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SUNDAY, 01 MARCH 2026, 09:02

Top Stories

15% of South Africans can’t read a single word by Grade 4

Today at 09:00 AM, via Newsday

A first-of-its-kind national survey has found that 80% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, only 30% are reading at a grade level between Grade 1 and 3, and a shocking 15% cannot read at all.

Top Stories

How congregants funded luxury lifestyles of bling pastors

Today at 08:29 AM, via SowetanLIVE

Topping the list of bling pastors who came to South Africa on tourist visas, bribed their way to permanent residency, and built up huge congregations of followers who funded their luxury lifestyles is Shepherd Bushiri, now a fugitive from justice

Education

It’s been decreed: something must be done about student loans in England

Yesterday at 17:00 PM, via The Guardian

The education secretary wants a fairer system and the Tories have leapt in with their own plan – but why now?

For anyone who attended university in England in the last 15 or so years, the idea of student loans feeling like some sort of debt trap is hardly news. But three weeks ago, when the journalist Oli Dugmore discussed this on the BBC’s Question Time, it felt like a moment.

It was less the...

Education

The National Year of Reading celebrates the ‘joy’ of books. But let’s not forget they can also be deeply troubling, too | Charlotte Higgins

Yesterday at 08:00 AM, via The Guardian

Encounters with great art can be absorbing, unsettling and even painful. How has this been tamed into mere ‘reading for pleasure’?

It is the UK’s National Year of Reading. Specifically, this government-led scheme is about “reading for pleasure” and “the joy of reading”. This is not a matter of whimsy. Research has linked reading for pleasure in childhood to a host of positive...

Science/Tech

Silicon Valley’s Ideas Mocked Over Penchant for Favoring Young Entrepreneurs with ‘Agency’

Today at 07:34 AM, via Slashdot

In a 9,000-word expose, a writer for Harper’s visited San Francisco’s young entrepreneurs in September to mockingly profile “tech’s new generation and the end of thinking.” There’s Cluely founder Roy Lee. (“His grand contribution to the world was a piece of software that told people what to do.”) And the Rationalist movement’s Scott Alexander, who “would probably have a very easy time starting...

Science/Tech

Sam Altman Answers Questions on X.com About Pentagon Deal, Threats to Anthropic

Today at 04:39 AM, via Slashdot

Saturday afternoon Sam Altman announced he’d start answering questions on X.com about OpenAI’s work with America’s Department of War — and all the developments over the past few days. (After that department’s negotions had failed with Anthropic, they announced they’d stop using Anthropic’s technology and threatened to designate it a “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security”. Then they’d...

Science/Tech

Duolingo Grows, But Users Disliked Increased Ads and Subscription Pushes. Stock Plummets Again

Today at 01:25 AM, via Slashdot

Friday was “a horrible day” for investors in Duolingo, reports Fast Company. But Friday’s one-day 14% drop is just part of a longer story. Since last May, Duolingo’s stock has dropped 81%. Yes, the company faced a social media backlash that month after its CEO promised they’d become an “AI-first” company (favoring AI over human contractors). And yes, Duolingo did double its language offerings...

Motoring

Big shakeup for petrol stations in South Africa

Today at 07:00 AM, via TopAuto

Petrol sales are no longer the focus for many forecourts, which are adopting new business strategies in response to shifts in consumer expectations.

Health

Banks Are Becoming Bulwarks for Vulnerable Seniors

Yesterday at 15:23 PM, via New York Times

Older Americans are losing billions of dollars annually to financial exploitation. Banks and investment firms are training employees to spot red flags and stop the transactions.