Author: Malebogo Putu

Police in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga, have arrested four suspects in connection with a brazen overnight shooting and robbery at a local tavern, authorities said Tuesday. According to Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane of the South African Police Service, the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, February 16, at a tavern in Extension 22. It is alleged that the suspects arrived at the establishment as it was closing and confronted the owner, who was standing at the door. When the owner refused to hand over money, he was shot in the thigh. The assailants then forced him behind the counter and…

In a dramatic operation along the banks of the Limpopo River, South African authorities have retrieved a stolen Toyota Fortuner trapped in the water, highlighting ongoing efforts to dismantle cross border vehicle smuggling syndicates operating into neighboring countries. The vehicle, confirmed to have been stolen earlier this month in Witbank, Mpumalanga, was recovered on Tuesday during a joint operation in the Masisi policing area. It was found stranded mid river, a common route used by criminals to ferry stolen goods into Zimbabwe and other neighboring states. Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the multidisciplinary team…

A 24-year-old woman is in custody following the discovery of a newborn baby boy abandoned near a drainage channel in the Free State province, police confirmed on Tuesday. The suspect, a resident of Mandela Park near Phuthaditjhaba, was arrested and has been charged with attempted murder. She is expected to make her first appearance before the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 19 February 2026. According to a statement released by Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Free State, the infant was found on Sunday afternoon by a local shepherd. “On Monday, 16 February…

With 1.2 billion young people in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) expected to reach working age by 2035, the World Bank has placed job creation at the center of its latest Global Economic Prospects report, warning that current growth rates are insufficient to meet this historic challenge. The report, released Tuesday, argues that without a significant acceleration in economic dynamism, many EMDEs will struggle to create enough productive employment, particularly as economies undergo rapid structural changes driven by technology and shifting trade patterns. This “jobs challenge” is most acute in the very regions where the youth population is growing…

The global trading system is navigating its most turbulent period since the Great Depression, with U.S. tariffs reaching their highest level in nearly a century, according to the World Bank’s new Global Economic Prospects report. While the global economy has so far shown surprising resilience, the report warns that the full weight of these trade barriers is yet to be felt. The analysis details how the average effective U.S. tariff rate surged to approximately 17 percent by late 2025. This followed a period of intense policy uncertainty, including the reinstatement of broad reciprocal tariffs and additional country and sector specific…

The post pandemic economic recovery, while remarkably strong in historical terms, has been profoundly uneven, creating a widening chasm between the fortunes of advanced economies and a significant portion of the developing world, the World Bank warned in its January 2026 report. The report’s analysis reveals that while global GDP per capita is 10 percent higher than on the eve of the pandemic, the strongest recovery from a global recession in over 60 years, this figure is skewed by the performance of wealthier nations. Nearly all advanced economies are now richer than they were in 2019, but a quarter of…

The global economy has proven surprisingly resilient in the face of escalating trade tensions and policy uncertainty over the past year, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report. However, this strength is expected to fade, with global growth projected to edge down to 2.6 percent in 2026 as the effects of tariffs and fading support from temporary factors weigh on activity. The report, released Tuesday, credits the resilience to several factors, including businesses stockpiling goods ahead of tariff implementations, a surge in artificial intelligence related investment, and the adaptability of supply chains. This stronger than expected performance…

South Africa’s battle against unsolicited spam and scam calls has intensified, with Truecaller data revealing a sharp 24.3% year on year increase in identified spam calls in January 2026, rising from 2.08 billion in January 2025 to 2.58 billion. The surge highlights a persistent national crisis, even as regulatory enforcement under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) gains momentum. Truecaller’s insights, drawn from anonymized and aggregated user data extrapolated to national scale using a consistent global methodology, show blocked calls rose 19.5% (from 864 million to 1.03 billion), answered spam calls increased 6.9% (from 208 million to 222 million),…

Police in the Free State province removed significant quantities of illicit drugs from circulation over the past 24 hours through targeted patrols and community intelligence, resulting in the arrests of three men on charges of possession and dealing. In a media statement, Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli of the South African Police Service said members of the Welkom Public Order Policing (POP) Platoon 1 acted on tip offs and conducted operations in several areas. On Sunday, February 15, 2026, during crime combating patrols in Sandania, officers were approached by a concerned community member reporting drug dealing on a street corner. They intercepted…

In a ruling that legal experts are calling one of the most significant defenses of protest rights in modern British history, the High Court on Friday declared the UK government’s decision to ban the pro Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action under terrorism legislation unlawful and disproportionate. The judgment, delivered by a panel of three senior judges including the President of the King’s Bench Division, Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Jonathan Swift and Mrs Justice Karen Steyn, quashes the proscription order, but only for now. The ban remains temporarily in force pending a further hearing on February 20 to determine remedies…