15 h. ago Space probe to map carbon content of world’s remotest tropical forests

Revolutionary scanner to be fired into Earth orbit this month to measure effects of deforestationScientists are about to take part in a revolutionary mission aimed at creating detailed 3D maps of the world’s remotest, densest and darkest tropical forests – from outer space. The feat will be achieved using a special radar scanner that has been fitted to a probe, named Biomass, that will be fired into the Earth’s orbit later this month.For the next five years, the 1.25-tonne spacecraft will sweep over the tropical rainforests of Africa, Asia and South America and peer through their dense 40m-high ­canopies to study the vegetation that lies beneath. The data collected by Biomass will then be used to create unique 3D maps of forests normally hidden from human sight. Continue reading...

Politics

23 h. ago South Africa's Garden Route with children: Holiday heaven... or road to hell?

Could a family trip to South Africa be the perfect escape from London’s winter gloom?

Politics

23 h. ago South Africa's Garden Route: is this the ultimate road trip to do with kids?

Could a family trip to South Africa be the perfect escape from London’s gloomy weather?

Politics

42 h. ago Evil dad who raped newborn baby to death while mother shopped jailed for life

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, admitted violently raping the newborn to death when she was left home alone with him in June 2023.

Events

45 h. ago Dad who raped newborn baby to death while mum went shopping learns his fate

WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, admitted to murdering the newborn after he violently raped her when she was left home alone with him in June 2023

Events

48 h. ago In South Africa, a needle exchange program for drug users feels the effects of Trump's aid cuts

A secluded corner near South Africa’s capital is home to dozens of people with drug addiction

Politics

4 d. ago Injury update means Duhan van der Merwe is on track for action with Lions

Edinburgh say the South Africa-born 29-year-old is scheduled to return some time next month.

Events

5 d. ago Gardeners urged to make urgent checks to sheds and greenhouses in April

As we enter April, gardeners are encouraged to do these routine checks to sheds and greenhouses to avoid flooding the garden

Politics

5 d. ago Evil father who admitted raping his newborn baby to death threatens to kill his wife if he is not jailed

A sick South African father who admitted to murdering his one-week-old baby daughter after he violently raped her while her mother was out has threatened to kill her if he is not jailed.  

Events

5 d. ago Prince Harry's 'wild child' ex Chelsy Davy was never seen as a suitable royal bride... but her new life

Chelsy Davy, now 39, has re-entered the public eye more than a decade after her split from Prince Harry as she shared a glamorous Mother's Day picture from South Africa.

Politics

5 d. ago Man who raped newborn baby to death makes chilling threat to its mother

Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, sexually assaulted his one week old daughter after her mum went to buy her some nappies from the shop. He murdered her because she kept crying

Events

5 d. ago ‘They started nibbling at its head’: the bold plan to rid an island of albatross

South Africa’s Marion Island is a breeding ground for the birds, but their chicks are being eaten alive by rodents. Now, the world’s largest operation to eradicate the invasive species is about to get under wayBy 2015, scientists knew from camera trap evidence that mice were attacking albatross chicks on Marion Island, but no one had ever witnessed it first-hand on the small volcanic outcrop off the coast of South Africa. So, when researchers Stefan and Janine Schoombie came across a badly wounded wandering albatross chick in a relatively accessible part of the island, they resolved to return at night. After hiking for 30 minutes in the dark, Stefan started quietly setting up his camera equipment behind a rock. “We were expecting to have to stalk, but the mice were climbing all over us,” he says.It didn’t take long for the mice to start feeding on the albatross chick. “The bird was a complete fluffball,” says Janine. “So, they just climbed up its back and started nibbling at its hea...

Politics

6 d. ago Gary Barlow comes face to face with 'terrifying' tiger shark at sea for new ITV series

After a successful first series in South Africa, Gary Barlow is back, fronting a second season of his Wine Tour in Australia. But filming was completely derailed by a tiger shark.

Events

7 d. ago Scientists hope hungry weevils from Louisiana can tackle South Africa's invasive water plants

South Africa is unleashing weevils imported from the United States in a bid to fight off the sprouting growth of Salvinia minima, an alien species of aquatic plant native to South America that is choking up dams and rivers

Events

7 d. ago Scumbag dad rapes and kills newborn baby as wife went to buy daughter nappies

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT: The South African evil father gave a sickening reason for sexually assaulting his newborn daughter who died while her mother was buying nappies for her at the shops

Events

7 d. ago Vile father rapes newborn baby to death while wife out buying daughter nappies

Hugo Ferreira, 37, from South Africa, issued a sickening reason for sexually assaulting his newborn daughter. She was brutally murdered when her mum went to the shops

Events

7 d. ago ‘Canary in the coalmine of totalitarianism’: how Columbia went from a home for Edward Said to a punching bag for Trump

The university had a history of being a home for cutting-edge discourse on Palestine – until it capitulated to the administration’s demands Last week, Columbia University announced that it would cave to demands by the Trump administration and adopt sweeping measures against pro-Palestinian activity on campus, including new restrictions on protest and the takeover of an academic department from faculty control.The news sent shock waves across higher education institutions nationwide for what appeared a stunning capitulation to attacks on academic freedom and the independence of the department of Middle Eastern, south Asian and African studies, or Mesaas, which became a scapegoat for what the administration viewed as a pro-Palestinian climate on campus. It was also a remarkable turn of events for a university that had for years been a home for cutting-edge academic discourse on Palestine, beginning with the scholarship of Edward Said, a leading Palestinian intellectual. Continue readi...

Politics

7 d. ago New 3D technology could soon bring surgeons closer to patients in Africa's most remote regions

A groundbreaking initiative could soon be bringing surgeons closer to patients in Africa's remote corners where the doctor-to-patients ratio is among the lowest in the world

Science

8 d. 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

8 d. ago Wildlife charity faces damages claim over elephant project in Africa linked to 12 deaths

Rural communities on the border between the African countries of Malawi and Zambia are threatening to sue an international animal conservation group for death and destruction caused by the relocation of more than 260 elephants to their area

Events