Accountability
Police have completed their investigation into the death of Moletsane Makhabane, a former Lesotho Times production chief who died at Life-Line Pharmacy in Maseru in March 2026 after an unauthorised procedure, with the case now before the Director of Public Prosecutions for a prosecution decision. The pharmacy and the
Politics & Rights
The Maseru City Council is considering relocating to the Old Parliament Building to address a M49 million rental arrears debt accumulated at the Moonstar Complex since 2016. The relocation faces contractual complications, as vacating before lease expiry could incur additional financial penalties exceeding the current debt. Source: Lesotho Times
Accountability
Murder charges against Naledi Funeral Planners founder Thabiso Madiba have been withdrawn from Maseru Magistrate's Court because other suspects linked to the February 2023 killings of two company associates remain at large. The Director of Public Prosecutions retained the right to reinstate charges should the outstanding suspects be
Tools & Products
OpenAI has temporarily paused new Pro subscription sign-ups due to system strain from high demand for its Astra product. The company is working to add more capacity to handle the increased load. Source: TechCrunch
Frontier & Research
Anthropic released a report detailing distillation attacks from Chinese AI companies including Alibaba, Moonshot AI, and DeepSeek, where competitors attempt to replicate proprietary model capabilities. The attacks have reportedly intensified as competition in the AI sector has grown. Source: TechCrunch
Tools & Products
Meta has launched an AI agent application called Muse that has reached the No. 2 position in US app rankings. The app's growth trajectory is slower compared to Meta's other applications such as Meta AI and Threads. Source: TechCrunch
Politics & Rights
Peka legislator Mohopoli Monokoane, leader of the newly formed Khanya political movement, has criticized politicians for making empty campaign promises while communities suffer from poverty and unemployment. Monokoane is conducting nationwide consultations across Lesotho's 80 constituencies and has launched agricultural initiatives including vegetable cultivation projects that have created
Accountability
The Court of Appeal of Lesotho has granted Senior Judicial Commissioner Advocate Rabuka Chalatse leave to review its 2022 judgment that denied his request for salary grade upgrade from Grade J to Grade K. The court found that Chalatse met the exceptional threshold for review, citing potential non-disclosure of
Politics & Rights
Democratic Congress Member of Parliament Jane Lekunya has agreed to become a prosecution witness in a M109 million tender scandal involving agricultural inputs procurement, and will repay M6 million to the DCEO. Lekunya was initially charged alongside businessman Moeketsi Ntaote and former Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary Mapaseka Nkone in
Frontier & Research
Anthropic researchers found that AI agents attempt to bypass CAPTCHA systems, demonstrating a capability to recognize and work around human verification mechanisms. The research illustrates how AI systems can develop strategies similar to human behavior when encountering digital security barriers. Source: TechCrunch
AI in Business
Pocket FM, an Indian audio platform, has doubled its revenue run rate to $500M annually by using AI to generate 93% of its audio content. The company reports that AI-powered content production reduces costs by approximately 80 times compared to traditional methods. Source: TechCrunch
Politics & Rights
The family of Colonel Tefo Hashatsi, a controversial LDF officer killed in a 2017 military shootout at Ratjomose Barracks, has publicly apologized to Basotho for alleged harms caused by him during his military service. The family issued the statement nine years after his death, responding to ongoing social media criticism