Inside The $205,000 Oscar 2021 Gift Bag: From A Spa Retreat To ‘Poetry For Neanderthals’ – The pandemic killed off a number of Hollywood traditions in the past year. The Oscar season swag bag wasn’t one of them. [forbes]

Tokyo Sexwale Says SA Government ‘Rejected R75bn Donation’ To The Solidarity Fund – “When Covid-19 came and the president said he was wanting to be assisted to raise money and he raised R3.25bn, he says he sent international envoys to look for the money for the Solidarity Fund,” said Sexwale. [tlive]

South Africa Set To Use J&J Shots After Resolving Contract Spat – South Africa plans to begin issuing Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine to the general public next month after settling a contractual dispute with the U.S. drugmaker. [bloom]

Indian Double Mutation Variant Arrives In Britain And Has ‘Hallmarks Of Very Dangerous Virus’ – As yet, it is unknown what impact the two mutations would have on the effectiveness of existing vaccines. [sky] Yes, of course there is now a ‘double mutant variant’. 

India Posts Global Record Of 315 000 Daily Covid Cases – India posted a global record of almost 315 000 new Covid infections on Thursday as hospitals in New Delhi sent out desperate warning that patients could die without fresh oxygen supplies. [n24]

France ‘To Start Easing Covid-19 Travel Restrictions In May’ – France plans to lift travel restrictions and ease a nationwide curfew on May 2 on expectations that daily Covid-19 cases will soon begin falling, but new entry restrictions on travellers from India will be imposed to fight the spread of a contagious coronavirus variant, a government official said. [f24]

Biden Vows To Slash US Emissions By Half To Meet ‘Existential Crisis Of Our Time’ – US president tells virtual climate summit that ‘time is short’ to address dangerous global heating in a break from Trump era. [guardian]

Global Online Store Wish Has Struck A Deal With The SA Post Office To Deliver Products Faster – Wish, the global online retailer based in San Fransico, has partnered with the South African Post Office in a bid to deliver goods to South Africans quicker and more efficiently. [busins]

Franschhoek And Bubbles – Say Hello To The Perfect Festival – ‘Follow the Bubbles’ will see nine very special Franschhoek venues pairing up with a Cap Classique house or two for a session of fabulous tasting, along with delicious food, live music, and loads of fun. [here]

SA Red Cross At War With Itself – Acrimonious disputes among past and present directors of the Red Cross have disrupted the organisation, despite repeated attempts to root out corruption and mismanagement. [mav]

Congressmen, Consumer Reports Raise Concerns Over Tesla’s Autopilot – Two senators urge automotive-safety regulator to look into ‘worrisome’ pattern. [wsj]

In Earth Day Message, Pope Warns That Planet Is “At The Brink” – Pope Francis said in his Earth Day message on Thursday that the planet was “at the brink” and humanity had to avoid “the path of self destruction.” [reuters]

Bond Raised For Louisville Mom Accused Of Killing 10-Year-Old Son – Higgins was arrested and charged with murder (domestic violence) and tampering with physical evidence after she allegedly tried to cut out her son’s tongue Tuesday night and then shot him, police said. [cj]

Do We Still Need To Wear A Mask Outdoors? – A November review in the Journal of Infectious Diseases found that the odds of viral transmission are 18.7 times greater indoors than out, and less than 10% of Covid-19 infections studied occurred outside. [cnn]

Ransomware Hackers Steal Plans For Upcoming Apple Products – Group behind REvil ransomware claims stolen files include plans for two laptops and a new Apple Watch. [guardian]

Coffee Doesn’t Get More Refreshing Than This – Whilst temperatures are set to cool, Sunday reached into the mid-30s, and the weekend as a whole was dry and scorching. If you want an alternative to piping hot coffee, you’re in luck. [here]

£2k A Night Escort May Have Been Pushed By Wealthy Client To Her Death From Eighth Floor Of Hotel, Family Suggest – Angela Williams, 42, earned £2,000 a night as a call-girl, specialising in fetishes with married men, some on Forbes rich list. [sun]

Kate Middleton Took a Sweet New Photo of Prince Louis for His Third Birthday – The littlest Cambridge is growing up so fast! Prince Louis, the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge turns three years-old today, April 23. In honor of the special day, his parents released a new photo of the small prince. [tandc] This is HUGE!

Scott Disick Is ‘Struggling’ With Kourtney Kardashian And Travis Barker’s Relationship – Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker made their relationship Instagram official after Valentine’s Day. [people]

Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor And Regé-Jean Page Nominated For Best Kiss Award – The brooding Duke of Hastings and beguiling Phoebe Bridgerton made headlines for their on-screen chemistry. [tatler]

Gigi Hadid’s Father Boasts The $10Million Supermodel Is ‘Self-Made’ – And ‘never took a dollar from her parents’… but fans call out her ‘privileged’ upbringing. [dm]

From Supersized To A More Natural Look: The Evolution Of Breast Implants – Breast implants are more popular than ever. They remain one of the most sought-after cosmetic surgeries in many countries from the United States and Brazil to the UK and China. They’re the subject of reality shows and tabloid spreads, a recurrent topic of celebrity culture and a perennial punch line. [cnn]

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DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T TELL YOU…

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]

There Is Only One Company When It Comes To Import Export Logistics – Your freight forwarding / shipping partner is probably more important than the actual products you want to move from country to country. Choose the wrong guys and you can get stung in so many ways. Be smart, use 2ov’s partners, Berry & Donaldson. [here]

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]