Xenophobia has enveloped South Africa for years, and now a rising tide of anti-immigration views is flooding the country. Amid growing protests, several groups have called for all undocumented migrants to leave South Africa by tomorrow. Though there’s no stated plan for what happens after this date, many in the country are concerned.

‘Now under threat’
For several months, “anti-immigrant protesters, many brandishing sticks, have been marching through the streets,” said NPR. Many of them chant “mabahambe,” a Zulu phrase meaning “they must go.” 

The protests have “sparked attacks against foreigners” throughout South Africa, said The Associated Press. And as the violence and attacks continue, several of the most notable anti-migrant groups have “set what they are calling a June 30 deadline for people in the country illegally to leave and the government to take action” against undocumented migrants. The largest of these groups, March for March, is led by a former radio host from the city of Durban.

Some of the groups have said they will go on a “national shutdown” after tomorrow, but what this entails is unclear. As the deadline arrives, some nations have “begun repatriating citizens while criticizing South Africa for what they call a climate of xenophobia,” said the AP.

‘Long attracted migrants’
The protesters’ main complaint is that South Africa is “overrun with illegal immigrants who take jobs away from South Africans, ‌use up scarce public services and are responsible for high crime rates,” said Reuters. However, data disputes these claims. Every migrant job, for example, creates approximately two jobs for native South Africans, according to a 2018 World Bank report. 

Nonetheless, the “current protests are already causing socioeconomic damage,” according to experts, said Deutsche Welle. And some fear more violence is coming. “They asked me, ‘When are you going to leave the country?’” Kaunga Nyirenda, a Malawian gardener in Johannesburg, said to CNN of the threats he received. “‘If you don’t leave now, you are going to leave in a coffin, because we don’t need anyone after 30th of June.’”

Billion-dollar brands Kalshi and Polymarket currently dominate the prediction market industry, but one of the wealthiest men on Earth wants to change the status quo. Meta is developing an experimental prediction app at the direction of CEO Mark Zuckerberg. 

What’s Meta working on?
Zuckerberg has ordered a small team at Meta to “create a smartphone app similar to Polymarket and Kalshi,” according to The New York Times. The app called Arena would “function independently from Meta’s social networking apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.” 

As with the other major prediction apps, users will be allowed to “guess the outcome of real-world events,” said NPR. But at least for the time being, Arena would have one big difference from most prediction platforms: Users on Meta’s app would “not wager money, and the app would probably rely on a video-game-like points system instead,” said the Times. However, Meta has “not ruled out the eventual use of real money betting.”

This is not the first time Meta has tried to get into the prediction marketplace. In 2020, the company released an app called Forecast, a “crowdsourced prediction market app where people could guess about what might happen in the world, including predictions about the course of the pandemic,” said NPR. But the app did not take off and was shut down in 2022.

What does this mean for prediction markets?
Zuckerberg’s bet comes at a time when the industry is booming. Prediction markets “surged in popularity during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and have evolved ​into an asset class that lets investors wager on a variety of events, from monetary policy to sports tournaments,” said Reuters. The entire market could reach more than $1 trillion in value by 2030, according to wealth management firm Bernstein.

The industry has also “drawn ​increasing scrutiny as well-timed trades ahead of ​President Donald Trump’s major policy surprises have potentially led to millions of dollars in profits ​for unknown traders,” said Reuters. It’s possible that a prediction market app from Meta could attract similar scrutiny.

Rescuers, relatives and volunteers dig round the clock, through mounds of concrete, to find survivors of the earthquakes and aftershocks that struck Venezuela last week. At least 1,450 people have died, and the number is expected to rise.
Juan Barreto / AFP / Getty Images

It’s not just that you want to avoid adding additional heat to your home during summer. Skipping the oven and stove to make meals during the dog days also ensures a mere modicum of effort. Because the last thing anyone wants to do during summer is spend unnecessary time feeding themselves.

Everything Bagel Cottage-Cheese Dip
Cottage cheese is very much not just for breakfast. Acquaint your crackers and crudité with the pleasurable versatility of this savory dip. Bring out the premade everything bagel seasoning dip, or make your own. Stir it into cottage cheese, along with capers and scallions. And if you like, make the dip a day or so ahead. 

Greens-and-Beans Sandwiches
Mashed beans are mixed with a sesame-scallion sauce, then stacked with fennel, planks of feta, and chile-spiked cucumbers on rye bread. Zip, crunch, salt, lushness — satisfaction in no time. 

Strawberry Malt Icebox Cake
Seven ingredients and many hours in the fridge are all this no-bake recipe requires. The cake is anchored by dozens of vanilla wafer cookies, layered with whipped cream and laced with malted milk powder and strawberry slices. No muss, no fuss, all summertime deliciousness. 

Wedge Salad with Tahini Green Goddess Dressing
The “green” comes from a glut of basil, cilantro, dill and parsley. The dressing’s base is mayonnaise and sour cream, along with the traditional addition of tinned anchovies and the untraditional, and inspired, inclusion of tahini. The wedge salad never saw the tahini coming and will never want to bid it goodbye.