Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-12-12 i Mercury

REALITY TV star Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell has died. The 29-year-old – who appeared alongside her mom, Mama June Shannon, and younger sister Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson on Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo – was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January and her mother has now confirmed she passed away on Sunday. Mama June, 44, wrote on Instagram on Sunday alongside a family photo: “With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us. She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11.12 PM. “She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her and we will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today. The news…

Civil society groups have reacted with concern following the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) and Postbank announcing that they will be phasing out cash withdrawals of social grants in post offices from next month, January 2024. Sassa and Postbank said in a statement that the move was part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of cash withdrawal services for all social grants recipients. “Physical Cash Payment Points (CPPs) and cash withdrawal of social grants inside post offices will be phased out. “The phasing-out process will be implemented in a staggered way starting in January 2024. It is planned that by March 31, 2024, all CPPs and Post Office branch grants payments would have stopped.” Evashnee Naidu, the KwaZulu-Natal provincial director of Black Sash, said that Black Sash…

‘LOVE one another’ is among life’s hardest, most fabulous assignments. From the most distant of relationships to the intimate, the capacity to love and receive love will be tested. Love has power. Attraction has power. There is power in the fear of being consumed by another’s love. The power of wanting to belong, of being important to someone, of mattering, can drive a person to things quite irrational. Love is the almost-consistent desire to make space for people. We give people room – to move, to explore. We offer wide margins for error. We allow room even for inevitable wounds and hurts and pains that come sometimes to all relationships. It’s emotional hospitality. It’s inviting people into your world and into your inner-world while knowing not everyone will always behave.…

ColonEl Tom Parker, the charismatic manager of Elvis Presley, boasted a rank that existed only in his imagination. His name was also an unofficial adoption following his arrival in the US as an illegal immigrant. Parker busied himself in the circus industry and had been referred to as “a fairground hustler” before hitting the big time. His reputation bordered on the shady and I doubt he was averse to the occasional dodgy deal. Indeed, his commission of a straight 50% of Presley’s earnings must surely rank as a record in showbiz history. Actor Tom Hanks recently portrayed Parker in a film of that name, and I greatly look forward to watching it. Big, boastful and bombastic. Parker was all of these things and, for no particular reason while mulling over…

As SOUTH Africa readies itself for another bumper festive season and people start winding down for the holidays, airports around the country are bracing for an influx of visitors. On just three days over the festive period, more than 110 000 tourists are expected to pass through OR Tambo, King Shaka International, and Cape Town International airports. While tourism and migration statistics for November are scheduled for release this week, the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is already experiencing its peak season. This started at the end of October and will run until the end of March 2024. The group is now ramping up to ensure smooth operations and a seamless travel experience during the busy December-January time frame, said chief executive Mpumi Mpofu. “We’re ready to face the festive…

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande is establishing a steering committee that will consist of representatives from the tertiary sector in efforts to curb any potential chaotic scenes during registration for the 2024 academic year. The terms of reference of the committee have already been finalised, according to Nzimande. A total of about 1.1 million students are anticipated at universities in 2024, with at least 210 000 being new and first-time entry enrolment. At least 23 universities received 4 446 436 applications. Only nine will allow late applications and walk-ins. “A lot of work has been done to prepare for the start of the year. A meeting with registrars to discuss readiness of universities to start the academic year will be held on January 5. “A further meeting…

THE Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, suggested recently that the manipulation of the rand was part of the private sector’s attempt to collapse the government. This statement came after the Competition Tribunal announced a settlement agreement with Standard Chartered, which admitted liability and agreed to pay an administrative penalty of R42.7 million. There have been calls for tougher consequences against the banking institutions involved in the collusion. Notably, this is not the first time that allegations of collusion by the banks have been raised, as Sekunjalo Investment Holdings (Sekunjalo) also took the banks to the Competition Tribunal over allegations of collusion and abuse of dominance. In its ruling, the tribunal found that the Sekunjalo Group had established prima facie evidence that the banks had engaged in a practice involving…

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has confirmed that an investigation is under way after three people were killed when a woman allegedly spurned a police officer’s advances and a shoot-out between the cop and her relatives ensued. The officer, a woman and a man were killed in the incident in Empangeni in northern KwaZulu-Natal. It is alleged that the police officer was driving his private vehicle when he saw a woman walking along the road in Nseleni township and approached her. Ipid spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said the woman rejected the policeman’s advances. “The police official got angry and allegedly insulted the lady, who insulted him back. The officer allegedly alighted from his vehicle and assaulted the woman. “Her uncle allegedly tried to stab the officer, in the woman’s defence,”…

As we approach the festive season, the decision by Police Minister Bheki Cele to deploy 10 000 more police officers on the streets is a commendable effort in ensuring a safe and secure environment for tourists and locals. The presence of law-enforcement personnel will undoubtedly provide a sense of reassurance and help deter criminal activities, allowing people to enjoy their holidays without fear. This proactive approach to combating crime deserves recognition. However, while we applaud the initiative, it is imperative to emphasise that such measures should not be limited to specific periods of the year. Sustainable security and effective crime prevention require a continuous and consistent effort throughout the year. Policing should be an ongoing and integral part of our society, ensuring that safety and security are upheld as fundamental…

Hungary said yesterday it would not bow to pressure from other EU states to give the green light for accession talks with Ukraine, setting the stage for a showdown at an EU summit this week. Ukraine’s foreign minister said it would be “devastating” for his country and the EU if the December 14-15 summit did not get the go-ahead for membership talks and more financial and military aid for Kyiv to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who boasts about his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has threatened to veto the aid and enlargement talks. Other EU states, including richest member Germany, have said they back starting negotiations with Kyiv on the long process of joining the bloc, but Budapest dug in its heels.…

Tokyo: Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was to fire 15 several top ministers under investigation for alleged fraud, local media said yesterday. Those to be axed include Kishida’s right-hand man Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister of economy, industry and trade, the reports said. All belong to a faction formerly headed by late premier Shinzo Abe – one of at least five major groupings vying for influence and power within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Prosecutors are investigating allegations that the faction failed to report tens of thousands of dollars raised through fundraising parties. Kishida’s poll ratings are at their lowest levels since he took office two years ago, in part because of voter unease over inflation. | AFP…

Geneva: Swiss police were hunting a “dangerous” gunman who killed two people and injured another yesterday in the southern town of Sion. A massive police operation was underway to find the man, 36, behind the mass shooting, a rare event in the wealthy nation. Police said he had fired shots at people in two locations in the picturesque town in the Alpine Wallis region. Regional police said that the man’s motives for carrying out the shootings remained unknown, but that initial information indicated that the shooter knew his victims. Numerous heavily armed police were patrolling the highway into Sion, and were scouring the town for the man. | AFP…

India have travelled all the way to South Africa to knock around a cricket ball - white and red - only for the weather not to play ball. The first T20 International between the Proteas and India was washed out on Sunday in Durban and that has left Rob Walter’s side with just five games to work it all out before next year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Yesterday was no different up on the highveld when the first day of the South Africa A and India A four-day clash was abandoned in Potchefstroom. And if that’s not enough to deal with, Walter and his team will again be keeping a close eye on the clouds above with the forecast not particularly looking good for the second T20I at…

Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs were victorious in the DStv Premiership this weekend, while the aristocrats of South African football drew a blank in a continental fixture. Here, Herman Gibbs looks at five takeaways from Mzansi football over the weekend. On the big three The Amakhosi shaded Polokwane City at Peter Mokaba Stadium thanks to a goal by Pule Mmodi, while the former Marumo Gallants star Ranga Chivaviro was a shadow of his former self. Meanwhile, Deon Hotto of Pirates scored the only goal of the match with a skilfully executed free-kick against Carling Knockout Cup finalists TS Galaxy. Elsewhere, Mamelodi Sundowns dropped vital points after a goalless CAF Champions League draw against the visiting Egyptian side Pyramids. Last week, despite dominating the game, Sundowns lost 1-0 to TP Mazembe…

As people journey through life, it is common for them to reflect on past decisions and actions, often leading to feelings of regret. This phenomenon has intrigued researchers and psychologists for decades, and there is a growing understanding of the science behind why people experience regret as they age. Regret can be defined as a negative emotion associated with a person’s belief that they could have achieved a better outcome if they had chosen differently in the past. It often arises from unmet expectations, perceived mistakes, or the feeling of wasted opportunities. Anyone may experience regret about various facets of their lives, including relationships, career choices, educational pursuits, and personal achievements. One of the key components of regret is memory, particularly the phenomenon of selective recall. This can magnify the…

There are usually two kinds of pregnant women. One hides their baby bump, and the other shows it off. In America, Halle Bailey is trying everything to hide her bump in voluminous dresses, although it’s clear as day that she is with child. Meanwhile, South African YouTuber K Naomi Phakathi is showing off her cute baby bump in stylish outfits. Phakathi, who is expecting her second child with her husband, is forever slaying in dresses that show off her belly. At the recent Nars Cosmetics event and others, she wore a black mini baby doll dress, accentuating her tummy.…

THESE birds are exhausting me. The feathered variety, I mean. I’ve spent much of the day watching this little king o’ sixes (pintail whydah) divebombing other birds feeding on the seed I’ve put out on my lawn and the rest of the time fighting with his reflection in a glass window nearby. The king o’ sixes gets his name from the six wives he has – drab, brown little things. He himself starts out drab and brown but, come the breeding season, he grows a magnificently long black tail. Elsewhere he turns black and white to resemble the fierce Jackie Hangman (or fiscal shrike) and his beak turns red. He means business. He swoops down on other birds feeding and scares them off, even doves which are far bigger than…

Genocide is not uncommon to Europeans, the British and American people. These specific races have mass murdered each other and other races because it is an extension of inherent racism. Let’s explain. When God created Adam, God instructed all creation to bow to Adam in reverence. Only Satan disobeyed. When God asked Satan why he refused, Satan replied that he was a superior creation as God made him from a “smokeless fire” and Adam was created from a lesser-sounding “earthly clay”. Thus, this satanic imagined superiority, in a nutshell, is the origin of discrimination, racism and so on. For example, when Britain and Europe “discovered” America and Africa crushing the indigenous people/ culture/civilisation, etc, who were measured inferior was usual. After everything collapsed, the colonial settler on the dead, maimed…

Police in the North West have heightened visibility and patrols following two incidents where buses transporting foreign tourists were attacked in the province. Colonel Adéle Myburgh, provincial police spokesperson in North West said police were probing incidents were buses ferrying tourists were attacked by robbers. On December 2, eleven tourists were on a tour bus on the R556, in the Mooinooi area, when their bus was allegedly stopped and the tourists robbed of their personal property and cash by four armed suspects, she said. Myburgh said the 11 tourists were six Germans, two Polish, two British, and an American citizen. “Our detectives in the district are working around the clock to identify the suspects,” said Myburgh. “Proactively, the (SAPS) Flying Squad and Highway Patrol members constantly patrol R566 Road and…

The Western Cape High Court has declared alleged Parliament arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe unfit to stand trial. After months of delays and court room shenanigans, Judge Nathan Erasmus ruled that Mafe would be incapable of following court proceedings or instructing his defence team. This follows a special inquiry held last month where Mafe boldly took the stand and slammed the state psychiatrists at Fort England Psychiatric Hospital in Makhanda where he was taken for observation and later diagnosed with schizophrenia. During the inquiry, state psychiatrist, Dr TN Seshoko, told the court that the evaluation took longer than expected as Mafe refused to co-operate. He testified that Mafe had often refused to attend the sessions with psychiatrists and on one occasion he wore nothing but a towel. Seshoko said while at…

They are democratically elected despots of sorts, here to rule ‘forever’ THE recent decision by the president not to release the results of the assessment of his Cabinet should not surprise South Africans. This despite him reintroducing a ministry that has a “responsibility for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to focus greater attention on the performance of government”. After all, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the party he leads are nowhere in line for an award for accountable and transparent governance. They are democratically elected despots of sorts, here to rule until the return of the biblical son of David. As a man of letters, I have watched Ramaphosa and his predecessor pulling laager with their political party and have been moved to bemoan using the words of the great scribe, Alan…

Fighting between Israel and Hamas intensified across Gaza yesterday, fuelling fears flagged by the UN at the weekend of a breakdown in public order and a mass exodus of Palestinians into Egypt. The narrow coastal strip has been under a full Israeli blockade since the start of the conflict more than two months ago and the border with Egypt is the only other way out. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and residents say it is impossible to find refuge in the densely populated enclave, with around 18 000 people already killed and conflict intensifying. Since the breakdown of a week-long ceasefire, Israel launched a ground offensive in the south last week and has since pushed from the east into the heart of the…

The head of the Dubai climate summit yesterday proposed a compromise on historic language on fossil fuels, calling for a major reduction but not an explicit phase-out, in an 11th-hour bid to reach a deal. With hours to go before the official end to the 13-day UN summit, COP28’s Emirati president released a new draft agreement aimed at bringing on board the nearly 200 countries, which include Saudi Arabia and other producers seeking to preserve their economic lifeblood. After an earlier draft listed an option of a “phase-out” of oil, gas and coal, the new text draft focuses on “reducing” their production and consumption to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. COP28’s Emirati president, Sultan al-Jaber, has voiced hope for a historic agreement, even though his role as president of the…

KYIV: Russian forces have unleashed a massive new offensive on the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, part of their campaign to secure control of the eastern Donbas region, the Ukrainian military said yesterday. Avdiivka is a key Ukrainian strongpoint just north-west of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk in the eastern Donbas region. The front lines in eastern Ukraine have barely shifted over the past several weeks, but the fighting has been intense, and there had been 610 artillery shellings reported near Avdiivka in just the last 24 hours. Russia is trying to encircle the small city, which now has only about 1 500 people left out of its pre-war population of 32 000. | Reuters…

CAIRO: The Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary force it has been fighting for eight months have both cast doubt on an announcement by regional mediators that they had committed to a ceasefire and political dialogue. Igad, a grouping of East African nations, has sought along with the US and Saudi Arabia to mediate an end to the conflict which has killed more than 12 000 people, displaced more than 6.5 million. Igad had said army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had agreed to meet for the first time since the outbreak of fighting and a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. | Reuters…

On the evidence of the opening week of the two European competitions involving South Africa’s five teams, the Challenge Cup is very much a poor relation to the Champions Cup but for the Sharks this is a blessing in disguise. I say this because, in the wake of the Sharks’ 45-10 defeat to the Bulls, a frustrated John Plumtree said his team had been proved to be further behind in their journey from embryo to adult than he had envisaged. The Bulls are a team in their fourth year of growth under the experienced Jake White and they mercilessly exposed the Sharks for their immaturity as a team. At the start of the season, Plumtree used the analogy of the coaching staff being parents to a newborn and he asked…

A makeshift Emirates Lions team will return today surely having inspired their teammates left behind in Johannesburg after a determined victory over Perpignan in the French city on Sunday. A handful of players made their debut for the Doornfontein-based team in France, with others also making their first franchise appearance for the team and in the EPCR Challenge Cup. Although the match-day 23 scarcely played together before Sunday, they stuck to their game plan to punish an abject Perpignan 28-12. The Lions controlled possession and territory against the Blood and Gold, taking their chances when they presented themselves to grind out a victory, with flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse slotting over seven penalties and a conversion. It wasn’t a flashy win by any stretch of the imagination but it will certainly…

Super Rugby Pacific bosses are not looking to cut teams as a way of solving the trans-Tasman competition’s challenges, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) chief Mark Robinson said yesterday. A governance review commissioned by NZR and released in August found the 12-team competition was facing “pressing financial issues” and battling waning fan interest. Australian teams’ struggles have also been cited as a turn-off for fans, leading to a surfeit of lopsided results. However, Robinson said Super Rugby’s new board was not looking at shoring up the competition by shrinking it. “We’ve seen in recent times the struggles of clubs in various competitions around the world, and while we have some challenges, we’re not at the stage yet of talking about a reduction of teams,” Robinson said yesterday. The competition expanded to…

Struggling British bootmaker Dr Martens is planning to sell pre-owned and refurbished boots in the US next year to attract shoppers looking to save cash, chief executive Kenny Wilson says. Dr Martens is trying to create new sales opportunities after issuing its fourth profit warning since last November, partly blaming lacklustre US demand. Its stock has lost more than three-quarters of its value since it was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021. The maker of the popular 1460 boots with yellow stitching plans to launch “Rewear” in the first half of 2024 after a successful trial in Britain, its home market, Wilson said after the company's first-half results. Wilson did not specify how much the pricing would differ compared with the £159 (about R3 819) and upwards for…

EZULWENI Investments said that ANC “stalwarts and loyalists” are involved in ongoing discussions to prevent the company from initiating liquidation proceedings over a R150 million debt related to election materials. The company has given the ANC until today to settle the debt or come up with a payment plan. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) upheld a decision of the Gauteng High Court which ruled against the ANC in a dispute with KwaZulu-Natal-based Ezulweni Investments, which had provided the party with banners and campaign materials for the 2019 elections. The SCA ordered that the ANC pay the printing and marketing company over R100m for the production of banners during the 2019 elections with the figure, including interest, now sitting at R150m. The ANC said it would challenge…

The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, yesterday declared President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recognition of AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini as invalid. In the summary of his judgment, Judge Norman Davis stressed that this court matter was not about who should be king of the Zulu nation but whether Ramaphosa had correctly recognised the king in terms of customary laws and customs. Judge Davis found that Ramaphosa had not followed the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Act 3 of 2019 (the Leadership Act). “It is declared that the recognition by the first respondent (Ramaphosa) of the second respondent as Isilo (king) of the Zulu nation as contained in Government Gazette of March 17, 2022 (the recognition decision) was unlawful and invalid and the recognition decision is hereby set aside. “The matter of the recognition of…

AMERICAN female civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hammer teaches us that there are two things we should always care about: “Never forget where we came from and always praise the bridges that carried us over”. In the South African context of the Struggle for liberation, Mavuso Msimang is certainly one of the revered bridges that has not been thanked and praised. Allow me, Ntate Msimang, to thank you for the immeasurable sacrifices you have made. Politics tends to be about who controls power and not about how the political system operates successfully. It is my view that the control of resources and lack of ethical virtue are the reasons the mighty ANC is “on its knees”. Reinhold Niebuhr, in Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics,…

THE eThekwini Municipality (Durban) is the only metro in KwaZulu-Natal and has an ANC majority council. Mxolisi Kaunda, its mayor, and Musa Mbhele, the city manager, are the political and administrative heads of our beleaguered city. They are supported by a host of councillors and a bloated cohort of admin executives, who, of late, have been running the city to the ground. The Integrated Development Plan is the most important document that council must formulate and adopt, incorporating the budget. The provision of effective service delivery is the core function of the municipality. Durban, once the pride and joy of Africa, is a shadow of its past and an embarrassment to its people and associates. Even rudimentary matters like faulty street lighting and robots, potholes, overgrowth and crime and grime…

Police in Limpopo said that they had intercepted a convoy of motor vehicles travelling from Zimbabwe to Polokwane carrying more than 100 undocumented foreign nationals. Limpopo police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said the vehicles were allegedly loaded with 133 undocumented children, women and men and were intercepted by the Limpopo provincial tracking team. “The police operationalised information received and managed to locate 11 motor vehicles travelling along the N1 North bypass gateway, outside Polokwane,” said Mashaba. “The vehicles were tactically approached, stopped and searched and found to be overloaded with 73 underage children between six months and 17 years, including 60 adults,” he said. “The passengers could not provide legal documentation for being in the country. Most of the passengers could not establish where they were going and were suspected…

BAD news for a Northern Cape corrupt traffic official shortly before Christmas is that his earlier R10 000 fine for bribing a speeding motorist who took his wife who was in labour to hospital, now has to pay a fine of R60 000, after the State appealed his lenient sentence. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Northern Cape turned to the Kimberley High Court to appeal the sentence meted out to two traffic officers who solicited a bribe from a speeding motorist. The lower court sentenced them in September 2020. The magistrate ordered them to pay a R10 000 fine and that it could be paid in instalments. One of the officers, Jeremia Lebogang Tosa, has since died therefore the appeal proceeded only against Oscar Ncebe Bongela. On…

THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said it would intensify its campaign to get the youth to vote after research revealed that KwaZulu-Natal was one of the provinces with the highest number of young people who expressed discontent about democracy. The IEC commissioned the Human Sciences Research Council to conduct a study ahead of the 2024 polls to gauge the electorate’s perceptions. The council found that more than 80% of young people were undecided about casting their votes, while others planned to ignore the democratic process altogether. KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, the most populous provinces in the country, show the highest numbers of undecided young voters. The study found that the deepening distrust and discontent towards democracy and political institutions was a major deterrent for the youth. There was high…

IF DEBT, like greed, is good, aka that sociopathic asset-stripper Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street, borrow on. National treasuries and debt management offices, and their bosses, the ministers of finance, are always under political pressure to borrow more from the money markets to fund national Budget shortfalls, partially as a consequence of a lower-than-required tax base and therefore revenues; inefficient tax collection due to capacity, institutional and human capital deficits – all features of the public finance landscape of Low-and-Medium-Income Countries (LMICs). Raising income, corporation and VAT is an option, but are beholden to electoral cycles in democracies and economic downturns such as the global cost-of-living crisis that has clobbered economies, societies and individuals over the past four years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; the supply…

UK leader Rishi Sunak faces the riskiest week of his premiership, with lawmakers gathering to decide whether to back his flagship policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Factions of MPs from across Sunak’s divided Conservatives have convened meetings to consider how to vote when the controversial legislation goes before parliament today. Sunak has put the plan at the heart of his pledge to stop irregular migration, making the issue a key battleground in a general election expected next year. But opposition to the scheme from both right-wingers and centrists is widening schisms in the ruling party, putting Sunak’s year-and-a-bit leadership in jeopardy. The government announced a new bill last week after Supreme Court judges ruled in November that the deportation plan was illegal, as Rwanda was not a safe…

India’s Supreme Court yesterday upheld a 2019 decision by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke special status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and set a deadline of September 30 next year for local polls to be held. India’s only Muslim-majority region, Jammu and Kashmir, has been at the heart of more than 75 years of animosity with Pakistan since the birth of the two nations in 1947 at independence from colonial rule by Britain. The unanimous order by a panel of five judges followed more than a dozen petitions challenging the revocation and a decision to split the region into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and the Buddhist territory of Ladakh. It sets the stage for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which…

Bukavu: At least 15 people have died in landslides in the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, sources said yesterday. The city, the capital of South Kivu province, has been hit by torrential rainfall which has caused landslides that have buried several houses. In the Ndedere district of the city, the area chief Albert Migabo Nyagaza said that “a father, his five children and two grandchildren were buried by the earth and their house destroyed”. He said that the landslide occurred at about midnight Sunday. Bukavu has been hit by a series of landslides and building collapses this year. The overcrowded city on Lake Kivu’s shore was designed for 100 000 residents by Belgian settlers, but today has 2 million people. | AFP…

NAYPYIDAW: Representatives from Myanmar’s ruling military have held talks, facilitated by China, with three armed rebel groups leading an anti-junta offensive. Myanmar’s military is battling armed opponents on several fronts, in the fiercest challenge to its grip on the nation since it seized power from an elected government in a 2021 coup. Rebel groups aligned with a pro-democracy parallel government launched a co-ordinated offensive in late October, taking control of several military posts and towns. It was unclear when or where the meeting took place. Fighting continues across two-thirds of the country, killing over 360 civilians and displacing over 500 000. | Reuters…