Why delayed matric results deepen pressure but still reveal excellence
Announcing results days before school resumes fuels chaos, but a Northern Cape top achiever shows how immigrants enrich education nationwide.
Nature
Human error blamed for deadly Vaal school transport crash
What was meant to be 13-year-old Bokamoso Mokhobo’s first day of high school yesterday turned to tragedy as the teenager died before getting to school when her scholar transport driver collided with a truck while trying to overtake other vehicles.
Defence minister is investigating herself to avoid accountability – analyst
Military analyst Darren Olivier says Minister Angie Motshekga’s investigation into her own department ignoring instructions from the President is an attempt to escape accountability.
Syria tightens grip after Kurdish pullback, says IS prisoners escape
RAQQA, Syria, Jan 19 (Reuters) – Syrian government troops tightened their grip across a swathe of northern and eastern territory on Monday after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in a dramatic shift that has consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s rule.
Sydney beaches stay closed after three shark attacks in two days
SYDNEY, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Beaches in the north of Sydney remained closed on Tuesday after a man in his 20s was bitten by a shark – the city’s third shark attack in two days – as heavy rains left the waters murky and more likely to attract the animals.
The World’s Longest-Running Lab Experiment Is Almost 100 Years Old
alternative_right shares a report from ScienceAlert: It all started in 1927, when physicist Thomas Parnell at the University of Queensland in Australia filled a closed funnel with the world’s thickest known fluid: pitch, a derivative of tar that was once used to seal ships against the seas. Three years later, in 1930, Parnell cut the funnel’s stem, like a ribbon at an event, heralding the start...
Surfer injured in fourth shark attack in Australian state in 48 hours
Authorities are warning people to stay out of the Australian state’s waterways after recent rainfall.
Goodbye gator, see you later: San Francisco mourns its beloved albino alligator
California names a street after reptile Claude, who won millions of hearts with his albinism.
Germany’s EV Subsidies Will Include Chinese Brands
Germany is reinstating EV subsidies after a sharp sales drop, rolling out a 3 billion-euro program offering 1,500-6,000 euros per buyer starting in May and running through 2029. Unlike some neighboring countries, the incentives are open to all manufacturers with a focus on low- and middle-income households. From a report: “I cannot see any evidence of this postulated major influx of Chinese car...
Australia parliament votes on tighter gun controls after Bondi shooting
Parliament is also debating hate speech reforms after last month’s deadly attack on a Jewish festival.
‘Anger is healthy’: Why women are smashing stuff up for fun
Why a reportedly growing number of women are paying to smash up old TVs and furniture in rage rooms.
Hidden cameras reveal what hedgehogs really get up to after dark
Hedgehogs are surprisingly common in UK gardens, with food a powerful attraction, say scientists.
The hospitals where waiting times are getting worse. Is yours one of them?
Nearly a quarter of hospital trusts in England have seen waiting times deteriorate in the past year.
Over a hundred vehicles pile up on motorway after crash
Jack-knifed trucks were left strewn across the road after heavy snow in Ottawa Country, Michigan.
A Second US Sphere Could Come To Maryland
Sphere Entertainment plans to build a second U.S. Sphere near Washington, D.C., with a smaller 6,000-seat “mini-Sphere” proposed for National Harbor in Maryland. The venue would retain the signature LED exterior and immersive 4D tech of the Las Vegas Sphere, just at a more compact scale. The Verge reports: The second US sphere would be built in an area known as National Harbor in Prince...
Confronted over Greenland, Europe is ditching its softly-softly approach to Trump
Transatlantic relations aren’t broken, though they are damaged. And if Europeans want to try to cut through with Trump, they’ll have to stick together, writes Europe Editor Katya Adler
Intense geomagnetic storms could make auroras visible in southern US
Major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field may make northern lights visible far more south than usual
The aurora could be visible across Canada and much of the northern tier of US states on Monday night, and possibly even further south, following a major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field, a forecast shows.
The forecast, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s...
The Papers: ‘Brooklyn goes nuclear’ and UK teenagers ‘face social media ban’
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham’s statement on his strained relationship with his parents features prominently on Tuesday’s papers.
Chris Pratt on new film Mercy: I asked to be locked into an executioner’s chair
The Marvel star plays a detective with 90 minutes to prove to an AI judge he did not murder his wife.
Nigeria remembers master wood carver
Kasali Akangbe Ogun, who came from a long line of wood carvers and wanted to preserve local traditions, has been buried following his death after a brief illness.