Marriage and migration: impacts of men returning to their family homes in Botswana
**“Marriage and migration: impacts of men returning to their family homes in Botswana”** traces how a century of labour migration—sparked by South Africa’s mining boom and later sustained by colonial taxes, bride price demands, drought, and the need for cash—reshaped Tswana family life, then reshaped it again when men came home. With husbands away for long stretches, women effectively ran households in a patriarchal society; but as migrants returned—through retirement, retrenchment, injury, and after Botswana’s post-independence diamond economy expanded—many men attempted to reclaim authority, often pushing wives out of the leadership roles they’d been forced to master.
Interviews with 33 rural women (covering 1970–2015) show the homecoming wasn’t a neat “happily ever after,” but a messy redistribution of power: some returns triggered conflict and even violence, some women leveraged education and community standing to leave unhappy marriages, and some couples successfully reunited—especially where women’s hard-won economic initiatives, like a thriving horticultural business, became a shared project. Overall, the research argues that men’s return didn’t produce one uniform outcome, but it did expose how migration quietly expanded women’s independence—and how hard some marriages found it to negotiate that reality once the “head of household” came back to claim the title.
Reform Leads Plaid Cymru by 11 Points in a Westminster Election Poll as Centre-Left Support Splits in Wales
**Reform Leads Plaid Cymru by 11 Points in a Westminster Election Poll as Centre-Left Support Splits in Wales**, with a YouGov/Cardiff University poll putting Reform UK on 30% to Plaid’s 19%, while Labour (15%) and the Greens (14%) carve up the rest of the centre-left vote and the Conservatives slump to 13%. The split matters because Westminster’s First Past the Post system rewards the best-organised minority, meaning Reform could rack up seats on roughly 30% if opponents can’t coordinate—especially with voters apparently choosing differently for the Senedd, where Plaid actually leads Reform 33% to 30%. Researchers say the right is consolidating behind Reform as Tory support collapses, while the left is fragmenting—making “stop Reform” tactical voting harder without clear constituency-level data on who the real challenger is in each seat.
East London primary school to close next year because of declining enrolment
East London primary school to close next year because of declining enrolment, as the council warns the borough’s shrinking pupil numbers are forcing multiple schools to reshuffle classes and cut staff just to keep the lights on.
Prime minister announces tougher measures against hate speech after a shooting at Bondi Beach
Prime minister announces tougher measures against hate speech after a shooting at Bondi Beach, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying the government will move to crack down following last weekend’s terrorist attack that left 15 people dead—because apparently we still need reminding that turning bigotry into a hobby can end in bloodshed.
The Oscars will stream on YouTube starting in 2029.
The headline says it all: **the Oscars will stream on YouTube starting in 2029**—and not as some side hustle. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed YouTube **exclusive global rights** to broadcast the show from **2029 through 2033**, officially moving Hollywood’s biggest night to the same platform that serves makeup tutorials, conspiracy documentaries, and a guy rebuilding a jet engine in his garage.
Notable birthdays on December 18 include Sia and Jacques Pépin.
Notable birthdays on December 18 include Sia and Jacques Pépin, with musician Sia turning 50 and the legendary chef Jacques Pépin hitting 90—proof that some people age into wisdom, while the rest of us just age into back pain and worse opinions.
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