Shell Says It Has Reached Peak Oil Production – In a Thursday statement, the fossil fuel giant said its “oil production peaked in 2019,” and that we can now expect it to decline gradually by 1 or 2% per year. Shell also said its total carbon emissions peaked in 2018 at 1.7 gigatonnes. [giz]

South Africa To Reopen Border Crossings – On Saturday, the government announced that borders with Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini would be opened. [bbc]

Pair Who Want To Die With Dignity Turn To High Court – The controversial issue of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia for terminally ill patients will once again come under the spotlight later this month in court. [iol]

Trump Celebrates His Acquittal, Says The Impeachment Was Part Of A ‘Witch Hunt’ – But his statement ignored the fact that the vote against him was bipartisan, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats in the House to impeach and seven Republicans joining with Democrats in the Senate. [npr]

New York Trump Investigation Looks At $280m In Loans – Report – Wall Street Journal says prosecutors interested in loans relating to four Manhattan properties. [guardian]

WHO Wuhan Mission Finds Possible Signs Of Wider Original Outbreak In 2019 – Investigators from the World Health Organization (WHO) looking into the origins of coronavirus in China have discovered signs the outbreak was much wider in Wuhan in December 2019 than previously thought, and are urgently seeking access to hundreds of thousands of blood samples from the city that China has not so far let them examine. [cnn]

Meghan Markle Is Pregnant With Her Second Child – “We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child”. [t&c]

Elon Musk’s Reality Distortion Field – How the Tesla chief has shaped popular opinion with social media and memes. [ft]

Here’s How Many Skilled People Are Leaving South Africa – Rand Merchant Bank chief executive James Formby says that thousands of skilled people are leaving South Africa every year, leaving major gaps in the country’s future economy. [btech]

Facebook Is Secretly Building A Smartwatch And Planning To Sell It Next Year – The device would have messaging and fitness features. [verge]

Gugulethu Residents Discover Naked Body Of Murdered Woman – In yet another gruesome attack on women in the country, Gugulethu residents are reeling in shock after the naked body of 31-year-old Sandisiwe Bhuqa was found in a passageway in the Kanana informal settlement yesterday. [iol]

Bill Gates: ‘I Can’t Deny Being A Rich Guy With An Opinion’ – In an exclusive extract from his new book, the Microsoft founder explains why we need to cut carbon emissions to zero – even if he is an ‘imperfect messenger’ [guardian]

Mastercard Will Support Cryptocurrency Payments This Year – Financial services company Mastercard has given fresh credibility to cryptocurrencies this week by announcing it intends to start supporting payments using them on its network this year. [mash]

‘My Heart Is So Heavy’ – says Rachel Kolisi after WP confirm Siya’s departure. [n24]

Marilyn Manson ‘Almost Destroyed Me’ Game Of Thrones – Actress Esmé Bianco says her relationship with the singer left her with physical scars and PTSD. [cut]

Foreigners Are Buying Up Mansions In South Africa To Escape Lockdown Blues – Real estate agency Seeff says it has made over R178 million in sales to foreign buyers across the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl areas over the last four months alone, including a luxury villa in Fresnaye sold in December, for R36 million, to a buyer from Dubai. [btech]

Comparing The Cost Of Comfortable Retirement In SA To The Rest Of The World – You might want to give this a read before you start planning your retirement on the beaches of another continent. [here]

The Mind-Altering Bufo Alvarius [Video 5mins] – We explore the psychedelic effects of the Bufo Alvarius, also known as the Sonoran desert toad. [bbc]

Hollywood Actor Zac Efron Finalises $2Million Purchase Of Block In Tweed Valley – Amid rumours he is planning to permanently relocate to Australia. [dm]

Highwayman’s 1750 Confessions Reveal ‘Unusual’ Ambivalence About Gay Sex – Rare pamphlet includes roistering criminal’s surprisingly enlightened attitude to the advances. [guardian]

People Told Us About the Last Time They Hooked Up With Complete Strangers – “I was in a different country, I was 25, and I was really excited for 2020 (LOL). I wanted to say yes to more things, so I agreed to my first-ever threesome.” [vice]

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There are a number of ongoing deals set up at our various exclusive partners. Here they are – just for you;-)

Buy Any Product From Websites That ‘Don’t Ship To SA’ – One of our most exciting partners offers you a PO Box in US, UK or Hong Kong, for you to deliver overseas online purchases to. Postbox Courier handles it from there – getting the package to you in under a week. [more]

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Affordable Cane Furniture – If you’re buying cane or wicker furniture anywhere else, you’re wasting a lot of time and money. These guys import directly from Malawi. Hand-Made cane furniture – buy online and have it delivered! [check it out]