ELECTRICITY TARIFF HIKE HITS CONSUMERS FROM TODAY

Wed 02 July 2025: Double-digit increases will see monthly bills rise by hundreds of rands, placing further strain on already squeezed household budgets. South African households will face significantly higher electricity costs from today, 1 July 2025, as municipalities across the country implement annual tariff increases, with some metros seeing hikes of over 13%. This […]

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GERMAN COURT REJECTS COMPENSATION CLAIM IN CATHOLIC CHURCH ABUSE CASE

Tue 01 July 2025: A German court on Tuesday rejected a sexual abuse survivor’s claim for €830,000 ($980,000) in compensation, ruling that the Catholic Church cannot be held liable for the actions of a priest outside his “official capacity.” The Cologne Regional Court controversially ruled that the accused priest committed these crimes outside the exercise of his official duties […]

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TURKIYE DETAINS FOUR OVER CARTOON ALLEGEDLY DEPICTING ABRAHAMIC PROPHETS

Tue 01 July 2025: Police in Turkiye have detained four people over a cartoon published by the satirical magazine LeMan, which critics say appeared to depict Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Moses shaking hands in the sky as missiles fell below in a war-like scene – a claim the magazine denies. The cartoon, published last week, […]

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UK SCIENTISTS TURN PLASTIC WASTE INTO PARACETAMOL USING ENGINEERED BACTERIA

Fri 27 June 2025: Scientists in the UK have successfully converted plastic waste into the painkiller paracetamol using genetically modified bacteria, offering a potential solution to both plastic pollution and fossil fuel dependence. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh developed a method to break down PET plastics—commonly used in bottles and food packaging—and produce paracetamol from the resulting material. […]

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GOOGLE’S AI VIDEO TOOL AMPLIFIES FEARS OF AN INCREASE IN MISINFORMATION

Fri 27 June 2025: Experts say Veo 3 makes it very easy to make fake videos that can spread false news.  In both Tehran and Tel Aviv, residents have faced heightened anxiety in recent days as the threat of missile strikes looms over their communities. Alongside the very real concerns for physical safety, there is growing alarm over […]

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TURKEY IS STEPPING UP ITS INFLUENCE IN WEST AFRICA – WHAT’S BEHIND ITS BID FOR SOFT POWER

Fri 27 June 2025: Turkey is stepping up its influence in west Africa as the geopolitical and economic landscape in the region shifts. In Senegal, the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation has entered a key partnership in the oil and gas sector. Meanwhile, Karpowership, a company providing electricity via floating power plants, now supplies energy to eight African countries. But […]

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SNOW, FLOODS AND DANGEROUS ROADS: SOUTH AFRICA GRIPPED BY WINTER STORM

Thu 26 June 2025: The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has urged drivers to remain extremely cautious as harsh weather conditions continue to impact parts of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and Northern Cape. This follows a warning from the South African Weather Service (SAWS) earlier this week, advising that a strong cold front would […]

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