Daily Maverick - News and reports from around the world

[LEVELLING UP] Grade R teachers face job losses without NQF level 6 qualifications

With Grade R now fully integrated into formal schooling, the Basic Education Department demands minimum NQF Level 6 qualifications for all educators. A sizeable backlog of unqualified teachers must upgrade or risk losing their posts, highlighting a critical phase in early education reform.

[Newsletters] I have a picture for you! 06 December-12 December 2025

The First Thing newsletter's Ever-lasting Subscriber Photo Gallery.

[Newsletters] I have a picture for you! 29 November-05 December 2025

The First Thing newsletter's Ever-lasting Subscriber Photo Gallery.

[Newsdeck] South Korea's fourth space rocket launch successful, sends satellites into orbit

South Korea successfully launched its fourth homegrown space rocket Nuri on Thursday and put more than a dozen satellites into orbit, a live stream on YouTube by Korea Aerospace Research Institute showed, marking the country's first launch jointly conducted with a private company.

[Newsdeck] Two National Guard members shot near White House, with Trump in Florida

Two members of the National Guard were shot on Wednesday in a busy area near the White House, officials said, putting the building into lockdown with President Donald Trump away in Florida.

[Newsdeck] ICE detains mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew

US immigration authorities are detaining the mother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew, officials said on Wednesday, a sign of the wide reach of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

[Newsdeck] West Africa bloc, African Union observers voice concern over Guinea-Bissau coup

West Africa's ECOWAS and African Union observers on Wednesday expressed concern over the military takeover in Guinea-Bissau and the arrests of election officials, a joint statement issued by the organizations said.

[Newsdeck] Ethiopia says death toll from Marburg virus outbreak rises to 6

The death toll from a Marburg virus outbreak in Ethiopia has risen to six, state-run news agency reported on Wednesday.

[Newsdeck] Israel launches new military operation in northern West Bank

Israeli security forces on Wednesday launched what the military described as a counter-terrorism operation in the northern West Bank, which Palestinians said was targeting the city of Tubas.

[Newsdeck] Four dead after fire engulfs residential high-rise buildings in Hong Kong

At least four people have died and others remain trapped after a massive fire engulfed multiple high-rise towers of a residential complex in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, the government and Fire Services Department said.

[Newsdeck] Japan opposition parties brace for possible early snap election, Yomiuri says

TOKYO, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's high approval ratings are prodding opposition parties to ramp up preparations in case she calls an early election, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Wednesday.

[Newsdeck] Zelensky says Ukraine ready to advance peace plan, will discuss disputed points with Trump

WASHINGTON/KYIV, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he was ready to advance a US-backed framework for ending the war with Russia and discuss disputed points with US President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.

[Newsdeck] Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls have been released, official says

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Twenty-four girls who were abducted from a government boarding school in northwestern Nigeria last week have been released, the state governor's media aide said on Tuesday.

[Newsdeck] UK government approves 4.1% rise in minimum wage for 2026

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Britain's main minimum wage rate will rise by 4.1% to 12.71 pounds ($16.67) an hour next April to keep up with average pay, the government said on Tuesday, despite complaints from some employers that this will push up prices.

[Newsdeck] France seeks 3-month suspension of Shein, ministry official says

France will ask a Paris judge on Wednesday to order the suspension of Chinese online fast-fashion platform Shein in France for three months, a French finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

[Newsdeck] French President Macron says Trump's Ukraine peace plan needs improvement

US President Donald Trump's peace plan needs improvement to make it acceptable for Ukraine and Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron told RTL radio on Tuesday.

[Newsdeck] Afghanistan says 9 children killed in Pakistani air strikes, vows to respond

Afghanistan's Taliban administration said on Tuesday that nine children and a woman were killed in Pakistani air strikes and vowed to respond, ratcheting up tensions between the South Asian neighbours.

[Newsdeck] Malaysian court brings forward decision on ex-PM Najib's house arrest bid to December 22

A Malaysian court will decide on December 22 whether jailed former prime minister Najib Razak can serve his sentence under house arrest, just days before delivering its verdict in another major case he faces over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

[Newsdeck] US and Kyiv discuss reworked plan to end war in Ukraine

KYIV/GENEVA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - U.S. and Ukrainian officials sought to narrow the gaps between them on Monday over a plan to end the war in Ukraine, after agreeing to modify a U.S. proposal that Kyiv and its European allies saw as a Kremlin wish list.

[Newsdeck] US judge tosses cases against ex-FBI chief Comey, New York AG James

WASHINGTON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday dismissed criminal charges against two perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump, FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling the U.S. attorney he hand picked to prosecute them was unlawfully appointed.

[Newsdeck] Spanish gold coin from 1609 breaks European record at auction

GENEVA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A large gold coin minted in 1609 for Spain's King Philip III broke records to become the most valuable coin in Europe at a sale in Switzerland on Monday.