Latest news with #EasterWeekend
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- 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
4 days ago
- 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.
The Guardian
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
M&S website resumes online orders six weeks after cyber-attack
Marks & Spencer has reopened its website to shoppers, six weeks after it was forced to halt online orders after a cyber-attack. The retailer said on its website that customers 'can now place online orders with standard delivery to England, Scotland and Wales'. Deliveries to Northern Ireland 'will resume in the coming weeks'. 'We will resume click and collect, next-day delivery, nominated-day delivery and international ordering in the coming weeks,' it said. The retailer is estimated to have been losing about £25m in online clothing and homewares sales a week after it was forced to stop taking orders on its website within days of 'threat actors', thought to be a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider, gaining access to its systems over the Easter weekend. The company expects the hack to cost it up to £300m in profits this year, although about half of that is expected to be offset by insurance and other measures. It has previously said disruption to its website could last until July, and some online services are not expected to restart immediately. Shoppers have been able to browse online, as well as shop in M&S's physical stores using cash or cards for most of the period since the hack. However, stocks of food and clothing in stores have also been affected, meaning that M&S has lost out during a busy period for retailers as a warm, sunny spring has driven an unexpected rise in household spending. M&S has also admitted that some personal information relating to thousands of customers – including names, addresses, dates of birth and order histories – was taken in the cyber-attack. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Stuart Machin, the chief executive of M&S, has said he expects the retailer to recover 'at pace' helped by bringing forward investment in its IT systems and website as part of the systems rebuild forced on it by the hackers. The attack on M&S emerged days before cyber-attacks were reported by the Co-op and Harrods. More recently, the sportswear brand Adidas and the lingerie group Victoria's Secret have also been targeted.
