South Africa

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Michelle Obama, Girls Visit Nelson Mandela

Daughters, mother join her on South African trip

(Newser) - Arriving in South Africa today, Michelle Obama met Nelson Mandela for the first time and said her husband was unhappy he couldn’t join them. “Michelle Obama certainly convinced the dignitaries she is excited to be here, and said her husband is 'pouty' that he isn't,”...

'Worms From Hell' Could Mean Life on Mars

Discovery of complex life deep below the Earth's surface raises new questions

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered the first complex creatures living a mile or more below the surface of the Earth, unlocking the possibility that similar organisms are elsewhere in the universe, the Washington Post reports. Researchers found the group of nematodes, or roundworms, in water flowing through several gold mines in South...

Rugby Star Charged With Axe Murders

Ntshongwana claimed to be avenging daughter's rape

(Newser) - A retired South African rugby star who allegedly went on a killing spree with an axe in one hand and a Bible in the other has been charged with three murders. Joseph Ntshongwana claimed to be taking revenge on a gang that raped his daughter and infected her with HIV,...

Lightning Kills Mom and 4 Kids
 Lightning Kills 
 Mom, 4 Kids 
Mar 11, 2011 12:13 AM CST

Lightning Kills Mom, 4 Kids

Father was away at work

(Newser) - A mother and her four children were struck dead by lightning when a bolt struck their thatched home in South Africa. Busisiwe Mdluli, 36, dropped dead alongside her children, ages 6 months to 12 years old. Three other children survived but were badly burned. The father was away at work...

Dead Baby Linked to Oprah's School

Teen student brought infant in bag to hospital while seeking treatment

(Newser) - More bad news for Oprah Winfrey's scandal-plagued school in South Africa: A dead infant was discovered in a bag belonging to a student brought to the hospital for excessive bleeding, reports E! The 17-year-old girl remains in the hospital, and officials believe she gave birth at Winfrey's Leadership Academy for...

Bono Slammed for 'Shoot the Boer' Song Stand

Controversial lyrics part of political protest, says singer

(Newser) - Bono is in hot water in South Africa after he appeared to support a song whose lyrics include the line "shoot the Boer." In an interview, the U2 frontman indicated such music is part of political protest and compared it to songs linked to the Irish Republican Army,...

Mandela Discharged From Hospital

'No need to panic': surgeon-general

(Newser) - Nelson Mandel’s longer-than-usual hospital visit sparked a flurry of concern and press speculation , but the former South African president left the ward today, having responded well to treatment for acute respiratory infection, the AP reports. The 92-year-old will receive care at home, said the surgeon-general. “Dr. Mandela is...

'Routine' Mandela Hospitalization Spawns Frenzy

Former South African president receiving many bedside visits

(Newser) - Nelson Mandela is in the hospital for the second day for what his office claims are routine tests—but his unusually long stay has sparked a media frenzy, especially after news that he’s had numerous visitors, including his ex-wife. The 92-year-old former South African president has rarely been seen...

South Africa Floods Kill 39
South Africa Floods Kill 39
Jan 17, 2011 9:25 AM CST

South Africa Floods Kill 39

Thousands of homes in neighboring Mozambique decimated

(Newser) - Floods in South Africa have left 39 dead or missing after downpours this weekend followed heavy rains that began last month. The army is on standby to lead evacuations and “all disaster management structures in the country have been put on high alert,” authorities said. Farming officials expressed...

Zuma Sues Newspaper for $730K Over Rape Cartoon

He's just getting cartoon more publicity, argues newspaper lawyer

(Newser) - South African President Jacob Zuma is suing a political cartoonist, the former editor-in-chief of the Johannesburg Sunday Times, and Avusa Media for showing him about to rape a blindfolded woman representing justice. The husband of multiple wives is seeking $730,000 for humiliation, degradation, and damage to his reputation. The...

Hubby Accused of Killing New Bride Linked to 2nd Hit: Cops

Driver: he boasted of setting up earlier job

(Newser) - The British groom charged with hiring hitmen to murder his wife during a fake carjacking during their honeymoon in South Africa has been linked to a second killing. Wealthy businessman Shrien Dewani, 30, allegedly offered his driver $2,100 to murder his wife, and boasted he had once arranged a...

Husband Busted in Wife's Honeymoon Murder

Shrien Dewani accused of ordering hit on his wife, Anni

(Newser) - A British businessman is facing extradition after being arrested on suspicion of conspiring to murder his bride on their South African honeymoon, the Telegraph reports. Shrien and Anni Dewani had been married just two weeks when their taxi was carjacked Nov. 13. Shrien and the driver were forced out of...

1 of 3 South African Men Admit to Rape

More than a quarter of women are victims, finds survey

(Newser) - More than 1 out of every 3 South African men admitted to rape in a recent survey, and 3 of every 4 said they had been violent with a woman. More than a quarter of the women surveyed said they had been raped, reports the Guardian . The survey also found...

Beloved TV Star Giraffe Killed by Lightning

He's found dead at South African game preserve

(Newser) - A beloved TV star giraffe has been killed by lightning on his South African reserve. Hamley, 7, has been a feature for the last 5 years in the popular ITV British series Young at Heart about a veterinarian and his family moving to Africa to start a game park. "...

To Help World's Poor, Hand Them Cash

Government 'cash-transfer' programs prove successful

(Newser) - It might seem counter-intuitive, but in some 45 countries across the globe, it’s working: Governments are handing cash to the poor to use at their own discretion, writes Christopher Werth in Newsweek . Some 110 million families are getting aid, and the World Bank has spent $5.5 billion on...

School Matron Acquitted of Abuse; Oprah Slams Verdict

'Forever proud of 9 girls who testified' against academy matron

(Newser) - Oprah Winfrey lashed out today after a South African court acquitted a former dorm matron at her elite girls school on charges of molestation, reports TMZ. "We began this child molestation trial in 2008," she said in a statement. "More than two years later, I am profoundly...

Letters Show Jailed Mandela's Anguish

Leader's writings released in new memoir

(Newser) - Nelson Mandela sat in a prison cell for 27 years, alone and separated from his family, with not much more to do than write—waves of words documenting his anguish that are now being released in a new memoir, Conversations With Myself. Some excerpts, as per the BBC:
  • To wife
...

Retiring Desmond Tutu: 'Justice Will Prevail'

He says God is 'biased in favor of the weak'

(Newser) - South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu turns 79 today and is retiring from public life to spend more time with family and friends. In an interview with Time , he shares some of what he's learned: On good and evil, he's found "that in spite of all the horror of injustice...

'PigSpotter' Tweeter Angers South African Police

He tweets locations of radar traps, traffic stops

(Newser) - Police in South Africa are searching for the person behind the user name PigSpotter, a Twitter feed that alerts drivers to speed traps and roadblocks on the streets of Johannesburg. PigSpotter, who has attracted nearly 14,000 followers since June, tweets frequent warnings using terms such as "pigs" and...

5 Doctors Charged in Organ Trafficking Scheme

Surgeons in South Africa accused of illegal operations for profit

(Newser) - New charges have been filed in an alleged organ trafficking conspiracy first exposed five years ago. Poor Brazilians and Romanians were reportedly paid an average of $6,000 for their kidneys, which were then illegally transplanted into rich Israelis by South African doctors at plush private hospitals. Israelis who gave...

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