Wednesday Morning Spice

Musk Says He Had ‘Great Meeting’ With Ramaphosa – President Cyril Ramaphosa has met SA-born American billionaire Elon Musk during his visit to the US, where he is leading a R2-trillion investment drive. [timeslive]

Residential Complex Goes Up In Flames In Midrand – Alternative accommodation has been found for residents left displaced by a fire at a complex in Midrand. [timeslive]

Goodbye Louis Vuitton. China’s Gen Z Leans Into ‘Dupe Economy’ As Growth Prospects Stall – China’s economic slowdown isn’t an abstract concept for Zheng Jiewen, 23, who works full time at an ad agency in the southern megacity of Guangzhou. [cnn]

This Is How Much Eskom Wants For The Next Three Years And How It Affects Your Pocket – The proposed average price increases for Eskom direct customers are 36.15% from April 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026; 11.81% from April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027 and 9.10% from April 1, 2027 – March 31, 2028. [iol]

Several Arrested After Woman Dies In ‘Suicide Pod’ – Police in Switzerland made multiple arrests after a woman reportedly ended her life using a so-called suicide pod, in apparently the first case of its kind. [bbc]

Canadian Held For More Than 1,000 Days Describes ‘Psychological’ Torture In Chinese Detention – Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadian men detained in China for more than 1,000 days on alleged spying charges, has described being put in solitary confinement for six months and relentlessly interrogated in what he said was psychological torture. [cnn]

Jury Awards Teen Pop Group OMG Girlz $71.5 Million In Battle With Toy Maker Over “L.O.L.” Dolls – Toy maker MGA Entertainment must pay $71.5 million in damages for infringing on the name and likeliness of teen pop group OMG Girlz with one of its popular lines of dolls, a federal jury has decided. [ap]

Global Tech Giants Hiring In South Africa – Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are looking to fill positions within their South African operations, with more than 109 posts available between the three international tech giants. [mybrodband]

Would-Be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh Charged With Attempted Assassination – Federal officials filed a charge of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate against Ryan W. Routh, the suspected would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump who already faced federal gun charges over the incident, multiple outlets reported Tuesday. [forbes]

A Frothy Genoa International Boat Show Proves The Yachting World Is Alive And Kicking – Salone Nautico typically forecasts if the sector’s heading into a slump. This year, with 30 yacht launches, perfect weather, and big, enthusiastic crowds, the show seemed to signal that boating is doing just fine. [robbreport]

Justin Bieber Said He Wanted To ‘Protect’ Billie Eilish From Music Industry In Video That Resurfaced After Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Crimes Arrest – Years-old remarks Justin Bieber made about wanting to “protect” Billie Eilish from the music industry have resurfaced in the wake of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. [nypost]

Oscar Pistorius Quietly Dives Back Into Public Life By Competing In Ironman

SA Billionaire Threatens To Un-Exit UK Over Tax Drama

More People Than We Bargained For? New Study Suggests We’ve Been Undercounting Ourselves By Billions

Cape Town To Offer Residents A Lifeline With Once-Off Debt Scrapping Proposal