LONDON – Two female penguins are set to raise the first “gender neutral” chick, a London aquarium said on Wednesday, the latest same-sex penguin parents to take a furry baby under their wings. Rocky and Marama, who have been together for six breeding seasons, have adopted a four-month-old Gentoo chick that will be classified as […]

MIAMI – Hurricane Dorian spun across the Atlantic ocean toward Florida on Saturday, after growing into an even stronger Category 4 storm as residents and tourists alike hunkered down in one of America’s biggest vacation destinations (and home to many South African expats). Dorian – which is scheduled to make US landfall on Monday – […]

BRASILIA – Six states in Brazil’s Amazon region requested military help on Saturday to combat record fires that are tearing through the rainforest, provoking an international outcry because of the Amazon’s central role in combating global warming. The Amazon Rainforest – aka the “planet’s lungs” – produces 20% of the world’s oxygen. (Watch CNN’s video […]

BRASILIA – Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday he may mobilize the army to help combat fires sweeping through the Amazon rainforest, as international condemnation and pressure mounted for tough action to quell the unfolding crisis. Having first dismissed the fires as natural, then blaming non-governmental organizations without evidence for lighting them, Bolsonaro struck […]

Nobel prize-winning author Tony Morrison passed away on Monday night, after a brief illness. She was, in the words of South Africa’s EFF, “a truth teller, a groundbreaking and visionary novelist, an essayist and a teacher”. Morrison’s publisher Alfred A. Knopf said in a statement on social media “We are profoundly sad to report that […]

A message to the American nation from its former president Barack Obama has gone viral on social media following the latest US shootings over the weekend, where 80 people were killed or wounded in two attacks. Some of what he said struck a chord with South Africans at home and living in the US. On […]

Thousands of residents and holiday visitors on Hawaii’s Maui Island, home to several South African expats, were ordered to evacuate two communities on Thursday local time (Friday SA time) as a spreading wildfire sent smoke billowing high into the sky, officials and local media said. The 3,000 acre brush fire in Maui’s central valley was […]

ROME – A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted unexpectedly on Wednesday, releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person – believed to be a tourist – and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash, witnesses and local officials said. (Watch video below.) The person, believed to be a tourist, […]

The heatwave which gripped parts of Europe in the past few days was felt not just by millions of humans, but by the many wild animals held captive in zoos across the continent. As temperatures rose to record-breaking figures – 45.9 degrees in southern France – Reuters photographers captured photos of some of the zoo […]

As predicted, British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced today – Friday 24 May 2019 – that she will step down as leader of the Conservative party on 7 June, triggering a contest that will bring a new leader to power who is likely to push for a more decisive Brexit divorce deal. In an […]

LONDON – British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain went into administration on Tuesday, leaving 1,000 people without jobs as the majority of branches ceased trading immediately in the latest blow for Britain’s high street. Oliver, 43, a well-known figure in Britain and beyond for his popular TV shows and top-selling cookery books, founded his […]

Grumpy Cat, an internet celebrity for her permanent frown, died “in the arms of her mommy, Tabatha” this week, leaving behind countless online jokes about how we all feel at our worst moments, her family said on Friday. She was 7. Despite care from top professionals, Grumpy died on Tuesday from complications after a recent […]

One of the world’s most iconic monuments – the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France – is celebrating is 130rd anniversary this week with a fabulous laser display. The Eiffel Tower was first opened to the public on 15 May 1889. If you’re living or holiday in Paris, the show is on for the last time […]

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced that they have named their newborn baby son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were introduced to Archie, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was also present. Earlier today Prince Harry and […]

WINDSOR, England – Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan showed off their newborn son to the world on Wednesday, saying the arrival of their “little bundle of joy” was magic. UPDATE: Prince Harry and Meghan name their newborn baby son. Tightly cradling his son, wrapped in a white shawl and wearing a hat, Harry […]

A massive dust storm in Australia turned the town of Mildura from day to night at around 17h00 on Tuesday. Fortunately nobody was injured, as the apocalyptic cloud of dust swept through the town. Victoria has been suffering from very dry conditions which is why there was so much dust for the massive gusts of […]

PARIS – One million animal and plant species are at imminent risk of extinction due to humankind’s relentless pursuit of economic growth, scientists said on Monday in a landmark report on the devastating impact of modern civilization on the natural world. Scientists made an impassioned appeal to governments and businesses worldwide to confront “vested interests” […]

WINDSOR, England – Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, gave birth to a boy on Monday, the seventh-in-line to the throne and described by his proud father as “absolutely to die for”. The baby, who has not yet been named, was born in the early hours of the morning weighing […]

Thirty-seven passengers managed to escape from a burning aeroplane – using the emergency slides – after it crash-landed in Moscow on Sunday, 5 May. Forty-one people on board the Russian Aeroflot passenger plane sadly were killed, including two children, after the aircraft caught fire as it made a bumpy emergency landing, Russian investigators said. Television […]

LONDON – Britain’s Princess Charlotte celebrated her fourth birthday on Thursday and her parents released three new pictures of the smiling young royal to mark the occasion. Charlotte, daughter of Prince William and his wife Kate, was pictured in the gardens at Kensington Palace in central London, and the family home in Norfolk, eastern England. […]

Landslides and floods triggered by torrential rain have killed at least 29 people in Indonesia, the disaster agency said on Monday, with thousands taking shelter in evacuation centres amid fears of disease. More than a dozen people were missing after the rain hit the province of Bengkulu, on the southwest side of Sumatra, on Friday […]

President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed condolences to the government of Sri Lanka following a series of deadly terrorist bombings over the Easter weekend which left 321 dead, of which 45 were children. The wave of suicide bomb attacks on churches and hotels started Sunday morning as explosions were reported from St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade […]

The spire of Paris’ iconic Notre-Dame collapsed Monday evening, quickly followed by the entire roof, as a fast-moving fire has torn through the 850-year-old cathedral, devastating France’s famous landmark as large segments of the roof have gone up in flames. One witness told Reuters: “Basically the whole rooftop is gone. I see no hope for […]

WASHINGTON – Using a global network of telescopes to see “the unseeable,” an international scientific team on Wednesday announced a milestone in astrophysics – the first-ever photo of a black hole – in an achievement that validated a pillar of science put forward by Albert Einstein more than a century ago. Black holes are monstrous […]

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama was admitted to a New Delhi hospital on Tuesday with chest infection, an aide said, adding that the 83-year-old Buddhist monk was stable.   The Dalai Lama, who shares a close friendship with South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu and with whom he co-wrote ‘The Book of Joy’, was flown […]