Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-03-13 i Mercury

ACCESS Bank South Africa yesterday announced the appointment of Sandile Shabalala as its new CEO. Access Bank is a leading full-service commercial bank operating through a network of more than 600 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 20 markets, and 63 million customers. The bank employs 28 000 people in its operations in Nigeria and has subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK, with a branch in Dubai (UAE), as well as representative offices in China, Lebanon and India. “Shabalala brings more than three decades of extensive experience in the banking sector, and a proven track record of driving growth and managing risk,” the bank said in a statement. Shabalala joins the bank after serving as chief executive for Business and Commercial Banking at Sasfin Bank, where…

Debt defaults ballooned in quarter four of 2023 as mid-to-high affluence South African consumers with home loans, vehicle loans, personal loans, credit cards and retail loan accounts increasingly struggled to keep up with their repayments, according to the Experian Consumer Default Index (CDIx) released yesterday. The index revealed that rolling default behaviour deteriorated from 3.97 to 4.68 – a relative change of 18%. The CDIx also highlighted that all product-specific CDIx metrics changed for the worse year-on-year, with home loans and credit cards showing the most significant deterioration. This suggested that mid-to-high affluence consumers, who typically qualify for these high-end credit products, were finding it increasingly difficult to repay debt and continued to make extensive use of their credit cards. Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Experian’s head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation,…

THE DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called for an urgent meeting with Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, as poor service delivery within eThekwini reaches crisis levels. This, as the province’s only metro enters its third week of violent strike action with basic municipal services severely affected. The situation is now critical as anarchy reigns. This amid outages of both water and electricity that have lasted ten days or more, with reports of sabotage and vandalism of municipal property. Then there are the threats of intimidation and violence against workers reporting for duty. Refuse has also not been collected, posing a growing and very serious risk in terms of health hazards. It is clear that eThekwini’s ANC-run council is unable to deal with the strike. As in the case of our province’s ongoing water…

India passes an act that makes all Muslim refugees from Bangladesh, the Rohingya from Myanmar, Pakistan and Afghanistan selectively illegal and reduces them to second class citizens. I am not a fan of Afghanistan or Pakistan, just because I happen to be born a Muslim. I don’t have much doubt that non-Muslims in Afghanistan are oppressed and discriminated against. I am ashamed of that. Just as I am upset at religious intolerance anywhere else in the world. The situation is that although religious freedom is entrenched in the Constitution of Pakistan, there is discrimination there, on an informal, unofficial basis. Those countries are politically messed up. Just more co-creations of British colonists, American capitalists, and crazy fanatical religious fundamentalists. Both countries disappointments. However, a country that once stood like a…

The first wife of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu, has lost her Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) bid to be declared the only lawful wife of the late king. The queen turned to the SCA to appeal a Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment that dismissed her application to have 50% of the estate of the Zulu king set aside for her. The aftermath of the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu was marred by litigation between members of the Zulu royal family. This appeal is a sequel to one of the legal disputes. Queen Sibongile had sought a declaratory order stating that she was married to the late king in terms of civil law, in community of property and profit and loss, and that the late king was…

The former mayor of Jozini Municipality has been released on R10 000 bail, in a case involving allegations of fraud and corruption during his tenure. Bethuel Mthethwa appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) said Mthethwa is the third person to be arrested in connection with the R5 million fraud at the Jozini Local Municipality. His two co-accused are former municipal manager, Lonwabo Maka, 57, and 43-year-old businessman Mandlenkosi Matutu. KZN Hawks spokesperson Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongi said it was alleged that Maka had created a youth upliftment programme called the “Joy” project. “A payment of R5 million was made to a company called Njabulo Landman Construction and Mining which is owned by Matutu. “Maka allegedly used…

Being spiteful can sometimes come at a high price, as a man discovered after he had transferred R610 000 to his girlfriend’s account in a bid to hide the money from his estranged wife so that she could not share in it as part of their divorce proceedings. While the husband, only identified as HW, freely admitted to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, that the payment was a “ruse to deprive his wife of that money” in their forthcoming divorce, the now also estranged girlfriend, identified as RS, claimed it is a gift. According to her, he gave her the money to be used for her business. As she refused to pay the money back, both HW and his estranged wife, who had meanwhile got wind of her husband’s…

Inspiring others to see the value of women begins with us as women seeing the value within ourselves. It’s always somewhat amusing when reading about including women in spaces and places in society. It comes across as women not being part of the broader ecosystem, and perhaps being seen as somewhat interfering and invasive, and needing to be handled and slowly introduced into society. The time has come for society to look for a new approach and a new architecture that will ensure gender parity. “Allowing” for women to be included comes across as some sort of favour being bestowed upon women, giving us the “privilege” to participate in our own societies, as if that were not a right. We need to alter society’s DNA and architecture so that the…

A ship carrying 200 tons of aid for Gaza left Cyprus yesterday in a pilot project to open a sea route to deliver supplies to a population that aid agencies say is on the brink of famine. The charity ship Open Arms was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in Cyprus, towing a barge containing flour, rice and protein. The mission was funded mostly by the UAE and organised by US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). The journey to Gaza takes about 15 hours but a heavy tow barge could make the trip take considerably longer, possibly up to two days. Cyprus is just more than 320km north-west of Gaza. The US military said its vessel, the General Frank S Besson, was also en route to provide humanitarian relief to…

Pro-Ukrainian militias yesterday staged a brazen cross-border attack on Russia, hours after Kyiv launched one of its largest drone attacks since the start of the war. Groups of pro-Kyiv volunteer fighters, made up of Russians who oppose the Kremlin, said that they had broken into the Kursk and Belgorod regions, while Moscow said it had foiled multiple Ukrainian attempts to infiltrate the border. “We crossed the border,” the Freedom of Russia Legion, a militia that claims to be made up of Russian citizens fighting on behalf of Ukraine, said in a post on Telegram. It published a video from a drone that claimed to show a vehicle being blown up and fighters on the streets of Tyotkino, on Russia-Ukraine border. Moscow said it had fought off multiple attacks. “All the…

BUCHAREST: Internet personality Andrew Tate was arrested for 24 hours in Romania on a British warrant, his public relations team said yesterday, and the Bucharest Court of Appeals was set to decide on whether to extradite him. Tate and his brother, Tristan, were detained on allegations of sexual aggression dating back to 2012-15, which they “categorically” deny, his PR team said. The warrant was issued by Westminster Magistrate’s Court. Tate, who gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle, was indicted in June last year in Romania with his brother and two Romanian women for trafficking, rape and forming a gang to sexually exploit women. They have denied the charges. | Reuters…

Canberra: More Australians believe the nation should aim to become an independent middle power than primarily an ally of the US, a poll has found. Published by the online Australian edition of The Guardian yesterday, the poll found that 38% of Australians said the country’s role in global affairs should be as an independent middle power. The poll found that 63% of Australians described themselves as concerned about Israel’s military action in Gaza. Sixty-eight percent agreed that global instability made trade more expensive and 57% said it would undermine efforts to solve problems including climate change. | IANS…

Novak Djokovic waited five years to return to Indian Wells but the Serb’s campaign in the California desert came to a close much quicker than anyone expected, after 20-year-old Luca Nardi pulled off a stunning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 upset on Monday. The world No 1 had not competed in the tournament since 2019 due to US travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and saw his hopes of winning a record sixth title dashed by the 123rd ranked lucky loser. “He really didn’t have anything to lose, so he played great. Deserved to win,” Djokovic said. “I was more surprised with my level. My level was really, really bad. “These two things come together. He’s having a great day, I’m having a really bad day.” While Djokovic was uncharacteristically sloppy,…

Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic will know his job is on the line against PSV Eindhoven in today’s last-16 second leg at home. A 1-1 draw in The Netherlands makes the assignment simple: the winner in Dortmund will progress to the last eight. Born and raised on Dortmund’s outskirts, Terzic’s story of the childhood BVB fan whose first head coaching job was at his favourite club is the stuff of fairytales. Winning the German Cup as interim boss in 2021 before getting Dortmund closer to a league title last season than anyone since Jurgen Klopp, losing out on goal difference, had Terzic living an increasingly rare modern football story. But a poor domestic season which has Dortmund out of the German Cup and fighting for a spot in next year’s…

While the eThekwini Municipality yesterday said striking workers were returning to work, frustration over electricity outages that have left parts of the Durban CBD without power for more than a week, boiled over as residents and students took to the streets. Protests over lack of electricity come as residents complained that the municipal workers’ strike has seen the electricity disruptions not being attended to despite calls being made to the City. Roads in the CBD were blocked by burning tyres and debris as residents from the Thokoza Women’s Hostel protested again yesterday after Monday’s protest. University students, led by the EFF, also held demonstrations over the power outages at student residences in the city centre. EFF KwaZulu-Natal chairperson, Mongezi Twala, who was present at the students’ protest, said buildings…

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says they are resolving the water crisis that has affected major cities including Johannesburg, Durban and other parts of the country. The government has set aside R20 billion to be given to municipalities to repair and maintain water infrastructure. Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng has also been deployed to some of the areas experiencing water shortages, he said. Last week he was in Knysna, in the Western Cape, with Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Parks Tau and Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo where they managed to resolve the water challenges, he added. Mashatile said he was also chairing a war room that is attending to water shortages in the country. Nkadimeng was in Durban on…

WHILE education may not ensure a woman’s path out of poverty, a lack of education will likely impede her chances of accessing economic opportunities. Beyond learning through practical experiences, literacy is crucial to accessing new skills. In South Africa, literacy rates are lagging behind those of the rest of the world – with some reports suggesting that 6.8% fewer girls in South Africa can read at levels comparable to their global peers. Reading broadens the mind by introducing readers to situations and contexts they may not encounter daily, nurturing critical reasoning, and creating learning opportunities. Writing complements this by giving individuals a platform to articulate and document their unique viewpoints, strengthening their voice and influence. It is fitting that organisations like the Fundza Literacy Trust understand the power of reading…

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside, I do like to be beside the sea. And there’s lots of girls beside That I like to sit beside, Beside the seaside, Beside the sea. That’s a rollicking song from Old Blighty. But is Britain – or parts of it anyway – crumbling into the sea? According to a survey by the organisation One Home, 21 villages and hamlets in England will lose more than £500 000 000 (about R11.8 billion) worth of residential property to coastal erosion by 2100. And that’s personal, irrecoverable loss – no compensation. A Sky News feature captures the seeming inevitability of the encroachment, cliffs crumbling and eroding dangerously close to human habitation, the process speeded up by the high winds and strong tides…

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO, Collins Letsoalo says they have clamped down on legal costs reducing the amount from R10 billion to R4bn. He said this was due to a number of measures they have implemented. Letsoalo said they have also recovered millions of rand in duplicate payments from lawyers. The Special Investigating Unit was also roped in to probe these cases and it managed to recover R400m in duplicate payments. Letsoalo said they had undertaken a number of initiatives to keep the RAF financially sustainable. However, the RAF model was making it difficult to settle all claims and this has led to a huge backlog, he said. But he said the RAF believed the Road Accident Fund Amendment Bill that is out for public comment will address the…

THE question of whether Human Rights Commission directives should be binding, yesterday served before the Supreme Court of Appeal. This was during an appeal brought by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), in which it argued that its directives need to be legally binding under certain circumstances so it can secure appropriate redress in cases of human rights violations. The main question the court was asked to consider is whether the directives issued by the SAHRC are legally binding. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (Cals) meanwhile intervened in the matter as a friend of the court. This was to present international law on the nature of recommendations by national human rights bodies. It said the matter has important implications for the effectiveness of Chapter Nine institutions.…

A suspect linked to the brutal murder of an off-duty Durban policeman was killed in a gun battle with police on Monday. The 34-year-old police constable from Durban Central SAPS and his 35-year-old colleague from KwaDabeka SAPS had been visiting a home in Clermont in the early hours of Sunday morning when they came under attack. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the police constable, who was the driver, was killed before he was robbed of his firearm, while his colleague, who was also robbed of his firearm, was left unharmed. “The two suspects fled the scene with both policemen’s firearms, as well as a wallet and a cellphone.” Naicker said following an around the clock investigation, police received information that one of the killers was at an informal…

THE proposal to insource staff members employed by contractors into the eThekwini Municipality workforce would cost the municipality close to R4 billion if it was to be fully implemented. The feasibility study looking into the affordability to insource these workers has found that this exercise would be unaffordable. Last year ActionSA councillor Zwakele Mncwango put forward a motion for the City to insource staff, including security personnel and cleaners. This prompted the city management to conduct a feasibility study. The report tabled during a council meeting yesterday found that the current model where the City outsources to complement its limited staff was the best model in light of the cost. The report said a comprehensive investigation was undertaken, focusing on critical elements impacting the scope of operations under the services…

Coming election will be first in which the party will compete without Buthelezi At the launch of the party’s election manifesto in Durban last weekend, news headlines highlighted that the IFP “invokes the memory of Mangosuthu Buthelezi”. However, they mainly focused on T- shirts, berets, vehicle stickers, flags and banners displayed on the stadium tiers. Undoubtedly, the IFP appears to be a party associated with a dead man: it continues to grapple with overcoming the late Buthelezi's dominant genome ingrained in its DNA. The IFP’s message has been unambiguous. In its campaign manifesto, released before the May elections, it pledged to prioritise locals over foreigners as a strategy to tackle unemployment. The IFP only won 3% of the vote in the last national elections in 2019. While removing the ANC…

Haiti’s prime minister agreed to step aside this week as armed gangs plunge his country into anarchy, as he accepted a regional push for a transition that sets the stage for international intervention. Caribbean nations secured Ariel Henry’s resignation at an emergency meeting in Jamaica where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered another $100 million (about R1.87bn) to pave the way for the security force, which will be led by Kenya. Gangs have taken over much of the Western hemisphere’s poorest country and in recent weeks the crisis has grown even more violent, with bodies strewn across the streets, armed bandits looting basic infrastructure and fears rising of a famine. “As I have always said, no sacrifice is too great for our homeland Haiti,” Henry said in a resignation…

A British monitoring agency and maritime security firm Ambrey said yesterday that they had received reports that a vessel had been boarded off Somalia by multiple unauthorised people who were now in control of it. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said the boarding incident happened 600 nautical miles east of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. Ambrey said the incident off Somalia involved 20 armed people boarding a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier. The carrier was sailing to Hamriya, United Arab Emirates, from Maputo, Mozambique, Ambrey said. Maritime security sources said in December that according to their assessment, an attack that month was the first hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2017. Pirates who caused chaos in key waterways from 2008 to 2018 may have returned, the sources said. |…

SYDNEY: New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission said yesterday that it was seizing the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of a Latam Airlines Boeing after an incident that left more than 50 people injured. The airline and passengers aboard the Sydney-Auckland flight this week said the plane with 263 passengers and nine crew members on board dropped abruptly mid-air. Photos taken by a passenger after the incident showed damage sustained to the ceiling of the airplane. The New Zealand accident investigator said Chilean authorities had confirmed they had opened a probe into the flight, and it was assisting with their enquiries. | Reuters…

Conakry: Guinea’s new Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah has suggested that the generals who seized power in a 2021 coup would delay a return to civilian rule until at least 2025. The economic crisis Conakry is battling first requires lowering political and social tensions in the West African capital paralysed by a general strike at the end of last month, the prime minister said. A referendum to change the constitution is expected to be held by the end of the year, said Oury Bah, appointed on February 27, the second day of the strike. The prime minister denied that the regime was seeking to hang on to power. | AFP…

Maritzburg United head coach Simo Dladla has expressed his feelings ahead of meeting Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup later this week, as being “terrible”. The Team of Choice were the unfortunate, lower-tier side drawn against the mighty Brazilians in the round of 16 of the competition and will travel to Tshwane. The two teams will battle at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday in a 6pm kick-off. Maritzburg watched along with the entire country as Sundowns ran through Motsepe Foundation Championship side La Masia in the last round, smashing in an emphatic six-goals on the night. Now plying their trade in the second tier of South African football, Maritzburg will line up against arguably the best team on the continent, with many expecting yet another rampant display by Sundowns.…

THE SOUTH African Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) holds the registration details of companies, co-operatives and intellectual property rights within a vast database that comprises ID numbers, addresses, contact information and more. It has also recently been compromised in a hack that has left millions of companies vulnerable. The CIPC has stated that it is “taking every reasonable step to ensure that all CIPC systems and platforms are safe and protected from unauthorised and unlawful access”. However, there is a lack of visi- bility on what type of information was stolen, which is a very real concern, as some of the data should not be in the public domain, much less in the hands of hackers. The CIPC site does allow for organisations and individuals to verify a company…

The ANC and the MK Party have both called on the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to improve their systems after the electoral body axed an employee for leaking confidential information. The parties’ confidential election candidate lists, including names and identity numbers were leaked hours after submission on Friday. The IEC said it had reported the matter to the Information Regulator. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said following a preliminary investigation into the allegations, the involved employee’s contract of employment had been terminated. “The official had rights to access the system and reports but was not authorised to distribute or circulate the information. The official is from one of the local offices of the commission.” He said the motive for the unauthorised circulation will be pursued as part of…

HAITI is in turmoil. Overrun by warlords and gangs, it has become a living hell. Once the gem of the Caribbean, it is now the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti had a turbulent past occupied by European powers, namely Spain 1492 to 1625, France and the US who occupied it from 1915 to 1934. But it was the French who ruled it for the longest, from 1625 to 1804. During the French rule Haiti, then known as Saint Domingue, became not only the wealthiest colony in the French empire but also the most profitable colony of the Americas, exporting sugar, coffee and indigo to France and Britain. But it was all through the blood, sweat and tears of slave labour from West Africa. The French masters were ruthless…

The ongoing discourse about cadre deployment is misguided, as it has shifted the focus from the main bone of contention – deploying cadres to important public positions they have neither the qualifications nor the experience for, leading to very serious service delivery problems. However, any government expects loyalty from its functionaries – hence the tendency to deploy its own cadres. The problem arises only when the government ignores the importance of putting into important positions knowledgeable people with the necessary training, skills, qualifications and experience to execute their responsibilities effectively. Failure to do that will inevitably lead to a dysfunctional government, with dire consequences such as the Life Esidimeni tragedy, the ongoing load shedding, the collapse of water and sanitation networks, the implosion of SOEs, and the incompetence of law…

Whatever your age, accomplishments or failures, you are probably sitting on several strengths and untapped skills. And — here’s the good news — it is not too late to untap and deploy them. “I’m too old for that!” you may respond. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” may be your adage. Age is an asset. It’s not a hurdle, a foe. The adage may be true for dogs – and I am not sure it is – and you don’t need me to tell you that you are not a dog! I am aware of retired people who write letters as a source of encouragement to people in a variety of contexts where loneliness is only one of the problems the recipients face. I am aware of people…

Residents have kept the search going in Saldanha Bay for missing 6-year-old Joshlin Smith, but there is still no sign of the girl. As police remained tight-lipped about the investigation, Saldanha Bay ward councillor Vernon Vraagom said some believed Joshlin was not far from the Middelpos informal settlement she had disappeared from. “Every day, people come from Cape Town and surrounding areas and we search for Joshlin. “Every day, I wake up and put on my safety boots to go searching,” he said. Vraagom, along with residents, was hosting a silent protest throughout the week in front of the Saldanha Bay police station. “The police aren’t keeping us updated. We feel they should inform us of what happened to Joshlin and what is the way forward. There are two in…

Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and former minister of state security Bongani Bongo are two of the prominent figures in the ANC who do not feature on any of the election candidate lists submitted by the party. The ANC yesterday made public its province-to-province and province-to national lists after the national-to-national list had been leaked hours after the party’s submission on Friday. Gumede, who has pleaded not guilty, is on trial along with 17 others on more than 2 000 charges, including conspiracy to commit corruption, corruption, fraud, money laundering, racketeering, contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and contravention of the Municipal Systems Act. The matter relates to a R320 million Durban Solid Waste contract. The ANC had asked Gumede to step aside in light of the charges…

THE brothers implicated in the murders of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello Motsoane, will not be brought back to South Africa just yet, as the country has yet to file an application for their extradition from Eswatini. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is still expected to file a formal application to have the two brought back to South Africa. The Manzini Magistrate’s Court in Eswatini yesterday heard that no application had been received yet by the Eswatini authorities. The brothers Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande were arrested in Mbabane in Eswatini last month for their alleged involvement in the February 2023 murders. They face charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They were also implicated in the murders of Mntimande Kunene, Nhlanhla Ngcobo and Zamokuhle Mkhwanazi-Ngcobo. At…

The North West High Court has ordered the immediate release of two men sentenced for murder after the magistrate who presided over their trial bungled proceedings. John Khakha and Tshepo Khakha were charged with murder and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment each by the Stilfontein Regional Court. After their sentence, they applied for leave to appeal in the same court. Their applications were turned down so they turned to the high court. In their appeal, they stated that during the trial, the magistrate did not comply with the provisions of Section 93 of the Magistrates’ Court Act. The section states that any judicial officer before evidence is led should appoint an assessor to assist during the trial. But no assessor was appointed. Their legal representative argued that there was nothing…

THEY love meddling in affairs that have nothing to do with them in the DA, don’t they? You will remember in 2017 when the then party leader, Mmusi Maimane, was barred by Zambian officials from entering that country “as he tried to show support for an imprisoned opposition leader who is being held on treason charges”. Maimane had planned to attend the trial of Hakainde Hichilema, leader of Zambia’s United Party for National Development. But on arrival in the capital, Lusaka, Zambian officials prevented him from leaving the aircraft. When he returned home, he played the victim. It is public knowledge that the selfsame DA, whose chances of dethroning the ANC have dwindled with every election, wrote to the US calling for additional resources to assist South Africa in the…

Donald Trump could mathematically lock up the Republican nomination in primary voting yesterday, which included the key swing state of Georgia where he faces racketeering charges over an alleged conspiracy to steal the last election. Trump steamrolled his sole remaining rival, Nikki Haley, in last week’s 15-state “Super Tuesday” voting, moving to within 140 delegates of the total needed to win the nomination to face President Joe Biden in November’s election. Georgia – along with contests the same day in Hawaii, Washington and Mississippi – offer a combined 161 delegates. With Haley quitting the race on Super Tuesday, the former president is unopposed. Georgia was long reliably Republican but has become more competitive and is now seen as crucial to any candidate’s White House ambitions. The state has been roiled…

NEW YORK: A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell was yesterday to ask a US appeals court to overturn the British socialite’s conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan was to hear oral arguments in Maxwell’s appeal. Maxwell, 62, the daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 on five charges for having recruited and groomed four underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in a Manhattan jail, after being arrested and also charged with sex trafficking. Maxwell’s lawyers said prosecutors had scapegoated her because Epstein was dead. | Reuters…

ARGUINEGUIN: Two people died trying to reach Spain’s Canary Islands on a boat with 40 migrants on board, while four others were evacuated by helicopter to hospital, the Spanish maritime rescue service said yesterday. The pirogue, a type of dugout canoe, was sighted on Monday by a merchant vessel which alerted authorities on Gran Canaria. The EU border agency Frontex says the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands is the busiest route for irregular migration from West Africa into the EU. The number of migrants attempting the crossing to the Canary Islands has risen more than six-fold compared with the same period in 2023. | Reuters…