Inhoudsopgave van 2023-02-22 - Mercury

THE SOUTH African currency and stock market remained under pressure yesterday as investors continued to push up their forecasts for higher US interest rates while the ongoing power crisis has deteriorated the outlook for South Africa’s economy. The rand yesterday lost as much as 10 cents from the previous close, falling to R18.24 against the US dollar, close to its lowest since early November 2022. Investors are worried that the US Federal Reserve could have to stay on its hawkish path for longer after a string of economic data releases revealed a resilience in the US economy. The dollar is also likely to streng- then further as investors price-in the renewed hawkishness of the Federal Reserve as the likelihood of the central bank pausing on interest rate increases after…

FORMER deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality Philani Mavundla has announced that he is joining the legal action initiated by ActionSA against the eThekwini Municipality over sewage spillages in the city. ActionSA’s Zwakele Mncwango and Mavundla announced yesterday that they had joined forces in the litigation against the municipality over the collapse of its sewerage infrastructure. ActionSA filed court papers a few weeks ago to hold the city and other government departments accountable for the spillages. During his time in the leadership of the City, Mavundla also chaired the Human Settlement and Infrastructure Service Committee (HSI) which oversees almost all the infrastructure in the city, and he had access to details on the problems with the infrastructure. Mavundla, the president of the Abantu Batho Congress, was in a coalition with…

During those good, old mythological days, some countries had heroes on demand – for example, the superhero partnership of Batman and Robin, known as the “Dynamic Duo” in America. Nowadays, in South Africa we have another kind of a partnership, one between Eskom and Telkom. On the one hand, interruption of regular electricity put paid to the landline, once considered to be the cheapest form of communication across the land. Telkom had its own bank of rechargeable batteries at most sub-stations, so whenever electricity failed, landlines came to the rescue. For some unexplained reason, that battery bank went bankrupt, with the result that landlines lost the single advantage that did not rely on data or recharging of mobiles. Another horrid transformation occurred without notice or warning. Landline numbers were converted…

With a measles outbreak having been confirmed by the National Department of Health – in five out of nine provinces in the country – the DA in KwaZulu-Natal has urged Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane to review the province’s current mass measles campaign. The call comes in light of capacity and resource issues within KZN’s Department of Health (DoH), with the DA calling for a co-ordinated campaign to include KZN’s Education, Social Development, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Transport departments. This is in order to spread the message to the target group and render logistical support to allow the plan to work in the short term. At this stage, the national DoH has confirmed that the outbreak is limited to Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Gauteng and the Free State. There…

CAPE Town will host the 14th International Congress of Human Genetics (ICHG 2023) this week, under the theme “Coming Home”. The meeting, held on the African continent for the first time, will bring together over 1 200 researchers from across the world to discuss and exchange ideas on the latest developments and research in human genetics. The event is hosted by the African Society of Human Genetics, Southern African Society of Human Genetics and the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, from today until Sunday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Human genetics is the study of the genetic make-up and variations within the human species. It examines how genes are inherited by offspring from parents, and how they affect physical traits, behaviour and health. Through research in this…

THE decision by the eThekwini Municipality executive committee to reorganise some of the units that fell under the mandate of the Human Settlement and Infrastructure Services (HSI) committee has been reversed amid concerns over the legality of the move. Opposition parties, however, have interpreted the decision as a dramatic climb-down by the ANC, saying the party is being pushed into a corner by its coalition partners. Last week the ANC held a briefing to inform the public on the reconfiguration of the city’s committees. It announced that finance and emergency services would be split. Finance would be a standalone committee and another committee would be formed for security and emergency services, increasing the number of committees in the city from five to six. NFP councillor Zandile Myeni, who is…

Two police sergeants based at the Dobsonville SAPS who are facing charges of kidnapping, extortion and possession of stolen goods have appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court in Joburg. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the two police officers were arrested on Friday and two others were still on the run. “It is alleged that four members of the Dobsonville SAPS drove to Payneville in Springs on February 17 at about 2pm to search the property of the alleged suspect. They arrested the alleged suspect and confiscated money to the value of R35 000, gold, measuring scales and 25 litres of acidic mercury,” said Suping. “While inside the police van, the four officers allegedly demanded more money from the suspect, which he did not have…

Parliament says it will take 24 months to restore the buildings that were gutted in a fire last January. The fire destroyed the National Assembly and parts of the Old Assembly, including offices. Secretary to Parliament Xolile George said yesterday that some of the work was already under way. George said the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) would lead the rebuilding project. Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana last year allocated R2 billion to Parliament for the purpose, and this was announced during the medium-term Budget policy statement. George said: “The DBSA is the most suitable entity to play this role, given its expertise and experience of providing infrastructure management services, which include design, construction, upgrades, refurbishment and total facilities management to several other organs of state. “Its regulatory…

SOUTH Africa has a very high crime rate – a fact confirmed by MacroTrends – with the rate of intentional homicides as of 2020 sitting at 33.46 incidents per 100 000 people. The research platform further put South Africa as the country with the 9th highest rate of intentional homicide in the world. The reasons given were income inequality and the police service being unable to keep the peace. A popular travellers website almost went as far as to discourage tourists from visiting the country, while nonetheless giving tips on how to stay safe in South Africa. Delivering his maiden State of the Province Address on Monday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said he wanted guns registered for use to be monitored via tracking devices. Vehicle licence registrations, if Lesufi has…

Three UN peacekeepers were killed and five seriously injured yesterday when their convoy struck a roadside bomb in central Mali, the UN mission said. “A Minusma Force convoy hit an Improvised Explosive Device #IED today,” it said in a tweet that gave a preliminary toll. The mission gave no immediate word about the casualties’ nationalities. An impoverished state lying in the heart of West Africa’s Sahel, Mali is struggling with an 11-year-old jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes Minusma, the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali, was created in 2013. With more than 13 500 military personnel and police, it is one of the biggest but also deadliest UN peacekeeping missions, suffering a high toll especially to IEDs. In…

LONDON: Dame Helen Mirren found playing Golda Meir similar to her role as Queen Elizabeth I. The Oscar-winning actress stars as the former Israeli prime minister in Golda, and compared the politician to the Tudor monarch, whom she portrayed in the 2005 TV miniseries Elizabeth I. “It was a bit like playing Elizabeth I of England, in the sense of her commitment to her country and to her nation. She achieved it without being the sort of power-mad dictator character,” said Mirren, 77. “She was very maternal.” The movie is set during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Syria and Egypt attacked Israel. | Bang Showbiz…

Canberra: Stronger El Nino events in the future could cause irreversible melting of ice shelves and sheets in Antarctica, Australian research warned yesterday. El Nino is the warmer phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (Enso) that occurs over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, and with the colder phase, La Nina, influences weather around globally. The new study, published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, demonstrated that the variability of Enso reduces warming near the surface of the ocean but accelerates warming of deeper waters. The study said this could have broad implic-ations for the global climate. | IANS…

LONDON: Britain is facing a shortage of tomatoes after supplies to supermarkets including market leader Tesco and No 2 Sainsbury’s were hit by disrupted harvests in southern Europe and north Africa. Grocers said the situation was worsened by less winter production in greenhouses in the UK and the Netherlands due to high energy costs. Though largely self-sufficient in the summer, Britain typically imports 95% of its tomatoes and 90% of lettuces from December to March, according to the British Retail Consortium. Earlier this month, Morocco barred exports of tomatoes, onions and potatoes to west Africa to reduce domestic prices and protect exports to Europe. | Reuters…

OF the list of more than 200 hospitals the National Department of Health (NDoH) asked Eskom to exempt from power cuts, only 76 have been exempted. Deputy health minister Dr Sibongiseni Maxwell Dhlomo yesterday briefed the National Council of Provinces on measures being taken to mitigate the negative impact of load shedding on the provision of health-care services. In light of the negative effects of load shedding at health facilities, hospitals and clinics, Eskom and the NDoH have been holding engagements since September 22 last year. “The department has provided Eskom with a list of 213 hospitals to be considered for possible exclusion. About 67% of these are supplied (with electricity) by municipalities while about 33% are supplied by Eskom. Of the 213 hospitals, 76 have been exempted – 26…

ON a trip within Jamaica, the heat got to me and so I searched for a good cup of tea. I ventured off a busy street into a tea room, which was a very crowded supply store with one table and chair hidden among unopened boxes stacked ceiling-high, and placed my order. I got more than I bargained for, much more. With the little steel tea-pot and good china placed before me, I thought of my parents’ home. Then, lifting the lid of the little milk jug to see why it poured so slowly, I discovered it was sweetened condensed milk. Having not had sweetened condensed milk with tea for many years, in fact, not since I was a child, I was ecstatic. Sipping tea in Jamaica I could taste…

I read the front-page article in Monday’s edition of The Mercury (February 20) with concern. Meter reading was located in the chief financial officer’s revenue department prior to 1995 and was then moved to Water and Sanitation because of poor performance and the fact that meter reading is an essential component of meter management, which is a technical function. After locating this function correctly, the cost of meter reading dropped to a sixth of what it cost previously and the number of accounts billed monthly on actual water meter readings increased to 98%. Furthermore, domestic water meters are read monthly, whereas the electricity meters are read every three months. I would be interested to understand what the real reason for the high number of estimated accounts is, as there could…

THE ANC (including the president) fiddles while Rome (but rather South Africa) burns. We have scars and fresh wounds and the best that the government offers is a Band-Aid. While our economy appears to be managing to limp along (proving our private sector’s resilience) in spite of the state mismanagement of Transnet, the SA Post Office, SAA, Denel, ill-maintained infrastructure, local authorities, Eskom, escalating crime rate (to mention a few); politicians are sentenced to long prison terms for murdering opponents and the third largest represented party in Parliament behaves sickeningly to the applause of the irresponsible. To a substantial extent, the culture of non-payment and sabotage, which has been with us since the 1980s, is largely co-responsible for the chaotic local government, SOE and Eskom collapse. For almost 30 years…

Three Belhar residents accused of kidnapping a lawyer appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on Monday. Almore Schreuder, 40, Charmaine Shreuder, 24, and Garth Weber, 33, were arrested on Saturday after Gerhard Cornelius de Jongh was reported missing by his wife. The three accused are charged with kidnapping, and three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances. They appeared dishevelled and agitated before magistrate Nasira Khan. Weber was legally represented by Sameer Sayed while the Schreuders opted for Legal Aid. Attempting to bring an urgent bail application for his client, Sayed said, “We heard of a story that a colleague got kidnapped. “My colleagues surrounded me and said ‘you would be mad to do this case, decline it’. “Then I remembered the presumption of innocence in our…

Cane growers are demanding that Treasury accounts to Parliament “transparently” with details on the sugar tax and a planned levy increase set to kick in on April 1. SA Canegrowers has written to Parliament’s standing committee on finance chairperson, Joseph Maswanganyi, demanding the committee hold Treasury to account on its policymaking regarding the health promotion levy. This after the Treasury “failed” to respond to a Promotion of Access to Information Act request for it to give cane growers the reasoning behind the implementation and the planned increase of the levy. SA Canegrowers chairperson Andrew Russell said the organisation had also approached Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in its bid to save jobs and an industry that was at risk. He said the growers want Treasury “to deal transparently with the sugar…

A FORMER key role-player in the Department of Higher Education and Training, who was closely involved with the formulation of legislation that deals with fraudulent qualifications, has called for the implementation of the law, which provides for harsh action against wrongdoers including jail time. Dr Shirley Lloyd said it was very concerning that misrepresentation of qualifications continues to happen. Her call comes after a former senior official in the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal was last week nabbed by the Hawks for misrepresentation of qualifications. The charges against the official, who will appear in court in March, have sparked questions about the government’s vetting system, as the official had been employed for more than 10 years at a senior level. Lloyd called on government departments, state-owned entities and public…

The bodies of four of the six women who were found buried at a panel-beating workshop in Joburg have been identified through DNA evidence. This was heard when murder accused Sifiso Mkhwanazi appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The court heard that the DNA results on the other two bodies was still outstanding. It is alleged that the 20-year-old lured the women, who are believed to have been sex workers, to his father’s panel-beating workshop in Selby Village, Johannesburg, where they were murdered. However, Mkhwanazi is only facing one murder charge at this stage as the investigation is ongoing. During his court appearance, the State requested a postponement due to outstanding DNA results and CCTV footage. State advocate Tshepo Mahange kaMzizi said the State was widening the scope…

The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud (CGSO) has received more than 200 complaints about solar systems and generators in the past year. The regulator said it had observed an increase in the number of complaints relating to the purchase and installation of solar systems and generators from February 1, 2022, to February 9, 2023, recording a total of 202 complaints. This comes as the country grapples with continuous load shedding. Last year saw the power cuts happen over a period of 200 days, according to some reports. The energy crisis has seen people flocking to buy alternative energy products. Of the 134 complaints dealt with so far, consumers received redress in 36% of cases, including R277 273 in refunds. Other compensation included the replacement of faulty inverters, solar…

THE leader in yesterday’s Pretoria News (Cape Times, Mercury) says it all. The time has come for the government to put in more resources to improve the state of the foundation phase of education. How sad we have a country with the majority of learners not able to read with meaning. Having just been to Australia my grandchildren of 4, 6 and 8 are all reading fairly fluently. The oldest now a total bookworm reading Harry Potter and Roald Dahl. Now I know they are reading in their home language which of course makes it easier but when I saw the system of teaching it is so superior to what we have here in South Africa. I know we have 12 official languages and I’m not sure how many unofficial…

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake has rocked Türkiye’s southern province of Hatay and northern Syria, killing six people and sparking fresh panic after a massive February 6 tremor left nearly 45 000 dead in both countries. The Afad disaster response agency reported the deaths, as well as nearly 300 hospitalisations, while in Syria the White Helmets aid group said at least 150 people were injured in the Aleppo region. The quake hit the Turkish town of Defne on Monday and was strongly felt by reporters in the nearby city of Antakya. It was also felt in Lebanon and Cyprus. Türkiye’s disaster management agency said on Twitter that a 5.8-magnitude quake followed three minutes later, with its epicentre in the Samandag district of Hatay province. The agency recorded two more tremors with magnitudes…

Madagascar’s government yesterday suspended schools and transport in the path of tropical cyclone Freddy, which was likely to make landfall in the south-east of the country by evening. The cyclone was expected to hit Mananjary district, about 270km from the capital, Antananarivo, with winds of nearly 155km/h, Madagascar’s meteorological services said. Heavy rains and waves of over 26 feet are expected near the impact zone, the International Federation of the Red Cross said on Twitter, issuing a red alert for the area. All traffic in cyclone Freddy’s projected path was suspended overnight to today, the country’s ministry of transport and meteorology said. The ministry of education said it had suspended classes in at least 10 regions. Cyclone Freddy is expected to make landfall nearly a month after storm Cheneso battered…

LONDON: Scottish finance minister Kate Forbes yesterday became the latest candidate hoping to replace Nicola Sturgeon as the country’s first minister, but her stance on gay marriage upset some in her party. Forbes, a 32-year-old Christian belonging to the governing Scottish National Party (SNP), was elected to parliament in 2016 and took office as finance secretary just four years later. Sturgeon’s announcement has jeopardised the SNP’s fight for independence as the Westminster government has blocked its attempts to hold a second vote after a 2014 referendum saw Scotland vote 55% to 45% to remain part of the UK. The contest will pit her against health minister Humza Yousaf and former minister Ash Regan. Forbes said she would have voted against same-sex marriage, which was legalised in Scotland in 2014. Forbes…

ADEN: Saudi Arabia will deposit $1 billion (about R18bn) in Yemen’s central bank based in the southern port city of Aden to help the war-ravaged Arab country weather cash and financial hardships, a government official said yesterday. The move aims “to help the government in confronting the sharp collapse of the national currency and reduce the suffering of the Yemeni people as a result of the rocketing prices of basic commodities,” the official said. In Aden, the Yemeni riyal is now traded in the black market at 1 225 for one dollar, the lowest exchange rate since the beginning of the military conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels. | Xinhua…

Orlando Pirates’ newest arrival, Makhehlene Makhaula, has expressed his emotional state ahead of potentially his first-ever Soweto derby at the weekend. The Buccaneers are hard at work as they prepare for their 177th meeting against arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs, set to take place at the FNB Stadium on Saturday. The 33-year-old – who recently captained AmaZulu in their first Cup final in 13 years – has admitted that he is currently fighting off feelings of anxiety, but is raring to go if called upon in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd. “Obviously I’m a bit nervous because I’ve never played in front of 98 000 people, but I’m looking forward to it and I’m working each and every day at training. “It will be up to the…

It’s tough being a Lions supporter at the moment. With reports suggesting fractious relations within the union, and on-field results that have been mostly disheartening, it can be quite laborious to find any positives to grasp at and hold onto. But positives there are, however tenuous, even after the latest defeat at the hands of the Sharks this past week. The Lions will face Glasgow Warriors this Saturday in a rescheduled United Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park (4.15pm kick-off). The match can afford the team – from top to bottom – an opportunity to try and put behind them a tough few weeks, and rise from adversity to show the world their true mettle. It will be a test of character, one that will show whether the Lions can…

With less than two weeks to go before the close of the comment period, the public have been encouraged to have their say on the Expropriation Bill. The bill is currently before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the comment period closes on March 6. In a statement to call for public comment, the select committee on transport, public service and administration, public works and infrastructure said the bill sought to: Provide for the expropriation of property for a public purpose or in the public interest. Regulate the procedure for the expropriation of property for a public purpose or in the public interest, including payment of compensation. Identify certain instances where the provision of nil compensation may be just and equitable for expropriation in the public interest. Opposition parties,…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has commended the role played by Project Owethu during his keynote address at the Armed Forces Day commemoration in Richards Bay yesterday. Armed Forces Day is held annually on February 21 to remember the 616 black South African troops who died in the World War I naval tragedy when the SS Mendi steamship sank on its way to France. It also seeks to honour other women and men who have lost their lives in patriotic duty and to pay tribute to those still serving the country. The event was attended by the Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, and the Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya. The South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) launched Project Owethu earlier this month as part of Armed Forces…

On the cusp of a Stage 6 blackout, these words leapt at me: “Out, damned spot; out, I say. One, two, why, then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call our power to account?” Like Lady Macbeth in Act 5, President Ramaphosa is in a bind. Two weeks down the line, we still don’t have regulations to the Disaster Management Act that legislated a state of electricity emergency. No wonders why. Macbeth aka Ramaphosa has problems of credibility. The public don’t trust him and his dithering against acting swiftly while people experience blackouts and implosions in service delivery persuade us that, pardon the phrase, something is rotten in the captured state,…

One reads on the electronic media that suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s legal fees could reach up to R15 million. This is absurd! There is no way she has this type of finance to cover these costs, so one then deducts that these funds are coming from the taxpayers via the government coffers. Whether it’s the taxpayers’ money or not, it is, in fact, a total waste of money period! Her track record speaks for itself insofar as her effectiveness and efficiency when many of her cases were thrown out of court. The big question is: how can a public servant just carry on willy-nilly, incurring these costs as though there is an endless pipeline of money to use? It is truly a shocker that here we have the government…

HOMELESS people living in the Cape Town city centre, some of whom were born on the street, say they don't know where they will go, after they were issued with eviction notices by the City on Monday. It is unclear how many homeless people were issued with eviction notices following a successful application by the City in the Western Cape High court, but the areas around the CBD that the City identified as “unlawful occupation hotspots” include along Buitengracht Street, FW De Klerk Boulevard, Foregate Square, Taxi Rank and Foreshore, Helen Suzman Boulevard, Strand Street, Foreshore/N1, Virginia Avenue and Mill Street Bridge in the city. Gershwin Thomas has been staying in Strand Street with his older brother for seven years and detailed how they were met by law enforcement on…

PRESSURE is mounting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to wield the axe on some of his Cabinet members during the looming reshuffle. According to a political analyst, Ramaphosa was still consulting, while insiders said it would happen any time after the Budget Speech scheduled for today. The reshuffle is expected to take place after most of Ramaphosa’s Cabinet were booted out of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) at the party’s elective conference in December last year. Most glaring among those left outside the NEC were Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Nathi Mthethwa (Minister of Sports Arts and Culture). A party insider close to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), who did not want to be named, said Ramaphosa told the NWC in a meeting last week that he would…

POLITICAL parties and civil society organisations are hoping that Finance Minister Enoch Gondogwana will shed light on the scrapping of e-tolls when he delivers his Budget in Parliament sitting in the Cape Town City Hall today. The parties expressed doubt after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s comments that the e-tolls had been scrapped and that a final announcement would be made in due course. Lesufi reiterated his statement on Monday when he delivered his maiden State of the Province Address in the Gauteng Legislature. In his remarks, Lesufi said he was “pleased to report that e-tolls have been scrapped”, saying he and the ministries of Finance and Transport would make a joint announcement on the matter. “Together with the national government, we are on the verge of agreeing on…

THE appointment of new legal counsel by accused number 3 in the murder trial of Orlando Pirates football club captain Senzo Meyiwa will not delay the resumption of the trial in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in May. So said the National Prosecuting Authority after the appearance of Mthobisi Mncube in court on Monday, where his new legal counsel came on record. Mncube informed the court that he would no longer be represented by advocate Thomas Thobane, and had appointed advocates identified as Mnisi and Mafafu to represent him. The trial was postponed late last year to May 2 this year, after two of the five accused, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, also announced the termination of their legal representation by Thobane. They had reportedly appointed advocate…

Two unregistered doctors practising in the Western Cape have been arrested. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) said its inspectorate office, working with the SAPS Crime Prevention and crime Intelligence units, nabbed the pair operating in Philippi and Stellenbosch last week. One of them, Rasheed Fareed Mahfouz, was found practising in Philippi as a locum in spite of being removed from the council’s register in 2015. “During the operation, it was established that a registered practitioner employed Mahfouz in his practice. “Mahfouz appeared in court on February 17 and he was remanded in custody,” said the HPCSA. He is expected to appear in court tomorrow for a bail hearing. In the second incident, the inspectorate with the Kayamandi police conducted an inspection at a facility where…

Africa is battling poverty, food and nutrition insecurity and rapidly rising levels of lifestyle diseases. South Africa is not exempt from these challenges. Could this be a direct result of the food choices we have made in the past few decades and are still making? In times gone by, our food systems were diverse, but over the decades, South Africa has moved away from its ancient food wealth to embrace commercial crops introduced into the country. As agricultural practices scaled up, most indigenous food crops were driven into internal "exile". The world has over 300 000 plant species, about 10% of which are thought to be edible. However, only 7 000 species have been cultivated or collected as food, and a mere 20 species provide 90% of the world's food…

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine, suspending a landmark nuclear arms control treaty, announcing new strategic systems had been put on combat duty and warning that Moscow could resume nuclear tests. Speaking nearly a year to the day since ordering an invasion that has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis, Putin said Russia would achieve its war aims and accused the West of trying to destroy Russia. “The elites of the West do not hide their purpose. But they also cannot fail to realise that it is impossible to defeat Russia on the battlefield,” a defiant Putin told his country’s political and military elite. Cautioning the US that it was stoking the war into a…

The EU said yesterday it would increase its investments in Kenya by hundreds of millions of dollars, looking to bolster ties in the face of competition from China. The deals will unlock “untapped potential to be uncovered and exploited,” the EU ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, said at the start of a two-day business forum in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The agreements include a $200 million (roughly R3.6bn) pledge by the European Investment Bank to help the Trade and Development Bank, run by several African states, support companies in eastern and southern Africa affected by the war in Ukraine. Africa has become a diplomatic battleground between Russia and the West since the invasion of Ukraine, with the EU also taking steps to counter China’s Belt and Road initiative to fund…

London: A global grouping of 25 Anglican churches – the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) – says it no longer recognises Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as its leader following the decision to allow the blessing of same-sex couples in England. Conservative churches within the global communion, the third largest in the world with 85 million members, are at loggerheads with the more liberal Church of England leadership, threatening a split. The Church of England’s governing General Synod endorsed the proposal by a wide margin earlier this month to let priests offer blessings to same-sex couples, after hours of acrimonious debate across two days. | AFP…

MOSCOW: Russia said yesterday that three astronauts left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) by a leak on their return capsule last year would land back on Earth in a Soyuz MS-23 replacement capsule in September. Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and US astronaut Francisco Rubio, who had been due to end their mission in March, were left stuck in space after the cooling system of their Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking two months ago. The Soyuz MS-23 replacement capsule will launch on February 24. Authorities said it would dock with the ISS on February 26. | Reuters…