Tension defines the second and final week of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, as ministers battle to resolve four major disagreements, including on climate finance and the 1.5°C ambition gap — with fear of substantive conflicts being ignored in favour of procedural speed.

Get an exclusive first look at the rundown of top-rated SA wines and producers from the 2026 Platters Wine Guide.

This massive swindle – funded through abuse of the country’s fuel subsidy – is also financing the brutal Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s civil war.

Welcome to our Wednesday edition where we focus (primarily, we try hard — Fer) on solutions and things working in our city. We start at the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg which really needs some love.

I wrote last week that I would take the gains from the G20 prep work in Joburg – at least some things are happening. Well, it seems you readers don’t agree! Thanks for all your letters. It’s made me wonder whether I am a victim of the tyranny of my own lowered expectations. We should expect more from the people we elect.

We hope you’re enjoying the Johannesburg newsletter. This week we covered a variety of issues and events concerning the city.

The standoff with Indigenous protesters at COP30 was emblematic of a wider and global fissure emerging at the summit – between those with the power to make decisions and those who will be most affected by them.

While the G20 summit is primarily about our relationship with the world, it is entirely possible that there could be consequences for our domestic politics. It could be a golden opportunity for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remind his critics about his stature on the international stage. It could also allow International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola to kick-start an ANC leadership campaign,...

We hope you’re enjoying the Johannesburg newsletter. This week we’ve been investigating wastage in the R89-billion city budget.

We hope you’re enjoying the Johannesburg newsletter. This week we’ve been investigating wastage in the R89-billion city budget.

As funding dries up, one of South Africa’s few forensic nurses faces losing her post.

There’s something about a supper of curried eggs that is hard to explain. Maybe it’s the comfort. Or the affordability. Let’s just say it’s a dish that brings a smile.

Seam bowler Lungi Ngidi has been added to the Proteas’ Test squad as the South Africans bolster their pace stocks ahead of the second Test against India, which starts in Guwahati on Saturday.

International flights are full, Cape Town groans at the seams in season. This begs a question or two: Do we need the Michelin Guide in South Africa? What for? Who benefits, and at what cost?

New Zealand said on Wednesday it was banning new prescriptions of puberty blocking drugs for young transgender people, in a move that critics warned could worsen the mental health of those affected.

Harvard University will open a new probe into former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers’ connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after newly released documents revealed the two shared an “unusually close relationship for years”, the University’s newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The inaugural Nations Championship, to be played in 2026, will give England and the Springboks an early chance to test their dominance.