South Africa

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20 Dead in S. African Nightclub, and Police Don't Know Cause

Young victims found in venue in city of East London

(Newser) - Police in a South African city are investigating a mysterious tragedy—at least 20 young adults died Saturday night at a nightclub for reasons that remain unclear. Bodies of the victims, thought to be ages 18 to 20, were found at the Enyobeni Tavern in the city of East London,...

Airline's Afrikaans Test Angers Passengers

Ryanair says it's trying to catch passport fraudsters

(Newser) - Ryanair's "simple questionnaire" designed to cut down on passport fraud immediately caused the budget airline complications. "Bigoted rubbish," one person posted online. "Pretty racist," said another. When the South African government expressed concern about an increase in the use of fake passports, Ryanair's...

In Cape Town, an Indigenous Win on 'Obscene' Amazon Project

Court temporarily halts retail giant's building of African HQ in Cape Town

(Newser) - Thousands of years ago, South Africa's earliest dwellers roamed the land. Now, as Amazon tries to build its new African headquarters there, it's facing a battle from Indigenous locals who say the company shouldn't be building on what they say is sacred land—and last week, they...

This Man Is About to Become the New Zulu King

South African court paves way for coronation of Prince Misuzulu KaZwelithin

(Newser) - A new Zulu king can be crowned in South Africa after a court settled a dispute Wednesday over whether the prince named as heir to the throne last year had a rightful claim to it. A KwaZulu-Natal high court judge in the city of Pietermaritzburg ruled that Prince Misuzulu KaZwelithini,...

Stowaway Found on Plane May Have Been in Air for 11 Hours

Man discovered in Amsterdam survived flight that originated in South Africa

(Newser) - A cargo flight that originated in South Africa had a surprise waiting on board when it finally landed in Amsterdam: a guy hidden in the plane's wheel section, still alive after what may have been 11 hours in the air, per ABC News . "The man was found alive...

Fire Crews Work to Save Parliament
Fire Crews Work
to Save Parliament
UPDATED
Jan 4, 2022 1:10 AM CST

Fire Crews Work to Save Parliament

Flames reignite in South Africa

(Newser) - Update: The fire sweeping through South Africa's Parliament complex was said to be under control Monday, but reignited hours later. The National Assembly, or lower chamber, is completely destroyed, the BBC reports. Flames were still seen coming from the building Monday night, and the fourth and fifth floors were...

South Africa: Omicron 'Flash Flood' Has Passed

Johns Hopkins University says US reported 647K cases Thursday

(Newser) - The omicron variant is pushing COVID case numbers to record levels in numerous countries—including the US, which reported a staggering 647,076 cases Thursday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. But in South Africa, one of the countries to first detect the variant, scientists believe the worst is...

Desmond Tutu Has Died at 90
Desmond Tutu Has 
Died at 90
Dec 26, 2021 5:45 AM CST

Desmond Tutu Has Died at 90

World mourns South African freedom fighter

(Newser) - Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights and retired Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, has died, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Sunday. He was 90. An uncompromising foe of apartheid—South Africa’s brutal regime of oppression against the Black majority—...

White House Is Lifting Travel Curbs on 8 African Countries

Feds say restrictions bought time to better understand omicron variant

(Newser) - With omicron now by far the dominant COVID variant in the US, authorities apparently don't see much point in continuing to ban travelers from southern Africa, where the variant was first detected last month. The White House confirmed Friday that the ban on non-US citizens who had been in...

Findings in 3 Countries: Omicron Appears Milder

Risk of hospitalization reduced compared to earlier variants, largely due to immunity

(Newser) - Three studies on populations in South Africa, Scotland, and England indicate the omicron coronavirus variant generally results in milder disease than with previous variants, and is less likely to send people to the hospital. It's reassuring news as omicron is now the dominant variant in many parts of the...

Out of South Africa, a 'Tantalizing Hint' on Omicron

Case count is dropping, at least in recent days

(Newser) - A new study out of South Africa offers some positive news on the omicron variant, but with an asterisk. The study, which appeared Tuesday in the preprint medical publication MedRxiv , found that South Africans who came down with the omicron variant were 80% less likely to be hospitalized compared to...

Early Data Doesn't Back Hope That Omicron Will Be Milder

There's plenty of caution that it's too early to draw conclusions

(Newser) - UK researchers say they see no indication that omicron will be milder than the delta variant of the coronavirus. In fact, they found the new strain's reinfection rate to be more than five times as high as delta's, Reuters reports. The Imperial College London study, which has not...

Better Omicron News Emerges in South Africa

Hospitalizations are down significantly when compared to the delta wave

(Newser) - Stories raising the alarm about the fast-spreading omicron variant aren't hard to find. For example, Britain estimates that 200,000 people are becoming infected with it each day at this point, notes the New York Times . And the same trend appears inevitable in the US. "No part of...

South African President Has Breakthrough COVID Case

Ramaphosa in 'good spirits' with mild symptoms

(Newser) - Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa tested positive Sunday for COVID after coming down with mild symptoms. He felt a little under the weather after a memorial service for former Deputy President FW De Klerk, and is now being cared for by the South African Military Health Service, per an...

Strategy May Not Change for Omicron

WHO official says target should remain the delta variant

(Newser) - Dr. Sikhulile Moyo was analyzing COVID-19 samples in his lab in Botswana last week when he noticed they looked startlingly different from others. Within days, the world was ablaze with the news that the coronavirus had a new variant of concern—one that appears to be driving a dramatic surge...

South Africa President: Omicron Travel Bans Are Discriminatory

Cyril Ramaphosa says they won't stop the spread, must be lifted now

(Newser) - Travel bans are increasingly being put into place against South Africa amid fears related to the COVID-19 variant newly identified there, and the president of the country is not happy. The bans, which have been implemented in places including the US, Canada, UK, Israel, EU, and Japan, are not backed...

2 Planes Flew in From South Africa. 61 People Had COVID

Dutch authorities are now testing passengers to see if they have worrisome omicron variant

(Newser) - Two flights arrived in the Netherlands on Friday, bearing some 600 passengers from South Africa, and also a good number of COVID cases—and those people are now being tested to see if they've got the newly emerging omicron variant . Reuters reports that 61 of the flights' passengers who...

Global Reaction to Variant Angers South Africa

Government and travel industry feel punished for transparency and scientists' quick work

(Newser) - South Africa's government and travel industry have responded angrily to travel restrictions imposed by the US, Britain and other nations over the latest coronavirus variant . Health Minister Joe Phaahla, at a press conference Friday, said the travel bans "are completely against the norms and standards as guided by...

South Africa Studies Variant
Variant Worries South Africa
Nov 25, 2021 1:55 PM CST

Variant Worries South Africa

Cases are surging, but scientists don't know yet how many were caused by the new strain

(Newser) - A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country's most populous province, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced Thursday. The coronavirus evolves as it spreads, the...

South Africa&#39;s Last White President Dies
White Leader Who Freed
Nelson Mandela Dies
OBITUARY
Nov 11, 2021 6:11 AM CST

White Leader Who Freed Nelson Mandela Dies

FW de Klerk shared Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela in 1993

(Newser) - "When I talk about the end of apartheid, I prefer not to claim the honor that I have ended it," former South African President FW de Klerk said in 2011. But de Klerk, who has died at age 85, certainly played a major role in the end of...

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