News South Africa

The BBC show went silent on Monday morning when an alarm told people to leave the building

The Scottish government says four cases have been found in Lanarkshire and two in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The north east of Scotland remains the worst hit, with all schools in Aberdeenshire closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Political parties have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to keep South Africa under a Level 1 lockdown.

New Covid-19 infections continue to climb, with South Africa recording 2 858 new confirmed cases. Gauteng continues to record the highest number of new confirmed cases, with 2 308 cases.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC)  hearing into the July 2021 unrest in South Africa continues on Monday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said the country will move into a system of living with the Covid-19 virus later this week, despite the new Omicron variant posing a fresh health threat to the world.

The coronavirus pandemic will cost the global tourism sector $2.0 trillion in lost revenue in 2021, the UN’s tourism body said Monday, calling the sector’s recovery “fragile” and “slow”.

The defector had been on the run after staging a daring escape from a Chinese prison.

Japan will reinstate tough border measures, barring all new foreign arrivals over the Omicron Covid variant, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Monday, just weeks after a softening of strict entry rules.

President Ramaphosa said African countries have for far too long relied on trade and investment opportunities from Europe, Asia and North America.

South Africa’s president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

Six Sudanese soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack by Ethiopian forces on a Sudanese army post near the border between the countries, Sudanese military sources have told Reuters.

The three-day event is a celebration of Senegalese culture and features an elaborate parade.

And its revenues were recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Some of South Africa’s major retailers have announced shopping deals for Cyber Monday 2021.

For R150 per share in a cash-and-stock deal.

The ANC and DA have bemoaned the action of several countries imposing travel bans on some Southern African nations. ANC’s Legoete says it is unfair for South Africa to be punished for being a leading figure in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and DA’s John Steenhuisen says the travel restrictions are irrational.

The council of the hung Modimole-Mookgophong Municipality in Limpopo is expected to consider flipping a coin to elect a new mayor, speaker and chief whip when the council sitting resumes on Monday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa slammed certain international countries for prohibiting travel to and from Southern Africa after the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant known as the Omicron variant.

We have been undertaking engagements with social partners and other stakeholders on introducing measures that make vaccination a condition for access to workplaces, public events, public transport and public establishments.

Russia knocked reigning champion Spain out of the Davis Cup on Sunday to set up a quarter-final against Sweden.

Premier League leaders Chelsea were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Manchester United as free-scoring Liverpool hammered Southampton 4-0 to emphatically underline their title credentials.

The Stormers are waiting anxiously on star lock Salmaan Moerat to make a decision on his future in Cape Town.

Michael Carrick was adamant Ralf Rangnick had no role in Manchester United’s gameplan for their 1-1 draw at Chelsea, but the club’s impending interim manager would have taken heart from the way they frustrated the Premier League leaders.

Advent(ures) in numberland

Every year the remarkable maths website Mathigon runs a puzzle advent calendar, publishing a problem a day from December 1 to 24. I’ve had a peek at this year’s puzzles and selected three of the ones I liked the most.

1. The seven digits

Continue reading…

Regulators push universities to remove oversubscription loopholes after surge in higher A-level grades

Universities in England risk breaking competition laws if they add loopholes letting them withdraw offers from students at the last minute if courses are oversubscribed, ministers and regulators have told vice-chancellors.

For the last two years, the surge in A-level grades allowed more...

A chilling effect has taken hold on American campuses, contributing to an outflow of academic talent that may hurt the United States while benefiting Beijing.

‘The comeback year’: Lindsay Lohan announced that she is engaged to Dubai boyfriend Bader Shammas on Sunday 28 November.

First skinny jeans and mullets…North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un banned leather trench coats so citizens can’t copy his style…

‘You have another lane’: Actor Matthew McConaughey has ruled out running for Texas governor. Here’s why…

‘You can’t speak that way about your child’s mother’: Locals have slammed Jub Jub for claiming Kelly Khumalo uses muthi.

Tony Bennett won over generations of fans crooning “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” And on his 95th birthday, the beloved singer left his heart on the stage of Radio City Music Hall.

PPC aims to cut its carbon dioxide emissions to 550kg per ton by 2030.

The University of Johannesburg and University of the Witwatersrand’s vice-chancellors lament the continuous delays in the auctioning of spectrum.

Fire services and safety experts ask the government to reform laws to hold shopping sites accountable.

A reduction in time between doses and extending the programme to younger age groups could be approved.

A “Frankenstein mix” of mutations raises concerns, but the variant may remain vulnerable to current vaccines. If not, revisions will be necessary.

No cases of the new coronavirus variant have been confirmed in the U.S., but leaders said they were using existing safeguards and watching closely.

Should the Omicron variant cause severe illness, that will become apparent if there is a significant rise in hospitalizations over the next week or two, one expert said.

Nirmal Purja’s record-breaking climb of the world’s highest peaks is the subject of a documentary.

The spacecraft is set to crash into an object called Dimorphos in September 2022.

For the first time, 3D-printed ‘meat’ is being served as a whole ‘cut’ – the BBC’s Emily Maitlis tried it.

An annual migration of red crabs has covered roads and bridges on an Australian island.