Top Stories

Top Stories
Pirates poised for title run, undeterred by past misses
Sounding confident of finally shrugging off their poor reputation by winning what’d be their first championship since the 2011/12 season, Orlando Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi and coach Abdeslam Ouaddou have made it clear that Bucs have no time to ent

Top Stories
Three weeks without waste collection frustrates Joburg residents
Two Pikitup trucks burned as strikers demand permanent jobs

Top Stories
R50,000 bail set for Joshco CEO Themba Mathibe
Acting CEO of the Joburg Social Housing Council Themba Mathibe appeared in court on a charge of money laundering and was released on R50,000 bail.

South Africa
Manhunt launched for Limpopo mob justice suspects
A mob allegedly attacked a man suspected of housebreaking at Jerome village in Limpopo.

South Africa
Matlala, co-accused to appear in court for pre-trial hearing
Cat Matlala is facing 11 counts of attempted murder along with a string of other charges.
South Africa
News24 | Does the rand’s rally tilt the odds towards an interest rate cut?
If the Reserve Bank is optimistic about the rand’s current levels, it might move the interest rate cut forward to Thursday, from the currently expected March.

South Africa
Ngoepe to lead inquiry into Iran’s participation in naval exercise
The week-long naval exercises were led by China and focused on maritime security.

World
Border agents involved in fatal shooting of Alex Pretti placed on leave
As Trump and the Minneapolis Mayor spar over social media on immigration law enforcement, the US continues to be roiled by the killing of nurse Alex Pretti.

World
U.S. allies looking to China for deals as Trump threats them with tariffs
President Trump’s tariffs and rhetoric have spurred some longtime U.S. allies to diversify their trade ties away from the U.S. Some are going cap-in-hand to Asian superpowers China and India.

World
At least five killed after Storm Kristin hits Portugal
The storm toppled trees, damaged homes and left more than 800,000 people without power.

World
Colombia launches search for missing plane carrying 15 people
Contact with the aircraft was lost just minutes before it was due to land in northern Colombia, state airline Satena says.

Africa
Ex-Nigerian minister in bribery trial went on spending sprees, court hears
Prosecutors allege Diezani Alison-Madueke was given “a life of luxury” in the UK by people interested in Nigerian government contracts.

Africa
US YouTube star IShowSpeed to get Ghanaian passport as Africa tour ends
Ghana’s foreign minister says the influencer is a “worthy ambassador”, but some Ghanaians criticised the move.

Africa
Ex-Nigeria oil minister stands trial in UK on bribery charges
Diezani Alison-Madueke took bribes including luxury goods and private jet travel, a prosecutor tells a London court.

Africa
Nigeria president ‘very fine’ after falling over at Turkey reception
On a visit to Ankara, Bola Tinubu was filmed stumbling and falling after walking past soldiers and dignitaries.

Business
Tesla sees first annual revenue drop as it shifts to AI and robots
Multi-billionaire Elon Musk also announced plans to end production of its Model S and Model X vehicles.

Business
Meta to ‘dramatically change’ with AI, Zuckerberg says
His comments seemed to hint at further layoffs at the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Business
‘You don’t feel judged’: Why we buy more at self-service terminals
How restaurants and retailers use behavioural science to get us to increase our spending.

Business
Vehicle production in the UK falls to 73-year low
The industry has “the toughest year in a generation” as vehicle making falls back to 1952 levels.

Politics
Commission hears how Senona leaked police information to Matlala
This has been revealed at the Madlanga Commission where Senona continues with testimony.

Politics
IMF’s confidence in SA shows NDP objectives can be met: Ntshavheni
In 2012, Cabinet adopted the NDP as the country’s economic blueprint.

Politics
Senona says he didn’t open documents Matlala sent on Ramaphosa’s IDs
Senona says that he doesn’t know why the documents were sent to him.

Politics
EFF supports calls to subpoena O’Sullivan and Mokgotsi before Ad Hoc
Mathys demands a report on the summoning of Paul O’Sullivan.

Sport
Rosenior comes out on top as Conte’s European woes continue
Antonio Conte lifted the Champions League as a player in 1995-96 but has experienced nothing but despair as a manager in the competition.

Sport
How ‘clinical’ Tottenham beat Frankfurt
Champions League pundits Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Julien Lauren discuss Tottenham’s “clinical ability” to score goals away from home and Thomas Frank’s “great achievement” to handle the pressure.

Sport
‘It’s absolutely brilliant!’ – Trubin’s goal sends Benfica into play-offs
Champions League pundits Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Julien Laurens analyse Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s 98th-minute goal which sent his side into the play-offs.

Sport
Molineux to succeed Healy as Australia captain
All-rounder Sophie Molineux will captain Australia in all formats following the retirement of current skipper Alyssa Healy in March.
Education
South Africa: Extreme Heat Exposes Health Risks for Schoolchildren
[Health-e] As Durban temperatures reached 30 degrees this week, one school resorted to holding classes outside.
Education
Nigeria: Cross River to Restore School Sports
[Daily Trust] The Chairman of the Cross River State Sports Commission, Lawrence Itanya, has announced plans to revive school sports across the state, describing it as the foundation of sustainable sports development.
Education
Nigeria: Police Arrest Man That Sent Bomb Threat Messages to Lagos Schools
[Vanguard] Lagos — The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Kosiso Chukwem-Nenyem, alleged to have sent bomb threat messages to two schools in the Ikeja Government Reserved Area (GRA), Lagos, last week.

Education
Academy boss takes leave of absence amid strikes
More than 800 school staff have been on strike across 20 schools in the West Midlands.

Lifestyle
SPCA leads arrest of man who poured boiling water on rat
The SPCA has led authorities to arrest a North West man who filmed himself torturing a rat with boiling water in a video posted online…

Lifestyle
‘Worst of the worst’: Afrikaner ‘alien’ arrested in US
An Afrikaner male was arrested by US ICE agents for being an ‘illegal alien’ and having a string of criminal convictions…

Lifestyle
Snap it, buy it: Recreate a celebrity look with Amazon’s new image feature
South African shoppers can now find products on Amazon purely through visuals, thanks to an image-based shopping tool built into the app.

Lifestyle
Orania: Spike in sale of houses, commercial properties
A spike in properties for sale in Orania – South Africa’s whites-only town – has sparked speculation on social media…

Entertainment
When saying sorry makes business sense for WeBuyCars
WeBuyCars accepted a R2.5 million fine and agreed to rewriting its terms and conditions so they align with consumer law.

Entertainment
SA’s exploration bus is gaining speed
SA has the mineral endowment, technical expertise and institutional capacity to compete with leading exploration jurisdictions.

Entertainment
Fourteen injured in Durban CBD taxi crash
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said medics arrived on the scene to find ‘chaos’.

Entertainment
A Damascus moment for the ANC
As probes into Mkhwanazi’s allegations continue, we are watching a party publicly interrogate itself and the conduct of its members.
Science/Tech
Extremophile Molds Are Invading Art Museums
Scientific American’s Elizabeth Anne Brown recently “polled the great art houses of Europe” about whether they’d had any recent experiences with mold in their collections. Despite the stigma that keeps many institutions silent, she found that extremophile “xerophilic” molds are quietly spreading through museums and archives, thriving in low-humidity, tightly sealed storage and damaging...
Science/Tech
Fully Electric Vehicle Sales In EU Overtake Petrol For First Time In December
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from Reuters: Fully electric car sales in December overtook petrol for the first time in the European Union, even as policymakers proposed to loosen emissions regulations, data showed on Tuesday. U.S. battery-electric brand Tesla continued to lose market share to competitors including China’s BYD and Europe’s best-selling group Volkswagen, data...
Science/Tech
Kernel Community Drafts a Plan For Replacing Linus Torvalds
The Linux kernel community has formalized a continuity plan for the day Linus Torvalds eventually steps aside, defining how the process would work to replace him as the top-level maintainer. ZDNet’s Steven Vaughan-Nichols reports: The new “plan for a plan,” drafted by longtime kernel contributor Dan Williams, was discussed at the latest Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit in Tokyo, where he...
Science/Tech
French Lawmakers Vote To Ban Social Media Use By Under-15s
French lawmakers have voted to ban social media access for children under 15 and prohibit mobile phones in high schools, positioning France as the second country after Australia to impose sweeping age-based digital restrictions. The Guardian reports: The lower national assembly adopted the text by a vote of 130 to 21 in a lengthy overnight session from Monday to Tuesday. It will now go to the...

Motoring
The easiest way to renew your driver’s licence in South Africa
The Department of Roads and Transport is making it easier to renew licences in Gauteng.

Motoring
Major warning for Toyota Corolla Cross owners in South Africa
The Toyota Corolla Cross has received a poor rating after being tested for crash safety by Global NCAP.
Motoring
Motoring

Health
‘I needed a coil to ease the bleeding but I just sat on a waiting list’
Elaine Gracey was in a lot of pain but says she was expected to just put up with her menopausal symptoms.
Health
Angella Ferguson, a Leader in Sickle Cell Anemia Research, Dies at 100
A Black female doctor when that was rare, she developed a diagnostic test for the disease that is still a standard tool, as well as treatment guidelines.
Health
Texas Sues Delaware Nurse Practitioner for Mailing Abortion Pills to the State
The case is the latest action taken by a state with an abortion ban against providers in states that support abortion rights.

Health
AI model from Google’s DeepMind reads recipe for life in DNA
It could transform our understanding of why diseases develop and the medicines needed to treat them, says researchers.