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Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Team project helps keep kids sun smart
Fairlie's Village Green playground is getting a makeover in order to make it safer for summer. Located on the corner of Main Rd and Talbot St, the playground has had a new safety fence put in place and will have much-needed shade sails installed before the end of the year. While the safety fence was a Mackenzie District Council-led initiative, the shade sail project was made possible by concerned parents with the help of several South Canterbury organisations. Parent Claire Dann said natural shade used to be provided at the playground by surrounding trees. "One got removed for the skate park and another came down in a really bad wind. So, that left us with no real natural shade around the playground. "In 2021 another mum, Hiltje Boysen-Anderson, started the project after being there with her little ones and realising you just couldn't get any shade, especially with babies that want to be on blankets. "She started looking for ways we could get some shade sails and I joined in as well to see if we could get something happening." The pair reached out to the likes of the local Cancer Society and Plunket to see if they would help with funding. "She [Hiltje] reached out to a local Cancer Society member and they were like 'this is right up our alley, we could help with some funding', so that was a great start. "Then we talked to the local Plunket group as they have a play session there once a week with lots of mums with under 5s. "They thought it was a cool thing to support as well, so we had the beginnings of a project." Plans for the shade sail were drawn up pro bono by Felipe Silva Valves, of Timaru architectural design firm Silva Studio, and were presented to the Mackenzie District Council and approved. The Fairlie Community Board then helped with the remaining funds and the support poles for the sails were installed by local builders at the end of May. Ms Dann said it was great to see so many different people and organisations join forces to make the project happen. "That's what small communities are often about, people chipping in. It's definitely been a team project. "We also have Allan from Kotuku Saddlery, he has donated the canvas for them and has put up a lot of shade sails. "He'll get those done up by springtime and that's when it will all start to look like something. "We're kind of aiming for a Labour Weekend to Easter Weekend kind of time frame for the sails to be up for." She said the sails would be hugely important for the area. "It's been really noticeable, last summer wasn't fabulous. "When we've had hot summers it's been hard for local families with young ones to go down to the playground. "It's just really hard to keep them sun smart and protected when they're always ripping their hats of and stuff like that," Ms Dann said. "I think having some shade protection is really going to help the local community and obviously it will be an asset for any visitors passing through as well. "Once those shade sails are up around October we'll have a little do and a little party to celebrate because it has been a couple of years in the making."
Daily Maverick
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Floyd Shivambu looks to form new party — just 10 months after joining MK
In the wake of his removal as secretary-general of the uMkhonto Wesizwe party, Floyd Shivambu said he was accused of plotting to dethrone Jacob Zuma, and alleged that the former president is surrounded by 'political scoundrels' who are siphoning off millions from the party. When Floyd Shivambu announced a media briefing through a document that didn't include the official uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party letterhead, it was clear he was on his way out. What was uncertain was the direction he would take next. On Thursday, 19 June 2025, Shivambu announced that over the coming months he would consult various communities and groups to gauge whether he should launch his own political party. This he will do alongside an interim structure that he will announce next week, all while remaining a member of the official opposition party, whose cap he wore on Thursday before addressing journalists in Midrand. Shivambu's decision comes two weeks after he was removed as MK party secretary-general. Speaking about the reasons for his removal, Shivambu said he was accused of wanting to overthrow the party's leader and founder, Jacob Zuma. Shivambu claimed he was also accused of accumulating supernatural powers to make people disappear. This was done through two fake intelligence reports, he said. Shivambu was appointed as secretary-general in November 2024 as the MK party prepared to mark its first anniversary in December. During this period, concerns surfaced over his alleged attempts to centralise financial control of the party, with claims that he sought sole authority over its funds. On Thursday, Shivambu claimed that Zuma's advisors had been stealing millions from the organisation and that his leadership was being undermined by those around him. Prior to the announcement of the press conference, it was already clear that Shivambu's future in the party hung in the balance, after Zuma's scathing speech on Monday, June 16, in which he took a veiled swipe at Shivambu, saying the party would not beg anybody when they did wrong, no matter how popular they were. Zuma went further, suggesting that all the former secretaries had in fact been involved in some wrongdoing. Shivambu's move was hardly unexpected, given the internal tensions within the party and his controversial Easter Weekend visit to fugitive pastor Shepherd Bushiri's church in Malawi, a turning point that marked the beginning of his downfall. The MK party said he undertook the visit in his personal capacity, without the mandate or knowledge of the party. Shivambu could have apologised. Instead, he doubled down. Shivambu's redeployment as secretary-general was announced by the party on 3 June, just over nine months after he left his position as deputy president of the EFF, the party he formed with Julius Malema, to join MK. The party said Shivambu would be redeployed to Parliament where he was due to be sworn in as an MP soon, but this did not happen. On Thursday, Shivambu said it was because those close to Zuma had in fact blocked his move using a second intelligence report, which found he would use his power to take over the party. Shivambu told journalists that the report included claims of 'WhatsApp conversations between me and someone else where I'm reported to be saying that, 'Ja, I'm going to Parliament now to take over the party, and I've got money from Stellenbosch.'' When Shivambu was announced as the latest member of the MK party in Sandton in August 2024, Zuma sang his praises, saying he was an honest man who met him while he was a young man in the ANC Youth League, the very same Youth League Shivambu was expelled from by the ANC under Zuma's leadership. When he joined the MK party, Shivambu said it was the most politically sound decision he had ever made. Quizzed about this on Thursday, he stood by the decision, saying he had 'tremendous respect for Zuma' and that he had learnt more from him in the past six months than he did as a deputy president of EFF in a decade. DM
Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
How to DOUBLE your days off in 2026 with only 27 days annual leave
Find out the exact dates you need to book to get more days off HOLI-YAY How to DOUBLE your days off in 2026 with only 27 days annual leave Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WORKERS can get double their annual leave days off next year if they're savvy with when they book. It doesn't take much to maximise your annual leave allowance - you just need to know the exact dates to take off. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Getting smart with your annual leave booking could help you get more days off in a row Credit: Shutterstock Travel experts at have worked out what you need to do to get a huge 59 days off work in 2026 - using just 27 days of annual leave. Most employees who work a five-day week are entitled to at least 28 days' paid annual leave per year. If you receive less it might be because your employer includes bank holidays in your 28-day entitlement. The key to getting longer breaks is to use the bank holidays carefully. More on holidays PARK UP The 7 cheapest caravan sites for a week's family holiday Ideally you should submit your leave requests quickly to make sure they get approved. Remember, your employer isn't obligated to give you specific days off - but it's worth seeing what you can get. Here's what you should do... Easter Weekend You can get a substantial 16-day break if you use Good Friday on April 3 and Easter Monday on April 6. These are the days to book off: Monday, March 30 Tuesday, March 31 Wednesday, April 1 Thursday, April 2 Tuesday, April 7 Wednesday, April 8 Thursday, April 9 Friday, April 10. Five stunning, little-known holiday destinations You'll need eight days of annual leave for this but in total you'll have 16 days off. You would be off between Saturday March 28 and Sunday April 12. Early May Bank Holiday You can land yourself a nine-day break by using the Early May Bank Holiday. You'll need to book off: Tuesday, May 5 Wednesday, May 6 Thursday, May 7 Friday, May 8 That means you'll only need to use four days of annual leave to be off from Saturday, May 2 until Sunday, May 10. Spring Bank Holiday You can use the same tactic for the second bank holiday in May - meaning you'll get 18 days off in one month. You would book off: Tuesday, May 26 Wednesday, May 27 Thursday, May 28 Friday, May 29 Again you'll just need four days off and it will take you from Saturday, May 23 to Sunday, May 31. Summer Bank Holiday If you're wanting to catch the last of the summer weather, you can book off the first week of September after the late August bank holiday (Monday, August 31). You should book off: Tuesday, September 1 Wednesday, September 2 Thursday, September 3 Friday, September 4 Booking off these four days will get you nine days off in a row. You'll have Saturday, August 29 until Sunday, September 6 off. Christmas holidays Booking around Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day could get you 16 days off work in a row. These are the days you should take off: Monday, December 21 Tuesday, December 22 Wednesday, December 23 Thursday, December 24 Tuesday, December 29 Wednesday, December 30 Thursday, December 31 This uses seven days of annual leave but you'll be off all the way from Saturday, December 19 until Sunday, January 3 2027.
The Herald
10-06-2025
- The Herald
Tensions rise during cross-examination in Oyster Bay murder case
The bail application by murder accused Rob Evans got off to a rocky start on Tuesday morning when his lawyer and the magistrate clashed in court over his line of questioning. Defence attorney Paul Roelofse was busy with his cross-examination of the investigating officer when magistrate Deidre Dickson questioned whether he was speculating. During the drawn-out bail bid in the Humansdorp regional court, WO Xolile Kato had testified about the crime scene and the investigation which followed when 36-year-old Vanessa van Rensburg's body was discovered on the floor of her boyfriend's holiday home. Evans is accused of murdering Van Rensburg at the Oyster Bay house during the Easter weekend. Kato had testified earlier on the extent of Van Rensburg's injuries, and had painted a picture of the crime scene which included shards of a broken glass and a whisky bottle which he believed to have been the murder weapon. On the 10th day of the formal bail bid on Tuesday morning, Roelofse continued his cross-examination of Kato in a bid to poke holes in the state's case. He pressed Kato on his earlier claim that there had been no sign of forced entry at the house. He also asked whether Kato had checked if the garage door was intact. Kato admitted that he had not inspected the garage door, and that he had in fact not even gone into the garage during the course of his investigation. Roelofse then put it to him that another person could have entered the house through the garage. Kato responded that this was unlikely as the interleading door between the garage and the house had been locked from the inside. When Roelofse tried to question him further on the status of the garage door, Dickson interjected to warn him that he was 'leading the court into speculation not supported by evidence'. She said this would not assist her in deciding if Evans should be granted bail. Roelofse insisted his questions were important because the state had argued that there was no forced entry, suggesting that Evans had been the only other person inside the house at the time. He said he needed to test this properly because the possibility remained that another person could have been inside the house at the time of Van Rensburg's death. Dickson then ordered Roelofse to cease his current line of questioning, and to instead focus on what the state had presented to the court as evidence. After the heated exchange, Roelofse asked for an adjournment. The bail application continues. The Herald
ITV News
10-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
M&S resumes online orders six weeks after cyber attack
Marks & Spencer has resumed online orders for customers, six weeks after it was forced to halt sales following a cyber attack. Currently, shoppers will only be able to purchase the company's "best-selling fashion ranges" as part of a staggered return to full online operations. On the company's Instagram page, the retailer's managing director of clothing, home and beauty, John Lyttle, wrote: "We are bringing back online shopping this week "A selection of our best-selling fashion ranges will be available for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales. "More of our fashion, home and beauty products will be added every day and we will resume deliveries to Northern Ireland and Click and Collect in the coming weeks. "Thank you sincerely for your support and for shopping with us." The retailer made the decision to pause online orders over the Easter Weekend after being targeted by hackers. Customer personal data, which could have included names, email addresses, postal addresses and dates of birth, was also taken in the attack. In a statement at the time, the retailer said: "Unfortunately the nature of the incident means some personal customer data has been taken. "Importantly, there is no evidence that this data has been shared and it does not include useable card or payment details, or account passwords, so there is no need for customers to take any action." Customers were prompted to reset their password though the store assured customers this was only for "extra peace of mind." The retail group says 'human error' caused the attack, which is set to cost the firm around £300 million. It is understood that the retailer was targeted by a ransomware called DragonForce, and an employee most likely replied to a phishing email. The National Cyber Security Centre describes ransomware as a type of malicious software that prevents users from accessing their data and systems by encrypting their files. The group deploying the software will then demand a payment or "ransom" in exchange for granting access and unencrypting the data. Attackers can also threaten to leak the data if the ransom is not paid. According to reports, a hacking group known as Scattered Spider is said to be behind the M&S attack, although this has not been confirmed.
