south africa
- World News
Missing South African teacher found dead in Phnom Penh pool
The search for missing South African teacher Angelique Tong has ended in tragedy after her body was discovered following a swimming pool-related incident. The 26 year old woman, who had been missing in Phnom Penh since September 29, was last seen on a dinner date with a man known only as Jack. Friends launched an urgent appeal after the teacher,…
- World News
South African teacher vanishes in Cambodia after dinner date
The search is on for a young South African teacher who vanished without a trace in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh after a date with a British man known only as Jack. The South African teacher, 26 year old Angelique Tong, was last seen on September 29 after a dinner at Harry’s Bistro, a popular riverside spot in the Cambodian capital.…
- Thailand News
South Africa and Thailand boosts agricultural ties
The agricultural sector has become a significant beneficiary of the thriving bilateral relationship between Thailand and South Africa, revealed South Africa’s Ambassador to Thailand, Darkey Africa in a recent interview. This conversation was held to commemorate three decades of South African democracy and the bilateral relationship between the two nations including a strengthening of agricultural ties. Africa underscored the positive…
- Thailand News
Boeing 737 loses wheel mid-flight in South Africa (video)
In the latest hair-raising near-miss involving a Boeing 737 aircraft, a FlySafair jet had a miraculous escape from catastrophe after losing a wheel shortly following takeoff from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Eyewitnesses described a tense scene as ground staff spotted damage to the aircraft’s undercarriage, prompting a swift decision to return to the airport. The nerve-wracking…
- Crime News
“Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius may be released from prison
South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, aka Blade Runner, could be released from jail this week after mistakes were discovered regarding his parole bids. Pistorius was sentenced in October 2014 when he was found guilty of murdering Reeve Steenkamp, his then-girlfriend on February 14, 2013. The 36 year old claimed he thought Steenkamp was an intruder and he shot her by…
- Cannabis News
Stoned students: Cannabis-laced muffins ‘bake’ trouble in South African school
Cannabis-laced muffins sparked the mass hospitalisation of pupils in South Africa which sparked public concern. The incident occurred at Pulamadibogo Primary School in Soshanguve, a city in northern South Africa. The initial investigation identified that the muffins, which were consumed by nearly 100 students aged between 5 and 13 years, were tainted with cannabis, locally known as Dagga. The students,…
- World News
Explosion rocks Johannesburg: 41 injured, cars tossed as main road ruptures in suspected gas blast
Johannesburg yesterday was shaken by an explosion, disrupting a central part of the city located in the northern region of South Africa. The blast caused a significant rupture on a main tarmac road, and several vehicles, including a mini-bus, were hurled by the blast’s force. A reported 41 people were injured due to the incident. Emergency services initially suggested that…
- World News
Ecuadorian woman dies again after recovering during own funeral
Bella Montoya, the 76 year old Ecuadorian woman who famously revived during her own funeral, passed away again on June 16 after receiving seven days of intensive care at Babahoyo Hospital. Her demise has been confirmed by Ecuador’s Ministry of Health, attributing her death to an ischemic stroke, BBC reported. Bella Montoya’s son Gilbert Barbeira spoke to the press, stating that…
- Transport News
Singapore Airlines flight grounded after bomb threat
A bomb threat led to an emergency grounding of a Singapore Airlines flight in South Africa. Singapore Airlines flight SQ478 was grounded in Johannesburg yesterday following the threat. The aircraft landed at OR Tambo International Airport and all 58 passengers and 15 crew members successfully disembarked. The plane was flying from Singapore to Cape Town and was just doing a…
- Events
Early Valentine’s Day Guinness World Record set for longest underwater smooch
Valentine’s Day did not go down without a record-breaking smooch. A couple sealed the holiday a bit earlier, on February 4, with an underwater kiss that broke the Guinness World Record for the longest underwater snog. The kiss lasted four minutes and six seconds, smashing the previous record by 42 seconds. An Italian couple held the previous record for the…
- Crime News
Convicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison
A 23 year old South African woman serving a long prison sentence for drug trafficking wrote an eloquent letter offering a glimpse into how it feels to be locked away in Thailand. Ashley Oosthuizen was found guilty of international drug trafficking after she signed for a package containing MDMA at the restaurant she worked at in Koh Samui, ‘Hot in…
- China News
Russia to join navy exercises with China and South African next month
Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency revealed today that a Russian warship equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles will join in exercises with the navies of China and South Africa next month. This marks the first official confirmation of the involvement of the Russian frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov. The frigate is armed with Zircon missiles, capable of…
- Crime News
South African’s life sentence reduced to 33 years for drug trafficking in Thailand
Koh Samui Court decided to reduce 23 year old Ashley Oosthuizen’s life sentence to 33.4 years at a hearing on Wednesday. Ashley, from South Africa, is behind bars in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand for signing for a package containing MDMA at a restaurant in Koh Samui in late 2020. She was found guilty of international drug trafficking.…
- Crime News
South African woman, jailed in Thailand, gets to speak to mother
A young South African woman, 23 year old Ashley Oosthuizen, sentenced to life in a Thai prison has finally been able to speak to her mother after nearly 3 months of Covid ‘quarantine’ (as there was an outbreak in the prison). She was sentenced after being accused and convicted by a Thai court of accepting a package of MDMA at the Koh…
- World News
Search for the missing continues as South Africa floods claim 443 lives
The search continues for dozens of people still missing following floods in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The death toll has now risen to 443 after heavy rains caused devastating floods and mudslides. According to a Reuters report, thousands have been left homeless, while homes have lost power and water. One of the country’s busiest ports, Durban, has had…
- Covid-19 News
NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans
Chinese researchers in Wuhan have sounded the alarm on a species of known bat coronavirus that could potentially be 3 times more fatal than Covid-19, the Thai Public Health Commission’s Vice Chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan stated yesterday. If the virus were to mutate and make its way to human populations, it could turn into “Covid-22” and eventually be crowned “MERS-CoV-2,” Boonyaleephan said.…
- Covid-19 News
Study finds Johnson & Johnson booster 85% effective against severe Omicron
A South African study has found that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 85% effective at preventing hospitalisation from the Omicron variant. According to an AFP report, researchers compared 69,000 healthcare workers who’d been given 2 doses of the vaccine, versus a group of unvaccinated people. The findings show that when a booster is administered between…
- World News
Malaysia lifts travel ban on eight African countries
Malaysia lifted its travel ban on eight South African countries that were among the first to identify the Omicron strain of the coronavirus, citing its global spread. The move follows Singapore, which recently lifted its travel ban on 10 African countries. Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters yesterday that officials would rush booster vaccines as Omicron is spreading very fast,…
- Covid-19 News
South Africa study shows Omicron variant may reduce Delta transmission
A scientific paper in South Africa appears to show that the Omicron variant reduces Delta infections and could also boost immunity against severe illness with Delta. According to a Bloomberg report, the paper was co-authored by Alex Sigal and Khadija Khan from the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban. It has not been peer-reviewed. The paper also suggests that being…
- World News
South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid champion, dies aged 90
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid icon who championed human rights in his native South Africa has died at the age of 90. Announcing his death, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu as a patriot without equal, according to an AFP report. “Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight…
- World News
UN agency criticises introduction of travel bans over Omicron variant
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation says travel bans introduced following the emergence of the Omicron variant should be lifted. UNWTO members voiced their concerns about the bans during the organisation’s recent General Assembly. According to a TTR Weekly report, countries from all regions of the world voiced solidarity with African nations that have become the target of travel bans…
- Covid-19 News
Australia, Asia, and Africa deal with the Covid-19 Omicron variant
With Omicron spreading around the world, many countries are seeing the new variant spread, as well as Covid-19 in general on the rise. Here are some updates from around Australasia and Africa (a roundup of Europe can be found here): AUSTRALIA 13 cases of Omicron have been identified in a cluster in Sydney after finding the first infection just Friday,…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials order quarantine for more than 100 travellers from South Africa
More than 100 travellers from South Africa who entered Thailand over the past two weeks have been ordered to quarantine for 14 days as a preventative measure following the emergence of the Omicron variant. Nationwide, the Thai Immigration Bureau and the Public Health Ministry are working to track down a total of more than 780 people who travelled from African…
- World News
Malaysia bans travel from African nations amid Omicron fears
Following suit with countries around Asia and around the world, Malaysia has announced a temporary ban on travellers entering from African countries in close proximity to the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Malaysia’s health minister announced the ban on 8 African countries including South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, though it hasn’t banned other countries that have reported cases of Omicron yet.…
- Thailand News
Ministry prepares to bring back Thais from eight African countries starting tomorrow
With Thai authorities issuing a travel ban on those from 8 African countries reporting the new Omicron variant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to bring Thai citizens in the high risk countries back to Thailand. Citizens living in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe can apply for a COE (certificate of entry) to return…
- Covid-19 News
Japan suspends foreign visitors from entering as Omicron variant spreads
Japan is suspending foreign visitors from entering as the new Covid-19 Omicron variant spreads throughout the country. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says the measure will take effect tomorrow. “We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan.” The move means the country will backstep in restoring its border controls that eased earlier this…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Latest news on Omicron – what we know
World travel destinations are moving to block flights from up to 10 African countries following the discovery of the Omicron Covid-19 variant this week. Officially, the new variant is designated B1.1.529. This is the latest information about the current status on Omicron. The new Covid-19 mutation was first reported to the World Health Organisation on Wednesday this week, by scientists from…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron causing concern, Thai authorities ban travellers from 8 countries
Countries around the world are pushing back against the latest strain of Covid-19, now officially called by its Greek alphabet name ‘Omicron’, or B.1.1.529 if you want to be scientific. Potentially, the new variant is more a transmissible coronavirus and was first recognised by South African health authorities. Now, a number of countries are already banning travellers from several southern…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Protest leader gets Time magazine nod, foreign teacher crackdown | February 18
A prominent protest leader and human rights lawyer in Thailand, who is currently in court detention, was named in Time magazine’s “Time 100 Next” as an influential leader, calling him “the lawyer who broke the silence around Thai Monarchy.” Traders at 2 wet markets in the central province of Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, have expressed their frustration at…
- Covid-19 News
Covid lockdown in Pathum Thani district, just north of Bangkok | VIDEO
Whilst migrant dormitories and parts of the seafood markets in Samut Sakhon remain either in complete lockdown or as restricted areas, and the affected gambling dens in Rayong have magically disappeared, the focus of the current Covid outbreak has now turned to Pathum Thani… just north of Bangkok and probably better known as the province that hosts the Buddhist Dhammakaya…
