Top Stories
Top Stories

Top Stories
Reform claims to now have more members than Labour
Nigel Farage’s party says it has overtaken Labour to have more members than any other party in the UK.
Top Stories

South Africa
KZN govt saddened by temple victim’s death
A construction worker has died after a temple collapsed in Redcliffe near Verulam.

South Africa
Gauteng ready for festive-season medical surge: Health MEC
The province has sufficient health workers and resources to manage the busy festive season.

South Africa
Update: One person killed in Verulam temple collapse
The temple was fully functional and that another structure was being constructed on top of it.

South Africa
Two killed in Verulam temple collapse
The temple was fully functional and that another structure was being constructed on top of it.

World
RSF commander linked by BBC Verify to Sudan massacre sanctioned in UK
The UK accuses Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu, of committing acts of violence against civilians.

World
Russia hits back at Europe’s big plan to loan Moscow’s frozen cash to Ukraine
Russia’s central bank says it is suing Belgium’s Euroclear in court following an EU bid to use Russian assets to aid Ukraine.

World
Germany’s train service is one of Europe’s worst. How did it get so bad?
You won’t arrive on time and may not even get a seat. Your booking might get lost. Things have gotten so dire that a foreigner has been brought in to shake things up.

World
Disguises, freezing waves, and a special forces veteran: Inside rescue to sneak Nobel winner out of Venezuela
The man who led the operation says María Corina Machado crossed “very rough seas” in “pitch-black darkness”.

Africa
Six players to watch at Afcon 2025
BBC Sport Africa picks out six players to keep an eye on at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.

Africa
Ghanaian influencer charged with scamming elderly Americans
He is accused of using romance scams to defraud $8m, with the profits flaunted on Instagram.

Africa
About 200 West African soldiers in Benin for ‘clean-up’ after failed coup
This is the first time that officials have said how many foreign soldiers were deployed to help thwart the mutiny.

Africa
Ghost workers haunt Kenyan state
Investigations show individuals receiving multiple salaries, with one case involving five salaries paid to a single ID

Business
Crafters warn of imported ‘tat’ at festive fairs
Some stallholders and event organisers are angry about cheap goods being sold as ‘handmade’ items.

Business
Honesty box ‘helps us thank our generous community’
A family raising money to fund a suitable home for their son is among those driving a revival in honesty boxes.

Business
GEMS: Your health, your future – Medical cover built for public service employees
GEMS member contributions remain among the most affordable in the sector because of the low starting base.

Business
New semigration hotspot in South Africa where 80% of houses stand empty
Despite this growing interest, about 80% of the 411 houses in a small coastal town between Mossel Bay and Stilbaai stand empty for most of the year.

Politics
Batohi failed to do her job with due diligence: Ngcukaitobi
Suspended Gauteng DPP Andrew Chauke undergoing an inquiry into his fitness to hold office.

Politics
KZN Premier Ntuli unfazed by EFF’s support for no-confidence motion
The EFF said it would support the motion, while the MKP continues to seek support

Politics
Ekurhuleni HR head placed on precautionary suspension
Ekurhuleni HR Head was suspended with immediate effect following a council resolution.

Politics
ANC demands SACP cadres recuse from its election structures
ANC NGC resolves that SACP members must recuse themselves from ANC discussions ahead of 2026 LGE

Sport
Munster v Gloucester stirs ‘Miracle Match’ memories
As Munster welcome Gloucester to Cork in the Champions Cup, John Kelly recalls the ‘Miracle Match’ between the sides at Thomond Park in 2003.

Sport
Pritchard named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year 2025
Para-rower Ben Pritchard is the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year for 2025 after a stellar year of competition.

Sport
Former champion Cross cruises through at Worlds
Former champion Rob Cross is safely through to the second round of the PDC World Championship after a comfortable 3-0 win over Norway’s Cor Dekker.

Sport
F1 stakeholders sign new Concorde Agreement
Formula 1 has finalised a new Concorde Agreement, the legal contract that defines the relationship between the key stakeholders in the sport.
Education
Ghana: Ghana Education Service Releases Outstanding Feeding Grants to Schools
[Ghanaian Times] The Ghana Education Service has released all outstanding feeding grants for Special Schools across the country.
Education
Paul Grimstad, a Yale Professor, Is in “One Battle After Another” and “Marty Supreme”
Paul Grimstad, a Yale professor, has somehow found himself acting in both “One Battle After Another” and “Marty Supreme.”
Education
Austria Bans Head Scarves in Schools for Girls Under 14
Austria’s centrist government passed the new law, which takes effect next year, after years of pressure from the far right.
Education
Ghana: Prang D/a No. 1 Primary School Gets New Classroom Block
[Ghanaian Times] Yapra Rural Bank PLC, headquartered in Prang, Bono East Region, has constructed and handed over a three-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities to the Prang D/A No. 1 Primary School.

Lifestyle
Discover the benefits of stargazing this festive season
Feeling festive-season stress? Discover the surprising benefits of stargazing in South Africa and reconnect under the night sky.

Lifestyle
‘Boutique’ 90-room hotel opens on the Camps Bay strip [pics]
A new hotel has quietly joined the Camps Bay skyline, adding another upmarket stop to Cape Town’s most popular beachfront stretch.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle

Entertainment
Inflation expectations decrease to 25-year low
There has been a lot of talk about the new inflation target of 3% and the BER’s inflation expectation survey shows its effect.

Entertainment
Life term for serial rapist who targeted elderly women
In each rape incident, Tshabalala used a knife to threaten the elderly women.

Entertainment
European Union’s 2035 combustion engine vehicle ban halted
A formal decision will now be made on 16 December this year.

Entertainment
Widespread storm warnings as severe weather hits SA this Saturday
Find out what the latest weather forecast from the SA Weather Service means for your region for 13 December 2025.

Science/Tech
This Group Pays Bounties to Repair Broken Devices—Even if the Fix Breaks the Law
Fulu sets repair bounties on consumer products that employ sneaky features that limit user control. Just this week, it awarded more than $10,000 to the person who hacked the Molekule air purifier.
Science/Tech
China Leads Research in 90% of Crucial Technologies – a Dramatic Shift this Century
China is leading research in nearly 90% of the crucial technologies that “significantly enhance, or pose risks to, a country’s national interests,” according to a technology tracker run by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) — an independent think-tank. Nature: The ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker evaluated research on 74 current and emerging technologies this year, up from the...
Science/Tech
The Immediate Post-College Transition and its Role in Socioeconomic Earnings Gaps
A new study of roughly 80,000 bachelor’s degree recipients from a large urban public college system finds that characteristics of a graduate’s first job can explain nearly two-thirds of the otherwise-unexplained earnings gap between students from low-income and high-income families five years after graduation. The research [PDF], published as an NBER working paper by economists at Columbia...

Science/Tech
You’re Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong
Fears about AI data centers’ water use have exploded. Experts say the reality is far more complicated than people think.

Motoring
South Africa’s new international airport closer to completion, good news for diesel prices, and 8-year driver’s licences get the green light
These were the five biggest stories in South Africa’s transport industry this week.

Motoring
Pick n Pay coming after Checkers Sixty60’s crown in South Africa
Pick n Pay asap! has experienced significant growth over the past year, becoming increasingly competitive with South Africa’s biggest delivery services.

Motoring
Reach 1.5 million South African car buyers in one place
TopAuto is South Africa’s foremost motoring website – and the best place to advertise your products and services.
Motoring
Health
Review of Medical Cannabis Use Finds Little Evidence of Benefit
Researchers found a chasm between the health reasons for which the public seeks out cannabis and what gold-standard science actually shows about its effectiveness.

Health
Doctor wrote off my hair loss and dizziness as ‘just being a tired mum’
Iron deficiency is a relatively common problem, especially in women. Here’s how to spot the symptons.
Health
Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported
The vaccines were found to decrease the risk of needing medical care in the first six months after vaccination by 76 percent in children under 4, and by 56 percent in children 5 to 17.

Health
Streeting confirms public inquiry into NHS trust
The TEWV announcement comes after calls from families of three patients who died by suicide.