Author: newsnote correspondent
In search of reliable electricity, employees are returning to the office due to severe load shedding. Hybrid work models are becoming more common in South African companies following the worst of the pandemic. The Covid-19 lockdown emptied office buildings, forcing businesses and employees to adopt remote working policies. After the lockdown ended, offices began filling up again, with many employees adopting hybrid work models, which involve working from home and in the office. Technology still plays an important role in keeping the workplace connected, with digital conferencing platforms, which boomed during lockdown, now integrated into businesses’ daily workflows. But this…
Prioritise your expenses First things first: make a list of all your festive expenses and prioritise each one. Decide what’s important to have (food, for example) and what’s a nice-to-have treat. Your list of expenses should include everything from presents to Christmas cards, decorations, special treats, stocking fillers, meals out and new clothes. You might find it helpful to go back through last year’s bank statements to see what you purchased. Once you have your list, it’s time to check it twice. Brean Horne, Personal Finance Expert, at Nerd Wallet, advises: ‘Prioritising your Christmas spending can help you cut costs and save money.…
Officials say the messages have been doing the rounds on social media. They claim that a new variant of concern has been detected and advise people to wear face masks. The department’s spokesperson Foster Mohale says the message is fake news meant to create unnecessary panic. “The World Health Organisation has issued a notification in October this year on the Omicron sublineages BQ.1 and XBB detected around the world as part of ongoing work to track variants by the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution. “The department, working with the NICD and other scientists, continues to monitor all Covid-19 lineages, and…
Following weeks of speculation that client funds had been misused before his empire collapsed, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas after the US government filed a criminal indictment against him. In a statement issued Monday, Ryan Pinder, the island nation’s attorney general, said Bankman-Fried is being held in custody pending extradition. In a separate statement, US attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said federal prosecutors will unseal the case against him Tuesday morning. The allegations were not elaborated upon by him. Bankman-Fried’s violations of securities laws were separately authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission,…
Do you know … in 2022 Johan Espenkrona hurled a washing machine a distance of 4.45m, so holding the Farthest Washing Machine Throw record. To be honest, did you even know that was a category? The Guinness World Records 2023 is just crammed with facts … silly – most drink cans ripped in half using teeth, interesting – youngest opera singer, current – fastest time to reach one million followers on TikTok, fascinating – tallest building, longest single space flight, oldest person. A lovely gift for the curious. Macmillan, R430 Formula 1 – The Official History by motorsport journalist and broadcaster Maurice Hamilton has…
Busi Mavuso, the CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), says that private business has positively impacted critical areas across the country, mainly through skills acquisition and the allocation of experienced people – even those who have retired. Mavuso noted that the private sector has collaborated with the government and civil society to boost the economy, stimulate investment and boost employment. BLSA represents business interests in South Africa and is a stakeholder through which government acknowledges policy considerations or initiatives key to best business practices. Writing in her final weekly letter of 2022, she outlined the achievements of BLSA as…
The Lady R, a Russian flagged cargo ship, was spotted in South Africa’s Simon’s Town naval port at night from Dec. 8 to Dec. 9. The vessel was off-loaded and on-loaded again during power cuts that are regular in the country, the South African newspaper Daily Maverick reported, referring to eyewitnesses who took pictures of the process. They saw the ship leave the port around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, local media wrote. Vessel tracking services showed the ship’s transponder was turned off while leaving, as well as prior to arrival, so its exact location was unknown. The Lady R…
Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Cup is entering the semi-final round – and there are two matches no one could have predicted. Croatia and Argentina will face off in the first semi-final on Tuesday, 13 December at 21:00 (SA time). On Wednesday, 14 December, Morocco and defending champions France will play the second semi-final at 21:00 (SA time). Morocco’s run at the World Cup will fuel hopes of more representation at future tournaments, despite the fact that African teams have claimed several giant-killing victories at World Cups. Having defeated Belgium, Spain and Portugal – all ranked in the world’s top 10…
Eskom has increased the severity of load shedding to Stage 5. Just hours after implementing Stage 4 power cuts, the power utility announced South Africans would once again have to contend with Stage 5 load shedding. This week, Eskom ramped up load shedding to Stage 6 – last experienced in September. The power utility had on Friday evening announced that it would keep rolling blackouts between Stage 2 and 4 over the weekend. However, Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said unusually high demand and the breakdown of generating units at Hendrina, Kendal and Kriel power stations have necessitated the move. “Koeberg…
Dominik Livakovic was Croatia’s penalty shoot-out hero once again as the 2018 finalists ended Brazil’s World Cup dream. Neymar thought he had booked a place in the semifinals for the five-time winners, with a stunning extra-time effort illuminating the contest after a goalless 90 minutes, Bruno Petkovic dramatically cancelled out Neymar’s extra-time breakthrough to send the game to penalties — and Croatia won the shootout 4-2, with Marquinhos missing the decisive spot-kick. Neymar equalled Pele’s all-time goalscoring record — but his World Cup dream is over. A semi-final date against Argentina or the Netherlands awaits Croatia…