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The presidential election in Zimbabwe last week that kept the governing party in power and was widely criticized as dubious is likely to isolate the country further from the United States and other Western nations. But it has also exposed Zimbabwe to increased scrutiny and pressure from a surprising place: its neighbors in southern Africa... Chipo Dendere, a political science professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, said she saw a broader shift among regional bodies across the continent that want to promote stability. They are acknowledging that “the impact of colonialism is there, but we also have to look inward and think, ‘What are we doing as African governments to move the continent forward?’” said Ms. Dendere, who has researched Zimbabwe extensively.

In a era marked by rapid technological advancement, we are seeing everything from artificial intelligence to robots slowly seep into our everyday lives. But now, this technology is increasingly making inroads into a realm that has long been uniquely human: religion...  It’s a concept referred to as orthopraxy, according to Wellesley College anthropology lecturer Holly Walters. “In short, the robot can do your religion better than you can because robots, unlike people, are spiritually incorruptible,” she explained. “Modern robotics might then feel like a particular kind of cultural paradox, where the best kind of religion is the one that eventually involves no humans at all.”

Assistant professor of Africana studies Chipo Dendere writes for The Conversation about the Zimbabwe election: Can Nelson Chamisa win? He appeals to young voters but the odds are stacked against him.

Ifeanyi Menkiti, poet, philosopher, and longtime professor at Wellesley College, bought the Grolier Poetry Bookshop in Harvard Square in 2006, saving the storied spot from closure, and he ran it until his death in 2019. His family keeps the place running now, with its high shelves lined with poetry collections, and the ghosts of poets past hovering in the air. On Thursday, Aug. 24, the Grolier is hosting the third annual Ifeanyi Menkiti Memorial Reading, taking place on what would’ve been Menkiti’s 83rd birthday.

Wellesley police took a boat out into Lake Waban at Wellesley College to rescue a disoriented dog that ran into trouble during a swim. The dog was scooped from the water by the Wellesley Fire Department boat and returned safely to its family.

For some families, particularly those with incomes and assets between $75,000 and $200,000, the impact of removing the sibling discount could be large. Their eligibility for financial aid could be cut by thousands of dollars, explained Phillip Levine, an economics professor at Wellesley College.

One year ago, the Inflation Reduction Act marked the most significant action on climate change to date from the federal government with hundreds of billions of dollars to support new and existing tech... In total, there have been 62 announced projects with a combined $53 billion in planned private funding just for EV and battery projects since the IRA became law, as tallied by another tracker run by Wellesley College energy researcher Jay Turner. So many multibillion-dollar battery projects have been announced across the Midwest and Southeast that a region stretching from Michigan to Georgia has earned a new nickname, the Battery Belt.

A group of 13 college presidents has begun a campaign to bring attention to the importance of free expression, critical inquiry and civil discourse on college campuses. Wellesley College is a member of this group.