Indholdsfortegnelse for 2026-01-05 i Mercury

If you have been living in slick buns, barely-there make-up and neutral everything, consider this your official heads-up. According to Pinterest Predicts, 2026 is shaping up to be the year we finally move on from the clean-girl aesthetic that has ruled our feeds for what feels like forever. In its place comes drama, excess and a very loud return to self-expression. Pinterest Predicts is not about wild guesses. It is built on billions of searches and years of data, and over the past six years, 88 per cent of its predictions have come true. That makes it one of the most reliable crystal balls in fashion and beauty. So if you love knowing what is coming next, this is your sneak peek into a far more expressive 2026. Fashion is…

South African media personality and reality TV star, LaConco (born Nonkanyiso Conco), recently shared advice on Instagram that has sparked conversation. In a selfie posted to her Instagram Stories, she wrote: “I don’t even want the question that says, ‘what’s your skin routine?’ because most of you ngeke nikwazi ukwenza engikwenzayo (You will never be able to do what I do).” She then later outlined her top three steps for achieving clear skin. Firstly, she advised committing to celibacy for at least two years or more. Secondly, she recommended taking cold showers or baths consistently. Thirdly, she suggested training at the gym five times a week, with each session lasting between one hour and one hour and 30-minutes. “I don’t know if you will manage number three, but my list…

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has been made aware of air attacks on the private residence of the president of the Russian Federation on 28 and 29 December 2025. A total number of 91 drones were used to carry out these attacks. These attacks towards Russia occur at the height of the ongoing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine relating to the conflict underway. That no casualties were reported is a positive outcome; however, it stands to reason that these actions may lead to similar military countermeasures in the context of the ongoing Russia Special Military Operation. These attacks undermine the peace process that has been initiated and position the Zelensky government as violators of the peace process, despite public claims to the contrary. To that end, as the SACP,…

The same lies and tactics used to sell the illegal invasion of Iraq are now being deployed against Venezuela. The unprovoked attacks on Venezuela by the fascist Trump administration should not be viewed as an isolated incident but rather as a continuation of longstanding American imperial aggression for resources and control. What is unfolding there represents an unorthodox expression of imperial power. Instead of conventional military invasion, the United States has deployed economic pressure and trade sanctions as tools to engineer political change. These methods inflict real suffering on ordinary citizens. They increase unemployment, accelerate mass migration, and destabilise entire societies. This instability is not accidental; it is deliberately manufactured and crafted by these colonials. For countries that resist the U.S. political or economic demands, Venezuela sends a clear message:…

An eThekwini municipality search and rescue team has joined the Umdoni Local Municipality teams as the search for three drowned bathers continues. The help from eThekwini was confirmed by Umdoni Local Municipality mayor Mbali Cele-Luthuli yesterday. She said eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba reached out to her and offered to assist with his team to help find three people who are still missing. She said in total there were seven people were swept away by a rip current while they swam at Pennington beach on the New Year’s Day, three were found dead while one was rescued. “We are grateful for the support we are getting from our neighbouring municipalities such as eThekwini. I must also indicate that the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality on the lower south coast has also sent…

The United States’ brazen military intervention to depose and capture the democratically-elected President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, is not an act of liberation. It is a criminal violation of the United Nations Charter and a flagrant assault on the sovereignty of a nation. This reckless operation, ordered by President Donald Trump under manufactured charges, shreds the very international order America claims to uphold. The UN Security Council exists precisely to prevent such unilateral, aggressive acts of war by one state against another. By bypassing it entirely, the US has declared itself judge, jury, and executioner, reducing the foundational principles of the post-war world to ashes. This is not diplomacy; it is the law of the jungle. President Trump would do himself a historic favour to look at a history book.…

Less than a year after watching flames raze his home in the Altadena foothills, Ted Koerner has moved into a brand new house, one of the first to rebuild in this Los Angeles suburb. It has been an uphill battle, and Koerner is visibly moved as he brings his dog, Daisy, back home. “We’ve been through a lot this year,” he said. Altadena was hardest hit by the fires that ravaged parts of the sprawling US metropolis in January 2025. Thousands of homes were destroyed and 19 people died in the town – compared to 12 killed in the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood. To rebuild his home, Koerner, a 67-year-old head of a security company, had to front up several hundred thousand dollars as his mortgage lender refused to release…

SYDNEY: England and Australia’s cricket teams honoured at the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney yesterday emergency service personnel and members of the public who responded during a mass shooting at Bondi Beach. The on-field guard of honour ahead of the clash was accompanied by loud applause from the sold-out crowd. The biggest cheer came when hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who ran towards one of the attackers and wrestled the gun from him, walked out. Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event at the beach on December 14, not far from the Sydney Cricket Ground. Fifteen people were killed and dozens wounded in what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack. Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg called it “a devastating tragedy”. “The incredible…

Matheus Cunha saved Manchester United from a rare defeat against fierce rivals Leeds as the Brazilian’s equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw at Elland Road yesterday. Rubem Amorim’s side trailed to Brenden Aaronson’s second half strike before Cunha dragged them level moments later. In a bitter rivalry keenly felt among two feuding fan-bases, Leeds have now gone eight matches without a win over United since an FA Cup triumph at Old Trafford in 2010. United’s failure to take all three points cost them a chance to move into the Premier League’s top four. Amorim’s men sit in fifth place after winning just one of their last five league games. After a disappointing 1-1 draw against lowly Wolves on Tuesday, this was another frustrating result for United. Daniel Farke’s team moved eight…

Parenting in 2025 sometimes felt like standing in quicksand. No matter how hard we pushed forward, technology’s relentless grip on our children pulled us back. As a mother, I’ve watched our family dinners interrupted by the siren call of TikTok notifications, quiet evenings replaced by endless scrolling, and the glow of screens spilling into my kids’ bedrooms at night. And I’m not alone. A recent poll by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found that 83% of parents believe mental health among children and teens is declining, with screen time and social media topping the list of concerns. These findings aren’t just numbers; they’re a reflection of the gnawing guilt, worry and helplessness that so many of us feel. Technology isn’t going anywhere. But as parents, we must ask: how do…

Besides the significance of the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence, there are developments afoot that, in terms of the Overton Window, indicate that 2026 is going to upend certain narratives. Prominent among the issues is the ongoing effort of President Trump to achieve a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Clashing with his efforts are the counter measures of the EU. By its grant of €100 billion to Zelenskiy to continue the war, it is clear the EU does not want peace. Actually, more to the point, the EU is doing its best to promote a conflagration in the region, which will evolve into a world war just as the Balkan crisis of 1914 led to World War One. This is evident by its latest attempt to goad Russia into…

Trade unions in KwaZulu-Natal have rejected the health department’s decision to temporarily halt the placement of pharmacist interns and other health professional interns in 2026, citing budgetary constraints. In a statement, the department led by MEC Nomagugu Simelane said while it is fully committed to training the next generation of health professionals, the available funding from the provincial fiscus is acutely constrained. “As a result, we have only been able to secure placements for medical interns and community service personnel at this time. This difficult decision stems from a simple, unavoidable principle: we cannot spend what we do not have. The exclusion of other categories is a matter of fiscal reality, not a measure of their value or importance to our health system,” the department stated. “We want to assure…

CURRENTLY, a struggle for the identity of the University of Cape Town (UCT) is playing itself out in the Cape High Court. But ostensibly it didn’t start out that way. In June 2024, the UCT Council endorsed two resolutions. Earlier, in April 2024, the UCT Senate, the highest academic body of that institution, had passed the identical resolutions, which the Council then took up. One resolution proscribed contacts between UCT academics and researchers, and the Israel Defence Force (IDF) and the Israeli military generally. The other rejected the definition of antisemitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), and opted instead for the definition of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA). In August 2024, Professor Adam Mendelsohn, head of UCT’s Department of Historical Studies and the Director of the Kaplan…

US President Donald Trump said at the weekend the US will “run” Venezuela after the US military raided the country and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who are being transported to New York. “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida. “We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country,” he said. “We’re there now. We’re going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place,” Trump added, offering no timeline for how…

Bangladesh will request their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League. “We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances,” said Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency Sunday. “The days of slavery are over.” Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were “advised” by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighbouring nations. Nazrul said he had ordered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to write to the International Cricket Council (ICC). “The board should…

GENEVA: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for Israel to end a ban on humanitarian agencies that provided aid in Gaza, saying he was “deeply concerned” at the development. Guterres “calls for this measure to be reversed, stressing that international non-governmental organizations are indispensable to life-saving humanitarian work and that the suspension risks undermining the fragile progress made during the ceasefire,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. “This recent action will further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians,” he added. Israel last Thursday suspended 37 foreign humanitarian organisations from accessing the Gaza Strip after they had refused to share lists of their Palestinian employees with government officials. The ban includes Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has 1 200 staff members in the Palestinian territories – the majority of whom are in…

PROTEAS coach Shukri Conrad believes that the 19-year-old Kwena Maphaka can play an important role in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India following the announcement of South Africa’s 15-player squad on Friday. Maphaka has recently returned from injury, one that kept him sidelined for weeks. However, on Friday, Conrad and Convenor Selector Patrick Moroney announced that the 19-year-old has been included in the squad for the showpiece event. Maphaka’s inclusion meant that Ottneil Baartman, who played in the 2024 T20 World Cup final, and in last month’s T20 series in India, would be excluded from the squad. Conrad believes that Maphaka has the X-factor in T20 cricket. “With regards to Kwena, Kwena is a bit of an X-factor in T20,” Conrad told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.…

In South Africa, the festive season often hides a heartbreaking reality for thousands of domestic animals. While most families are celebrating, local shelters such as the SPCA, Domestic Animal Rescue Group (DARG), TEARS and other animal shelters face a devastating surge in pet abandonment. Every December and January, animal welfare organisations in Durban, Gauteng, Cape Town, and across the country face immense pressure. This surge is caused by everything from the “Christmas puppy” phenomenon to animals fleeing in terror from New Year’s fireworks, pushing these organisations to their breaking point Recently, two dogs were rescued from the Wilgespruit River in Muldersdrift, Cape Town. “We suspect the dogs were thrown into and swept downriver from the Peter Road bridge in Honeydew,” said DA councillor Shan Cochrane. Elmien and Daniel Parker from…

As I embark on my 25th year of writing daily columns for The Mercury, it’s a tradition for columnists to reflect on the past year. Here are some broad principles I’ve found to be true, and I invite readers from Southern Africa and beyond to share their insights with me: Life is simultaneously beautiful and brutal. It is wiser to embrace both as fully as is humanly possible. Attempting to reject life’s inevitable brutality seems to delay deep appreciation and awareness of its beauty. Generosity, kindness and openness to all others are more powerful than any politician or army. My enemies unknowingly serve me, make me think, make me honour my life with greater effort and dedication. Thank you. I owe you. I long to repay you with grace, respect…

The Democratic Alliance demands that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) urgently institute disciplinary action against its Head of Public Diplomacy, Mr Clayson Monyela, and require an immediate public apology following his endorsement, however flippant, of calls for South Africa to revive a nuclear weapons programme. In a public exchange on social media, Monyela responded approvingly to a suggestion that South Africa should pursue nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the United States. This is an extraordinary and deeply irresponsible statement for a senior diplomat tasked with representing South Africa’s official foreign-policy positions to the world. South Africa’s voluntary dismantling of its nuclear weapons programme remains one of the most significant contributions any country has made to global peace and non-proliferation. It is central to our moral authority…

Emergency services paramedics rescued an injured hiker in Karkloof Nature Reserve, near Howick, on Saturday in a gruelling five-hour-long operation. According to Mi7 National Group, its Emergency Medical Services teams, along with the police’s Search and Rescue, launched an operation to rescue a man who had injured his leg while hiking in Karkloof around midday on Saturday. Mi7 National Group said it is believed the man went hiking with his son when he slipped and fell, injuring his leg extensively. “With limited cellular reception, the son tried to drag his father to safety, but the pain became unbearable. Due to the terrain, Mi7 dispatched its specialised rescue vehicle, as well as an ambulance. “They got as close to the patient as the trail could bear. Mi7 and SAPS Search and…

On December 26, 2025, the Middle East Eye published an article on the document issued by Hamas, Israel to allow an impartial investigation into October 7. With all the noise of the Hasbara (public advocacy), for which Israel has increased the budget to $780 million (about R13 billion) to counter negative perceptions about Israel, many of us have forgotten that a formal independent investigation report is still outstanding. It might not be that easy to find the right people for such an investigation. Many intellectual critics of Israel are in their final years. Noam Chomsky, consistently cited as one of the most quoted authors of all time, and author of The Fateful Triangle, is in his nineties. As a linguist, he tears apart micro details that are often…

Violent fighting broke at the weekend between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and pro-Kinshasa forces in several towns around the strategic eastern DR Congo city of Uvira, local sources said. The resource-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which borders Rwanda as well as Burundi, has been beset by 30 years of continual violence. The situation has worsened since 2021 amid the resurgence of the M23. Having seized the two main eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu late last year, the group launched a new offensive in December in South Kivu province and gained control on December 10 of Uvira, a strategic city of several hundred thousand people near Burundi, DRC’s ally. The group also took control of border areas at a time when the DRC and Rwanda were…

LONDON: The British Ministry of Defence said it cooperated with France on Saturday night to strike an underground facility in Syria that had likely been used by the Islamic State group to store weapons. “Royal Air Force aircraft have completed successful strikes against Daesh in a joint operation with France,” the ministry said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “This facility had been occupied by Daesh, most likely to store weapons and explosives. The area around the facility is devoid of any civilian habitation,” the statement added. The ministry said there was no indication the bombing north of the ancient site of Palmyra had posed any risk to civilians. IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 but still maintains a presence, particularly in the country’s vast…