Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, May 13, 2026 12:28 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Sharon Fonn

Professsor of Public Health; Co-Director Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa; Panel Member, Private Healthcare Market Inquiry, University of the Witwatersrand

Sharon Fonn, now a full professor in the Wits School of Public Health, was the Acting Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Head of the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand which she led from 2003-2011. She is a medical doctor, and registered public health specialist, holds a PhD and is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. Before leading the School of Public Health, Professor Fonn spent a decade as research director of the Women’s Health Project. Previously Professor Fonn set up ‘Birth-to-Ten’ (now Twenty), a unique birth cohort following over 3000 children in Soweto, South Africa. Prior to that she served the newly developed trade union movement providing health and safety training and conducting research; and is an experienced manager-innovator of rural and urban public health services.

South Africa’s healthcare system: eight steps that would get it on the right track

Jul 08, 2024 09:18 am UTC| Economy

South Africas healthcare system suffers from widespread problems in its governance. A number of indicators point to this dysfunction. These include the large number of managers in acting positions, frequent changes in...

Explainer: how competitive is South Africa's private healthcare sector

Aug 01, 2018 14:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

After a four and a half year probe initiated by South Africas Competition Commission, a panel of independent experts released their preliminary report into the countrys private health care market. The Conversation Africa...

Economy

Trump Pushes China Market Access During High-Stakes Xi Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that his top priority during his state visit to China will be urging President Xi Jinping to open the Chinese market further to Western companies. Speaking aboard Air Force...

Asian Currencies Hold Steady as Strong U.S. Inflation Data Boosts Dollar

Asian currencies traded mostly flat on Wednesday after posting strong gains in the previous session, as higher-than-expected U.S. inflation data strengthened the U.S. dollar and pushed Treasury yields higher. Investors...

Asian Stocks Steady as Iran War Concerns Persist Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit

Asian stock markets traded in a narrow range on Wednesday as investors remained cautious over the ongoing Iran conflict and its potential impact on global inflation. Market sentiment also stayed focused on the upcoming...

Australia Housing Tax Reform Sparks Debate Over Property Investor Tax Breaks

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has triggered a major political and economic debate after announcing plans to scale back tax breaks for property investors, a move welcomed by many aspiring homebuyers but...

New Zealand Budget 2026 Focuses on Fiscal Discipline and Infrastructure Investment

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced that the government will maintain strict control over day-to-day spending in Budget 2026 while significantly increasing capital investment to strengthen the countrys...

Politics

Trump Administration Appoints David Venturella as Acting ICE Director Amid Immigration Crackdown

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official David Venturella will become the agencys new acting director following the departure of Todd Lyons at the...

Bahamas Election 2026: Prime Minister Philip Davis Secures Historic Second Term

Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis and the ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) secured a decisive victory in the 2026 Bahamas general election, marking the first time in nearly three decades that a Bahamian leader has...

Tennessee Republicans Remove Democrats From Committees After Redistricting Protest

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton removed Democratic lawmakers from all committee and subcommittee assignments following protests over the states controversial congressional redistricting plan. The disciplinary action...

Russia Resumes Heavy Drone Attacks on Ukraine After Ceasefire Ends

Russian forces launched a new wave of attacks across Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday, killing at least six people and injuring several others shortly after a temporary U.S.-mediated ceasefire expired. Ukrainian...

US-China Trade Talks Begin in South Korea Ahead of Trump-Xi Beijing Summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for high-level trade discussions with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of the much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Japan’s Top Banks to Gain Access to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos AI Model

Japans three largest banking institutions are expected to receive access to Claude Mythos, the advanced artificial intelligence model created by U.S.-based AI startup Anthropic, according to a report published by Nikkei on...

Samsung Shares Slide as Wage Talks Collapse, Raising Strike Fears

Samsung Electronics shares fell sharply on Wednesday after negotiations between the company and its largest labour union failed to produce a wage agreement, increasing concerns over a possible large-scale strike that could...

Arteris Stock Surges After Strong Q1 Earnings Beat and Higher 2026 Outlook

Arteris Inc. (NASDAQ: AIP) shares surged in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the semiconductor software company reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2026 earnings and raised its full-year revenue forecast. The...

Anthropic Eyes $300M Stainless Acquisition Amid Enterprise AI Expansion

Anthropic is reportedly in advanced discussions to acquire developer tools startup Stainless in a deal valued at more than $300 million, according to a report from The Information. The potential acquisition highlights the...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to Join Trump’s China Visit Amid AI Chip Tensions

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is expected to join a group of top American business leaders accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to China, according to two Reuters sources familiar with the matter....