There are no drugs to treat long COVID – a condition that affects around 2 million people in the UK alone – so you can imagine the excitement when a cheap diabetes drug called metformin was shown to decrease the risk of getting the disease. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, showed that […]

Botswana has reached an eleventh-hour deal with diamond giant De Beers after months of tense negotiations that saw the continent’s top producer threatening to cut ties with the storied company. ALSO READ: Botswana threatens to cut ties with diamond giant De Beers The Botswana government and Anglo-American, the majority owner of De Beers, have reached an “agreement in […]

Egypt will offer free 96-hour entry visas to travellers in a bid to revive its tourism sector. The country seeks to regenerate tourist flows to the country. A statement issued by Egypt’s State Information Service says that air travellers can obtain this free visa at Cairo airport. Travellers may enter Egypt for durations of between 8 and […]

The hajj – the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which Muslims are expected to make once in their lives if they are able – is expected to begin June 26 and last for five days. In 2023, approximately 2 million pilgrims will participate, close to the annual numbers of pilgrims in years before […]

South Africa, which is battling a scourge of cigarette trafficking, on Monday 12th June, 2023 began incinerating 20 million illicit cigarettes smuggled into the country through its border with neighbouring Zimbabwe. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) said that the contra band of 20 million cigarettes, valued at more than $2.3 million, and smuggled into […]

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases has confirmed that flu cases around South Africa is on the rise. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed that influenza cases around South Africa is on the rise. Influenza — or flu — clusters are attacking schools and places of work and have left thousands of […]

Progressive Health Forum recommends South Africans get Covid booster vaccines ahead of the winter season, especially people over 50 years. Health Forum urges people to get Covid vaccine booster shots, especially those above 50. Image: iStock/(IDA) READ MORE: WHO declares COVID-19 global health emergency over, but pandemic not over The Progressive Health Forum said while […]

1 in 5 South African households begs for food – the link between food insecurity and mental health At least ten million South Africans didn’t have enough food or money to buy food in 2019, according to the country’s statistics agency. This food insecurity remains a leading health problem that is unlikely to be eradicated any […]

For eight years I have studied digital nomadism, the millennial trend for working remotely from anywhere around the world. I am often asked if it is driving gentrification. Before COVID upended the way we work, I would usually tell journalists that the numbers were too small for a definitive answer. Most digital nomads were travelling […]

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has paid tribute to the 102 595 nurses who lost their lives when they became the first line of defence to protect South Africans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Let’s remember these fallen heroes and heroines with pride because they rolled up their sleeves and confronted the ever-mutating pandemic […]

It’s now more commonly known that alcohol and tobacco use make us ill. Less known is that just four industries account for at least one-third of global preventable deaths. These industries are: unhealthy processed food and drinks, fossil fuels, alcohol and tobacco. Collectively they cause 19 million deaths every year, according to a recent series […]

One of the most historic events in the British sporting calendar returned on Sunday as Oxford and Cambridge battled it out in the Boat Race. The rivalry resumed 194 years on from the first rowing showdown between the two universities in 1829. It was the 168th race to date, with Cambridge taking victory to extend their overall lead to 86-81 with one race (in […]

A proposed lucrative sponsorship deal between South Africa and a top English football club that sparked a two-day firestorm will not be backed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, his spokesperson said on Friday. READ | PSL POWERHOUSE CLUB MAKE ‘PROPOSAL’ FOR PERCY TAU – REPORT Plans by South Africa’s tourism agency to sponsor Tottenham Hotspur were unveiled this week – at a time when […]

South Africa’s Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, says for now, the SA government will not impose any internal restrictions as a result of the emergence of a newly found sub-variant of the COVID-19 virus. The first instance of the XBB.1.5 sub-variant was detected in South Africa in December and reported earlier this month. Phaahla explained […]

Big Concerts International confirmed today that UB40 will be returning to South Africa in 2023. They will be performing in Cape Town on 30 May at Grand Arena, GrandWest, Durban on 1 June at the Durban ICC, and on 3 June at SunBet Arena, Time Square in Pretoria. UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell will add another […]

After seven years of hosting The Daily Show on Comedy Central, a hit comedy show produced in the US but with global reach, South African born comedian Trevor Noah has announced plans to leave and focus on his stand-up comedy. During his tenure as host of the political satire series, which he took over from […]

Plants have directly contributed to the development of important drugs. The antimalarial treatment artemisinin, pain medication morphine, and cancer chemotherapy taxol are just three examples of drugs derived from plants. Africa is endowed with up to 45,000 plant species – about 25% of the world’s plant genetic resources. More than 5,000 plant species from this […]

KLM will celebrate 30 years of flying between Cape Town and Amsterdam… by offering even more flights! As travel demand between the cities continues to increase, the airline has announced that it will be celebrating this milestone by adding three additional direct flights between the two cities per week from the beginning of November this […]

JOHANNESBURG – KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced that as of May 21, the use of face masks is no longer mandatory on board aircrafts to the Netherlands and at Dutch airports. This follows international guidelines being adjusted by the European Aviation Authority (EASA) last week. The airline does however insist that should the country of […]

South Africa could be entering a fifth COVID-19 infection wave, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced on Friday. He said there has been a sustained rise in infections over the past 14 days. Speaking at a news conference, Phaahla said that the increase in cases was originating mainly in Gauteng (49%), KwaZulu-Natal (23%) and Western Cape […]

South African expat Elon Musk has acquired Twitter Inc in a $44-billion deal today, 11 days after first offering to buy the social media platform. The billionaire entrepreneur (Tesla, SpaceX) and world’s richest man said “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means”. Twitter accepted the […]

DA Leader John Steenhuisen is calling for South Africans to urgently voice their objections to proposed new health regulations. The South African Cabinet confirmed in a statement on Thursday the pandemic will from now be managed in terms of the National Health Act, 2003 (Act 61 of 2003). “The draft health regulations that will inform […]

Cape Town’s popularity continues to attract an increasing number of tourists to South Africa with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today announcing it is increasing its flight schedule between Cape Town and Amsterdam. The airline said in a statement on Tuesday that the schedule increase is a result of a greater demand for flights between Amsterdam […]

South Africa’s national state of disaster is to finally end. In a #FamilyMeeting on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the State of Disaster – which was put in place over two years ago in response to Covid-19 – will end tonight (4 April) at midnight SA time. Read the president’s full speech below. The […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the easing of several restrictions, including Travel, as part of Adjusted Alert Level 1, which will take effect tomorrow (Wed 23 March) once they’re gazetted. Travel industry organisations welcomed the announcement, saying tonight that the PCR test removal for inbound vaccinated travellers will be a major boost for South Africa’s […]