Hawks raid Prasa HQ; US congressman slams anti-SA Bill: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
Graphic: Sharlene Rood/News24
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature.
Hawks raid Prasa HQ, seize executives' laptops, phones in R18bn tender probe
- The Hawks seized laptops and mobile phones from Prasa's top executives as part of an ongoing investigation.
- The investigation is related to allegations of corruption in connection with two R18 billion train signalling equipment tenders.
- The operation follows reports that Prasa awarded contracts to companies that allegedly did not meet mandatory requirements.
Shock twist in Nada-Jane murder, accused now admits to crime
- Amber Lee Hughes admitted to murdering 4-year-old Nada-Jane Challita, who was found raped and drowned in January 2023.
- Hughes initially pleaded not guilty but changed her legal team and made the admission in court on Thursday.
- She maintains that she did not rape the child.
Phando Jikelo/RSA Parliament
Crisis averted: National Assembly passes Appropriation Bill
- The National Assembly passed the Appropriation Bill, averting a potential fiscal crisis where government funds would have run out by October 2025.
- The DA initially threatened to block the bill but changed course after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired the minister of higher education, securing the bill's passage.
- Despite objections from some parties, the bill is expected to be approved by the National Council of Provinces, allowing the government to fund critical priorities.
Jacoline Schoonees/DIRCO
US lawmaker slams SA sanctions bill as threat to decades of diplomacy
- US congressman Jonathan Jackson criticised the "MAGA-driven" US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025, which proposes sanctions on South African government officials and ANC members.
- The bill, authored by Ronny Jackson, aims to punish South Africa for its foreign policies, including its stance on Israel and ties with countries like Russia and China.
- Tensions between the US and South Africa are high due to tariffs, refugee status granted to Afrikaners and differing views on international conflicts.
Phando Jikelo/RSA Parliament
Godongwana announces big reforms after budget nightmare
- The National Treasury is implementing reforms to the budget process due to fiscal and political challenges, including wider consultation and a focus on spending efficiencies.
- A new mechanism called Targeted and Responsible Savings will rank programmes by importance to identify potential savings through spending reviews and phased "de-implementation."
- Departments must utilise previous spending reviews to find savings and efficiency gains, with departmental savings being used to reduce debt or fund temporary expenditures.
Supplied/MultiChoice
DStv shake-up: New MultiChoice CEO promises major changes to win back subscribers
- MultiChoice South Africa CEO Byron du Plessis plans to overhaul DStv packages to better meet customer needs and win back subscribers lost to streaming services and piracy.
- Key strategies include focusing on local content, sports offerings, making kids' content more accessible and simplifying subscription structures by potentially removing reconnection and access fees.
- The company acknowledges past missteps and aims to reinvent itself by addressing the disconnect with younger audiences and combating piracy, while also exploring the possibility of unbundling SuperSport.
Lloyd Burnard | First signs of Rassie drawing a line on 'golden' Boks?
- This generation of Springboks, considered the greatest in South African rugby history, is aiming for an unprecedented "three-peat" at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
- Despite their dominance, the recent squad selection for the Rugby Championship indicates a shift, with some older stars like Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am facing increased competition and the potential passing of the baton to younger players.
- While the transition may be bittersweet, it's a natural part of the sport, creating opportunities for new legends to emerge and continue the Springboks' legacy.
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CBS News
17 minutes ago
- CBS News
Man convicted in 2023 fatal shooting of 13-year-old boy in Gary, Indiana
A man was convicted in the 2023 fatal shooting of a teenage boy in Gary, Indiana. The Gary Police Department announced that 19-year-old Dahvee Brunson was found guilty in the Feb. 15, 2023, killing of 13-year-old Orie Dodson. On that day, officers were called for a well-being check in the 1300 block of Lincoln Street, after a person was found lying face-down in front of a church. That's where they found Dodson, who was unresponsive, with apparent gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined that the shooting stemmed from what Dodson's mother said was a situation that began on social media. In addition to the murder conviction, Brunson was also convicted of a criminal gang enhancement and a firearm enhancement. Brunson remains at the Lake County Jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26. The video above is from a previous report.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Colorado dentist's lover reveals staggering '4,000 texts in 18 days' during murder trial testimony
The lover of a Colorado dentist on trial for allegedly murdering his wife methodically by poisoning her protein shakes took the stand Tuesday, sharing details of their emotional affair. Dr. Karin Cain, a Texas orthodontist, took the stand in the Aurora trial of Dr. James Toliver Craig, 47. Craig is charged with first-degree murder in the March 2023 death of his wife, 43-year-old Angela Craig. Her cause of death was determined to be lethal doses of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline. Cain testified that she met Craig at a dental conference in Las Vegas in February 2023. At the time, she had just finalized her divorce after 27 years of marriage and was adjusting to life as a single mother of two adult children. "This was the first man I had a one-on-one convo with in 30 years," she told the jury. The two struck up a conversation while waiting for a shuttle to a conference dinner. "He was honest and vulnerable," Cain recalled, describing how Craig shared information about his children and about his divorce. Craig, at his time of meeting Cain in February 2023, was not divorced. She said his sincerity made her relax, and the two shared dinner two times during the conference. Cain testified that their relationship turned physically intimate during the trip, though she insisted there was no sexual activity. "We made out," she said. Afterward, she pulled back, feeling things were moving too fast. "I told him that I wouldn't sleep with anyone unless he was my 'forever person,'" she told the jury. Craig told her that her boundaries were "reasonable." Despite the pause, Cain said they texted and called incessantly, and the pair exchanged more than 4,000 text messages over just 18 days. "He said things that made me feel great," Cain admitted. Three days into the blossoming relationship, Craig told her that he loved her. "I've fallen in love with you so deeply that the list of attributes has become endless," he wrote. She said that his messages were often spiritual, and when they spoke on the phone, she heard him praying over his children. Cain admitted some of their many texts became "sexting." "He said, 'I know I can be all right without you. But I don't want to be,'" Cain recalled. "I'm going to try to get through this day without being too turned on the whole time," Craig wrote, according to text messages read in court Tuesday. Cain admitted, "Yes, some texts became sexting." In late February, Craig texted, "Soñar conmigo, my eternal love. May Heaven let us bloom together forever." Cain said their relationship felt "right," saying she believed that James and Angela Craig were separated and close to finalizing their divorce. She said she believed James Craig was living separately in an apartment. On Feb. 28, Craig complained Angela was upset after spotting a restaurant charge "big enough to cover two people." He texted, "I don't think she understands what it means to be getting divorced." Cain began to worry about their relationship, texting Craig, "Maybe she's not on the same page as you." "This is scary. I didn't want to be part of breaking up a marriage," she wrote. Craig replied: "I didn't tell her anything about you." When prosecutors asked if she saw any red flags in early 2023, Cain answered, "No. Not even in the days or weeks after. Now I do. But at the time? I missed it all." She shared her excitement with friends but kept the romance hidden from her children. Craig frequently texted poetic love notes and confessed to past infidelity as a "mistake." He also told Cain, "I could see myself asking you to marry me." She replied, "I could see myself saying yes." Cain and Craig maintained a long-distance texting relationship until Cain made plans to visit him in March. She ended up postponing her flight due to Angela being sick. Cain's flight was rescheduled for March 16-20, 2023. Craig texted Cain on March 6 that Angela thought he had drugged her. "I would never drug you," he wrote. "Just for the record." Cain said that she wholeheartedly believed him. She said that Craig had told her that Angela was suicidal and "had tried to take her life before." On March 15, Craig told her via text, "Crash. Intubated. No brain activity." Cain replied: "No words. I love you." That same day, Craig asked if she would still visit and sent a covert plan for her to attend the funeral without his children knowing. Just before midnight, he texted, "Worst case scenario, what if they decide [that] I helped her?" Cain reassured him, "You were at work both times she went to the ER." Cain flew to Colorado on March 16. She and Craig hiked, dined at a sushi spot and spent the night together. The next day, he left to pick burial plots while she stayed behind. They met again for dinner, and he stayed in her hotel. At 2 a.m. March 19, police knocked on her hotel door and arrested Craig. "I told them, 'They're divorcing,'" Cain testified. In April, Craig began sending her handwritten love letters from jail. "Karin, you have ruined me — ruined me in all the best ways," he wrote. Another said, "I die a new death every day I cannot be near you." Cain initially burned two of the letters but then said she turned the rest of the letters over to detectives. She wrote one final reply, "Do not write me anymore." On cross-examination, defense attorney David Moses pressed Cain on what she didn't know. She said she had no idea Craig was still living with his wife, texting other women or had hired a prostitute in Las Vegas. "But he knew," Moses said. Cain replied. "Yes." "It was infatuation, right?" the defense asked. "It felt exciting, like a high school girl." Cain said. "It felt like love." A prosecutor closed by mentioning Craig's lies about still being married, still living at home and hiring a prostitute during the initial Las Vegas business trip. "Yes," Cain said, "a lot of what the defendant told me wasn't true." Carrie Hageseth, a Lyft driver and single mother, testified Wednesday that she met Craig on and the pair fell into a "sugar babies" relationship. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for said it is not a "sugar babies" website and it "strictly prohibit(s)" any form of transactional dating. "Our dating platform helps members build meaningful relationships based on shared ambitions and what truly makes them happy, be it romance, travel, luxury, freedom or whatever it is they aspire to in their connections," the spokesperson said. During one dinner, she testified, Craig referenced the movie "The Purge," in which there is one day when everyone can kill whomever they want without consequence. Craig, she testified, said that if he could "purge" someone, it would be his wife. He went into detail, Hageseth testified, describing how a person could be killed via injection without consequence. Hageseth went into the intimate details of their "arrangement," sharing that Craig paid for her daughter's car in exchange for sex. Fox News Digital has reached out to James Craig's lead attorney, Lisa Fine Moses, for comment.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lori Vallow Daybell stoked tensions with judge in her Arizona murder conspiracy trials
Lori Vallow Daybell Arizona PHOENIX (AP) — Moments before the Idaho mother with doomsday beliefs was given two more life sentences in prison, she complained about jail conditions and the legal system, saying the rules of evidence do not allow two sides of the story. Judge Justin Beresky abruptly interrupted, saying: 'Actually, they do.' It was a moment that further highlighted the tension between Lori Vallow Daybell, who represented herself in two murder conspiracy cases in Arizona, and Beresky, who pulled no punches when the time came for him to address the court. Beresky said Vallow Daybell was not truthful when she claimed she was prevented from telling her side of the story and was unable to get a fair trial. The media attention she craved, he said, will fade into obscurity now that her trials are over. 'The amount of contemplation, calculation, planning and manipulation that went into these crimes is unparalleled in my career,' said Beresky, who has been a Maricopa County Superior Court judge since 2017 and has presided over other high-profile cases. Friday's sentencing ended the legal saga of Vallow Daybell, 51, who will likely spend no time in an Arizona prison because she already was serving three life sentences in Idaho for killing her two youngest children and conspiring to kill a romantic rival. In Arizona she was convicted of conspiring to kill her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, and her niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux. Charles Vallow was fatally shot, while Boudreaux survived. Vallow Daybell maintained that she did nothing wrong and said the string of deaths were simply tragedies. She turned to her own religious beliefs in saying she believes she is among servants who Jesus is sending into prison to become warriors and who, ultimately, will be released to serve him. Beresky implied that she got the meaning wrong when she referenced a verse about prisoners going free. 'That is a verse about people that accept Jesus can be in prison and they will go free when they die and go to heaven, but it will take an act of God for you to go free,' the judge said. 'In short, you should never be released from prison.' Vallow Daybell's trials in Phoenix were infused with her religious beliefs, including that people in her life were possessed by evil spirits. She routinely sparred with Beresky, occasionally leaning over to consult with her advisory counsel. Charles Vallow's sister, Kay Woodcock, praised the judge's demeanor outside the courtroom. 'I don't think we could have had a better judge," she said. "He is a better man than a lot of people putting up with her like he did.' Mel McDonald, a retired Maricopa County judge who was not involved in the trials but watched them, said Beresky did an exceptional job of maintaining courtroom decorum and demonstrated extraordinary patience despite obstructive tactics from Vallow Daybell. 'He gives her latitude,' McDonald said. 'But he doesn't let her run wild.' Last month, during the trial over the conspiracy to kill Boudreaux, Vallow Daybell falsely accused Beresky of yelling at her after he explained that her efforts to introduce favorable evidence about her character could open the door to jurors hearing about her convictions in Idaho and for Vallow's death. 'You don't need to talk to me that way," Vallow Daybell said. 'Take her out,' Beresky told a security officer, who led her from the courtroom. In defending herself, Vallow Daybell struggled with legal matters that most lawyers consider routine, such as lining up witnesses to testify. She insisted on exercising her speedy trial rights and rejected the judge's offer for later dates, yet complained about not having enough time to prepare. She also tried to get Beresky removed from the case, arguing that he was biased against her. In another moment emblematic of the tensions between judge and defendant, Beresky expressed skepticism during jury selection for her second Arizona trial when she claimed she was too sick to move forward. The proceedings were postponed for the day. But the trial continued, with Beresky later saying there was no objective evidence to support her claims. ___ Associated Press writers Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix contributed.
