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WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 2026, 19:26

South Africa

Social grants remain central as Social Development tables R302bn budget

Today at 15:15 PM, via SAnews

Social grants remain central as Social Development tables R302bn budget

The Department of Social Development has tabled a R302 billion Budget Vote for the 2026/27 financial year, with government reaffirming its commitment to strengthening South Africa’s social protection system amid rising global economic pressures and persistent inequality.

Acting Social Development Minister...

South Africa

Calls for swift arrest of suspects in murder of NW community activist

Today at 14:58 PM, via SAnews

Calls for swift arrest of suspects in murder of NW community activist

The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management has urged police to intensify investigations into the murder of community activist Thato Molosankwe, who was allegedly shot dead by unknown assailants in Mahikeng in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The...

South Africa

South Africa and Botswana deepen cooperation

Today at 14:36 PM, via SAnews

South Africa and Botswana deepen cooperation

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has called for deeper and more practical cooperation between South Africa and Botswana, as the two countries convened the Ministerial Session of the Sixth Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Gaborone on Wednesday.

Delivering opening remarks, Lamola emphasised that the...

South Africa

SA, Botswana to sign Limpopo water management agreement

Today at 14:13 PM, via SAnews

SA, Botswana to sign Limpopo water management agreement

Minister of Water and Sanitation Pemmy Majodina and Botswana’s Minister of Water and Human Settlements Onneetse Ramogapi are expected to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on the joint management of water quality and aquatic invasive species in the Upper Limpopo River Basin.

The agreement forms part of ongoing cooperation...

Africa

Ghana to face Ivory Coast in Afcon 2027 qualifying

Yesterday at 17:56 PM, via BBC News

Ghana will face fellow West African heavyweights Ivory Coast in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Education

British Council staff in Italy to strike over proposed 80% workforce cut

Today at 18:55 PM, via The Guardian

Soft power institution faces funding crisis linked to Covid-era government loan due to be repaid by September

Staff at the British Council in Italy will go on strike over deep cuts that would slash about 80% of its workforce due to a funding crisis facing the organisation.

Out of 130 of its teaching staff across Rome, Milan and Naples, 108 are being targeted as teaching activities in Italy face...

Education

Harvard College will limit the number of students who can receive A grades

Today at 18:23 PM, via The Guardian

Mandatory cap on top grades at one of America’s most prestigious colleges will go into effect in fall of 2027

Harvard faculty has voted to impose a roughly 20% cap on A grades in an effort to curb decades of grade inflation that, the faculty argues, degrades the value of top-tier academic achievement at the college.

The mandatory cap on top grades at one of America’s most prestigious colleges...

Entertainment

24 hours in pictures, 20 May 2026

Today at 18:44 PM, via The Citizen

Through the lens: The Citizen’s Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.

Science/Tech

Yearslong Fight Over Users’ Right To Tweak Smart TV Software Heads To Trial

Today at 19:00 PM, via Slashdot

A long-running lawsuit over Vizio’s Linux-based smart TV software is headed to trial in August, with the Software Freedom Conservancy arguing that GPL rules require Vizio to release complete source code owners could use to modify, maintain, or strip ads and tracking from their TVs. Ars Technica reports: The outcome could reverberate across the industry. Because many of today’s popular smart TV...

Science/Tech

Regional Winners of Prestigious Literary Prize Suspected of Using Chatbots

Today at 18:00 PM, via Slashdot

The 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize is facing backlash after several winning entries were accused of being AI-generated, with one Caribbean winner’s story flagged as fully AI-written by a detector that WIRED says it independently confirmed. From the report: Each year, the Commonwealth Foundation, a nongovernmental organization in London, awards its short story prize to one writer in each of...

Science/Tech

Pharos Network Partners with Licensed Payments Provider KUN to Tokenize Supply Chain Credit and Enable Real Cross-Border Payments On-Chain

Today at 17:31 PM, via Tech Financials

Hong Kong – Pharos Network, a Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for real-world financial applications, today announced a strategic partnership with KUN, a licensed enterprise digital payments specialist operating across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The collaboration aims to tokenize supply chain credit assets (such as trade invoices and receivables) and build efficient...