The precise US military action that snatched Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his residence may help drive the possibilities for a more successful Venezuelan future — but in all likelihood, it will worsen the situation.

In Uganda, an opposition is attempting against all odds to unseat an authoritarian who has held firmly on to the reins of power for nearly 40 years. Led by the charismatic rock-star-turned-activist Bobi Wine, it has employed non-confrontational Gandhi-like tactics in an effort to defeat the regime in the forthcoming 15 January presidential election.

Venezuela’s toppled leader Nicolás Maduro was in a New York detention centre on Sunday awaiting drug charges after President Donald Trump ordered an audacious raid to capture him, saying the US would take control of the oil-producing nation.

Fuel prices are a key driver of inflation in South Africa and not just because of their impact on motorists. In the price pipeline they have a material effect on transport and energy costs which ripple through the value chain to consumers.

Gqeberha’s St Augustine’s Cathedral experienced prolonged power outages throughout December, caused by vandalism at a nearby substation.

From corruption allegations involving senior municipal officials, to claims of organised gun running and murder-for-profit syndicates, Nelson Mandela Bay’s courts are set for a busy year.

Amid some intense wrangling over venue management and route changes, the Kaapse Klopse are set to prove why the annual parade remains one of the major drawcards on Cape Town’s festive calendar, delighting locals with tambourines, banjos, saxophones, vibrant colours and equally dazzling dance moves.

The South African Weather Service has warned of severe thunderstorms, heavy downpours, strong winds in parts of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal.

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has confirmed large fuel price cuts on Wednesday.

Pricier devices, weirder ways of working and an exploitative data economy – all of these await us.

Forecasting fossil fuel demand in this age of unprecedented geopolitical and economic uncertainty coats crystal balls with a layer of coal dust, and in the short term projections could be raised as financial taps to the sector reopen.

In 2025 we witnessed the loss of facts, kindness, honesty and civility from public life, along with the hopeful notion of shared values and meaning on our fragile planet. But while there is much about which to feel despondent, the memorial for a 16-year-old boy offers a lesson in kindness and caring.