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MONDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2026, 18:07

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DEBT DISCIPLINE : Godongwana has some fiscal wind in his sails for the Budget

Today at 17:57 PM, via Daily Maverick

One big order of business is capping South Africa’s levels at 77.9% of gross domestic product (GDP). For the markets, any significant upward shift from that level will be a deal breaker. But economists broadly expect Godongwana to stay the course on this front.

Top Stories

FRAGILE RECOVERY: Fewer crises, slower progress in SA’s strange stability of 2026

Today at 17:41 PM, via Daily Maverick

SA enters 2026 with improved macroeconomic stability, from eased inflation and power reliability to a stronger credit outlook, creating a more predictable environment for business. Yet high unemployment, crime, fragile municipalities and slow coalition politics mean recovery remains cautious and constrained, with stability offering a narrow window for progress rather than a full turnaround.

Business

Rand on shaky ground

Today at 15:59 PM, via BusinessTech

The rand is “treading water” around R16 to the dollar at the moment, as global uncertainty has markets in a ‘wait-and-see’ mode, and tensions in the Middle East push traders into gold.

Sport

Police investigate online abuse of Rangers duo

Today at 17:29 PM, via BBC News

Police Scotland is investigating after Rangers players Emmanuel Fernandez and Djeidi Gassama shared screenshots of racist abuse aimed at them on their social media accounts after Sunday’s match in Livingston.

Education

Epstein files cast pall among US faculty and students: ‘I just feel a deep disappointment’

Today at 14:00 PM, via The Guardian

Ties to the disgraced financier run deep through the academic world, documents released by the DoJ show

Major institutions of higher education in the US are reckoning with the latest release of the Epstein files after discovering the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with board members, professors and administrators on campuses across the country.

In some cases, professors...

Education

About 270,000 fewer children in England to get EHCPs under Send overhaul

Today at 13:00 PM, via The Guardian

New special educational needs regime to result in far fewer children being given education, health and care plans

UK politics live – latest updates

Hundreds of thousands fewer children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) will be given education, health and care plans (EHCPs) as a result of long-awaited changes announced by the education secretary on Monday.

Bridget Phillipson...

Education

Martin Lewis ambushes Badenoch on Good Morning Britain over student loans plan

Today at 12:30 PM, via The Guardian

Finance campaigner marches on to set and tells Tory leader her policy to cut interest rates will only help top earners

UK politics live – latest updates

Kemi Badenoch has faced what could be described as the stuff of nightmares for a UK politician being interviewed about a personal finance policy: being ambushed and contradicted live on air by Martin Lewis.

As the Conservative leader was being...

Lifestyle

Major rail corridor to reopen in Cape Town

Today at 17:38 PM, via The South African

A key route in Cape Town is set to return to service, marking another step towards devolution of the rail system for the City to run.

Science/Tech

Stressful People in Your Life Could Be Adding Months To Your Biological Age

Today at 17:22 PM, via Slashdot

A study published last week in PNAS found that people who regularly cause problems or make life difficult — whom the researchers call “hasslers” — are associated with measurably faster biological aging in those around them, at a rate of roughly 1.5% per additional hassler and about nine months of additional biological age relative to same-age peers. The research drew on DNA methylation-based...

Science/Tech

Sam Altman Would Like To Remind You That Humans Use a Lot of Energy, Too

Today at 16:40 PM, via Slashdot

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is pushing back on growing concerns about AI’s environmental footprint, dismissing claims about ChatGPT’s water consumption as “totally fake” and arguing that the fairer way to measure AI’s energy use is to compare it against humans. In an interview with Indian Express, Altman acknowledged that evaporative cooling in data centers once made water usage a real concern but...

Science/Tech

Wegovy and Ozempic owner dealt blow as next-gen weight-loss drug is branded ‘obsolete’

Today at 16:26 PM, via The Guardian

Novo Nordisk’s shares fall sharply after testing of CagriSema falls short of investors’ expectations

Business live – latest updates

The owner of Wegovy and Ozempic has suffered a significant setback, as its highly anticipated new weight-loss treatment was labelled “obsolete” after disappointing clinical trials.

Novo Nordisk’s shares fell sharply on Monday after the results from testing the...

Motoring

PG Glass and Glasfit in hot water in South Africa

Today at 13:00 PM, via TopAuto

South Africa’s largest retail motor industry trade union has criticized PG Glass and Glassfit following allegations that both companies engaged in price fixing for over two decades.