Table of contents for 2021-11-10 in Mercury

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za PROFESSOR Raymond Parsons NWU Business School Economist: “We must not underestimate the extent to which the current Eskom load shedding now poses an increasing risk to South Africa’s (SA) economic recovery, to growth prospects and to job creation. The ongoing lack of energy security and predictability in SA is causing widespread disruption to business, especially small business. Business costs are rising as power ‘blackouts’ go to the next level in this country.” It now also puts a serious question mark over the key growth forecasts that must form part of the forthcoming Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement due this week. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana needs to have confidence that his best forecasts of future economic growth in SA will not be weakened by uncertain extensive load shedding. There…

Jamal Grootboom jamald.grootboom@inl.co.za Mzansi has been up in arms after it was confirmed that Miss SA Lalela Mswane would be taking part in Miss Universe in Israel next month. There have been calls for South Africa not to participate due to the current political climate. Inkosi Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson, joined the call for South Africans to boycott the Miss Universe pageant. Mandla Mandela congratulated Lalela on her crowning. However, after learning the location of the Miss Universe event, he called on her and all former Miss South Africa winners to boycott the event in protest at the “occupation and the cruel treatment of Palestinians at the hands of the apartheid Israel regime”. “There is nothing beautiful about occupation, brutality and institutionalised discrimination against the Palestinian…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za AS THE country grapples with Stage 4 load shedding, experts on crime have warned that the power cuts give criminals an advantage. On Monday night, a family of three on a farm in Estcourt was held at gunpoint, handcuffed and assaulted by two suspects during load shedding. It is alleged that the suspects robbed the family of valuables including jewellery and guns. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele confirmed the incident. “It is alleged by the complainant that on November 8 at 8.20pm she heard the dogs barking outside her residence. Upon investigating she was accosted by two unknown suspects at gunpoint, who robbed her of various items before fleeing on foot.” Mbele added that a case had been opened at Estcourt police station. “A case of house…

People can breathe in up to 7 000 microplastic particles every day from clothes, toys and furnishings, according to a study. The total is 100 times higher than expected – posing a potential health threat that could rank alongside asbestos or tobacco, the Daily Mail reported. Bedding, carpet and soft toys made from synthetic materials, as well as polyester and nylon could be major contributors, the study found. Professor Anoop Chauhan, a respiratory specialist with Portsmouth Hospitals Trust said: “Having these particles in your body can cause stress and changes in metabolism, it can affect immunity, the ability to fight infections, it can affect your reproductive capacity and potentially it could be carcinogenic – causing cancer.” | IANS…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West THE Mercury’s editorial “Poor election turn-out sends a clear signal” (November 8) was right on the button. I said in my previous posts that it would probably turn out into a nota (none of the above) outcome. Here’s a rider to that. The ANC was being primed for failure at the #LGE2021 level as a test for the bigger prize, namely to dislodge it as a ruling party in the national and provincial level. People were fed up with the scope and depth of corruption perpetrated with impunity by members of the ANC. Going forward, it all depends on the ANC’s conduct during the coalition era. If it engages in an adversarial manner, putting party policies above the immediate needs, such as…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof Once Old Trafford was Man United’s invincible fortress. Teams feared going there. Rarely did the big teams come back with a win at Old Trafford. The smaller teams never stood a chance and were always thrashed. But now, it’s all over for Man United. Their fans can only reminisce about those glory days under the fiery Scottish manager Alex Ferguson when Man United had that never-say-die spirit. Now their up-and-down form has become a familiar pattern. One week they are up and the next week they are down and out in the dumps. Three weeks ago, their arch-enemy Liverpool embarrassed them at Old Trafford when they gave them the hiding of their lifetime. Then a couple of days later, they drew with Atalanta in…

Mashudu Sadike mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za The Fix The Patent Laws Campaign wants government to reform intellectual property laws, to enable improved access to lifesaving medicines for Covid-19 and other life-threatening diseases. The group organised a protest in Pretoria yesterday in which health activists marched to the office of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) over shortages of patented medicines. Section27, the non-profit organisation, is partnering with the campaign to highlight the shortages of the lifesaving medicines. Section27’s Julia Chaskalson said: “The time to act is now, because thousands of people are dying and suffering because they can’t access patented medicines. “Patents have acted as a barrier to equitable and affordable access to medicines for HIV, tuberculosis, mental health, diabetes and cancer.” In a statement, the campaign said: “A full course…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court (ConCourt) heard on Monday that Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane did not require full legal representation in an inquiry into her fitness to hold office. This was the argument advanced by the advocate acting for National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in the urgent and direct appeal before the ConCourt. Mapisa-Nqakula is appealing a Western Cape High Court judgment. In the high court, Mkhwebane had challenged the rules adopted by the National Assembly for the removal of office-bearers of Chapter Nine institutions arguing that it was unconstitutional, unlawful, invalid, null and void. The high court found in Mkhwebane’s favour and ruled that the National Assembly’s rule which empowered the Speaker to appoint a judge to an independent panel to assess charges of incompetence, incapacity and misconduct,…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has suspended all diving operations within the Port of Durban and is prohibiting all angling activity. It said this decision had been taken upon instruction from the Office of the Harbour Master: Port of Durban. The ban was implemented on Saturday and will remain in place until repairs at the eThekwini Municipality’s Mahatma Gandhi sewer pump station are completed. “The breakdown of pumps at the municipal facility has led to the extensive discharge of sewage into the harbour, posing a severe risk to diving personnel and marine life. The matter has also been escalated to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries,” TNPA said. It added that its environmental department was engaging with the municipality and was appealing to port users for…

Edwin Lombard edwin.lombard@inl.co.za THE multi-award-winning Muslim feature film Barakat has been selected as South Africa’s official submission for the 94th annual Academy Awards. Released in local cinemas in May, Barakat was directed by Amy Jephta and produced by Ephraim Gordon. This selection makes Jephta the fourth female director to have work submitted to the Oscars by South Africa, and the first woman of colour. Barakat, an Arabic word meaning blessings, is a story about celebrating life, culture and the importance of family – with whom one can overcome anything in life. “This selection was totally unexpected, but it shows that everyone’s hard work on this project has paid off,” said Gordon. “This film was a blessing from the beginning, and continues to be. It is our barakat.” The film tells…

AS the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has never been wooed and flattered as much as in the months leading up to COP26 in Glasgow. As dapper as he is, the likes of John Kerry, Angela Merkel, Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen want one thing above all else from Ramaphosa. They want to wean South Africa off coal, which accounts for 80% of South Africa’s energy mix, as part of COP26’s ambition towards “consigning coal power to history”. Of all the fossil fuels, coal is a bigger source of carbon emissions than oil and gas – 14.7Gt of CO² compared with 11.5Gt for oil and 7.7Gt for gas, according to the Global Carbon Budget 2021. But coal is a resilient adversary and like all commodities subject to…

SOKOLKA (Poland): Hundreds of migrants yesterday shivered in freezing temperatures and huddled round campfires on the Belarusian border with Poland in front of razor wire fences and lines of Polish border guards blocking their entry into the European Union. Polish authorities were bracing for further clashes after some migrants used logs, spades and other implements on Monday to try to break down a border fence, escalating a months-long crisis that has prompted calls for tighter sanctions on Minsk. Poland and other EU member states accuse Belarus of encouraging illegal migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa to cross the border into the EU in revenge for sanctions already slapped on Minsk over human rights abuses. “The Belarusian regime is attacking the Polish border, the EU, in an unparalleled manner,”…

HOUSTON: Drake’s “heart is broken” following the Astroworld tragedy. The Take Care rapper performed alongside Travis Scott at his festival in Houston, Texas, on Friday night, which saw eight people lose their lives and many more left injured amid a crowd surge. Drake has sent his condolences to the victims and their families and offered to “be of service in any way I can”. Drake said: “I’ve spent the past few days trying to wrap my mind around this devastating tragedy. “My heart is broken for the families of those who lost their lives and for all who are suffering.”…

Malawi President Lazarus Chak-wera has officially launched a 10-year Implementation Plan for the Malawi 2063 Agenda with a call to every Malawian to take part in the implementation of the plan for a better Malawi. In his keynote address during the launch in the capital, Lilongwe, the Malawi leader described the event as the country’s way of heeding the wisdom of the Chinese proverb that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Chakwera further described the Malawi 2063 Agenda as “a photograph of the new Malawi” the country is building and said that Malawians should all hold hands to deal with all stumbling obstacles that stand in the way. “As a nation, we need to agree on what needs to be done in the first 10…

WELLINGTON: New Zealand beefed up security measures at its parliament yesterday as thousands of people gathered to protest against Covid-19 vaccine mandates and government lockdowns. While the demonstration was peaceful, many participants demanded the government roll back compulsory vaccination and lift restrictions. New Zealand still has among the lowest Covid-19 cases in the world with under 8 000 cases reported so far and 32 deaths. It reported 125 new cases on Tuesday and its total double-dose vaccination rate had reached nearly 80% of its eligible population.…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE Durban beachfront could lose two premier hotels that have been operated by Tsogo Sun for many years, after the eThekwini Municipality announced that it was looking to give opportunities to “new hoteliers” to manage these facilities. The lease for the city building used to operate the Maharani and Elangeni hotels is coming up for renewal, and the City is planning to give opportunities to other individuals to manage them. The City revealed recently that it was planning to issue a public tender to solicit new bids from those interested in managing the buildings after its negotiations with Tsogo Sun, which had a long lease on the properties, hit a brick wall. Since the City owns the land and the buildings in which the hotels are operated,…

Nigerian artist Abdulrahman Yusuf used to sell his work online but in May he was introduced to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which he said presented “life-changing opportunities” and has increased the number of pieces he can sell at higher prices. NFTs are a type of digital asset which use blockchain to record the ownership of items such as images, videos and other collectibles. Their roaring popularity has baffled many but the explosive growth shows no sign of abating. And African artists like Yusuf are increasingly using NFTs, where the buyer has the status of being the official owner – a kind of digital bragging rights. Yusuf, of Lagos, said he had sold 44 digital works on various NFT platforms since joining in May under the name “Arclight”. “There are life-changing opportunities…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban THE Rubicon has been crossed. The electorate have made their cross. Fingers are now crossed. The people have spoken. There’s doubt that those who voted will be as forgiving as they were in the past. Start delivering already. Also, perhaps it’s time to refocus on another serious but seemingly unimportant microscopic issue that was momentarily diverted by the elections: the Quinton de Kock “take the knee” story. Lots of readers have deemed his stance as being brave and applauded his defiance of what was meant to be a simple symbol for anti-racism. Without being judgemental over this specific cricketer’s inaction, we need to be reminded that globally these small-time gestures are adding up to a world that is plummeting to a nationalistic, selfish, power-crazy…

| Tommy Cooper ‘TWAS one of the more resounding evenings at the St Clement’s arts soirée this week. Rick and Gill Andrew, (vocals and guitar) put on a selection of folk songs by the legendary Bob Dylan, supported by fellow-guitarist Alan Judd. It was interspersed with readings from Dylan’s address on his being awarded the Nobel Prize. And it was right on the button also as Rick and Jill sang Everything’s Broken – it seemed like a commentary on Eskom, SAA, the railways and everything else that’s gone wrong in this country. Odd that Dylan should have written that in America decades ago. As Rick told us, Dylan has been influenced during his life by three books: Moby Dick, War and Peace and The Odyssey. He read extracts from…

Officers from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) from the national office are investigating a robbery at the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime offices in Port Shepstone on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in which cocaine with a street value of R200 million was allegedly stolen. Police spokesperson Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbambo said the thieves broke into the building sometime between Friday from 4pm and Monday before 7am. They had forced the windows open. “One of the safes in the office, which were used to store exhibits, was tampered with. “The robbers stole 541kg of cocaine to the street value of R200m and ransacked the office where safes were kept.” Mbambo said Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, the National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, had appointed the deputy national head,…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A TEACHER who refused to teach mathematics literacy to three classes because he claimed he was qualified to only teach “pure” mathematics and life sciences has lost his bid to have his dismissal overturned. Apart from his refusal, Samuel Kekana also allegedly sprayed a labour relations officer from the Department of Education in the face with “a substance”. While the official maintained he was sprayed with pepper spray, Kekana insisted it was a can of deodorant which he took out of his pocket. He also allegedly threatened to spray the school principal with the same substance. Kekana, who has been a teacher for more than 30 years, tried in vain for four years to have his dismissal overturned. In his latest bid to return to the classroom,…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za BLIND SA has filed court papers in the Constitutional Court, requesting the confirmation of a high court order declaring the Copyright Act unconstitutional for violating the rights of people who are blind or visually impaired. The ministries of Trade, Industry and Competition as well as International Relations and Co-operation and government, are not opposing the application. This Constitutional Court application, for which a date must still be determined, comes shortly after a hearing in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. Blind SA challenged the Copyright Act for failing to allow people who are blind or visually impaired to convert published works, such as books, into accessible formats without the permission of the holder. Many countries across the world have included this kind of exception into their law for…

| Mercury Correspondent Transnet says a revised train schedule has been communicated to customers and the tourism market, following the derailment of one of its luxury Blue Trains at the weekend. “Train Set 1 of the Blue Train will continue operating and servicing customers in the coming months,” said spokesperson Ayanda Shezi. “This follows the derailment incident affecting Train Set 2, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday. “The derailment, on a secluded line, does not affect other trains.” Nineteen empty coaches of one of the Blue Trains derailed at the Union Station Loop in Germiston.…

At least 25 children have died after a preschool in south-western Niger caught fire, rousing outrage across the West African country over unsafe conditions for pupils. Fourteen others were injured in the blaze that razed a thatched-roof classroom in the city of Maradi, the Ministry of National Education said yesterday. The victims were all younger than seven. The deaths moved Niger to ban preschool classes in straw sheds, officials said. Such temporary classrooms have multiplied in recent years as Niger has run out of space in sturdier buildings. “This tragic event once again brings mourning to the Nigerien people,” Abdou Dangaladima, Niger’s secretary-general of the government, said. Education advocates in the nation of 25 million have long criticised such makeshift learning sites, slamming them as overcrowded and highly flammable. Another…

Yangon: A Myanmar junta court will give its verdict next month on whether ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi broke coronavirus rules during elections her party won last year, a source said yesterday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military’s February coup, which sparked huge protests and a bloody crackdown on dissent. Suu Kyi, 76, went on trial in June and faces a raft of charges, from illegally importing walkie talkies to sedition. Media have been barred from attending proceedings in the military-built capital Naypyidaw, and the junta recently banned her legal team from speaking to reporters. She would testify in her defence next week, the source said, adding a “final order pronouncing the verdict of the court” was set for December 14. Suu Kyi faces three years in…

BERLIN: Environmental activist Clara Mayer and the heads of Greenpeace Germany have sued Volkswagen in a German court, the NGO said yesterday, accusing the automaker of failing to do its part to combat climate change. The claimants had given Volkswagen eight weeks to consider their demands, which included ending production of internal combustion engine cars by 2030 and reducing carbon emissions by at least 65% from 2018 levels. Volkswagen rejected the demands on October 28. “Volkswagen stands for climate protection and decarbonising the transport sector, but it cannot tackle this challenge alone,” a spokesperson said.…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za Eskom shifted the buck to misbehaving municipalities, regional system failures, technical mishaps and insufficient funding for the ongoing crippling load shedding as it tentatively promised blackouts would be sorted by Saturday morning. In a state of the system address yesterday afternoon, Eskom said only the eThekwini and Buffalo City municipalities out of the about 160 in the country, had been compliant with load shedding requirements, and it had written repri- mand letters to errant municipalities that had not complied with schedules, which resulted in longer hours of load shedding. Eskom's chief executive Andre de Ruyter, chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer, Monde Bala, the chief executive for transmission as well as Segomoco Scheppers, Executive for Generation said the utility’s challenges were laid at the door of defiant…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has confirmed she will represent South Africa at the Miss Universe competition, set to take place in the Israeli resort town of Eilat on December 13. This comes as a rebuttal to information, in a statement by #Africa4Palestine, that Mswane would be withdrawing from the competition. Calls had been made for Mswane to withdraw from the pageant in order show solidarity with Palestine. Miss South Africa Organisation chief executive Stephanie Weil said yesterday that she was aware there were statements indicating that Mswane had pulled out of the global competition, but said that these were “completely unfounded and untrue”. In a statement, the Miss South Africa Organisation said they were thrilled to make Mswane’s childhood dream – which is to wear the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za A NEW political formation, that started as a labour and social movement fighting for rights of factory workers a few months ago, shocked many when it secured seven seats in Newcastle Municipality during last week’s local government elections. Team Sugar South Africa (TSSA) has emerged as a critical player in Newcastle and is set to play the role of a kingmaker, determining who will take control of the municipality, after securing two wards and five proportional representation seats. The ANC won 22 seats followed by the IFP with 18 while the EFF got 8, DA 5, ActionSA 3 and the NFP and ATM got one seat each. Excited TSSA leader Musa Thwala said yesterday that he had been inundated with requests from other parties to discuss the…

MAY I whisper something in your ear? If you agree and when I do, will you allow it to reach your soul, your spirit, your innermost person and not be roadblocked or derailed by your thinking? Of course, what I tell you ought to be evaluated and filtered by your knowledge and experience and education, but I am not seeking a debate. Once what I tell you has gone through the filters of your mind, please allow it to penetrate your innermost person. You are beautiful, thoughtful and kind. I’ve never met a human who isn’t – once you get to know the person. Oh, there are rough exteriors, thuggish defences, but get through all that and there’s someone beautiful waiting to be affirmed. Thankfully, most people don’t have to…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff BY ITS loyalty to the prescribed narrative on the subject of Covid-19 vaccines, it would appear that Discovery Health’s motives are not scientific (The Mercury, November 8). Discovery chief executive Ryan Noach’s own words to the vaccinated prove that. “We highly recommend that they choose to hang around people who have been vaccinated.” If the vaccine was so wonderful, why should the vaccinated bother about the vax status of those with whom they socialise? In that it is a proven reality that none of the vaccines guarantees immunity, then what is the point of being vaccinated when 99% of Covid-infected people recover? Why, then, is Discovery promoting vaccination when, as 92 independent studies show, natural immunity trumps vaccines? In the face of that…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg WITH all the corruption, political infighting, factionalism and lack of service delivery, it was expected that the ruling alliance would lose votes and relevance and change South Africa’s political landscape. It seems the voters’ better understanding and knowledge of politics paved the way for them to vote differently in order to bring about better governance, restructure problem areas and improve service delivery. The realities on the political field are evolving. Coalition leadership will be inevitable if an absolute majority is not achieved. Coalition or sharing of power is nothing new to South Africans, as the first leadership in post-apartheid South Africa was based on a “Government of National Unity” model led by Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk as his second-in-command. In order to…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) has condemned the fake news about imported bananas from Somalia containing Helicobacter. According to webmd.com, Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) is a type of bacteria which can enter the body and live in the digestive tract. After many years, they can cause sores in the lining of the stomach or the upper part of the small intestine. For some people, an infection can lead to stomach cancer. In a statement, the department said bananas were not recently imported through any South African ports of entry from Somalia. “The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the fake news about imported bananas from Somalia,” it said. The department said South Africa regulates…

Mwangi Githahu mwangi.githahu@inl.co.za The court challenge over the vaccination of children aged between 12 and 17 comes before the Pretoria High Court today. The ACDP has gone to the high court in Pretoria to challenge the Department of Health and the SA Health Products Authority over the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out for children. The case follows Health Minister Joe Phaahla’s announcement last month that adolescents aged 12 to 17 could visit government and private vaccination sites without their parents’ consent. The ACDP has joined forces with non-profit organisations Free The Children – Save The Nation, Caring Healthcare Workers, and the Coalition Covid Care Alliance. An affidavit by ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe states: “The ACDP has been inundated with pleas from its constituency to intervene on their behalf and defend their right…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) said that by yesterday it had paid R6.4million to 1 402 workers affected by the July unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Payments are part of the UIF’s Workers Affected By The Unrest (Wabu) scheme. The UIF said there were some employers who had made claims to insurance companies, but still applied to UIF for the Wabu benefit. It said these applications were rejected. UIF acting commissioner advocate Mzie Yawa said the fund had received more than 16 000 worker applications for the Wabu benefit from 500 employers. “From the 500 employer applications received, we have paid 1 402 workers, which is not a great number considering that 16 000 workers have applied. We are, however, not worried about this seemingly low number…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za Injeje yabeNGUNI Council has described the death of former Zulu regiments commander Zihogo “Mgilija” Nhleko as another sore point for the Zulu nation in what has been a difficult 2021. The council was responding to Nhleko’s death in hospital on Monday this week following an illness. Nhleko raised the profile of Zulu regiments and was always seen leading amabutho, especially at gatherings attended by the late Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. Injeje Council’s Phumlani Mfeka decried Nhleko’s death, saying it had robbed the nation of a colourful and proud personality. “The nation has been robbed of a man who was not ashamed to reveal his pride at being a Zulu warrior, he reminded us of the need to take note of who and what we are as…

THE rolling electricity blackouts, which are destroying jobs and the economy at an unprecedented rate, have once again put the performance of Eskom chief executive Andre de Ruyter under the spotlight. If anything, it is a stark reminder that De Ruyter is clueless about his job and not fit for purpose. This week, the power utility imposed stage 4 load shedding. It blamed the shutdown of three generating units at Kendal Power Station, tripped units at Tutuka and Matimba power stations, and the delayed return to service of units at Majuba and Lethabo power stations. It claimed the blackouts were “necessary to stop the use of OCGT (open cycle gas-turbine) generation in order to preserve the remaining fuel at these power stations, which is critically low”. Expectedly, court operations, matric…

A former nurse who murdered three patients by contaminating their intravenous drips with disinfectant was sentenced to life in prison yesterday by a Japanese court. During her trial, 34-year-old Ayumi Kuboki admitted to killing the patients in their 70s and 80s five years ago in a case that shocked Japan. She had previously told police she may have killed 20 people over just two months, but later told prosecutors she could not comment on that during the trial. The presiding judge at the Yokohama district court said he had considered handing Kuboki the death sentence, public broadcaster NHK reported. “She said she regrets (her actions) and wants to pay for her crime. There’s a chance she will be reformed, and I couldn’t help but to hesitate over choosing a death…

SEEN from the sky, the Amazon is an endless expanse of deep green, a place where life explodes from every surface, broken only by the blue rivers snaking across it. Endless, that is, until it isn’t. Fly toward the edges of the world’s biggest rainforest, and you will come to the vast brown scar tissue, the places where the jungle is being razed and burnt to make way for roads, gold mines, crops and especially cattle ranches. This is the fast-advancing “arc of deforestation” that cuts across South America, and it is a cataclysm in the making for our planet. Thanks to its lush vegetation and the miracle of photosynthesis, the Amazon basin has, until recently, absorbed large amounts of humankind’s ballooning carbon emissions, helping stave off the nightmare of…

Mexico City: Mexican prosecutors said on Monday that they had detained a man accused of spying on a journalist using the Pegasus software at the centre of a global spyware scandal. The suspect, identified as Juan Carlos “G,” is thought to be the first person arrested in Mexico for using the controversial software developed by Israeli firm NSO Group. He was detained on charges of illegally monitoring communications and transferred to a prison in Mexico City. The suspect’s actions against the unnamed journalist were aimed at “limiting and undermining her freedom of expression,” it said in a statement.…