Top Stories
Top Stories

Top Stories
Helen Zille moves to block R10.3bn Joburg wage deal, warns of ‘fiscal collapse’
DA federal chair calls the ‘politically facilitated agreement’ concluded between the city and Samwu unlawful

Top Stories
Ministers hope red tape cuts will speed-up decision making
The Conservatives said the changes were being made by a government “stuck in consultation paralysis”.

South Africa
Veteran journalist and author, Terry Bell dies at 84
Bell’s journalistic career began in the 1960s, working for several publications

South Africa
Fire-fighting helicopter crashes in Hout Bay, pilot survives
The cause of the accident is yet to be determined

South Africa
Cape Town firefighters call in air support to battle Hout Bay blaze
The fire ignited on Tuesday in Hout Bay and reached the mountain ridge overnight

South Africa
Pres Ramaphosa working to ensure that SAPS remains stable: Magwenya
The NPA has not clarified what charges Masemola is facing.

World
State-of-the-art air defense systems have not been able to stop some Iranian missiles
The U.S. and Israel say they’ve depleted most of Iran’s missile arsenal, but its weapons — including controversial cluster munitions — are challenging even the most advanced air-defense systems.

World
Sweden’s top general says U.S. remains ‘really important ally’
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Sweden’s chief of defense, Gen. Michael Claesson, about NATO, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and Europe’s relationship with the United States.
World
News24 | Trump votes by mail despite blasting mail-in ballots as ‘cheating’ – and Democrats win
US President Donald Trump, who has blasted mail-in ballots as “cheating”, cast his vote by mail in a special election in Florida in which a Democrat won the district in the state legislature that includes the president’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

World
Greetings from Turkey’s border with Iran, where Iranians let loose on the dance floor
Iranians escaping hardship and war are shaking it off to Persian, Arabic and Turkish tunes in this disco in eastern Turkey.

Africa
South Africa’s police chief to appear in court over controversial health contract
South African authorities declined to disclose the charges he will face when he stands in the dock.

Africa
Shock as dozens of bodies, mostly infants, discovered in Kenya mass grave
Some of the 32 bodies, including 25 children, are believed to have come from local hospitals and mortuaries.

Africa
Ghana and EU sign landmark defence deal to combat militant Islamist threat
Ghana is the first African country to make such a deal with the EU, the Ghanaian vice-president says.

Africa
Elon Musk’s Starlink blocked from operating in Namibia
Namibia’s regulator noted that Starlink’s subsidiary is not locally owned.

Business
Rocket stocks soar on reports Musk’s SpaceX set to file for share sale
Reports that the firm plans the biggest listing ever sent the shares of firms in its orbit soaring.

Business
Prepare for turbulence – how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly
The Gulf’s hub airports made long-distance travel cheaper – but now their future looks unclear.

Business
The homeless teenager who became a successful advertising boss
Greg Daily has swapped sleeping on friends’ sofas for running a popular digital marketing company.

Business
NHS, bills and immigration: One constituency’s election talking points
Six weeks from the Holyrood election, the BBC takes the temperature in one central Scotland constituency.

Politics
SA, China convene ninth Bi-National Commission in Cape Town
South Africa-China Bi-National Commission was established in 2000

Politics
Leadership changes don’t reflect instability: MKP
The MKP has had eight people holding the position of Secretary General since 2023.

Politics
Judgment reserved in bid to interdict ANC Eastern Cape conference
Applicants believe the conference can’t go ahead without their disputes being resolved by the party.

Politics
Judgment in MK Party bid to halt Batohi’s pension reserved
The MK Party approached the Pretoria High Court in a bid to block Advocate Batohi’s pension payout.

Sport
What Wales must do to keep World Cup dream alive
As Wales host Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup play-off semi-final, head coach Craig Bellamy explains what his side must do to win.

Sport
Miguel deepens an untimely defensive crisis at Kaizer Chiefs
18 bookings in 53 games by the way.

Sport

Sport
New voices, new faces, big energy – Lynn’s fresh Wales start
Wales head coach Sean Lynn eyes a clean slate going into this year’s Women’s Six Nations.
Education
Rwanda: Rwandan Teen Wins African Spelling Bee, Eyes Engineering Career
[New Times] Rwandan student Daniel Adesiyan emerged as the winner of the African Spelling Bee competition, securing the continental title after a tense three-round contest held on March 20 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Education
Chinese Education Influencer’s Sudden Death Prompts Grief, and Reflection
The influencer, Zhang Xuefeng, was known for no-nonsense, some said cynical, advice about how to win in China’s educational rat race. He died at 41.
Education
Mamdani Now Plans $1.3 Billion in Cuts in Programs That He Favored
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is banking on savings from a delay he is seeking in the state mandate for smaller class sizes. He is also scaling back a commitment to expand a rental assistance program.
Education
Melania Trump Appears With a Robot, Saying More Children Should Be Educated by Them
The first lady, Melania Trump, believes that more children should be educated by ‘humanoid educators.’
Lifestyle

Lifestyle
Former Miss SA Natasha Joubert gives birth [photos]
Pageants to motherhood! Former Miss South Africa Natasha Joubert- Vermaak is now a baby to a bouncing baby girl…

Lifestyle
Thabo Bester hints at creating ‘drama’ before Ad Hoc Committee
Thabo Bester’s bid to testify before the Ad Hoc Committee, about ‘certain executives’ has been rejected…

Lifestyle
AKA’s father slams Madlanga Commission for airing son’s murder footage
AKA’s father criticises commission for showing video of his son’s murder, calling it insensitive

Entertainment
OPINION: Can the Lions replicate some of the magic of LIV Golf?
The Lions want to try and replicate the success of LIV Golf on the rugby front with its impact for Johannesburg.

Entertainment
Bulls must show more desperation than Munster – Wiese
Bulls lock Cobus Wiese said a Munster side bolstered by returning Irish internationals would want to make a statement at Loftus.

Entertainment
Sanef cautions journalists against selling information for money
The SABC suspended its senior political journalist, Natasha Phiri, following revelations at the Madlanga Commission.

Entertainment
‘Cargo destined for SA passing through Strait of Hormuz without interruption’ – Mantashe
The United States and Israel’s war in Iran has ignited global panic.
Science/Tech
Brazil’s UFO Capital Marks 30 Years Since ‘Alien Encounter’
Thirty years after the alleged 1996 “ET of Varginha” encounter, debate continues to rage over the events that happened in Brazil’s self-styled UFO capital. An anonymous reader quotes an excerpt from the Guardian: The skies over this far-flung coffee-growing hub went charcoal black, the heavens opened and one of Brazil’s greatest mysteries was born. “It really was something unique,” recalls...
Science/Tech
Postal Service to Impose Its First-Ever Fuel Surcharge on Packages
The U.S. Postal Service plans to impose its first-ever fuel surcharge on packages (source paywalled; alternative source), adding an 8% fee starting in April as it struggles with rising fuel costs and ongoing financial pressure. The surcharge will not apply to letter mail and is currently expected to remain in place until January 2027. The Wall Street Journal reports: Other parcel carriers,...
Science/Tech
Leon Radvinsky, 43, Dies; Built the Adult-Entertainment Giant OnlyFans
By leveraging social media and the influencer economy, he turned his website into a byword for online pornography in the 21st century.
Science/Tech
Canada’s Immigration Rejected Applicant Based On AI-Invented Job Duties
New submitter haroldbasset writes: Canada’s Immigration Department rejected an applicant because the duties of her current job did not match the Canadian work experience she had claimed, but the Department’s AI assistant had invented that work experience. She has been working in Canada as a health scientist — she has a Ph.D. in the immunology of aging — but the AI genius instead described her...

Motoring
Corruption scandal putting South Africa at risk of petrol shortages
South Africa may be at risk of fuel shortages because of a corruption scandal that sold off a huge portion of the country’s strategic reserves.

Motoring
Major carmaker puts South African factory plans on hold
Stellantis recently confirmed that its plans to build a bakkie factory in the Eastern Cape have been put on hold.

Motoring
New electric car chargers for South Africa’s richest city
The City of Johannesburg has unveiled its first electric car charging station.

Motoring
Number plate cartel allegedly taking motorists for a ride in South Africa
A cartel of South African number plate companies has been referred to the Competition Tribunal for alleged price-fixing and exploitation.
Health
How U.S.A.I.D. Birth Control Meant for Africa Was Ruined
The Trump administration had options for offloading contraceptives once destined for Africa, a newly obtained memo shows. Instead, it has let them collect dust and go bad.
Health
Trump to Delay Nominating New C.D.C. Director
The administration has yet to find a candidate who aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda while avoiding his unpopular stance on vaccines.
Health
Florida Restores Access to Low-Cost H.I.V. Medications After Uproar
A short-term funding bill enacted this week will ensure that more than 12,000 Floridians do not lose access to a program that helps pay for H.I.V. medications.

Health
Why are resident doctors striking and how much are they paid?
Resident doctors in England are striking between 17 and 22 December, the 14th walkout since 2023.