Daily Maverick Headlines Today

White House pressures US space firms to skip Paris space summit, sources say

STUDENT FUNDS: NSFAS’ R10bn hole — housing costs blamed as universities left in the lurch

THE A-Z OF VENISON: Annatjie Reynolds, a Karoo legend in her own lifetime

CAPE CLASSICS REVISITED: Miller’s Thumb — still Jolly ’n Sane after all these years

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: Spa Weekend: A bawdy girls’-night-out comedy for undemanding (yet predictable) escapism

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: ANC and DA in dead heat across key metros as MK dominates eThekwini

How engineers in a WhatsApp group are guiding Nepal’s flood rescue efforts

South Korea prepares Hormuz military deployment, media reports say

Volkswagen flags 50,000 job cuts across group as board approves turnaround plan

US probes Iran wedding strike that analysis shows was likely direct hit by US munition

LIGHTHOUSE SAGA: Probe clears publisher at centre of DBE textbook catalogue row

JUDICIAL FOCUS: Phala Phala review puts ‘paid work’ and business interests under spotlight

BILLING CRISIS: City Power disconnects NGOs helping thousands of vulnerable children

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY: SA carmakers are tired of waiting for the love

OPEN SECRETS ANALYSIS: Unaccountable 00048: The consultants revolving door — BCG welcomes Bain’s boys

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER: International acclaim for Gqeberha author’s screenplay, For the Love of Man

CONSUMER TRENDS: Kasinomics — Competition Commission casts new light on SA’s township economy

RUBBER-STAMPED: Zero deviations — the record of Cape Town’s planning tribunal in 1,328 rulings

Criminal chrome Part 2: Stainful steel — Illegal chrome mining free-for-all taints the world’s stainless steel value chain

RUGBY: Bok Women’s head coach steps down on eve of Black Ferns Test

ANALYSIS: Khan out, Khumalo cleared: How the Crime Intelligence tables have turned

After The Bell: WhatsApp with your profile pic?

OP-ED: Trophy hunting quotas: Civil society objected, but did anyone in government listen?

Enough talk — it’s time to make literacy a right in South Africa

AGE OF ACCOUNTABLITY: Criminal charges ‘don’t automatically force municipal managers to step aside’

OBITUARY: Roy Wallisch, who lit up Sea Point shopping strip, dies of a broken heart

classroom fear: Gauteng’s school safety crisis triggers raids, CCTV, and private security at high-risk institutions

INSURANCE POLICY OUTRAGE: Murder for Money trial — testimony recounts loss, lies and a witness killing

GROUNDUP: Joburg mom’s R2.6-million water bill reversed after meter confirmed as faulty

ANALYSIS: Set piece vs flair? The Boks-All Blacks rivalry is more nuanced than that

HEALTHCARE ACCESS: Palliative care awareness critically low despite its recognition as a human right

Our broken justice system needs a little local innovation

20 Questions: 20 questions with Mabatho Marakalla

‘SINGULAR JOURNEY’: Feminist activist Gloria Steinem dies at 92

Leadership tussle: Sandile Zungu challenges Jordaan as Safa enters battle for its future

Two detained as German police probe arson attack on Munich defence firm

Beijing accuses Pacific forum host Palau of ‘hype’ over its missile test

Foreign support, drones fuel Sudan war and possible war crimes, UN probe says

More than 1,700 Indonesian students and teachers sickened this week due to free meals programme

PODCAST: Young Zambians are betting on the copper boom. Will it be different this time?

JOBS CRISIS OP-ED: Bring back the Basic Education Employment Initiative — SA youth need it urgently

We can finally ensure 500,000 miners are paid out for silicosis and TB — here’s the problem

WHAT’S COOKING: Curly mac and cheese with bacon and blue cheese

BOOK REVIEW: Is democracy Africa’s path to development? Jakkie Cilliers isn’t so sure

BOOK EXCERPT: Bitter Honey: A long-kept family secret redefines a mother-daughter relationship

Trump vows to hit campaign trail hard for Republicans in tight midterms

More than a dozen Serbians targeted with mercenary spyware, digital rights group says

Iran war escalation raises concern over civilian death toll

Two Palestinian teens killed in West Bank raid by Israeli settlers and army

FUNDING CLIFF: Postgraduate funding crisis prompts launch of new bursary toolkit

GREEN DREAMS PIVOT: Short‑term relief from Strait of Hormuz tension is great for Sasol’s fragile recovery story

ANALYSIS: SA turns right as Ramaphosa hands economic levers to the private sector

SPOTLIGHT: Lenacapavir gains ground as Western Cape uptake passes 3,600

ACCOUNTABILITY GAPS: Environmental ‘watchdog’ barks, but hides names of malpractice offenders

POLICING IN CRISIS: SAPS fires Feroz Khan as criminal case, Madlanga probe continue

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: Extortion claims, cop probe fail to stop ANC Joburg candidate’s clearance to run

Collaborative governance — election buzzword or game-changer for municipalities?

GANGS AND GOVERNANCE: Gayton McKenzie comes off as gangster’s proxy for sharing untested claims about JP Smith

The whisky ad and the Women’s March: When the struggle becomes a marketing campaign

JUDICIAL REVIEW: Phala Phala impeachment could return to Parliament even if court quashes report

CRIMINAL CHROME (Part 1): Illegal chrome mining — An aerial view into the void of state failure

IN PICTURES: London celebrates 60 years of Notting Hill Carnival, and more from around the world

REGULATORY REVIEW: Aviation authority says Airlink withdrew application for risky flyover redux in Soweto

Sooklal off the hook: SA’s high commissioner to India cleared over Gupta, Zuma meeting

FINAL CHAPTER: Soccer’s Messi era nears its end after superstar’s international retirement

BOOK REVIEW: Caryn Dolley: The unbearable weight of the untouchables

Greenland foreign minister says dialogue with US to resolve situation is ongoing

At least 21 die in bus accident in Egypt’s South Sinai, ministry says

Two injured in blast at train station in southern Germany

Saudi shipping company Bahri says two sailors killed in incident in Hormuz

SET-PIECE SKIRMISH: Bok and forth: Scrum battle at the heart of Greatest Rivalry culture war

FOOD BASKET: SRD grant R498 short of food poverty line as August basket remains unaffordable

A prison sentence should never become a death sentence

REEL SUCCESS STORIES: Calling a wrap on the gender gap: Mentoring makes movie magic for women in TV

WHAT’S COOKING: Keftedes (Greek meatballs) with lemon potatoes and courgettes

REFLECTION: More than metal: How a marathon medal can carry memory, identity and unexpected connections

Apple Maps changes name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’

US launches new strikes on Iran and Tehran hits back in widening conflict

FEEDING THE BOTS: ‘Extraction without compensation’ — the AI dilemma facing SA’s digital media

BOOKING HEARTBREAK: Agencies seek answers after promised Cape Town Test tickets fail to arrive

PHALA PHALA: Parliament’s Impeachment Committee drops evidence leader; Ramaphosa’s Section 89 panel report court review starts

SEVEN-YEAR-OLD SAGA: Sasol claims innocence as NPA gathers fresh evidence in toxic dumping probe

Lessons from Odysseus as we confront the monsters of complacency and despair

MADLANGA COMMISSION: Khan’s medical excuses face independent scrutiny at Madlanga Commission

US urges G20 to cut trade imbalances, focus on China

WATER WOES: Nelson Mandela Bay needs nearly R1bn to tackle water losses and ageing pipes

Zelenskiy says Ukrainian drones have effectively closed Russian airspace

CRASH TEST DUMMIES: Ordinary South Africans not present in safer cars AA forum — it’s a problem

FEARS OF CATASTROPHE: Sardine deaths threaten Algoa Bay’s endangered African Penguins

TRAUMA REVISITED: Biko’s injuries point to repeated, brutal assaults over days, inquest hears

OUR CITY NEWS: Joburg’s public pool crisis: Safety excuse masks years of neglect

JUST TRANSITION: Connecting the crises and putting health at the heart of Africa’s energy future

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026: SACP showcases eggs and spinach community campaign as ANC alliance frays

ANALYSIS: Five signs the ANC has given up on Joburg

AFTER THE BELL: Lovers of the bean, rejoice — a coffee price battle is brewing

ULTIMATE WARRIOR: Fourie might be the right man at the right time against NZ

MUNICIPAL DYSFUNCTION: Community members clean up sewage spill at old age home after City inaction

Kevin Warsh’s quiet Fed in a face-off with Bessent’s Treasury

THE CONVERSATION: Can ‘knees over toes’ exercises help bullet proof your knees? Two experts explain

JUST TRANSITION OP-ED: How civil society safeguards South Africa’s energy future