The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday sharply reduced its forecast for global oil demand this year, with supplies still crimped by the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and high prices deterring buyers. Demand is expected to slump by 1.6 million barrels per day, compared with its forecast slump of one million…
South Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem falls behind, according to the 2026 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) National Expert Special Report. South Africa has no shortage of entrepreneurs, but their ability to turn promising ideas into sustainable, job-creating businesses is let down by a weak support ecosystem that ranks 7th lowest globally. The 2026 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) National Expert…
Eskom recorded a daily energy availability factor (EAF) of 80.24% on 20 July, its best single day since 20 September 2017. The financial year-to-date EAF stands at 66.22%, an improvement of 6.97 percentage points year on year but still short of the 70% Eskom has set as its recovery benchmark. The daily record also owes…
SpaceX, Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk (R) and Google CEO Sundar Pichai attend the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump at the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, on January 20, 2025. Trump takes office for his second non-consecutive term as the 47th president of the United States. Kevin Lamarque | Afp | Getty…
Global hunger declined for the third consecutive year in 2025, but Africa has emerged as the epicentre of the world’s food crisis, with the continent now accounting for the highest number of hungry people globally, a new United Nations report has revealed. The 2026 edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the…
Global trust in news falls to lowest level since 2015, Reuters Institute 2026 report warns In 45 countries, online video now surpasses broadcast television as a source of news. By TECH CORRESPONDENT Trust in news has fallen to its lowest level globally since records began in 2015, according to the latest Reuters Institute for the…
Japan’s Nikkei 225 breached 64,000 for the first time Monday as a sharp decline in oil prices lifted risk sentiment in holiday-thinned trading.
Oil prices retreated Tuesday, even after Secretary of Energy Chris Wright wrongly claimed in a social media post that the U.S. Navy had escorted a tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. “The U.S. Navy has not escorted a tanker or a vessel at this time,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. U.S….
Gender diversity declined in African tech funding in 2025 even as total investment volumes recovered, according to the latest African Tech Startups Funding Report by Disrupt Africa. A total of 178 startups raised $1.64 billion during the year. While the number of funded ventures dipped slightly, total funding increased 46.2% compared to 2024. Only 30…
South African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reported a broad-based decline in confidence during the third quarter of 2025, despite a series of positive macroeconomic developments and strong optimism around the G20 Summit. This is according to the latest Business Partners Limited SME Confidence Index, which shows weakening sentiment across almost all performance indicators compared to…
