Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-01-23 i Mercury

THREE major political parties will launch their manifestos at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium from next month, in anticipation of a hotly contested national general elections especially in KwaZulu-Natal. The EFF will hold their launch on February 10, followed by the ANC on February 24 and the IFP on March 10. All three parties have promised to fill up the stadium in a show of strength as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has suggested May 22 as a possible election date. President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially promulgate the election date after discussions with the electoral body and by law he can announce a date between May and August. The ANC in KZN yesterday said that it was expecting to easily fill the stadium and was also considering an alternative…

WOrld War II ended in 1945 and within just 16 years, the academy award winning movie Judgment in Nuremberg showcased the horrible atrocities that Hitler and his fanatical cronies inflicted upon the vastly innocent Jewish race in Europe. I was 15 at the time, had heard of the war and had read umpteen picture books, comics and watched many Audie Murphy type of To Hell and Back classics. But the sheer intensity of the hidden genocide that was continuing in Germany, even while the outer war was happening, eluded most of us. Until this amazing Maximillan Schell award-winner blasted the black and white screen at the Avalon Cinema in Victoria Street. I watched the movie three times in warped, morbid fascination, trying to figure out the connection between the war…

South Africa has made a bold bid of taking up the case of genocide against Israel before the International Court of Justice which is making world headlines. Many at home will feel that our team are a bunch of legal paper tigers with not enough depth and competence in international law. They seem to have used the quota system once again as many white legal experts and professors with sterling resumes were sidelined. Back to religion, where Jews subscribe to Judaism which shares some similarities with Christianity, including monotheism, Abrahamic roots and sacred texts. Despite the similarities, it’s essential to acknowledge the theological differences and distinct beliefs between the two religions, particularly concerning the nature of God, the Messiah and the significance of Christ. But the pain of Gaza supersedes…

A person with integrity tells the truth when it might seem more convenient not to. He or she shows kindness and good manners to all people everywhere, whether he or she will see them again or not. He or she is respectful to all people no matter who they meet: young or old, male or female, poor or rich, homeless refugee or elected official. He or she respects people from every faith background and those who claim none. He or she embraces and shows interest in people from every nationality, every ethnic and language group. He or she looks down on no one, looks eye-to-eye with all, and looks up to all who have lived and loved with increasingly pure courage. Integrity pivots on self-respect and self-respect is a prerequisite…

The failure by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to settle all outstanding allowances from last year could have a ripple effect on student registration in 2024, the portfolio committee on higher education has warned. Despite its self-imposed deadline to pay all 20 000 outstanding allowances by January 15, NSFAS only settled 9 128 allowances and blamed universities for delays in the submission of registration data for the remaining students. With the registration process for the new year already under way, the portfolio committee on higher education has expressed concern about NSFAS’s inability to meet its obligations. MPs serving on the committee will be conducting oversight visits to assess the readiness of tertiary institutions. “The committee is fully aware of and gravely concerned by the challenges in the higher…

The cost of a “survival basket” of food in South Africa at the beginning of 2024 is R1 503, which is 6.07% more than last year, and will see minimum wage earners spend 34.5% of their earnings to buy food. This is according to the Picodi.com study which looked at minimum wages in different countries; how prices of basic groceries increased; and how the cost of a “survival basket” compares to the minimum wage. For the study, a basic grocery “survival” basket consisting of eight groups of products, including bread, milk, eggs, rice, cheese, meat, fruits and vegetables, was drawn up for one person for one month and the costs of it were added up. For South Africa, the minimum net wage was R4 353 and the country ranked…

The use of altered fuels is dangerous for vehicles, and the Department for Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) should take punitive steps against 70 petrol stations found to be dispensing fake diesel. This is according to the Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) and the AA after the department said that “regular and random testing” at various filling stations across the country found 70 fuel distribution sites were selling diesel with “compromised quality”. DMRE spokesperson Ernest Mulibana said: “This information collection is what we do regularly and randomly at all stations across the country. The information was collected between April and December last year and showed 70 stations had sold diesel with compromised quality.” DMRE Minister Gwede Mantashe had previously warned distributors against the illegal practice and said they would face “immediate…

THE two standout takeaways from the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala in Uganda over the past few days have been a clarion call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s brutal onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, and the urgent reform of UN, especially the Security Council, to make it fit for purpose in global governance. While the latter has been a quadrennial feature of NAM summits since its establishment in 1961, based on the Bandung Principles of non-alignment of developing countries with or against any major power bloc, of its founding fathers – India’s Jawaharlal Nehru, Yugoslavia’s Josip Broz Tito, Indonesia’s Sukarno, Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser – the plight of the Palestinians, after 76 years since the founding of the…

The Israeli army bombarded Khan Yunis, the latest epicentre of the war in Gaza, yesterday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he said were Hamas conditions for the release of hostages, even amid mounting pressure from their families. Witnesses reported deadly strikes overnight in Khan Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza, and fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza reported yesterday that more than 120 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours. “Artillery shelling has not stopped since 5am,” said Yunis Abdel Razek, 52, who was sheltering with his family at the city’s al-Aqsa University. “We can’t leave the university ... it’s dangerous and I fear for the little ones,” he said. “They said the Al-Mawasi area was safe…

Tens of thousands of people across the UK and Ireland were without power yesterday after Storm Isha lashed the countries with strong winds and heavy rain, disrupting travel networks. Gusts of 59km/h were recorded in northeast England as the whole of UK was subject to weather warnings for its ninth named storm since September. The high winds felled three trees and damaged several others in Northern Ireland. Isha follows Storm Henk, which crashed into the UK earlier this month, causing widespread flooding and disruption to train services and roads. In Ireland, which was hit badly by Isha, at least 235 000 homes endured power cuts. Another 45 000 people were without electricity in Northern Ireland, while several thousand properties went dark in northwest England and Wales. Felled trees in Scotland…

WASHINGTON: the US Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that airlines inspect door plugs on Boeing 737-900ER jets after a blow-out on another type of aircraft with a similar mid-cabin exit earlier this month. The aviation regulator said operators “are encouraged to conduct a visual inspection”. The move follows the near-catastrophic mid-flight loss of a cabin door on an Alaska Airlines-operated 737 MAX on January 5. In response, US regulators grounded 171 jets from the 737 MAX 9 fleet with the same configuration as the plane involved in the incident. The affected door plug panel was not affixed adequately, reported investigators. | AFP…

Colombo: A Sri Lankan political party leader was killed yesterday along with four others, authorities said, in a rare drive-by shooting. Police said the motive was unclear, but that Saman Perera, chairperson of the Our Power of People Party, appeared to be the main target of the attack. Perera’s party has a seat in Sri Lanka’s 225-member legislature, although he was not an MP himself. He was gunned down in the southern town of Beliatta, nearly 200km south of the capital, Colombo. Police said his vehicle had stopped at a roadside restaurant when gunmen in a pickup truck opened fire and then sped off. | AFP…

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has lifted the lid on his side’s pre-game tactical set-up that saw his side claim their first win at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The South African national team bounced back from defeat in their opening match against Mali with an emphatic 4-0 win over neighbours Namibia, restoring their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the competition. Broos and his men received huge criticism after their loss against Mali based on the tactical decisions that led to their second-half demise. However, the wiry Belgian showed his experience and tactical prowess in this encounter as he made personnel and formation changes, a decision that worked wonders as Bafana scored three unanswered goals in the first half. The 2017 Afcon winner detailed the…

THE CHANGING face of global supply chains demands a new kind of professional – one who is not only a custodian of procurement and logistics, but also a steward of sustainability. The constant changes occurring in the logistics space point to a sector different from what people might have imagined 10 years ago. I believe the supply chain landscape is at a crossroads as traditional paradigms are being disrupted by digitisation. Once characterised by linear processes and limited connectivity, supply chains are experiencing a seismic shift as they embrace the power of the technologies. The transformation is not merely a modernisation of age-old practices; it signifies a reimagining of how goods are produced, distributed and consumed. Moreover, the infusion of data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things into…

The auction of late former president Nelson Mandela’s belongings has reportedly sparked discord among the Mandela family, bringing the family’s name into the spotlight in recent days. Mandela’s 1993 original ID book, aviator sunglasses and reading glasses, famed “Madiba” clothing, walking sticks, briefcases, a silver goose tea set, a Robben Island tennis racket, and hearing aids are among the 70 objects scheduled for auction. The objects have already been advertised on the Guernsey Auction House website and are set to come under the hammer next month. It is also reported that Madiba’s daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, wants to use the money from the auction to fund a memorial garden in the Eastern Cape. However Mandela’s grandchildren, Mbuso and Ndaba Mandela, expressed disbelief at the decision to auction the items and said…

The DA has received many complaints similar to those received by #PayTheGrants from beneficiaries of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant. While the DA always assists the Sassa beneficiaries who reach out to us by reporting the issue and ensuring that the complainant is assisted, we have found that almost as soon as the information is corrected, phone numbers are changed again, pointing to an internal scheme to defraud the vulnerable beneficiaries. The DA has also received numerous complaints from beneficiaries of various Sassa grants regarding the fraudulent use of their ID numbers and Sassa’s inability to ensure that beneficiaries aren’t defrauded. Yesterday, the DA visited an old age grant recipient in Eldorado Park in Gauteng who has been struggling to get…

IN DEFENDING Israel’s conduct in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Israeli legal team at the International Court of Justice painted Israel as a paragon of virtue. However, the truth is that Israel has a long history of committing and/or aiding and abetting genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in historic Palestine and abroad. Here is a small catalogue of atrocities that Israel has been involved in. In 1947/48 Israel perpetrated the massacres of Palestinians under its Plan Dalet. That was followed by the 1956 massacres in Gaza’s Kafr Qasim, Khan Yunis and Rafah by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces), the most immoral army in the world. In 1982 Israel used its proxy, the Lebanese Phalangists, to carry out the Sabra and Shatila massacres. The founder of Zionism, Theodore…

The trial of the four men charged with the 2017 murder of ANC Youth League (ANCYL) treasurer Sindiso Magaqa is set to resume this week in the Pietermaritzburg High Court. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara confirmed that the matter would return to court. “The matter is currently in the trial stage with the State leading further evidence in its case,” she said. Magaqa was shot and killed in Umzimkhulu in July 2017. The accused are former police officer Sbonelo Myeza, 39; and his co-accused businessman Mbulelo Mpofana, 34; Mlungisi Ncalane, 33; and Sibusiso Ncengwa, 30. They are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, murder, attempted murder, malicious injury to property and charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, one being a prohibited firearm. According to the State’s…

Fires believed to have been started with malicious intent have sparked cause for concern at the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP). The SANParks TMNP team confirmed that three major fires attended to over the past few weeks were started in suspected arson attempts. While no criminal cases have been lodged with police, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the alleged arson and sabotage attacks were “devious attempts to disrupt vital aspects of service delivery”. SANParks spokesperson Lauren Clayton said: “A concerning pattern has emerged with the majority of recent fires occurring in the southern section of the TMNP, in the Kalk Bay, Oceanview and Redhill areas, as well as in the north of the park, in the Signal Hill and Pipe Track areas. “Fires in these areas…

The bodies of the two men who drowned while allegedly performing a cleansing ceremony in the Mvoti River, near KwaDukuza during the heavy rains in KwaZulu-Natal were recovered at the weekend. IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson Samantha Meyrick, said they received reports of two adult men, aged 23 and 27, being swept away on January 17. “The reports indicated that the two men got into difficulty while participating in a cleansing ceremony and were swept down river,” Meyrick said. Emergency workers immediately started looking for the men but had to call off the search due to inclement weather. However, on Friday and Saturday, both the bodies were found. “Teams from IPSS Search & Rescue, Umhlali (SA Police Service), SAPS K9 Search and Rescue, Durban SAPS K9 Search & Rescue, Badul Air…

TWO people have been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of five members of an Edendale family in Pietermaritzburg. The bodies of the victims, aged between 85 and nine-years-old, were discovered on Wednesday by a relative who had gone to visit the family and became worried when no one answered the door. They have been identified as the Gumede family and include an 85-year-old woman, her 45-year-old daughter and her three children, 11-year-old twins and a nine-year-old. According to police, all the victims had sustained fatal head injuries and a blood-stained axe was found at the scene. Speaking about the arrests, provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said less than 24 hours after the murder police arrested two people. Philani Shezi, 39, and Siphesihle Xulu, 24, appeared in…

Mpumalanga police have launched a manhunt for suspects following a fatal shooting at a tavern in Siyabuswa on Sunday night. Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli said the motive for the shooting was unknown. “On Sunday, at around 9pm, a group of armed suspects stormed the tavern at Kgobokwane next to R573 Road in Siyabuswa, where they randomly opened fire in the liquor outlet. “They were armed with high calibre rifles,” he said. Three people died at the scene, while a fourth died in hospital. Mdhluli said no arrests have been made as yet. “A team of investigators has been assembled under the leadership of the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, to probe this heinous crime,” Mdhluli said. Since July last year, police…

The recent revelation by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) that 14 municipal water authorities in South African failed to provide any data on water testing for the 2021/22 financial year is deeply troubling. However, the subsequent decision by the DWS to take tough action against these negligent municipal water authorities is commendable. It is unacceptable that these municipalities have neglected their responsibility to ensure the safety and quality of the water supplied to their communities. Regular water testing is a fundamental requirement to guarantee that the water is fit for human consumption, and failure to comply with this obligation poses serious risks to public health. Therefore, the call for tough sanctions, including the withdrawal of licences, is entirely justified. Furthermore, these negligent municipalities should be named and shamed…

To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, Meta yesterday announced that users will be able to unlink their Instagram and Facebook accounts as well as other services. The Mark Zuckerberg-run company said it is offering more choices to people using Instagram and Facebook in the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland about how they can use its services and features, as the DMA enters into force in March. The changes mean users in the EU will be able to use Meta’s services without their information being shared between them. People who have already chosen to connect their Instagram and Facebook accounts will be able to continue to connect their accounts so that their information will be used across their Instagram and Facebook accounts. “They can…

Exeter: Television’s Judge Judy Sheindlin delivered her verdict on White House hopeful Nikki Haley ahead of New Hampshire’s make-or-break US Republican primary vote, calling her “the real deal”. Haley is the last standing rival to front-runner Donald Trump in the race to secure the party’s nomination to challenge President Joe Biden in November’s election. But she is 15 points behind in polling. Sheindlin told Haley supporters in Exeter that she had been “apolitical” but concern for the future prompted her to contact Haley. | AFP…

Tehran: Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday in Tehran for the funerals of Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria, in what Iran called an Israeli strike. It was the latest incident adding to fears of wider conflagration during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The strike in Damascus on Saturday killed five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military force said, including the group’s intelligence chief for Syria and his deputy. Mourners carried aloft coffins bearing victims, draped in colours of the Iranian flag, before a stage bearing pictures of IRGC General Qassem Soleimani who was killed three years ago by the US. | AFP…

ANKARA: At least nine bodies have washed ashore on Türkiye’s southern coast in the past week, reports said yesterday, with officials suspecting that most belonged to migrants who went missing in December. Three bodies were found yesterday on the Mediterranean Sea shores of Antalya near Mugla, bringing the total number to nine. Local officials are weighing the possibility that most drifted ashore after a boat carrying 90 migrants sank in the Mediterranean last month, the governor’s office said.The Lebanese embassy in Ankara on December 11 reported the disappearance of a boat that had sailed from between Lebanon and Syria towards Cyprus. | AFP…

Proteas Women’s all-rounder Chloé Tryon is thrilled to be back with the national team ahead of their eagerly awaited series against Australia. The Proteas are Down Under for a full tour that features a T20 International (T20I) and One-Day International (ODI) series as well as a one-off Test match. Tryon has not been part of the Proteas squad since the home series against New Zealand in October, helping the team secure a 2-1 ODI series win before drawing the rain-affected T20Is 1-1. Unfortunately, the all-rounder sustained a groin injury playing for the Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) that ruled her out of the national side’s home encounters against Bangladesh last month. But after an extensive rehabilitation programme she is ready for easily the toughest tour in…

Liverpool restored a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League while Arsenal breathed new life into their title bid as both returned from a winter break in style this weekend. At the other end of the table, Ivan Toney’s goalscoring return eased Brentford’s fears of being dragged into a relegation battle as they beat Nottingham Forest 3-2. Here, we look at three talking points from the Premier League weekend. No Salah, no problem for Reds Mohamed Salah’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations at a crucial juncture of the season threatened to derail Liverpool’s bid for just a second league title in 34 years. The Egyptian has been the one reliable source of goals for Jurgen Klopp this season, while Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and…

There’s still a long way to go before Bafana Bafana can raise their hand as one of the challengers for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations finals. But if their performance in the emphatic 4-0 win against neighbours Namibia is anything to go by, then they are surely headed in the right direction. Namibia would have been the more confident of the two sides going into the match, having beaten Tunisia in their opener (their first win in four Afcon finals). Bafana, the 1996 champions, on the other hand, had their work cut out for them. They had started their campaign on a low, losing 2-0 to Mali on Tuesday last week. But Broos’ men, like they have been doing over the years, didn’t disappoint against the Brave Warriors, thanks…

The South African senior men’s national team kept their Africa Cup of Nations dreams alive with a resounding performance trouncing Namibia 4-0 on Sunday. Two goals by Player of the Match Themba Zwane helped Bafana jump into second place in Group E, with one more match to go to secure their passage through to the knock out stages of the competition. Much had been made of Bafana’s chances of progressing from the group stages ahead of the tournament and those chances seemed to drop even further when they lost their opener against Mali. However, national team head coach Hugo Broos reconfigured his boys to perfection as they scored four goals to seal their victory against Namibia while keeping a clean sheet in the process. There were several notable stand-out performances…

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) says it’s optimising and leveraging existing infrastructure and resources for a more efficient system at the Durban port which will also see truck congestion being reduced. TPT said that one of the initiatives, which forms part of the overall plan to deal with the ongoing vessel backlog at the harbour, was to make use of an existing rail link between back of port facilities to the terminal for the loading of import containers. It said the railing of containers to back-of-port facilities from places like Johannesburg or Mpumalanga and then to the port terminal was a daily occurrence. However, once these trains dropped off their export containers at the port terminals, the trains returned to the back-of-port facilities empty. The Durban Container Terminal Pier 2…

Angie Motshekga is not a credible minister of education. Rather, she is a subservient spin doctor of a corrupt regime who manipulates statistics to reflect false notions of “progress”. Thousands of teachers and pupils who struggle daily in the schools of the poor know the lies that she attempts to validate in her annual roadshow on education, as she chuckles through her agenda. Those of us who work, and have worked, in education in most townships know what school leaders do to “improve“ matric results. To spare themselves the humiliation of “dysfunctionality”, subjects like maths, accounting, life science, business studies and geography are simply taken out of the curriculum and replaced by others that do not equip young people for careers and tertiary education. All one has to do is…

INDEED to goodness. A new-born six-legged dog was found dumped in a supermarket car park in Pembrokeshire, in Wales, according to the BBC. What did the Welsh boys do about this strange arrival? They raised about £15 000 (R365 700) from well-wishers all over the world, that’s what, enabling the black spaniel – they’ve named her Ariel – to have a life-changing operation. She had surgery to remove her extra limbs. Surgeons managed to save all four of her “normal” limbs after fears one might have to be amputated as well. Greenacres Rescue took in Ariel after she was discovered. Mikey Lawlor, of Greenacres, says that in addition to her two surplus back legs she had an additional vulva. Also, she has only one kidney, increasing the complexity. “And,…

North West police are investigating a case of murder after the body of a 10-month-old baby girl was discovered at Botsalano, Morokweng. The little girl had sustained head injuries and bruises. She was discovered on Friday. “Initial reports suggest that the baby’s mother left her in the care of a friend on Thursday, January 18,” North West police spokesperson, Colonel Adéle Myburgh said. Later that evening, at around 8pm, the neighbour’s 11-year-old son apparently went to the house where the 10-month-old baby was in the care of the mother’s friend. The 11-year-old boy indicated that he had been sent by the little girl’s grandmother to fetch her. The boy was then handed the 10-month-old baby and he left with her. “Sadly, the baby was found dead by the friend in…

The results of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) matric exams were released on Friday and those candidates who were not satisfied with their marks can take steps to have their exam papers examined again. Pupils can have their exam papers re-marked or re-checked. The education department explained that a re-mark means that the exam paper will be marked for a second time, and a re-check is to ensure that all the questions were marked and to ensure that the final mark was calculated correctly. According to the education department a re-mark costs R120 while a recheck would cost R29. Applications close on February 2. The department said to get the process started registration can be done at either the school, district office in the province or online at www.eservices.gov.za If…

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan believes the State Enterprises Bill will strengthen the functioning of state-owned entities and improve their efficiencies. Cabinet last December approved the bill and it has been sent to Parliament for processing. The bill calls for the establishment of a state-owned holding company for some of the SOEs. Gordhan said they were implementing a number of measures to fix some of the ailing SOEs. Transnet, Denel and Eskom have in the past few years been mired in serious financial and operational challenges, which had had an impact on the economy. Unions have been warning about job cuts in the mining sector because of challenges in the rail network. The volumes of cargo transported by rail has declined in the past five years because of damage…

A MOTHER was given the green light by the Gauteng High Court, Joburg, to relocate with her daughter to Kenya after the child’s father did everything he could to prevent this – though he does not meet his responsibilities by paying maintenance towards his daughter. From 2009 to 2012 the parties were in a relationship, however they never married. They had a daughter together, who is now 12 years old. The child attends a private school in Joburg and is a top performer at school. The mother told the court that she has been solely responsible for her care. The child lives with the mother, her husband, and her half-sister. The mother said that she has secured an executive position in an international organisation and she will be based in…

They dared not make the direct case against him for fear of antagonising his supporters THE handful of ANC supporters who have not succumbed to the cult of Jacob Zuma that is threatening to destroy the party at the polls cling to one last hope. They are crossing their fingers that the ex-president’s march to his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party’s nomination as its face on the ballot paper will come to a halt following the Electoral Commission’s announcement last Wednesday that Zuma cannot be a public representative or the president of the country after this year’s general elections because of his criminal record. But it is a thin hope. Even if the Constitution bars anyone convicted and sentenced to more than 12 months imprisonment without an option of a fine…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that the US was committed to deeper relations with Africa despite global crises as he opened a trip in the shadow of coups and the rising influence of Russia and China on the continent. Blinken is touring four democracies on the Atlantic Coast – Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola – as security deteriorates in the Sahel and doubts grow about a key US base in coup-hit Niger. President Joe Biden welcomed African leaders in 2022 in a show of newfound US attention to the continent. But Biden failed to live up to a promise to visit last year and Blinken’s trip is his first to sub-Saharan Africa in 10 months as he has been consumed since October with the Israel-Hamas war.…

Dozens of people were buried and eight confirmed killed when a landslide struck a remote and mountainous part of southwestern China yesterday. The pre-dawn landslide buried 18 homes and sparked the evacuation of more than 200 people when it struck in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, state media said. Eight people are confirmed dead and rescuers have extracted four, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV. Two hundred rescue workers have been dispatched as well as dozens of fire engines and other equipment. And as temperatures plunged last night, dozens were still trapped. Rescuers are “using all kinds of tools to search for survivors”, reports said. Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered that rescue forces be organised quickly, the broadcaster reported. CCTV broadcast an image it said showed a firefighter…

Kraków: Elon Musk visited Auschwitz and was due to address anti-Semitism online at an event in Poland yesterday, just weeks after sparking a firestorm by endorsing an anti-Jewish conspiracy theory on his social media platform X. The European Jewish Association (EJA) said Musk laid a wreath and participated in a memorial service during a private visit to the former death camp alongside EJA’s chairperson, Rabbi Menachem Margolin. Musk apologised last year after responding “the actual truth” to a post on X echoing a conspiracy theory among white supremacists which prompted advertisers to pause ads on the platform. The symposium comes before the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, a date that has become Holocaust Memorial Day. | AFP…

Berlin: The co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party says the UK’s Brexit referendum was an example to follow for the EU’s most populous country. “It’s a model for Germany,” Alice Weidel said. The AfD wanted to curb the power of the European Commission. But if the changes sought by the AfD could not be realised, “we could have a referendum on ‘Dexit’ – a German exit from the EU”, she said. The AfD is at 22% in national opinion polls, ahead of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats on 13% and behind only the conservative CDU-CSU. Its electoral test will come at the European Parliament elections in June. | AFP…

SUCH have been Cameroon’s successes at the Africa Cup of Nations that the idea of them exiting the tournament in the first round would be preposterous to many. As the second most successful country – behind Egypt – at the biennial continental showpiece with five titles, the Indomitable Lions almost always go into the finals as one of the favourites. After all, their squad is always teeming with superstars plying their trade in the top leagues in Europe. And it is the same for the current tournament taking place in Ivory Coast. But, as they approach their final Group C match against Gambia tonight, the central African nation do so having to win at all costs, if they are not to head home before the knockout stage. It is a…