A hot day is expected in most parts of the country. (Gallo Images/ER Lombard) Brace yourself for extremely hot conditions on Friday and into the weekend. Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, according to the South African Weather Service. A Yellow Level 1 warning has also been issued for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea, while small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality is expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Impact-based warnings Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea and small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality are expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. READ | Wind, waves and soaring temperatures: South Africans face a range of severe weather
Author Archives: The Esbec Team
A long-serving ANC leader Bethuel Mthethwa has quit the party to join former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Mthethwa is the former mayor of Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). He is reportedly leaving while facing corruption allegations. He was subjected to the step-aside rule after an accusation of crime drawing back from when he was still the mayor. As reported by Scrolla, Mthethwa left because he believed the ANC no longer stands up for poor black people. According to Mthethwa, the ANC has turned into a newer version of the National Party (NP) because the party’s top leadership was doing what the NP did to black people in the past. “This is what they do whenever the organisation is heading to its elective conferences. “They make sure
![A Chinese coastguard ship, centre, is seen past Taiwan coastguard vessels in waters east of Taiwan on December 8, 2024 [Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Taiwan-blames-‘troublemaker-China-for-huge-naval-drills-near-shores.jpg)
Defence Ministry says it tracked 53 Chinese military aircraft and 11 navy ships in 24 hours. Taiwan’s presidency has called on China to halt its “provocative acts” after the self-ruled island’s officials accused Chinese forces of ramping up military drills on its doorstep. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday it had tracked 53 military aircraft, 11 navy ships and eight civilian vessels near the island in the past 24 hours. “These actions inject uncertainty and risk into the region, creating disruptions for neighbouring countries, and it confirms China’s a troublemaker that undermines peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When asked about the increase in military activity, a Chinese government spokesperson did not directly confirm new exercises but stated that Beijing
Dec
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s former defense minister was arrested. December 11, 2024, 4:13 AM SEOUL — South Korean police raided South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office as a part of the ongoing investigation into the martial law declaration on Dec. 3, Yonhap, South Korean state media, reported Wednesday. The South Korean National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters Emergency Martial Special Consecution Team entered “the seizure and search,” of the President’s office Wednesday morning local time, Yonhap reported. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter’s question during a press conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, Nov. 7, 2024. Kim Hong-ji/Reuters South Korean Police on Wednesday morning also arrested the South Korean National Police Commissioner Cho Ji Ho and the Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong Sik
Dec
“We believe that the entire matter of establishing a commission of inquiry should be addressed after the war ends,” the government representative’s said. By URI SELLA DECEMBER 11, 2024 12:45 The Nova Massacre Scene (photo credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90) The High Court of Justice discussed a petition on Wednesday calling for the establishment of a National Commission of Inquiry into the events of October 7. Relatives of October 7 victims and hostages held in Gaza captivity were present at the discussion. Among them were Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and Ilana Gritzewesky, his partner. They were joined by Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel, an IDF observer who was killed on October 7, and Chagit Chen, the mother of Itay Chen, whose body is held in
Dec
Two people wearing face coverings and dark clothing were spotted near the area when the car caught fire in the eastern suburb of Woollahra. By REUTERS DECEMBER 11, 2024 09:30 View of the torched car in Sydney, Australia. December 11, 2024. (photo credit: Via Maariv) A car was set alight, and two properties spray painted with anti-Israel messages in Sydney just days after an arson attack at a synagogue in Melbourne, which is being investigated as terrorism, Australian authorities said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the latest attack, the second targeting the Jewish community in the Sydney suburb in three weeks, was an “outrage,” and he would be briefed on it soon by a new antisemitism task force. “This isn’t an attack on a government; this is an
Dec
Reuters A Conservative former minister has called for first-cousin marriage to be banned in the UK. Introducing the proposals in Parliament, Richard Holden said the children of first cousins were at greater risk of birth defects and the practice should be prohibited to protect public health. However, independent MP Iqbal Mohamed argued a ban would be ineffective and said these issues would be better addressed through education programmes to raise awareness of the risks. Downing Street said the expert advice on the risks of first-cousin marriage was clear but indicated that the government had no plans to change the law. “In terms of legislation, the government has set out its priorities,” a No 10 spokesman said. Holden introduced his proposals using the 10-minute rule process, which allows a backbench MP
Dec
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 What you need to know: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights would, seven decades later, become the backbone of justice systems worldwide, ending epochs of unquestioned barbarism, under which countless injustices had been perpetuated. International Human Rights Day marks 74 years today, having first been observed on December 10, 1950, exactly two years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was promulgated on the same date, December 10, 1948. Thus today is a very important day globally, as, using the words of the United Nations, “it commemorates the anniversary of one of the world’s most ground-breaking global pledges (UDHR).” This ground-breaking pledge is of utmost importance as it protects everyone from the dangers and possibilities of being treated as less human or as less deserving
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has nominated Rawhi Fattouh to take over if he cannot continue in his post due to poor health. As Israel continued its war on Gaza – killing more than 44,000 people and injuring and starving countless others – criticism of Abbas and his presidency heightened. Abbas, 89, who also leads the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), was elected president of the PA in 2005, a year after then-leader Yasser Arafat died. So why is he nominating a successor now and how would the succession process go? Rawhi Fattouh arrives to attend the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, Turkiye on June 2, 2023 [Metin Aktas/Anadolu via Getty] First, what’s the Palestinian Authority? The PA was established as an interim
Nov
Fred Harris, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, presidential hopeful and populist who championed Democratic Party reforms in the turbulent 1960s, died Saturday. He was 94. Harris’ wife, Margaret Elliston, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear where he died, but he had lived in New Mexico since 1976 and was a resident of Corrales at the time of his death. “Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing,” Elliston said in a text message. Harris served eight years in the Senate, first winning in 1964 to fill a vacancy, and made unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1976. It fell to Harris, as chairman of the Democratic
Nov
The Israelis reportedly left the shop quickly but the shopkeeper was said to have followed them outside with her shovel raised. The backpackers recorded the incident. By JERUSALEM POST STAFF NOVEMBER 24, 2024 09:36 A shopkeeper at Flinders Tobacco, Queensland, Australia, calls a customer a ‘dirty f***ing Jew’ outside the shop. November 23, 2024. (Credit: Anti-Defamation Commission) Two Israeli backpackers visiting Townsville, in Queensland, Australia, were subjected to an antisemitic verbal attack on Saturday by a local tobacco shop worker, the Anti-Defemation Commission (ADC) reported on Sunday. The ADC is an Australian civil rights organization that combats antisemitism and other forms of hate. It was established in 1979 and now works to bridge communities, collect data on antisemitism and other biases, and respond to incidents of discrimination. As the two
The NGOs want the Netherlands to ban the export and transit of weapons, weapon parts, and dual-use items to Israel. Pro-Palestinian organisations have taken the Dutch state to court, urging a halt to arms exports to Israel and accusing the government of failing to prevent what they termed a “genocide” in Gaza. They argue that the Netherlands, a staunch ally of Israel, has a legal obligation to do everything in its power to stop violations of international law and the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. “Today, the plaintiffs are here to hold the Dutch state accountable for failing to comply with international law by failing to intervene against violations of the rights of the Palestinian people committed by the state of
Nov
It’s widely acknowledged that South Africa’s public healthcare system has too few healthcare workers, especially medical doctors, certain specialists, and theatre nurses. Less recognised, however, is the shortage of public sector pharmacists. Spotlight lifts the lid on this until now largely hidden problem – and its impact. There are too few public sector pharmacy posts across South Africa to deliver a comprehensive service, with no clear staffing norms, and an uneven distribution of pharmacists, especially in rural districts. This contributes in part to medicine stockouts and the emergence of deadly hospital-acquired drug-resistant infections. This is according to Dr Andy Gray, a senior lecturer in the Division of Pharmacology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s School of Health Sciences and co-head of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and
Nov
In southern Pakistan, a young surfing community is determined to go professional, despite a lack of resources. With no access to shops or equipment, they often use discarded boards or resin and glue to make their own. Using videos to teach themselves, they are determined to reach Asian championships, and then the Olympics. Advertisement
Nov
The Electoral Commission (EC) on Thursday afternoon (Nov 21, 2024) destroyed defective ballot papers printed for the Ahafo and Volta regions for the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections. There were serial number issues with the ballot papers at the press house and so the EC took a decision to destroy all ballot papers meant for the Ahafo and Brong Ahafo regions and print new ones. The ballot papers were burnt at the Adipa Waste Management Centre, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region. It was due to serialisation errors encountered during the printing process. The affected ballots were burnt in the presence of representatives from political parties, the National Intelligence Bureau, Ghana Police Service, the media, and officials from the EC. The destroyed materials included 184 presidential ballot paper bags