Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-04-10 i Mercury

AT THE TAIL-END of 2023, stakeholders came together in Dubai for the UN Climate Change Conference under the banner of the 28th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP28). The event provided an engagement platform for people from a variety of backgrounds including government, private sector, sustainable financing, academia, civil society and the media. Theoretically, this presented a remarkable opportunity for cross-collaboration, learning and engagement. In practice, there was a deep sense of non-integration or “splitting”. Splitting is a concept used in psychology, which refers to the tendency to view things in a false dichotomy of either “good” or “bad”. Activists held emotive panel discussions – in which the bankers and businesspeople were absent – and vice versa. The narrative on both sides shuts down any opportunity to engage. Financiers…

DR MPHO SAM Nkambule, an electrical engineer from Pretoria, has been named the 2023 Engineer of the Year for his contributions and groundbreaking research in the renewable energy field, having developed novel technology to optimise renewable energy production as part of his doctoral research. He received the distinction at the recent South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) Annual Awards, which recognise the achievements of electrical engineers in the electrical and electronic engineering sectors. Nkambule is a member of Erudite’s engineering team, a prominent engineering, procurement and construction management company with operations across Africa. He was nominated by his friend and colleague, Hercu Smit, head of Erudite’s EC&I department, who himself is a past recipient of the SAIEE’s Young Achievers Award for the best electrical engineer under the age of…

OANDO PLC, the Nigeria-based energy group that is listed on the Nigerian and Johannesburg stock exchanges, yesterday said it had missed the deadline to file its audited financial statements for the year to December 31, 2023. Oando’s shares were suspended on the JSE at the end of last month due to the failure to report financial results. The group said the financial results, which were due by March 30, 2024, were delayed as a result of delays with finalising the Oando Groups’ 2022 audited financial statements. “The 2022 audited financial statements of Oando PLC have now been finalised and approved by the board … and will be sent to the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria immediately for regulatory approval, prior to their release to the market,” Oando said in a…

DURBAN residents indebted to the eThekwini Municipality could soon find themselves at the receiving end of relentless phone calls from debt collectors looking to recover funds on behalf of the municipality. Members of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac) were briefed recently about the City’s plans to appoint debt collectors to pursue debtors. The Mercury has seen a report tabled to the Mpac committee detailing the issue. It provided committee members with a response on what the City is doing to address the concerns raised by the Office of the Auditor-General. The AG audit had raised concerns about material debt impairments and material underspending of the budget up to June 30, 2023. The City is owed close to R29 billion. Residents contribute to the bulk of the debt followed…

SHOULD people be arrested merely because they have a bad odour? The issue has arisen in Britain’s House of Commons, according to Sky News. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says “No” to such a provision in the Criminal Justice Bill which is inching its way through Parliament. People should not be arrested “just if they smell”, she says. Under the bill, it is proposed that police or local authorities will be able to issue nuisance directions to move people on and, if they do not comply, they would face a month in prison. The legislation cites “excessive smells” as a form of “damage” for which someone can be issued with an order. The government has not indicated if it supports changing the bill, but Keegan told Sky News she did not…

AS WE get ready to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, let us solemnly remember the tragedy of Palestine where more than 50 000 civilians were butchered in an orgy of hatred unprecedented in recorded history. Over the past 50 years, it is estimated that about 30 million Muslims lost their lives because of their faith. The rights of Muslims are regarded as expendable and their blood cheap. I wish you all a Happy Eid-ul-Fitr. On this occasion of Eid, may Almighty Allah flood your life with happiness, your heart with love and care, your mind with wisdom and your soul with spiritual blessings. Your prayers and sacrifices will never go unanswered. May peace, safety, good health and prosperity be yours. Allah has bestowed us with a beautiful day. On this day, let…

There are thoughts, behaviours and shifts in habits that are indicators one is brewing. Here are a few precursors but take heed: there’s no affair powerful enough to make it good and right to hurt either your spouse or your children. If you really don’t want your marriage, there are more civilised ways to go about exiting a marriage. An affair is the ultimate insult to your spouse and the person you use, surely unwittingly, as your exit strategy: You are covering your tracks and not truthful about where you are and who you are with. You are spending more and more time with a specific person under the guise of having to complete work or secure a deal. Time with the co-worker or new friend seems to fly by…

The South African Creative Practitioners in Unity (Sacpu) has requested an urgent meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss some of the concerns they have with the Copyright Amendment Bill and the Performers Protection Amendment Bill. For more than 10 years, the country’s creative industry has been up in arms over a proposed Copyright Amendment Bill which the industry said misunderstood the needs of South Africa's creative industries. Last year, late Mbongeni Ngema likened the bills to colonialism when he was speaking against it in Parliament as a representative of the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation. Sacpu said the government continued to fail the sector even though the sector could be an answer to the country’s unemployment crisis. “While the cultural and the creative industries have long been identified…

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has revealed that about R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the expanded public works programmes (EPWP). Zikalala said verifications done with the Department of Public Service and Administration Personnel and Salaries (Persal) management system have identified suspicious transactions on the EPWP-allocated budgets that may have been lost to corruption, undeserving beneficiaries and theft. “An estimated R13.8 million may have been lost to corruption across the EPWP sectors and public bodies. “The R13.8m was lost through payments done to undeserving beneficiaries or participants benefiting from budgets allocated to the EPWP. “These participants are assumed to be undeserving participants as they appear as permanent government officials on the Persal system. Therefore the amount referenced … can be regarded as money lost through…

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has ruled out the possibility of the national government taking over the municipal water function amid challenges experienced in the local government sphere. Instead, Mchunu said he would consider introducing reforms to ensure municipal water services become professionally run and financially sustainable. He made the statement in reply to a question by EFF MP Rebecca Mohlala about interventions his department has effected in tackling the systemic failures in water and sanitation services as well as developing efficient, financially viable water provision institutions. Mchunu said the Blue, Green and No Drop reports the Department of Water and Sanitation issued in December 2023 showed municipal water and wastewater services have generally declined sharply over the past 10 years. This was in terms of indicators such as…

ON APRIL 27 three decades ago, Nelson Mandela was among the 19 726 579 South Africans who voted for the first time. Mandela cast his first two ballots at Ohlange High School in Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal. The school was strategically chosen because it was started by John Langalibalele Dube. After voting, Mandela stood at the grave of the ANC founding president and said, “Mr President, I have come to report to you that South Africa is free today”. Mandela was elected State president, with ANC garnering 12 237 655, votes, or 62.65% of the vote, which translated to 252 parliamentary seats. The “miracle country” continued to blossom in 1999 when Thabo Mbeki succeeded Mandela. However, before completing his second term, Mbeki was forced to resign after a judge ruled there had…

Russia and Kazakhstan yesterday ordered more than 100 000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled mighty rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years. The deluge of melt water overwhelmed scores of settlements in the Ural Mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan close to rivers such as the Ural and Tobol, which local officials said had risen by metres in a matter of hours to the highest levels ever recorded. The Ural River, Europe’s third largest which flows through Russia and Kazakhstan into the Caspian, burst through an embankment dam on Friday, flooding the city of Orsk just south of the Ural Mountains. Downstream, water levels in Orenburg, a city of around 550 000, were rising. Sirens in Kurgan, a…

Seoul: South Korea will invest almost $7 billion (R129bn) in artificial intelligence by 2027 to become a global leader in cutting-edge semiconductors, President Yoon Suk Yeol told a meeting of officials and tech sector executives yesterday. The country is home to Samsung and SK Hynix – the world’s top two makers of memory chips, including the premium high-bandwidth memory used in the hardware that powers AI. The semiconductor industry is a crucial pillar of South Korea’s export-driven economy, and is the lifeblood of the global economy, used in everything from kitchen appliances and cellphones to cars and weapons. | AFP…

NAIROBI: At least 38 migrants, including children, have died in a shipwreck off the Djibouti coast, the UN migration agency said yesterday. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said at least six other people were missing and presumed dead, and 22 survivors were being assisted by authorities. The shipwreck happened about 200m off Djibouti. The boat with migrants had left Yemen on Monday. It sank about two hours later with around 66 people on board, mainly from the Horn of Africa. They were believed to be mostly Ethiopian nationals. Every year tens of thousands of migrants leave Ethiopia and Somalia trying to reach the Gulf nations. | Reuters…

THE IMPACT of the El Niño-induced drought on farming conditions is vast, and some provinces’ patches of better crop conditions and grazing veld conditions have also deteriorated in some regions. This is according to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza who met organised agriculture leaders, provincial MECs for Agriculture, agribusinesses and the Banking Association of SA to assess the extent of the crop damage from the El Niño-induced drought and farming conditions. Yesterday, the department said the meeting resolved that organised agriculture groups and provincial government will continuously monitor the impact of the drought on the country’s various regions and consistently communicate with the national department. It also said that it would engage financial services organisations to assess their preparedness to assist the most affected…

HOME Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has blamed visa backlogs on the growth in the number of notarial contracts being instituted by foreign nationals using non-existent spouses. Motsoaledi was speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, yesterday on the amended immigration regulations, over which he said there seemed to be some misunderstanding. He said as a result of the confusion, the department would be withdrawing the gazetted amendments to clear up the misconceptions and would re-gazette them as early as next week. The minister admitted that his department was experiencing a backlog surrounding dependants, spouses and relatives’ visas being sought by foreign nationals who had been approved to come into the country after successfully obtaining employment. He said in most cases while the approvals were easily obtained, they did…

The ANC is made up of a cunning lot as they target another win from the upcoming elections. Skilful planning leading up to the elections has focused on two key areas: crime and electricity. The ANC has upped its actions against some criminal elements by dispatching the miscreants into oblivion, sending a clear message to the sheep who support it that it is in control. For the past 13 days, no load shedding. This will, no doubt, continue up to May 29 when the millions of sheep will make their way to the polling stations. Like them or not, the ANC inner core is resolute in retaining control, by any means possible, so they will embark on visible actions that will endear them to the gullible masses who have…

Three expressions come to mind in exposing the ANC government’s confused foreign policy. While Naledi Pandor was in Washington recently trying to repair the increasingly fraught state of relations between South Africa and the Biden Administration, the ANC’s chief spokesman in the Western Cape , decked out in a Palestinian scarf, was in full cry vocally cursing the United States. The adage that this situation within the ANC calls to mind is that of speaking with a forked tongue. What message is the ANC conveying when on the ground it is totally pro- Palestinian while simultaneously Naledi Pandor proclaims that the SA government does not take sides in this international conflict? The second expression that comes to mind is how Texan cattle ranchers describe those who talk big…

It struck this morning why the government is good at certain tasks and terrible at others. Take, for example, stopping the amount of purified water that is leaking from pipes. The Daily Maverick calculates that at “national level, the government’s most recent water balance sheet puts non-revenue water losses at 47.4%, with pipe leaks calculated at 40.8%”. If the government know precisely how much is going down the drain unused and unpaid for, how hard would it be to install a few washers, replace the damaged pipes and repair the valves that are causing the leaks? Could it be that the ANC leadership hasn’t yet identified enough crooked plumbers willing to share their government contracts with the right government officials to get the work done? Shouldn’t South Africans be smart…

Traditional midwives are still practising and their work needs to be promoted and protected. This was the sentiment expressed by law professor and University of Pretoria (UP) vice-principal: academic, Loretta Feris, based on her project Vroedvrou, a documentary which was recently launched in Springbok in the Northern Cape. Directed by Professor Siona O’Connell, a professor in African studies and a member of UP’s School of the Arts, alongside Feris, who hails from the Northern Cape, the film aims to highlight the knowledge and wisdom of traditional midwives, who are still practising, in an effort to protect and preserve their expertise. A “vroedvrou” or traditional midwife plays a supportive and active role in the management of pregnancy, from start to finish, including the antenatal and postnatal care of the mother and…

The City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management revealed that nearly 3 000 structures were damaged in recent storms in the province. The Western Cape has been hit with gale-force winds, torrential rains and thunderstorms. At the weekend, the South African Weather Service issued a level 9 weather warning. The City’s Disaster Risk Management spokesperson, Charlotte Powell said: “At least 28 incidents have been listed in areas where structural damage occurred due to the wind, including Delft, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Blue Downs, Somerset West, Northpine, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Monwabisi and commercial properties in Strand. “At this stage, the number of structures affected – subject to more detailed assessment – is 2 779. Reports of flooding were received in Gaba Village (Leonsdale/Epping area), 12 structures in Empolweni, Khayelitsha, and approximately 400…

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) says it is investigating the activities of KwaZulu-Natal company, Piggy Farm Trading, including a complaint that it may be running an alleged multiplication scheme. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) describes a multiplication scheme as one that promises or guarantees participants an effective annual interest rate, that at least 20% above the repo rate. The NCC said that on the company’s website Piggy Farm Trading provides potential buyers with two options, buying from the farm and virtual buying and owning. “The second option is processed through what is called digital Metaverse Farming. The entity claims that this option is ‘risk-free’, as they farm on behalf of the participants and it includes feeding, insurance for the pigs, vaccination, and regular cleaning of the pigs.” The NCC said…

Ruling party should not gatekeep symbols of a shared struggle Following the formation of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) by the ANC’s erstwhile president, Jacob Zuma, the former liberation movement has taken the new political party to court. The ANC asserts its steadfast commitment to defending the legacy and intellectual property rights of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) amid litigation at the Electoral Court. At face value, the ANC’s assertions make a lot of sense, but there could be more to it than meets the eye. South Africa operates according to rules and aims to protect intellectual property rights and identity. Central to the framework is the protection of intellectual property rights and identity, which are regarded as essential components of fostering creativity, innovation and cultural preservation. Therefore, the ANC’s perspective…

Hamas said yesterday that an Israeli proposal on a ceasefire in their war in Gaza met none of the demands of Palestinian militant factions, but it would study the offer further and deliver its response to mediators. The proposal was handed to the Palestinian Islamist movement by Egyptian and Qatari mediators at talks in Cairo that aim to find a way out of the devastating war in the Gaza Strip, now in its seventh month. Residents said Israeli forces kept up airstrikes on Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza and Rafah on the enclave’s southern edge yesterday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly flagged plans for a ground assault on Rafah, where more than one million displaced civilians are holed up, despite international pleas for restraint. The talks in Cairo,…

At least three drones struck Sudanese army targets yesterday in the eastern state of Gedaref, which had previously been largely spared the country’s devastating war, military and security sources said. For almost a year, Sudan has been gripped by fighting between the regular army, which is backed by the government and state security apparatus, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. One drone “struck state security and intelligence headquarters, but did not cause significant damage,” a security source said from Gedaref, more than 400km east of Khartoum. In Al-Faw, 150km to the west, a military source said “a drone had bombed” an army division. Al-Faw is 25km east of the front line between the army and the paramilitaries. Eastern Sudan had until now been considered a safe haven for millions of…

LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are looking forward to the first flights under Britain’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda departing in the spring, Sunak’s office said yesterday, after the two met. Sunak wants to relocate thousands of illegal asylum seekers who arrive in Britain on small boats each year to Rwanda, but legal challenges have prevented this. Britain’s government first needs to pass new legislation which Sunak hopes will pave the way for this. Legislation that seeks to block further court challenges to the plan will next be debated in parliament on April 15. | Reuters…

Geneva: More than 3 500 people die from hepatitis viruses every day and the global toll is rising, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday, calling for swift action to fight the second-largest infectious killer. New data from 187 countries showed viral hepatitis deaths rose to 1.3 million in 2022 from 1.1 million in 2019, said a WHO report released ahead of the World Hepatitis Summit in Portugal this week. It said there are 3 500 deaths per day worldwide from hepatitis infections – 83% from hepatitis B, 17% from hepatitis C. Cheap generic drugs can treat these viruses. Yet only 3% of chronic hep B patients had antiviral treatment by 2022, and 20% with hep C. | AFP…

THE Cricket SA T20 Challenge is left with little over two weeks of round robin fixtures before the semi-finals get under way at the end of the month, but the play-offs have already taken firm shape. The Warriors have been the dominant force in the competition so far as they sit comfortably at the top of the standings with eight victories in nine matches. The Lions, Dolphins and Western Province occupy the rest of the top four spots that guarantee a place in the semi-finals. However, the Titans are still in with a chance to make the knockout stages as they sit fifth in the standings with five more rounds of fixtures remaining in the group stage. Not many would have guessed that the Titans, who are also the defending…

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has attributed 13 consecutive days of no load shedding to Eskom’s ramped-up planned maintenance. Ramokgopa was speaking at a media briefing on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan yesterday. “We must not lose sight of the fact that ending load shedding is a process and we should look at the trend line since May 2023,” Ramokgopa said. He said that three units that would add 2 400 megawatts (MW) to the grid were due to come online within the next five months. “We ramped-up planned maintenance to the 9 000MW level during December and January and we are reaping the benefits of that currently, but we must not forget that we will have occasional setbacks,” he said. “What we need to focus on is the…

Former president Jacob Zuma has been cleared to appear on the list of candidates for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party), the Electoral Court has ruled. In its order handed down yesterday, the court upheld an appeal lodged by the MK Party against the decision of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) to remove Zuma from its list of candidates due to him being convicted of contempt of court and sentenced to a 15-month jail term by the Constitutional Court. The court yesterday said the decision of the IEC in terms of which it upheld an objection to Zuma appearing on MK Party’s list “is set aside and substituted with the following: ‘The objection is hereby dismissed’.” The court made no order as to costs. Its full reasons for…

Attempting to vilify Khaya Magaxa over SAA, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) spokesperson Ellis Mnyandu should observe borders and the protocol of addressing the elected officials in public. Either Mnyandu is a hired gun who knows no boundaries or a whippersnapper in a relentless campaign to vilify public enterprises portfolio committee chairperson Magaxa. Mnyandu has the temerity to unleash a diatribe that “Magaxa has turned a legitimate oversight exercise into a kangaroo court at which the DPE and its staff have been slandered, denigrated and pilloried for the sake of politicking”. That’s an insult to the intelligence of committee members. A word of advice to Mnyandu: any time you defend mediocrity of others without discretion, you stoop to their mediocrity. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has not been frank about…

It is good that the prosecution’s case against politician Visvin Reddy for the incitement of violence is going ahead. One only wishes that we could see more such prosecutions of people who use volatile and inciting language. We have an MP who uses similar language and incendiary speeches during parliamentary sittings as part of his election campaign. The MP said there would be blood in the streets of the Western Cape. At this point, I don’t think he has been prosecuted but, hopefully, people will come forward and lay charges as soon as possible. The MP has the temerity to ask people to vote for him on the strength of his horrific threats. This is how low some people will stoop to try to get into Parliament.…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has remained mum over delays in payouts of student allowances at some institutions after the direct payment mandate has returned to the four controversial fin-tech service providers. Universities had temporarily taken over the responsibility of facilitating the payment of allowances for February and March. According to the entity, this was due to challenges experienced at the beginning of the academic year which led to delays in receiving registration data from the institutions. As of April 1, fin-tech companies eZaga Holdings, Tenet Technology, Noracco Corporation and Coinvest Africa resumed administration services as they are still contracted with NSFAS. Last month, the entity had explained that there was a legal process of terminating the contracts and it was also still looking for a long-term solution…

A 37-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who believed his aunt’s success was due to her practising witchcraft and bewitching her relatives, has been handed a life sentence for her murder. In November 2021, Siyabonga Shelembe enlisted the services of Thandolwethu Sibisi, Sphelele Cele and Thobani Mkhize, to kill his aunt, Tholakele Shelembe. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the co-accused in the matter travelled from uMlazi in Durban to the Ugu district on the KZN South Coast where Shelembe informed them of his plan. “He further told them that they should take both of her motor vehicles, as their payment. “Later that day, Sibisi, Cele and Mkhize went to Tholakele’s homestead. There they hit her with a knobkerrie given to them by Shelembe, and Mkhize strangled her to death,” said NPA spokesperson…

Siyabonga and Malusi Ndimande, the two men allegedly linked to the February 2023 murders of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane, intend to oppose their extradition to South Africa. The brothers appeared in the Manzini Magistrate’s Court in the eSwatini Kingdom yesterday. The case was postponed to May 14. According to their lawyer, Sivesonkhe Ngwenya, the men are unhappy with the application for their extradition that was filed by the SA authorities. Ngwenya said a notice has already been filed to oppose the extradition application. The defence was unable to file its opposing affidavits because after initially reading through the application, they sent a request for further particulars in order to plead properly on what is specifically requested, Ngwenya said. Magistrate David Khumalo postponed the matter to next month…

KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka appealed to residents to continue to assist police with information after intelligence-driven operations during March resulted in the arrest of more than 9 500 suspects. “The eradication of crime remains one of the provincial government’s apex priorities. The adoption and implementation of an integrated approach to crime fighting is yielding positive results,” said the department in a statement yesterday. Hlomuka commended the work of law enforcement officers to protect the people of the province from criminal elements. “We also appeal to community members to continue to assist police with intelligence information. Government and police cannot win the war against crime without the active involvement of our communities.” The MEC said efforts to eradicate the use of illicit drugs in KZN communities…

In the quest for socio-economic progress and sustainable growth, Africa stands at a critical juncture. Despite its abundant natural resources and vibrant cultures, the continent grapples with multifaceted challenges such as poverty, inequality, disease and environmental degradation. To address the pressing issues and unlock its full potential, Africa must prioritise innovation and development across various sectors, including health care, agriculture, energy, infrastructure and governance. In this article, I delve into the importance and value of postgraduate studies in Africa, highlighting the pivotal role of higher education institutions in nurturing the next generation of leaders and innovators. Postgraduate studies play a crucial role in driving innovation and development in Africa. By providing advanced education and research opportunities, postgraduate programmes empower students to deepen their knowledge, hone their skills and tackle complex…

Europe’s top rights court yesterday said Switzerland was not doing enough to tackle climate change in a historic decision that could force governments to adopt more ambitious climate policies. The European Court of Human Rights, part of the 46-member Council of Europe, however threw out two other cases against European states on procedural grounds. Hopes had been high for a legal turning point ahead of the rulings in the three cases, treated as a priority by the 17 judges of the court’s Grand Chamber. In the first case, the court found that the Swiss state had violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the “right to respect for private and family life”, according to the ruling. The Swiss association of Elders for Climate Protection –…

Simon Harris became Ireland’s youngest prime minister yesterday, pledging to bring new ideas and energy in the less than 12 months he has to boost the coalition government’s bid to halt a potential first electoral victory by the left-wing Sinn Fein. The 37-year-old former health and higher education minister, best known for helping steer the initial response to Covid-19, was elected unopposed as leader of Fine Gael last month, all but assuring he would succeed Leo Varadkar as the 16th person to lead the country following his predecessor’s shock exit. Harris will face the same problems, most notably a shortage of affordable housing and unease at the numbers of asylum seekers, that led to Fine Gael’s stagnation under Varadkar, and inherits a coalition agreement that leaves little room for new…

Kharkiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy inspected defensive fortifications in the north-eastern Kharkiv region yesterday and issued his latest call for military aid as Russia intensified its aerial attacks on the area. Russia fired a guided bomb at the city of Kharkiv just as Zelenskiy announced his visit. It injured at least three people, the mayor said. Ukraine is struggling to protect its cities from incoming Russian missiles, drones and bombs amid shortages of crucial ammunition and air defence systems. A $60 billion (about R1 trillion) aid package has been held up in the US Congress since last year amid domestic political wrangling. | AFP…

London: UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Donald Trump this week, British officials said, ahead of talks with senior members of US President Joe Biden’s administration on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Cameron sat down with the former US president and Republican challenger to Biden in November’s election. Britain’s Foreign Office said Cameron would push, in his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for a “transparent investigation” into Israeli air strikes that killed seven aid workers in Gaza last week. Talks between Cameron and Blinken will also focus on a ceasefire and the delivery of aid in Gaza. | Reuters…

Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund do battle tonight with both teams conscious the tie offers their best chance of reaching the Champions League semi-finals in years. The duo are the underdog sides remaining in this season’s quarter-finals, with the other six teams either among the elite, spending as if they were or boasting trophy-laden European histories. Atletico, who suffered a humiliating group stage exit last season, are fighting desperately to finish in the top four in La Liga, under pressure from Athletic Bilbao for the final Champions League qualifying spot. Dortmund are languishing in fifth in the Bundesliga, although they did manage to escape a tricky group featuring Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United. Spanish champions in 2014 and 2021, Atletico will consider themselves the stronger of the two…