court verdict: Orji Kalu’s travails, political lesson to redouble tasks ahead – Ohanaeze

China and its rivals in the West are using Africa’s debt problems, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, as a political football in their struggle for power on the continent, experts say.Seifudein Adem, a professor of global studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, said that ballooning national debt had been a major concern for many African countries even before Covid-19, but had now been brought front and centre.While it was encouraging that major creditors were seriously considering…

While still 68% rural, it seems India is the only exception to Democratic theory. Professor Ashutosh Varshney explains where the country's political and economic strengths lie.

An analysis of fundraising data suggests March 2020 was one of Canada's worst political fundraising months on record.

Colombia has made progress towards eliminating fuel and diesel subsidies and reducing discretionary spaces allowing for artificially low fuel prices, but challenges remain. This paper discusses the political economy of fuel subsidies in the country to understand why reform has been so slow.

This report investigates the effects of select climate policies, non-climate policies, as well as political economy factors on the decarbonisation of electricity in OECD countries from 2000 to 2015. Effects are analysed on the three phases of decarbonisation: (1) increasing the share of renewables installed, (2) increasing the use of renewables in generation, and (3) reducing the emissions from electricity.

Many economically advanced countries are failing to fully enforce regulations on political party funding and campaign donations or are leaving loopholes that can be exploited by powerful private interest groups, according to a new OECD report.

South Africa must take urgent steps to proactively investigate and prosecute foreign bribery. No foreign bribery cases have been prosecuted since South Africa joined the Convention in 2007. The 4 on-going investigations – out of only 10 allegations that have surfaced to date – are also far from reaching the prosecution stage, according to a new report by the OECD Working Group on Bribery.

Mongolia’s rapid economic and social development, fuelled by the discovery of significant mineral resources, has exacerbated governance and corruption challenges.

Ministers believe 'The Blob' - an army made up of political opponents and union barons - is colluding to politicise the coronavirus outbreak, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

Ministers believe 'The Blob' - an army made up of political opponents and union barons - is colluding to politicise the coronavirus outbreak, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

The India Together editorial.

The new class VII social science textbook in Kerala has become the cause of clashes. Groups agitating against the book allege its content is anti-religion, while the state curriculum board says it propagates religious tolerance. P N Venugopal reports on the controversy.

Actor Chiranjeevi's entry into politics is seen primarily through a caste lens. But what are his party's chances, given the arithmetic and the socio-economic realities of Andhra Pradesh? Veeraiah Konduri takes a look.

The actress came in support of the artists who were backlashed for their 'intolerance' comment.

As people queued up to cast their vote, there were some famous faces in the lines at different polling stations.

The highest standards of scientific integrity, transparency, and accountability are critical to maintaining public confidence in our nation’s research enterprise and in the wise use of the public investment in research.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made filling judicial vacancies his top priority ahead of the 2020 elections.; Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

As new allegations emerge about his motives for retirement, Judge Thomas Griffith says that he faced no political pressure in his decision to leave the bench.

"My decision was driven entirely by personal concerns and involved no discussions with the White House or the Senate," he said in a statement provided to NPR.

Griffith said that his wife was diagnosed 11 years ago with a "debilitating chronic illness" and that her health was "the sole reason for my retirement." He said he made the decision to retire in June 2019 and privately informed his family and law clerks at the time. His retirement was announced publicly in March.

Griffith, 65, is a circuit court judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Appointed by President George W. Bush, he has served since 2005.

On Monday, The New York Times reported that Demand Justice, a liberal judicial advocacy group, filed a complaint that raises questions about whether Griffith's decision was tied to efforts by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to encourage older, conservative judges to retire in order to fill their vacancies with younger, conservative judges ahead of the 2020 election, when control of the White House and the Senate will be in play.

Griffith's retirement has paved the way for Justin Walker's nomination to fill the vacancy. Walker, 37, is a longtime McConnell ally who is currently serving as a U.S. district judge of the Western District of Kentucky, McConnell's home state.

The Demand Justice complaint was directed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, where the court's chief judge, Sri Srinivasan, has asked Chief Justice John Roberts to assign another circuit to look into the complaint about whether any ethical improprieties occurred. Griffith's statement refutes the core allegation — that his decision was fueled by political considerations or the result of a pressure campaign.

These allegations are likely to come up at Walker's confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Democrats broadly oppose Walker's nomination. He was rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association. However, unless support for him is diminished among Republicans — unlikely with McConnell's backing — he is likely to be confirmed.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US researchers have found that promoting the environmental benefits of energy-efficient products may actually deter some people from buying them. Since environmental issues have become politically polarised, those who hold more conservative views are less likely to purchase products that are marketed using environmental benefits, they argue.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) and other regulatory influences are essential to battery recycling in Finland, a new study finds. The researchers compare this with the situation in Chile, where a lack of appropriate legislation prevents recycling companies from overcoming the technical and financial challenges of battery recycling. The study helps policymakers understand how political, social, and cultural factors can support companies in their move towards circular-economy business models.

Individuals’ willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental improvements is influenced by political affiliation. However, the picture is more complex than previous studies suggest according to new research, which concludes that how an environmental programme is delivered, i.e. by private companies or by the government, is more important for right-wing voters than for left-leaning voters.

It is important to have a single definition of 'ecosystem services', but a single classification scheme for services is not appropriate, according to researchers. There are many contexts in which ecosystem services can be used and the context should help to determine which classification scheme is the most appropriate for decision making.

The risk of alien species introduction via trade in plants is higher if the plants are from poorly regulated countries with high forest cover, calculates a recent study. For introductions via the vehicle and timber trades, the risk is higher if the exporting country is politically unstable. These findings could help border controls focus their surveillance efforts on imports from countries with risky socioeconomic profiles.

Will Obama’s green cabinet give birth to the next spotted owl?

A freshwater lake the size of the state of West Virginia has practically disappeared. The lessons that the Aral Sea may hold for U.S. waterways.

History has been made. Today is for the hangover, and then the hard work. Six distinguished environmentalists weigh in.

Obama steals a play from the Reagan/Bush playbook, and hopes for the opposite result.

What’s been called the largest wetlands restoration in the Western U.S. was halted in December. California is projecting up to a $42 billion budget shortfall

Sometimes, the big guns in Congress aim to keep stuff 'away' from their states. Senator Harry Reid and the tale of Yucca Mountain is a prime example.

An MNN column causes an uproar in the scientific and not-so-scientific community. Our columnist responds.

OK, I admit. Maybe there's no such thing as climate change. Maybe it's all a hoax. Maybe.

Humanity is often at its worst and wackiest in our search for water. Peter Dykstra on a free-flowing font of bad ideas.

Step right up and watch how the government is misspending your tax dollars on the environment.

Being eco-minded on Earth Day is like being merry on Christmas. It's to be expected. But here are seven things you can actually do to wake you from your eco-slu

You'll never guess who's fighting to stop the construction of a wind farm off the shores of Cape Cod. Environmentalists.

"Enron could've saved us" and four other environmental predictions that didn't come true.

Garbage science isn't rocket science. Each of us throws away a ton of stuff every year. Literally. The problem, and why it's only getting worse.

Obama is an agent of change. Or at least he's supposed to be. Peter Dykstra grades six areas of the Obama presidency.