Get Ready For Regular Stage 6 Blackouts In South Africa – Energy experts warn that South Africans should prepare themselves for regular blackouts and stage 6 load-shedding because of continued problems at Eskom. [mbb]

Rainfall Brings Relief To Drought-Hit Karoo – Rain was also welcomed in dry areas of the Eastern Cape such as Aberdeen and Graaff Reinet [sabc]

Fugitive Ex-Nissan Boss Carlos Ghosn Blasts Japanese Justice. It Was Escape Or ‘Die In Japan’ – Carlos Ghosn has used his freedom to blast Japan’s legal system and denounce his arrest as part of a plot to topple him as head of the world’s most powerful auto alliance. [cnn]

A Japanese Billionaire Is Giving Away $9 Million To People On Twitter To See If It Boosts Their Happiness – Research says it might. [busins]

Newlyweds And Family Of Four Among 63 Canadians Killed In ‘Devastating’ Crash – Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ‘shocked and saddened’ by crash in which 176 people died, as more details of victims emerge. [guardian]

Article Or Ad? Teen Vogue Removes Glowing Facebook Story Without Explanation – One of the tech giant’s executives, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, liked it so much, she posted it to her own page, calling it “great.” [washpo]

The Oscars Will Have No Host Again For 2020 Ceremony – ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke confirmed Wednesday at the TCA Press Tour that the Feb. 9 Academy Awards will go on without an official host. [usat]

China’s Warning To Big Tech: You’re Not Bulletproof – A revised anti-monopoly law will remind local internet companies who holds the real power. [bloom]

As Zume Layoffs Loom, A Look Back At SoftBank’s Troubled Investing Year – Changing from the highest-flying conglomerate and most famous capital vehicle to troubled icons of misplaced exuberance, it’s tough to be SoftBank and its Vision Fund today. [tc]

Amazon’s Hardware Boss Responds To Sonos Accusations Of Stolen Technology – Yesterday morning, The New York Times broke the news that Sonos is suing Google. Under the belief that Google stole its technology and has slowly been trying to “squeeze” Sonos’ business with its own lineup of less expensive smart speakers. [verge]

3 Things Every Employee Needs To Know About South Africa’s New Parental Leave Laws – The Labour Laws Amendment Act (LLLA) has been signed into law by president Cyril Ramaphosa, introducing a number of changes to parental leave in South Africa. [btech]

Jack Parow’s Latest Collaboration Is Proving Very Popular – It’s been a full 10 years since Jack Parow’s iconic ‘Cooler as Ekke’ was released, and he’s celebrating in a uniquely South African way. [here]

More Than A Million South Africans Join #I’mStaying Vision Of Hope – Amid load shedding, economic uncertainty and a rising unemployment rate, more than a million South Africans remain publicly and overtly optimistic about the country’s future. [iol]

In Defence Of South African Hope – To guard against being overwhelmed by the electronic debris that is the global contemporary news cycle, you need to go looking for True North. The compass has always been approximate so you have to do some of the work, in the real world, that is. [dmav]

Queen’s Granddaughter Zara Tindall Banned From Driving – The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall has been banned from driving for six months after being caught speeding at 91mph near her Cotswolds home. [bbc]

Apple Hits All-Time High After Announcing Record Holiday App Store Sales – Apple shares closed at a record high on Wednesday after revealing its App Store customers spent $1.42 billion between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. [busins]

WATCH | Cape Town Pupil Defies The Odds, Passing Matric Despite Being Homeless – An overwhelmed Ammaarah Creighton collected her matric results from Trafalgar High School in Cape Town on Wednesday. [n24]

Anglo American Bids For – Wait For It – A UK Fertiliser Mine Project – Like virtually all UK-listed mining companies, Anglo American is there to extract capital in London, not raw commodities from the English countryside. [dmav]

Serena Williams And Roger Federer To Play In Australian Bushfire Charity Match – Some of the world’s top tennis stars, including Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, are coming together on January 15 in Melbourne, Australia to take part in an exhibition match to raise money for Australia’s bushfire relief efforts. [mash]

‘Incomprehensible’: The Australian Bushfires Are An Ecological Catastrophe – The enormous fires, which are being amplified by climate change, have killed up to a billion animals and may drive species to extinction. [vice]

Elton John Joins List Of Stars Donating To Bushfire Relief Effort – Singer announces A$1m donation, matching pledge by Marvel star Chris Hemsworth. [guardian]

IAC To Sell CollegeHumor, Which Will Cut Most Of Its Workers – Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActive Corp. plans to sell CH Media, the parent of CollegeHumor and other digital brands, to the unit’s chief creative officer, in a move that will cause most employees to lose their jobs. [bloom]

World Pizza Spinning Champion Has Some Great Tricks Up His Sleeve – When Justin Wadstein was a kid, he started spinning everything he could get his hands on. Eventually, he turned his attention to pizza dough, and the rest is history. [here]

Uri Geller: Spoon Bender Wants To Go From Silver Service To Civil Service – The spoon-bending guru admits his powers give him an unfair advantage over the competition for government roles. [sky]

Grimes Posts New Pregnancy Photo After Instagram Removes One With Exposed Nipples – Well, Grimes has hinted that she’s pregnant. Of course, who can truly know the nature of the universe? [mash]

Justin Bieber: Singer Reveals He Has Lyme Disease – Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber has revealed he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease. [bbc]

Chloe Sevigny, 45, Is Pregnant With First Child – The 45-year-old actress is expecting her first child with boyfriend Sinisa Mackovic. [eol]

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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]

It’s Time You Treat Your Pet To The Finer Things In Life – It’s all good and well posting pictures of your furry friends on social media, but you don’t want people talking about how you’re skimping on the treats. Do better. [petculture]

First Month Storage Space 50% Off At Stor-Age – Whether you need a locker for a bicycle or a garage for your house contents, Stor-Age has the space you need. And they’re offering a special ‘50% off the first month’ deal – no strings attached! You can take your stuff out after one month – no problem! [check it out]

Everyone’s Talking About Streaming These Days – There’s a world of entertainment out there, but if you want to get with the program then there’s no better place to start than Showmax. [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]

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