Good Morning, it's Wednesday, May 14. You can buy iPhones for $351 cheaper, South Africa may have another strike looming, and you should listen to about time by Loyle Carner on your drive home.

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What Matters Today

US Sanctions on Syria to be lifted 

A major shift in world politics, US President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria. Trump suggested this was influenced by leaders in Turkey & Saudi Arabia (the latter of whom Trump has just concluded a defense deal worth $142 billion). Trump expressed optimism about the newly formed al-Sharaa-led government, but this could likely create tensions with Israel which has expressed some concern over endorsing the new Syrian government too quickly.

Currency Tracker

  • India’s Rupee Flickers: Stronger demand for the US dollar and weaker demand for the Yuan have led to the Rupee rising and quickly falling in the past two days. Regardless, India’s food prices are still falling, as wholesale inflation slows to a 13-month low of 0.85% (Read more).

  • Japan’s Inflation Increases: Japan’s wholesale inflation has hit 4.0%, indicating price pressure due to rising cost of raw materials, labour, and the refusal of companies to absorb some of the increments (Read more).

Tech

  • Chinese Retailers Sell iPhones for Cheap: Chinese e-commerce sites are offering staggering discounts up to $351 (~2,350 yuan) on Apple’s latest iPhones, in a bid to attract consumers with their prices (Know more).

  • Sub-Saharan Africa’s Internet Gender Gap Shrinks: A new report by the Global Association for Mobile Operators (GSMA) shows that more women now have internet access, shifting the internet gender gap from 36% in 2022 to 29% last year. However, the region still has the highest female offline population of about 205 million women (Know more).

Business & Finance

  • Microsoft Plans Lay-offs: Microsoft has announced its plans to cut 6,000 workers across geographies and employee levels, starting July 13 (Learn more).

  • Dangote-backed Fund Buys Kenyan Tour Firm: Alterra Capital, a private equity firm backed by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has bought Pollman’s Tours and Safaris, Kenya’s oldest touring company (Read more). 

Trade

  • Future of Cobalt Supply Faces Uncertainty: The Cobalt Institute has shared that the world may have a cobalt deficit in the early 2030s as increasing electric vehicle adoption pushes demand. Supply has also dwindled due to the four-month ban on cobalt exports by the world’s largest producer, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Read more).

  • South Africa Prepares for Another Workers’ Strike: The United National Transport Union (UNTU), which represents nearly half the workers at South Africa’s rail and port company Transnet, is starting final talks to resolve wage disputes. If talks fail, the union has threatened a strike that will stall the country’s exports (Read more).

Politics

  • Uganda’s UPDF Bill: Uganda’s parliament has introduced the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) Bill, allowing military courts to prosecute civilians. The decision comes months after the country’s Supreme Court labelled the bill unconstitutional (Read more).

  • Bolivia’s President Refuses Second Run: President Luis Arce has announced that he will not be running for a second term in office, stating that he does not want to divide the vote and help a right-wing candidate win (Read more).

Read, Watch, Listen

Read: Amma by Saraid de Silva

Amma is Saraid Silva’s debut novel and has been longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2025. A tender and fast-paced novel on displacement and queerness, the book is a rare read on the diaspora experience in New Zealand.

Watch: Untying Kantai

Untying Kantai is a Kenyan dramedy series that follows a hardworking family man who is conned out of his savings and finds himself in business with drug dealers. The series recently won the Best Writing TV Series Award at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA). 

Listen: about time by Loyle Carner 

about time just dropped, and the song has old-school, lo-fi vibes that you need for your drive or commute home. Loyle Carner is a hip-hop artist born in South London, and his debut album Yesterday's Gone was nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize. With his jazz-infused and introspective vibes, he regards American poet Langston Hughes and British writer Benjamin Zephaniah as inspirations.

Sports

  • Ayami Sato makes history as the first woman to play in the Canadian men’s baseball league (Read more).

  • Coco Gauff has claimed her spot in the 2025 Italian Open quarterfinals after beating Emma Raducanu (Read more).

  • Cricket South Africa is recalling eight of their cricketers from the 2025 Indian Premier League (Read more).

This and That

  • This Singaporean photographer has captured New York for over a decade through trips on the Staten Island Ferry (See more).

  • The FDA is trying to remove fluoride supplements for children from the market (Read more).

  • You can now book a chef, trainer, and photographer on Airbnb (Know more).

  • A superrealistic sculpture of a Black woman by Thomas J Price is kicking up online discourse (Read more).

  • A $925 million housing project in Costa Rica may be harming the environment (Read more).