Friday, February 25 2022
THE BIG ISSUES
LEADING THE AGENDA
Kidnappings for ransom – part one: from Mozambique with greed
SA ‘is losing war on kidnapping because of corruption and infighting among Crime Intelligence’
Kidnapping for ransom – part two: top cop ‘tried to get money from family’
A victim’s son relives the 17 days in which his father was missing that led to a colonel appearing in court
Kidnappings for ransom — part three: the SA syndicates
‘These guys are well resourced and financed, with state-of-the-art cellphone technology’
Kidnapping for ransom – part four: insurance inquiries on the rise
Usually for corporates only, families are now now signing up and ‘we have seen ransoms vary from R1m and R76m’
SMART NEWS
IN ONE TAKE
Covid-19 pandemic at a ‘turning point’: groundbreaking study
Wits University publishes world’s first study on decoupling Omicron from death
Rare chance for Africa to make its own vaccines, but market must buy
Global summit says procurement agencies must commit to purchasing locally
‘Mama is there a piece of bread?’: the plight of SA’s starving children
Black Sash research report finds the R460 child social grant is not enough to stave off malnutrition and hunger
Cape’s Hospital of Hope a case study of teamwork in the face of adversity
Organisation, support and planning gave healthcare workers a sense of unity, purpose and job satisfaction
IDEAS
FEEDING YOUR MIND
It was a boring budget for extraordinary times
It was very much what one might expect a minister in Ramaphosa’s government to deliver, but did it address its context?
Bordering on madness: why do we fight over lines in the sand?
The Ukraine conflict shows how a line on a map, separating people of the same culture and language, can start a war
Cometh the iceman: putin’ history in its place in Ukraine
So anachronistic is Putin that, without blinking, he’s revisiting a century-old feud while pondering World War 3
Watch as armchair virologists and revolutionaries invade geopolitics
In the coming confusing days, expect to see the widespread insistence that two wrongs do, in fact, make a right
Why did Putin start a rort with Ukraine? Just coz
A column to satisfy your inner grammar nerd
WORLD
THE NEWS YOU DON'T NORMALLY GET TO HEAR
There will be Vlad: why Putin’s pride can only lead to his fall
He has fallen into the autocrats’ trap, and history has many examples of what will almost inevitably follow
Russia needs European cash more than Europe needs Russian gas
Soaring gas prices suggest Russia has Europe over a barrel, but it’s a tenuous scenario that could backfire on Moscow
Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, Biden is under intense scrutiny
President’s consultations with allies are in stark contrast to last year’s chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan
In Antarctica, harvesters catch krill with extra loads of unintended kill
Trawlers target the same foraging grounds as fur seals, humpback whales and blue whales, which get entangled in nets
LIFE
EVERYTHING ELSE THAT MATTERS
‘There was underwear and there were boobs everywhere’
Madea and Mrs Brown have teamed up for a cross-dressing Netflix comedy that will be aired globally on Friday
Irish painter’s Trotsky triptych set to bring home plenty of bacon
A work by Francis Bacon is expected to fetch up to R1.1bn at a Christie’s auction next week
Hear this: how a Pakistan food truck is breaking down language barriers
In a first for the country, a hearing impaired family has hit the road with a deaf-staffed mobile eatery
SPORT
FINISH LINE ESSENTIALS
After an offside start, SA just might blitz URC opponents
SA teams have the chance to make this weekend’s round a watershed one
Playoff match with Russia ‘almost unthinkable’, says Swedish FA boss
Uefa to discuss moving Champions League final from St Petersburg
Blast from the past: McCarthy double sends Bafana into Afcon final
Today in SA sports history: February 25