BEIJING, July 9 (Reuters) – Typhoon Bavi churned southeast of Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, its winds easing overnight to just shy of 200 kph (124 mph), as authorities urged residents to stock up on supplies and brace for what could be the most powerful typhoon since 2024.

ANKARA/MADRID, July 8 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to all trade with NATO ally Spain, escalating tensions over defence spending and the Iran war, despite European Union rules requiring trade negotiations to be conducted as a single bloc.

ANKARA/DUBAI, July 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.

KINSHASA, July 8 (Reuters) – The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday that suspected Ebola cases had been reported in a new province, highlighting the expansion of the ongoing outbreak as deaths hit 600.

As the National Treasury tightens oversight of Joburg’s finances, Executive Mayor Dada Morero insists the city is turning a corner despite growing debt, cash-flow constraints and service-delivery failures that left even his own rubbish uncollected.

Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson is taking his new Cabinet-approved powers seriously to combat the scourge of the construction mafia.

Anti-migrant unrest in South Africa is forcing thousands of Zimbabwean families to flee, abruptly disrupting their children’s education. Uprooted mid-year, these learners face severe academic setbacks and psychological distress as they prepare to adapt to a different schooling system.

Portia Anyamba, a former South African Air Force brigadier general connected to a State Security Agency official, was recently sentenced to six months in jail in the United States, where she worked at a government science and energy laboratory. She previously pleaded guilty to being a foreign agent and falsifying information while applying for security clearance.

Current Junior Springbok prop Kai Pratt has returned a positive doping sample following a test in April and faces a lengthy ban.