Top Stories
Top Stories
‘We’re afraid’: Greek plan to police universities panics students
The government wants to create a new police force for universities, with powers to arrest and charge.
Top Stories
WHO team to start Wuhan COVID investigation in market, lab
Experts begin their investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in the city where the first cases were reported.
Top Stories
South Africa
SA COVID-19 deaths surpass the 42 000 mark
South Africa has recorded a further 753 deaths due to complications related to the Coronavirus, which takes the death toll to 42 550 since the outbreak.

South Africa
Covid-19: South Africa records 7 070 new infections and 753 new deaths
South Africa recorded 7 070 new Covid-19 infections by Tuesday, along with 753 new Covid-19-related deaths, taking the confirmed death toll to 42 550.
South Africa
Dr Fikeni appointed as Commissioner of PSC
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Dr Somadoda Fikeni for a five-year term of office as Commissioner of the Public Service Commission.
South Africa
First batch of COVID-19 vaccines expected to arrive in SA on Monday
Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has confirmed the long-awaited news that the first consignment of one million COVID-19 vaccines is expected to land on South African shores on Monday.

World
Teen held for Christchurch-inspired mosque plot
The 16-year-old boy in Singapore planned to knife Muslims at mosques and livestream the attack.

World
Antony Blinken: Who is America’s new top diplomat?
The 58-year-old is on home turf in the state department, vowing to restore trust after the Trump era.

World
Ex-Russian oil tycoon: I was one of the lucky ones
CNN’s Matthew Chance speaks exclusively with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, who — after falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin himself — spent more than 10 years in a Russian jail. He says the US should impose tough sanctions on Putin to save Alexey Navalny from a similar fate.

World
German Lübcke trial: Far-right defendant faces killing verdict
Stephan Ernst admits firing the shot that killed prominent pro-migrant politician Walter Lübcke.

Africa
Sani Abacha – the hunt for the billions stolen by Nigeria’s ex-leader
A phone call in the middle of the night led one Swiss lawyer to pursue Nigeria’s stolen money.

Africa
Tigray crisis: Biden administration calls for Eritrea troops to withdraw
“Credible reports” show they were involved in human rights abuses, the state department said.

Africa
DR Congo parliament debates move on govt resignation
The political scene in sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest country has been roiled by a months-long struggle between Tshisekedi and Kabila supporters.

Africa
Hopewell Chin’ono freed on bail after latest arrest
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono, who has been jailed three times in six months for anti-government tweets, was granted bail Wednesday by the country’s High Court after nearly three weeks in pre-trial detention.

Business
A warning to South Africa from the IMF
A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) held virtual meetings with the South African government this week to discuss recent economic developments and the outlook of the economy.

Business
PIC looks on while ‘Survé Inc’ burns through state pensioners’ billions
New financials show how the pattern of self-dealing has intensified despite the Public Investment Corporation launching a court application in 2019 to reclaim its money.

Business
Musica closes down
Retail group Clicks says that it will be shutting down Musica in South Africa, after several years of decline.

Business
Pandemic deepens graft and democracy breaches, Transparency says
‘It’s a corruption crisis. And one that we’re currently failing to manage.’

Politics
DA supports Winde’s call for amendment of lockdown regulations
The Democratic Alliance (DA) the Western Cape says it supports Premier Alan Winde’s call for national government to amend the current lockdown regulations.

Politics
Constitutional Court to deliver judgment on Zuma, Zondo matter
The Constitutional Court will on Thursday morning hand down judgment in an application to compel former President Jacob Zuma to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

Politics
Ms K describes ‘separate and discrete’ SSA command structure to protect Zuma
Ms K’s and Mr Y’s affidavits and testimony have alleged a picture going back to 2008 of how the former president and his aides worked — and allegedly abused the SSA

Politics
Bid to indulge Zondo on SSA DG’s evidence had no malicious intent: Dlodlo
The Minister says she initiated the postponement proceedings on Tuesday to allow for a process of proper consultation between the acting Director-General and herself.

Sport
Kagiso Rabada makes history by claiming 200th Test wicket, fourth youngest to do so
Kagiso Rabada became the seventh South African bowler to cross the 200 Test wicket mark when he dismissed Hassan Ali for 21.

Sport
Everton denied as Pickford howler rescues Leicester
Jordan Pickford was punished for the latest in a long list of embarrassing errors in a 1-1 draw with Leicester on Wednesday.

Sport
Tuchel admits Chelsea face top four fight
Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea face a fight to finish in the Premier League’s top four after his first match ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw against Wolves on Wednesday.

Sport
Helen Glover: Tokyo 2020 comeback bid inspired by children
Double Olympic champion Helen Glover says proving herself to her baby daughter inspired her attempt a comeback at next summer’s Tokyo games.

Education
Beverley Bryan: the British Black Panther who inspired a generation of women
After her friend Olive Morris was assaulted by police in 1969, Bryan joined her in the civil rights group. Then she decolonised her classroom – and contributed to a groundbreaking book
In the mid-60s, Beverley Bryan was a prefect at Lavender Hill secondary modern in south London. One of her responsibilities was to stand at the school gates and scribble down the name of any student who was late....

Education
Steve Bell’s If … Boris Johnson would love to reopen schools but …
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Education
Kenya: USIU to Lay Off 70 Staff Amid Declining Enrolment Numbers
[Nation] About 70 members of staff at the United States International University – Africa (USIU-Africa) are set to lose their jobs in what the management terms a “staff rationalisation exercise”. This comes at a time when the institution is grappling with lower student enrolment and tough economic conditions.
Education
Kenya: Keep Off KNUT’s Dispute With TSC, Sossion Tells Kuppet
[Nation] The two giant teachers unions, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (Kuppet), are at loggerheads over teachers’ membership, which could intensify the rift between the two.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
‘Insanely talented’ actress Cloris Leachman dies aged 94
‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ star died of natural causes at her home in Encinitas.
Lifestyle
The empire writes back: tackling Britain’s colonial past
Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, ‘Empireland’ explores Britain’s uneasy relationship with its past, which was thrown into sharp relief by the Black Lives Matter protests last year.
Lifestyle
Shocked at the price of fresh ginger? Try these cooking substitutes instead
Fresh ginger is in short supply and frightfully expensive at the moment. Here’s how to get by without it.
Entertainment

Entertainment
Cloris Leachman, award-winning sitcom star, dead at 94
Cloris Leachman, the acclaimed actress whose one-of-a-kind comedic flare made her a legendary figure in film and television for seven decades, has died, according to a statement from her longtime manager and representatives. She was 94.

Entertainment
Pamela Anderson is married
Pamela Anderson is a married woman.

Entertainment
‘Resident Alien’ casts Alan Tudyk as an E.T. who can’t go home
Turning a concept as old as “My Favorite Martian” into something fresh and funny isn’t easy, but “Resident Alien” somehow manages that, fueled by its dark, offbeat tone and Alan Tudyk’s otherworldly skill playing the title character as a stranger in his own skin. Regular twists also help, in a serialized dramedy that turns the Dark Horse comic into a wonderfully addictive series.

Science/Tech
Facebook and Apple will miss 2020 – unlike everyone else
For the third quarter in a row, Facebook and Apple generated billions upon billions in profits and flexed the power of their dominant businesses. But the party may be ending.

Science/Tech
Retailer Musica to cease trading
Musica will soon be no more. Clicks Group announced on Thursday that it will close the music retailer’s stores countrywide.
Science/Tech
Puzzling Six-Exoplanet System With Rhythmic Movement Challenges Theories of How Planets Form
Astronomers have used a combination of telescopes to reveal a system consisting of six exoplanets, five of which are locked in a rare rhythm around their central star. “The researchers believe the system could provide important clues about how planets, including those in the Solar System, form and evolve,” reports Phys.Org. From the report: The first time the team observed TOI-178, a star some...

Science/Tech
At Davos, the global elite should ensure the whole world can access Covid vaccines | Larry Elliott
We risk creating healthcare apartheid, where the virus still rages in poorer nations. Ultimately, this will harm all of us
Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage
In different times, the president of South Africa would have been one of the world leaders in Switzerland this week for the annual gathering of the global elite in Davos. But the January talkfest has been...

Motoring
European autumn set aside for debut of all-new Opel Astra
Astra L will be the first not to be made by GM since the nameplate’s founding by Vauxhall for the UK market Kadett D in 1979.
Motoring
Motoring

Motoring
Not so fast: Mitsubishi South Africa not ready to bid Pajero farewell just yet
Aging Dakar hero here to stay?

Health
Thailand Legalizes Early-Term Abortions but Keeps Other Restrictions
Women who end a pregnancy after 12 weeks could still face prison or fines. Abortion rights advocates claimed a partial victory.

Health
Covid-19: ‘I told my kids I wasn’t going to make it’
Taxi driver Ali Sakallioglu spent 222 days in hospital with Covid, including three months in a coma.

Health
English National Opera lessons for long Covid sufferers
The English National Opera’s singing coach gives long Covid sufferers breathing space.

Health
A New Option for Morning-After Contraception?
An hormonal IUD may work as well as morning-after pills for preventing pregnancy, a new study suggests.

Nature
The bontebok – a species saved from the brink of extinction
By Nicole Horn, Biodiversity Capabilities The bontebok – a likable, medium sized antelope with a multi-coloured coat and endemic to the Western Cape, is listed as Vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. It was once on the brink of extinction due to hunting, human settlement and incorrect […]

Nature
Fish migrations: they would swim 500 miles and they would swim 500 more
By Nicole Horn and Alexis Olds Migration is a widespread but highly complicated and diverse component to many fish species lives. Migration can be strenuous and often consists of extremely long journeys. The life history stages of certain species rely heavily on migration. Fish will migrate for several reasons including escaping unfavourable conditions, moving to […]

Nature
St Lucia estuary breach: minister demands answers over decision
Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has asked the management of the Isimangaliso Wetlands Park Authority to justify its decision to breach the St Lucia estuary mouth.

Nature
Butterfly wings captured in slow motion footage
Scientists, using a wind tunnel and high-speed cameras, have captured the butterfly’s flying skill.