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Wall Street Futures Rise Ahead of Thanksgiving Holiday

  US stock futures edged higher on Wednesday as investors looked to extend the market’s recent rally into the Thanksgiving holiday. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.2%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.3% . The move follows a strong session on Tuesday, when the Dow surged more than 660 points (1.4%) , marking its third consecutive day of gains. Tech stocks continued to drive momentum, with Alphabet closing at record highs after reports that Meta may adopt Google’s TPU chips in the coming years. Meanwhile, Nvidia shares slipped over 2.5% as competition in the AI chip space intensified. Investors are also keeping a close eye on the Federal Reserve. Markets are currently pricing in an 85% probability of a quarter-point rate cut in December , which has helped bolster optimism. Lower Treasury yields and easing inflation pressures have further supported the bullish sentiment. Through the first two trading days of this holiday-shortened we...
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Johannesburg Faces Unprecedented Water Crisis: Taps Run Dry

 

For the past two weeks, Tsholofelo Moloi has stood in line with thousands of South Africans, waiting for water. Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, is grappling with an unprecedented collapse of its water system, affecting millions of people. This crisis has left residents, both rich and poor, facing a shortage of severity they’ve never witnessed before.

Several factors have converged to create this dire situation. First, hot weather has led to shrinking reservoirs. But the real culprit lies in decades of neglect and crumbling infrastructure. Johannesburg’s water system has suffered from lack of maintenance, exacerbating the crisis.

South Africa, already familiar with hours-long electricity shortages, is now adopting a term called “watershedding”. Just as loadshedding refers to power outages, watershedding means going without water. Moloi, a Soweto resident, expresses the stress her community faces: “We need to cook, children must attend school, and we need water to wash their clothes. It’s very stressful.”

Over the weekend, water management authorities warned that failure to reduce water consumption could lead to a total collapse of the water system. Reservoirs might drop below 10% capacity, necessitating shutdowns for replenishment. Imagine weeks without water from taps, especially as demand remains high due to scorching weather.

As World Water Day approaches, activists and residents are outraged. They see this as a crisis that has been brewing for years. The ruling African National Congress faces a serious challenge in this year’s election, with public frustration reaching dangerous levels.

Johannesburg, once accustomed to localized water shortages, now grapples with a citywide drought. The arrival of winter is weeks away, and no official drought declaration has been made. Residents are urged to conserve water, but for many, the cost of a 1.3-gallon bottle of water is steep in a country where over 32% of the population is unemployed.

The taps have run dry, and Johannesburg’s water crisis demands urgent attention. 

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