8 h. ago Rebels agree to a ceasefire with African coalition troops departing from eastern Congo

M23 rebels in control of key areas of eastern Congo have agreed to a ceasefire with African coalition peacekeepers who announced their withdrawal even as the conflict between the insurgents and Congo’s government continues

Events

16 h. ago ‘We live in both worlds’: how teachers of Gullah Geechee herbal medicine are cultivating tradition

Classes on ‘hoodoo’ connect new generations eager to explore their roots with elders in the South Carolina communityWith their eyes downcast in reflection, dozens of people dressed in white crossed a bridge to pay respect to their ancestors last October. They carried flowers, herbs and photos of their loved ones to lay at the foot of an altar on a tiny strip of land in the middle of a pond. For the last few years, this ritual at the start of the annual Gullah Geechee herbal gathering on Johns Island, South Carolina, has served as a link between the living and the dead. “It gives them a sacred space to connect with the land,” the gathering’s founder, Khetnu Nefer, said about the attendees, and to “connect with our communal ancestors”.Held on Nefer’s family’s land, a stretch of 10 acres (four hectares) of flat grass surrounded by woods, the gathering educates attendees on the herbal traditions of the descendants of west Africans enslaved on the Sea Islands along the south-east US. Ove...

Society

57 h. ago Jockeys protest and meeting called off after rider suspended over explosive TV interview

Grant Van Niekerk was stood down at Durbanville after making complaints about South African racing’s governing body, resulting in a riders’ protest and the cancellation of the fixture

Events

3 d. ago European universities offer ‘scientific asylum’ to US researchers fleeing Trump’s cuts

Academics from US hoping to escape funding freezes and ideological impositions are being actively recruitedLaced with terms such as “censorship” and “political interference”, the Belgium-based jobs advert was far from typical. The promise of academic freedom, however, hinted at who it was aimed at: researchers in the US looking to flee the funding freezes, cuts and ideological impositions ushered in by Donald Trump’s administration.“We see it as our duty to come to the aid of our American colleagues,” said Jan Danckaert, the rector of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in explaining why his university – founded in 1834 to safeguard academia from the interference of church or state – had decided to open 12 postdoctoral positions for international researchers, with a particular focus on Americans. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago South African ambassador expelled from US welcomed home by supporters

Ebrahim Rasool, declared persona non grata by Washington, was surrounded by crowds at Cape Town airportThe South African ambassador who was expelled from the US and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration was welcomed home on Sunday by hundreds of supporters who sang songs praising him.Crowds at Cape Town International airport surrounded Ebrahim Rasool and his wife Rosieda as they emerged in the arrivals terminal in their home town, and they needed a police escort to help them navigate their way through the building. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Pilot tragically dies in fireball explosion after losing control of plane at airshow

Respected South African pilot James O'Connell lost control of the classic 1950s aircraft he was flying, nosediving into the ground in front of a crowd of shocked spectators

Events

5 d. ago The sinister British cult that lured in its victims with the promise of 'life coaching' and fleeced members out of millions of pounds

According to the BBC, police are seeking the arrest and detention of the South-African raised Lighthouse executive, Shaun Cooper, after he failed to turn up to court.

Events

7 d. ago Almost 70,000 white South Africans interested in Trump’s US asylum plan

Thousands of people have expressed interest to the U.S. Embassy in South Africa

Events

8 d. ago Trump administration deported Venezuelan asylum seeker over Real Madrid tattoo, court documents say

ICE has baselessly accused immigrants who fled torture of being members of the gang they escaped, lawyers say

Events

8 d. ago Westfield creates new 50,000 sq ft health and wellness hub at White City mall

Venture reflects massive increase in consumer spending on health and wellness

Events

8 d. ago 67,000 white South Africans have expressed interest in Trump's plan to give them refugee status

The U.S. Embassy in South Africa says it has received a list of nearly 70,000 people interested in refugee status in the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate members of a white minority group he claims are victims of racial discrimination by their Black-led government

Events

8 d. ago Eddie Jordan's brave final appearance as F1 legend kept working weeks before death

F1 legend Eddie Jordan's family confirmed on Thursday that he had died at his South African home following an 'aggressive' battle with bladder and prostate cancer

Events

9 d. ago Psychologists in touch with Antarctic base after assault allegation, South Africa confirms

Ministers also investigating sexual harassment claim at country’s isolated Sanae IV research stationPsychologists are in “constant” contact with a South African science team isolated for months at a base in Antarctica after physical assault and sexual harassment allegations were made, a government minister has said.The environment minister, Dion George, whose department manages the country’s Antarctic programme, confirmed to the Guardian that psychologists and other experts were in “direct and constant” communication with the nine-member research team. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago The US government has sent Columbia University a ransom note | Sheldon Pollock

Like a mob boss, the government threatens to cut off two of the university’s fingers: academic freedom and faculty governanceOn 15 March, Columbia University received what can only be described as the most dangerous letter in the history of higher education in America. The sender was the United States government. Like a ransom note, the government letter insists that Columbia comply with a list of Trump administration demands in order to even have a chance at recovering the $400m in federal funding for scientific research that the government canceled on 7 March.Oddly, one of the specific targets identified in the letter was Columbia’s Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (Mesaas), a small humanities department devoted to studying the languages, cultures and history of those regions. The government demanded the Mesaas department be put into “receivership” – basically, be taken over by the University – as a precondition to further negotiations. Continue readi...

Politics

1 week ago Sexual misconduct allegations in UN missions topped 100 in 2024, UN says

A U.N. report says allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in U.N. peacekeeping and political missions topped 100 for the third time in the last 10 years in 2024

Events

1 week ago Trump waging ‘sickening’ psychological war, deported Venezuelan’s lawyer says

One detained man’s lawyer says he is gay artist who had fled persecution in his home country, not a gang memberA lawyer for one of the Venezuelan immigrants sent from the US to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador has accused the Trump administration of waging a “sickening” campaign of psychological warfare against asylum seekers and migrants.“In my 15 years of representing people in removal proceedings in the United States, this is the most shocking thing that I’ve ever seen happen to one of our clients,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, a California-based lawyer for the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) group. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Antarctic scientist accused of threatening to kill colleagues trapped in research station apologises

The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said the alleged perpetrator has “shown remorse”

Events

1 week ago Fear at isolated Antarctica base as a man is accused of attacking a colleague and making threats

South African officials say a member of a research team at an isolated Antarctica base has been put under psychological evaluation after he allegedly assaulted and sexually harassed colleagues

Events

1 week ago Exact details of Antarctica base row as scientists beg for rescue over terrifying reason

A number of South African researchers posted at an isolated Antarctic research station are living in fear after one of their team members allegedly threatened the life of another

Events

1 week ago Revealed: What made Antarctic scientist snap and 'assault and threaten to kill colleagues'

The scientists are currently stationed at Sanae IV base, a research centre located on the northern tip of Antarctica some 4,000 kilometres from their South African homeland

Events