Breaking News......Coffee comes home: How the cappuccino conquered South Africa

No more instant. Cape Town coffee huts now offer a higher quality brew.

Not so long ago, if you ordered a cup of coffee in South Africa you needed to specify "filter" to avoid getting instant.
A decade ago, there was no cafe culture, nowhere to go for a flat white and certainly no expectation of locally roasted beans.
Those days are gone. Specialist coffee shops did nearly four times the business here in 2012 as in 2007.
The epicenter of the country's coffee revolution is Cape Town, whose population has a reputation for being trendy and aspirational.
These days, to-go cups from the right coffee shop are displayed like choice accessories.
A few companies are willing to take the credit for spearheading the trend, though it's more likely the combined result of several that had the foresight to anticipate interest in better coffee and the ability to interpret it for a local audience.

From bad to good to great

Coffee expectations, till recently, have been very low. Instant coffee, often cut with chicory, was a vehicle for lots of milk and sugar to warm the body and provide a minor buzz.
Capetonians who used to drink instant coffee, tea or no hot beverage at all, have since discovered the cappuccino.
Wimpy, KFC, BP Garage and other chains offer cheap and cheerful versions for the masses.
"They've got these coffee machines. But you don't smell coffee," says Anthony Swarz of Anthony's Golden Cup. "I don't know if it's instant. But it's not the same as if people walk into my shop, as if they've been pulled by the nose."
Swarz links the end of apartheid to the demand for better quality coffee.
"Now that all races can travel, wherever they go, they get good coffee," says Swarz. When they return, he says, their expectations are higher, and they seek out local roasters.
Swarz is old school. His small shop has tiny tables for two and is decorated with an assortment of flags (both for coffee and soccer countries, he says) and antique coffee makers from various cultures.
Swarz, who is in his 70s and drinks several full-strength cups daily, prepares the drinks himself, serving them in zebra-striped mugs.
"Sometimes they take all the fun out of making coffee with those little coffee pods. When you start grinding your own coffee, it's fun."
Swarz listens to the coffee beans to decide when they're done.
"Different coffees have a different cackle," he says. "You know exactly when to let it out, to get the best

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Breaking News.......Why Arab world must learn to talk about sex

At the United Nations, governments and NGOs from around the world have been negotiating a document on the elimination of violence against women.

 

News on Top Earlier this month, a video of young men doing the "Harlem Shake" -- bare chests and thrusting pelvises -- in front of the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo attracted worldwide attention, for putting one finger up to the moral authority of Islamic conservatives now struggling to govern Egypt.

But over in Alexandria, a soft-spoken teenage girl offered a far more unsettling challenge to the powers that be. Hebat Allah Mahmoud, a young karate enthusiast, was refused a place in her school's tournament photo because, she claimed, she does not cover her hair with a hijab.

Her teacher denied such charges of discrimination. Hebat Allah, however was unwilling to take this lying down. Instead, she took to YouTube, in a video in which she tearfully lambasted authorities for willful blindness and narrow-mindedness. Did they not know, she asked, that most of the girls put on the hijab at school but took it off once they left the premises? And she criticized teachers' interpretation of Islam, for insisting that the hijab was religiously mandated and that those who did not wear it were less worthy than those who covered. "We should have equal rights as stressed by the Prophet," she told the camera.

Hebat Allah's challenge to the one size-fits-all vision of Islam presented by Egypt's now ruling religious conservatives shifted to the international stage this week. At the United Nations, governments and NGOs from around the world have been negotiating a document on the elimination of violence against women, under the umbrella of the Commission on the Status of Women. The final text, hammered out after weeks of hard negotiation, reiterates the rights of women to lead their lives free of violence, coercion and discrimination.

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Breaking News.....Burned Iraqi boy stands tall 6 years later

News on Top Youssif was 5 years old when masked men grabbed him, doused him in gas and set him on fire as he played outside in Baghdad in 2007. CNN agreed not to use the full names of Youssif and his family due to concern for their safety.

(CNN) -- Unimaginable cruelty marked the beginning of Youssif's story.

At 5 years old, he was attacked by masked men as he played outside his Baghdad home in 2007. The men poured gasoline on his face and then set him on fire. His parents wondered, given their child's horrific injuries, whether he would ever smile again.

But Youssif's story struck a chord with CNN's millions of viewers and readers worldwide.

Just months after the attack, the boy and his family came to the United States with a single suitcase. Their living expenses and medical expenses -- hundreds of thousands of dollars -- were paid in full by the kindness of strangers.

me. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been following Youssif's journey since he arrived in the United States and recently traveled to California to visit Youssif and see his progress.

Youssif rubs face with hands, says 'no hurt'

Gupta says it's hard to believe that this is the same Youssif CNN has been following for nearly six years. The boy has undergone 19 operations and a total of 61 procedures at Grossman Burn Center since 2007.

Now 10, Youssif is very much a typical American fifth-grader. He's smart and confident. His favorite subject is math, and he tells Gupta that he hopes to be a doctor someday so he can help other people.

When asked whether he has any trouble making friends, he's quick to respond, "No, it's easy. Whenever a new person comes, the next day, we're just friends. No one is ever mean to me."

Youssif is now standing tall, thanks to the strength of his parents who risked so much to move to the United States. His father, 30 years old, still fears for the safety of his family in Iraq and prefers to keep his identity concealed as well as the full names of his children.

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Breaking News.....Nigerian doctor fighting killer blood disease

News on Top  Every year, more than 200,000 African children are born with sickle-cell anemia -- around 150,000 of those in Nigeria.

At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), rows of young women line up inside the antenatal clinic. Many of them suffer from sickle-cell anemia, the world's most common hereditary blood disorder. They are here to see Dr Bosede Afolabi, a specialist practitioner who has dedicated much of her working life to studying the disease and how it affects pregnant women and their babies.

"We have the highest number of people suffering from sickle-cell disease in the world," explains Afolabi, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology who consults twice a week at LUTH.

Her mission is to use her knowledge to cut maternal mortality in Nigeria. Around one in four people in the West African country carries the sickle cell gene -- around 40 million people -- and virtually everyone has lost a relative or a close friend to the disease.

Sickle-cell anemia, which is also referred to as SS disease, is an inherited form of anemia -- a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body.

Normally, red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through blood vessels. In sickle-cell anemia, however, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body.

Poor blood oxygen levels and blood vessel blockages can result in chronic acute pain syndromes, severe bacterial infections and tissue death, according to the World Health Organization. The sickle-cell trait has a partial protective effect against malaria, and this could explain its high prevalence levels in tropical parts of Africa.

For a child to be born with the condition, both parents must carry a sickle-cell gene, which is passed from

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Breaking News.....No more miniskirts in Seoul? New law has South Korea buzzing

News on Top 'No pants' no more? South Koreans are worried pop girl groups, like T-ara shown here, may have to add to Will K-Pop girl group Girls Generation have to ditch their microshorts? Will police patrol clubs in Gangnam with rulers to measure miniskirts? Is South Korea returning to its days of over-the-top censorship?

These questions have charged social media this week in South Korea ahead of a revised "overexposure law" that goes into effect on March 22.

Under the decree, approved by the new government during President Park Geun-hye's first Cabinet meeting earlier this month, people deemed to be "overexposed" in public will be subject to a fine of 50,000 KRW (US$45).

When the new legislation was announced, many residents assumed it meant restrictions on revealing outfits that are prevalent on the streets of Seoul and other South Korean cities.

The so-called "no pants" look has become a fashion staple, with women ditching pants and skirts for leggings, stocking or barely-there microshorts.

Revealing outfits are pretty much the only dress code for female K-Pop singers. A number of music videos have recently been slapped with 19-and-over-only viewing restrictions.

Celebrities known for their sexy image have taken to social media to voice their concern -- some serious, some only half-joking.

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Breaking News ....Lawyer fights 'widow sex' tradition in Malawi

Lawyer and human rights activist Seodi White has long been an outspoken campaigner for gender justice in Malawi, a country where half its women are married before the age of 18.

As the head of the Malawian chapter of Women in Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), White is at the forefront of the battle against inequality, traveling around the country to promote education and to stop young girls from giving up on school and marrying in their early teens.

But the prominent activist, who is herself the mother of a young daughter, is not only concerned with the rights of teenage girls. She is also targeting cultural practices that harm older, vulnerable women in Malawi.

'Widow cleansing'

One such custom, prevalent in the southern tip of the landlocked country, is "widow cleansing," a traditional practice in which a widow is expected to have sexual relations, "in order to cleanse her," explains White.

"There is a belief that if she does not sleep with someone, the spirit of her dead husband will come and visit upon her and her family will be cursed," she adds.

White says that the practice is not forced upon widows. Instead, she says, the tradition has become so much part of the culture that widows themselves call for it.

"It's a mindset issue," says White. "Even the widows, they've told me, 'I don't want to die, I don't want a curse to come to my husband.' They cry to be cleansed."

White says the tradition, which involves unprotected sex, thus increasing the chances of HIV infection, has been turned into a business.

"There are professional cleansers in villages," says White. She says these men charge widows up to $50 for their services, in a country where the minimum wage is less than $1 per day.

In this country, to get ahead in life, to beat poverty, you need education.
Seodi White, WLSA

In recent times, there have been several initiatives by White's NGO, as well as other groups, to try and

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Breaking News Syria conflict: EU to discuss arms ban as anniversary marked

As Syrians mark the second anniversary of the start of the nation's unrest, the EU is set to discuss lifting its arms embargo to allow supplying rebels.

The leaders of France and Britain will try to push other EU members to agree to the move at the Brussels summit.
Ties with Russia, one of Syria's key allies and which strongly opposes arming rebels, will also be discussed.
Up to 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began.
About one million people have fled the country.
The unrest began on 15 March 2011 with nationwide protests following arrests in the southern city of Deraa.
Rebels now control large sections of Syria, but the conflict has appeared to be largely in stalemate for months.
A number of vigils have already been held around the world to mark the second anniversary of the conflict, including in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and in Amman in Jordan, where children gathered in front of the Citadel for an event organised by Save the Children.
Jordanian student Aya Khirfan said: "We are here to deliver a very important message to help the people and the children of Syria. We are all there for them and this conflict in Syria will someday be solved."
'Perversity' French President Francois Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron are expected on Friday to raise the issue of the arms embargo at the talks in Brussels, although Syria is not a formal agenda item.

Violence continues across Syria, including here in Raqqa province

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Hollande said that Paris was "ready to support the rebels".
"We cannot allow the massacre of a people by a regime which right now does not want a political transition.
"France's view is that arms are being delivered to Syria - but to the regime of Bashar, in particular by the Russians," he said.
But the French president stressed that his aim was not a "total war".
A British official said there was a "perversity" about the embargo.
"The embargo does not stop those aiding Assad, but it does stop those who want to help the opposition," the official said.
The UK has indicated that it might veto a forthcoming vote, due in May, to extend the embargo, and Mr

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Breaking News China confirms Li Keqiang as premier

News on Top China's leaders have named Li Keqiang premier, placing him at the helm of the world's second-largest economy.

Mr Li, who already holds the number two spot in the Communist Party, takes over from Wen Jiabao.
Mr Li was elected for a five-year term but, like his predecessor, would be expected to spend a decade in office.
On Thursday, Xi Jinping was confirmed by legislators as the new president, completing the transition of power from Hu Jintao.
Li Keqiang's widely-signalled elevation was confirmed by 3,000 legislators at the National People's Congress, the annual parliament session, in Beijing. He received 2,940 votes to three, with six abstentions.

From humble beginnings, Li Keqiang has risen high in politics, but his career has not been without controversy. During the mid-1990s a scandal of stunning proportions devastated many rural communities in Henan. Thousands of farmers and their families contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood transfusions. Most infections in the government-backed blood-selling scheme happened before Li Keqiang became the province's party boss. But he was widely criticised for silencing those speaking out.
Many villagers still travel to Beijing every year to protest about the issue. One demonstrator told the BBC she hoped Li Keqiang would pay more attention, saying she had still not received any compensation. But others have seen a different side to the politician. One gay-rights activist told the BBC that Li Keqiang was very "easy-going" during a recent meeting. "He didn't act at all like a government official," said Kong

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Breaking News-Early HIV drugs 'functionally cure about one in 10'

  HIV, in green, bursting out of a white blood cell it has hijacked

News on Top Rapid treatment after HIV infection may be enough to "functionally cure" about a 10th of those diagnosed early, say researchers in France.

They have been analysing 14 people who stopped therapy, but have since shown no signs of the virus resurging.
It follows reports of a baby girl being effectively cured after very early treatment in the US.
However, most people infected with HIV do not find out until the virus has fully infiltrated the body.
The group of patients, known as the Visconti cohort, all started treatment within 10 weeks of being infected.
They stuck to a course of antiretroviral drugs for three years, on average, but then stopped.

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Breaking News - Swiss referendum 'backs executive pay curbs'

There was outrage in Switzerland over a $78m pay off, later scrapped, to the outgoing Novartis chairman

Swiss voters appear to have backed proposals to impose some of the world's strictest controls on executive pay, projected referendum results suggest.

Some 70% are thought to have supported plans to give shareholders a veto on compensation and ban big payouts for new and departing managers.
Business groups argued the proposals would damage Swiss competitiveness.
But analysts say ordinary Swiss are concerned about a growing economic divide in the country.
The vote comes just days after the EU approved measures to cap bankers bonuses.
'Fat cat initiative' Official first results from Geneva, where polling ended at noon (11:00 GMT), showed 67.7% voted in favour of the initiative.
Projections by polling institute Gfs.Bern for Swiss state television, based on early results, showed 70% backing the proposals across the country.

Brigitte Moser Harder An organiser of the vote

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Berne, says multibillion dollar losses by Swiss banking giant UBS, and thousands of redundancies at pharmaceutical company Novartis, have caused anger in Switzerland - because high salaries and bonuses for managers continued unchanged.

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Breaking News - Bangladesh deaths rise as Jamaat protest strike begins

At least 16 people have died in clashes in Bangladesh at the start of a strike called over a death sentence given to an Islamist party leader.

Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, of Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced on charges including murder, rape and torture during the war of independence in 1971.
Thursday's sentence sparked riots that have left about 60 people dead.
The Islamists say the tribunal is politically motivated, something the Bangladesh government denies.
Jamaat-e-Islami called a two-day strike across the country, beginning on Sunday, in protest at the court ruling.
Troops were called in in the northern district of Bogra, where police said thousands of Jamaat activists armed with sticks and home-made bombs attacked police outposts early on Sunday.
At least eight people were killed and dozens hurt in clashes in the district.

Bangladesh independence war, 1971

• Civil war erupts in Pakistan, pitting the West Pakistan army against East Pakistanis demanding autonomy and later independence
• Fighting forces an estimated 10 million East Pakistani civilians to flee to India
• In December, India invades East Pakistan in support of the East Pakistani people
• Pakistani army surrenders at Dhaka and its army of more than 90,000 become Indian prisoners of war
• East Pakistan becomes the independent country of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971

There were at least two further deaths in the north-western town of Godagari.

Border guards and police opened fire on protesters who were attacking police with sticks and stones, an official told the news agency AFP.
And another three people died in the Joypurhar district, the Daily Star newspaper said.
The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in the southern city of Chittagong says there has been no let up in the violence since the death sentence was issued.
Police have fought pitched battles with supporters of the Islamist party in many parts of the country.
Three people were killed in Chittagong on Saturday and Jamaat-e-Islami has accused the police of firing without provocation.
The Bangladeshi government rejected the criticism, saying violence against civilians and police officers would not be tolerated.
'Very afraid' In the capital, Dhaka, on Saturday, activists clashed with riot police, who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them.
One of the city's residents, Jahangir Alam, told the BBC he had seen a bus burning on the street.
"The police were trying to control the situation, but they were having stones and other objects throw at them," he said.

  Islamist activists armed with sticks went on the rampage in Bogra

"People in the street are very, very afraid of Jamaat-e-Islam. I am scared. Evening time is the worst; from 7pm to 9pm it is very dangerous in the street."
Our correspondent says the intensity of the backlash against the sentences has surprised many in Bangladesh, and security forces are struggling to bring the situation under control as it is difficult to predict which districts the violence will spread to.
The streets of the capital remain largely calm as the strike takes effect, although roads are empty and businesses closed in many parts of the country, with people are staying indoors for fear of more violence, he says.
The US has expressed concern about the violence and has appealed for the protests to be peaceful.
The special war crimes tribunal is trying those accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces and committing atrocities during the country's independence war in 1971.
The tribunal is trying a total of nine Jamaat leaders and two members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The BNP has also called for a nationwide strike, to take place on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, another Jamaat leader, Abdul Kader Mullah, was sentenced to life for crimes against humanity.
In January, former party leader Abul Kalam Azad was found guilty in absentia of eight charges of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death.

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Breaking News Rebels 'seize most of Syria police academy'

Unverified video appeared to show rebels breaking into the academy

Rebels have captured large parts of a Syrian police academy near Aleppo, after a fierce battle resulting in heavy loss of life, activists say.

Video emerged on Saturday apparently showing rebels breaking into the sprawling Khan al-Assal compound.
Almost 200 fighters had been killed on both sides over eight days, UK-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.
The group's reports could not be independently confirmed.
Their account said more than 34 government soldiers and police died on Sunday alone - an apparent setback for government forces a day after the army announced it had regained control of villages on a major route linking the central city of Hama to Aleppo, with security "restored" to the northern city's airport.
A police source in Aleppo later confirmed that much of the academy had fallen into rebel hands, the AFP news agency reports.

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Breaking News - Fukushima: 'Small increased cancer risk'

 The Fukushima plant was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami

People living near the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan have an increased risk of developing some cancers, the World Health Organization says.

The increased risk is limited to communities and some emergency workers exposed to radiation after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, analysis shows.
For those living in the rest of Japan there is no health risk, it said.
Experts stressed the increased lifetime risk of cancer remained small.
The report is part of an ongoing assessment by international experts on the fallout from severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
In March 2011, a powerful tsunami generated by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake out at sea slammed into the nuclear power plant in north-eastern Japan, damaging four of six reactors at the site.
Around 16,000 people were killed by the impact of the earthquake.

Prof Richard Wakeford Dalton Nuclear Institute

A substantial amount of radiation was released into the environment and a 20km (12 miles) evacuation zone was set up.

The latest analysis has found that those living in the most contaminated areas around Fukushima are expected to have a small but higher than expected risk of cancer.
The biggest lifetime risks were seen in those exposed as infants, compared with children or adults.
For girls exposed to radiation from the accident as infants, the report found a 4% increase above the lifetime expected risk of solid tumours and a 6% increase above that expected for breast cancer.
Boys exposed as infants are expected to have a 7% increased risk of leukaemia above that expected in the

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Breaking News - 'Wrong' immune response aids TB

 

Tuberculosis attacks the lungs

Some bacteria, including tuberculosis, are able to invade because the body launches the 'wrong' immune response, say researchers.

Instead of fighting off tuberculosis, people with a severe infection produce a protein which attacks viruses, the journal Science reports.
About 8.7 million people are infected with tuberculosis every year.
The findings may explain why viruses can make people more susceptible to bacterial infections.
A spring peak in tuberculosis infections may be linked to the effects of viruses circulating in winter, experts suggested.
US researchers first identified the phenomenon using leprosy - which is caused by a similar bacterium to tuberculosis.
Looking at skin lesions in leprosy patients, the team found that two different immune proteins were present.
In those with a milder form of the disease, they found a protein associated with a bacterial immune response - interferon-gamma.
Whereas in patients with a more serious form of leprosy, a protein associated with a viral response - interferon-beta - was prominent.
Further work showed the genes for interferon-beta - the virus-fighting protein - were more frequently expressed in the blood of tuberculosis patients with more severe disease.

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Breaking News - President Zuma of South Africa shocked over 'police dragging'

South African President Jacob Zuma has condemned an incident captured on video in which a Mozambican taxi driver was handcuffed to the back of a police van and dragged through the streets.

He is reported to have died in custody later. President Zuma called the incident "horrific" and "unacceptable".
"No human being should be treated in that manner," Mr Zuma added. He said police must operate within the law.
Human rights groups have often accused South African police of brutality.
South Africa's police watchdog is investigating the footage taken by a bystander of the incident near Johannesburg. It has been widely shown in the media.
Reports say police initially assaulted the 27-year-old driver, accusing him of parking his vehicle incorrectly in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.
The video shows a large crowd gathering, as uniformed policemen tie him to a van, dragging him as they drive away.
He was later taken into custody, where he died, local media has reported.

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South African police officers implicated in the death of a Mozambican taxi driver have been suspended.

News on Top Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega: "The behaviour displayed in the video... is to be abhorred"

South African police officers implicated in the death of a Mozambican taxi driver dragged down a street tied to a back of a van have been suspended.

The incident was recorded by a bystander and broadcast on television. The man later died in police custody.
Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega thanked people for revealing "callous and unacceptable behaviour".
South African President Jacob Zuma had already condemned the incident as "horrific" and "unacceptable".
Taxi driver Mido Macia, 27, died of head injuries and internal bleeding after his arrest in Daveytown, east of Johannesburg, an initial post-mortem found.
He was reportedly detained for parking his vehicle in a way that blocked traffic.
The video shows a large crowd gathering, as uniformed policemen tie him to a van, dragging him as they drive away.

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