South Africa

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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

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

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...

Oscar Pistorius Is Up for Parole
Oscar
Pistorius
Is Up
for Parole

Oscar Pistorius Is Up for Parole

Athlete who killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp might meet with her parents in South Africa

(Newser) - The name Oscar Pistorius is once again back in the headlines, this time because he is up for parole. And as the BBC reports, that process might result in him sitting down with the parents of the woman he killed, Reeva Steenkamp. The former South African Olympian fatally shot Steenkamp...

Suspected Poacher Trampled by Elephants in South Africa

Kruger National Park is trying to crack down on illegal hunting

(Newser) - Poaching wild animals isn’t safe for humans, either. Another suspected poacher was found dead in Kruger National Park in South Africa on Thursday, USA Today reports. Just last April, rangers caught three men hunting for rhinoceros and gave chase. One of them was caught, but another one came across...

Dozens of Penguins Stung to Death by Bees

63 endangered African penguins were found Friday on a South African beach

(Newser) - More than five dozen African penguins have met a sad end in South Africa, in what bird conservationists say is a most uncommon incident. AFP reports that 63 of the endangered birds were found dead Friday on Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, a suburb of Cape Town, and their...

New Variant Surfaces in South Africa

Researchers can't tell much yet, but WHO labels this version 'of concern'

(Newser) - Another coronavirus variant has been detected, say researchers who caution against becoming too concerned but suspect it's better at getting around immunity protection than delta. The researchers spotted the C.1.2 variant in May in South Africa, Reuters reports, and published their work this month. It has not...

Mom Throws Child From Burning Building During South Africa Riot

Death toll hits 72 in some of the worst violence since the end of apartheid

(Newser) - Days after Jacob Zuma turned himself in to start serving a 15-year-sentence, South Africa is being shaken by some of the worst violence since the end of apartheid. At least 72 people have been killed in rioting in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, many of them trampled in stampedes during looting,...

With Time Running Out, Jacob Zuma Turns Himself In

South Africa's ex-leader is to serve a 15-month sentence

(Newser) - No former South African president has ever served time following his term—until early Thursday, reports the BBC . With the clock ticking on the midnight deadline to arrest him, Jacob Zuma left his Nkandla home late Wednesday in a convoy of vehicles and turned himself in, complying with an order...

He Once Ruled South Africa. Now, a Prison Sentence

High court finds Jacob Zuma in contempt of court in corruption case, gives him 15 months in jail

(Newser) - Jacob Zuma's legal problems just worsened. Last month, the former president of South Africa pleaded not guilty to corruption, fraud, and other charges tied to a multibillion-dollar arms deal in 1999, when he was the deputy president. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the nation's highest...

Hopeful Diamond Hunters Get Bad News

People who flocked to South African village dug up similar-looking quartz

(Newser) - As far as government announcements go, this one stung: "The tests conducted conclusively revealed that the stones discovered in the area are not diamonds." So declared an official in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, reports the BBC . The words deflated the hopes of thousands of people who'...

They Found 5 Bodies Wrapped in Plastic, Then 15 More

South African discovery linked to illegal mining mishap

(Newser) - Police have uncovered the burned bodies of 20 men "wrapped in white plastic bags" in a gold mining town in South Africa. Five bodies were discovered Monday near a disused mine shaft in Orkney, North West province, about 100 miles southwest of Johannesburg, per the Sunday Times . Another body...

Only Nation With 'Intense Breeding' of Captive Lions Pulls the Plug

South Africa says it will end breeding, keeping of lions in captivity, as well as lion bone trading

(Newser) - South Africa says it will end its captive lion industry in a major move for conservation that would outlaw the heavily criticized "canned hunting" of the big cats and sale of their bones, as well as popular tourist experiences like petting cubs. The policy, which still needs to be...

Gay Couple Not Allowed to Bring Newborn Twins Home

Namibia won't let girls into country, where their married fathers live

(Newser) - A gay couple who lives in the African nation of Namibia saw their family expand to five with the birth of newborn twins via surrogate. One big problem: The girls aren't being allowed into the country, reports Reuters . On Monday, a Namibian court refused to let Phillip Luhl bring...

Suspected Rhino Poacher Meets His End—Via Elephants

Man killed in South Africa's Kruger National Park over the weekend while running away from rangers

(Newser) - Rangers busted a trio of suspected poachers in a South African game reserve over the weekend, with tragic consequences for one of them. ABC News reports that on Saturday, rangers spied the three men, who were believed to be trying to poach rhinos, in Kruger National Park, where a chase...

Israeli Study Has Bad News on 'Breakthrough' Infections

South African variant of COVID can break through Pfizer vaccine, it finds

(Newser) - An Israeli study has disheartening news, though researchers are cautioning that more study is needed: The South African coronavirus variant can "break through" and infect those who have received the Pfizer vaccine, the study of around 800 people found. Half of the subjects had tested positive for COVID-19 two...

Officials on the Hunt For Escaped Crocodiles
Crocodiles Flee
Breeding Facility

Crocodiles Flee Breeding Facility

Officials are not sure how many are on the loose

(Newser) - Police and conservation officers were searching Friday for an unknown number of young crocodiles that escaped earlier in the week from a large breeding farm in South Africa, the AP reports. The crocodiles are suspected to have entered the nearby Breede River after escaping Wednesday morning near the town of...

One Country Forced to Stop AstraZeneca Vaccine Rollout

After study shows disappointing results against new strain in South Africa

(Newser) - South Africa has put its rollout of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, originally due to start next week, on hold after a study found it offered only minimal protection against a new variant of the coronavirus currently dominating new infections in the country. The study found that the vaccine "does...

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