Cape Town

18 Stories

Aquarium Overwhelmed by Hundreds of Baby Sea Turtles

Sea turtle hatchlings got caught up in a storm off South Africa, leaving them sick and injured

(Newser) - An aquarium in South Africa is stretched beyond capacity after more than 500 baby sea turtles were washed up on beaches by a rare and powerful storm and rescued by members of the public. The little turtles are mostly endangered loggerheads and should be cruising the ocean, per the AP...

'Digital Nomads' Flock Here, and Locals Aren't Thrilled

Cape Town, South Africa, illustrates a global trend

(Newser) - A category of workers known as digital nomads is growing in ranks around the world, and the BBC reports that Cape Town, South Africa, illustrates both the positive and negative aspects of the trend.
  • The term: Digital nomads are typically younger people who can work wherever they have an internet
...

Cape Town Hit With 'Worst Stench in My Life'

Odor was traced to a ship docked offshore on Monday

(Newser) - The smell that took over Cape Town was so putrid and far-reaching that authorities in the South African city launched an investigation into its source on Monday. It turns out it wasn't a sewage facility leak but rather an odor emanating from a ship docked in the harbor that...

In Cape Town, an Indigenous Win on 'Obscene' Amazon Project

Court temporarily halts retail giant's building of African HQ in Cape Town

(Newser) - Thousands of years ago, South Africa's earliest dwellers roamed the land. Now, as Amazon tries to build its new African headquarters there, it's facing a battle from Indigenous locals who say the company shouldn't be building on what they say is sacred land—and last week, they...

Dozens of Penguins Stung to Death by Bees

63 endangered African penguins were found Friday on a South African beach

(Newser) - More than five dozen African penguins have met a sad end in South Africa, in what bird conservationists say is a most uncommon incident. AFP reports that 63 of the endangered birds were found dead Friday on Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, a suburb of Cape Town, and their...

Cape Town Isn't Only Big City With Water Crisis

These 5 cities also are in an H20 predicament

(Newser) - Cape Town's water situation is dire , but although it may soon be the first big city in the world to run out of H2O, it's not the only one nearing such a precarious position. The BBC takes a look at other major urban areas thirsting for liquid sustenance,...

Water Shut-Off Looms as Major City Approaches 'Day Zero'

Cape Town could be world's 1st major city to go dry

(Newser) - Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in a suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the city in just over two months, an occasion known as "Day...

This City Set to Be World's First Big One to Run Out of Water

South Africa's Cape Town has less than 90 days' worth of water left in its reservoirs

(Newser) - April 22 has been set as "Day Zero" for Cape Town, but it's not a celebratory date. Time reports that following three years of record-setting drought, the South African city has enough water left in its reservoirs to last about 90 days—meaning it will become the planet'...

Only Way to Get to the Bodies Was Through Cable Car's Floor

2 climbers lost their lives on Table Mountain

(Newser) - "It was below 10 degrees, ice cold" after midnight Tuesday as the last people came off South Africa's Table Mountain, having been stranded there for hours, says a rep for the country's national parks. What had kept them there were those who'd suffered a worse fate....

'Mom' Guilty in Crazy 1997 Baby-Snatching Case

Woman found guilty of kidnapping 3-day-old baby from mom's side

(Newser) - A 51-year-old woman was found guilty Thursday of kidnapping a newborn in 1997 as the girl's mother slept in a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The unnamed defendant had pleaded not guilty, insisting she adopted the infant and "didn't know the baby was stolen." Incredibly,...

1st Sunken Slave Ship Found After 220 Years

212 slaves died on the Sao Jose-Paquete de Africa, en route to Brazil

(Newser) - The first-ever wreckage of a ship that went down with slaves on board has been found just 100 yards off the coast of South Africa where it sank in 1794. The Portuguese ship, Sao Jose-Paquete de Africa, set out from Mozambique Island with more than 400 slaves shackled in its...

Brit Walks in Honeymoon Murder of His Wife

Shrien Dewani cleared of all charges in South Africa in 2010 death of Anni Dewani

(Newser) - A British man accused of killing his wife while they were on their honeymoon in Cape Town was acquitted of murder today after a South African judge concluded that the prosecution's case didn't have sufficient evidence. Shrien Dewani promptly descended stairs leading out of the courtroom following the...

It's 2014 Somewhere

 It's 2014 Somewhere 
Happy New Year
Dec 31, 2013 3:22 PM CST

It's 2014 Somewhere

Images of celebrations from around the world

(Newser) - It's that time of year again: Time for Australia and New Zealand to steal everybody else's thunder. Auckland has already rung in 2014, and Sydney has lit up the sky with its annual much-heralded firework extravaganza. In most of the rest of the world, everyone's still just...

Great White Attacks Swimmer Who Ignored Warnings

Part of both of Michael Cohen's legs were bitten off today in Cape Town

(Newser) - A reminder to those who like to buck authority: You should at least heed warnings related to great white sharks. A 42-year-old British expat had parts of both his legs bitten off in an attack in Cape Town today, after going for a swim though shark warning flags were flying,...

Drunk Baboons Ravage Suburbia

Marauders plague South Africa vineyards

(Newser) - The vineyards and houses of one of South Africa's poshest suburbs are under siege—by groups of marauding Cape Baboons, who feast on sauvignon blanc grapes fermenting in the sun and terrorize locals. One troop of baboons recently broke into a family home in the Cape Town suburb and traumatized...

Bus-Sized Shark Eats Cape Town Tourist

Witnesses watch in horror as skindiver disappears in jaws

(Newser) - A great white shark "bigger than a minibus" ate a tourist about to skindive off a Cape Town beach as stunned onlookers watched, helpless to save the man. Zimbabwe visitor Lloyd Skinner's diving goggles and a patch of blood were all that remained. "That shark was huge. Like...

S. African Mount Up for Auction, Villagers Irate

Oprah, Bill Gates said to be among potential bidders for high life

(Newser) - Villagers at the foot of a South African mountain are incensed over plans to sell the land above them at a private auction, the Independent reports. The thousands of impoverished villagers live in cramped conditions and say the property, near Cape Town, should belong to the public. Bill Gates and...

Get Creative at Top Artsy Hotels
Get Creative at Top Artsy Hotels
TRAVEL
Mar 2, 2008 3:50 PM CST

Get Creative at Top Artsy Hotels

Pitched tent, disco balls enliven lodgings on Budget Travel list

(Newser) - A good hotel provides comfort; a great hotel ... inspiration? Artists touched up the staid look of these hotels, selected by Budget Travel for their fake-fur tapestry, psychedelic mazes, and speckled French graffiti:
  1. The Winston, Amsterdam: This avant-garde hotel once displayed dead leaves; check out the Playnation room's trippy ceiling mural
...

18 Stories