Independent On Saturday

Health Actor Michael J. FoxActor Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's Disease and is well known for his advocacy work around the issue. Image: File pic. THE Durban beachfront will host the 4th annual Walk for Parkinson’s on Saturday (18 April), as organisers call on the public to join an awareness and fundraising event in support of people living with Parkinson’s disease, their families and carers. Participants are encouraged to walk in solidarity with those affected by the condition.

Crime Siphesihle Buthelezi|Published 2 minutes ago The new forensic laboratory represents a transformative investment in the justice system of KwaZulu-Natal, addressing previous operational challenges and promising a future where forensic evidence plays an even more vital role in delivering justice.

Books Saint Augustine of Hippo depicted in a mosaic by John Maddison, Chapel of Saint Paul, Westminster Cathedral, 2023. Image: Courtesy Diocese of Westminster/Liveright POPE  Leo XIV’s first official trip to Africa started with a fascinating stop in Algeria. Here the pontiff’s visit to the Grand Mosque of Algiers was an attempt to strengthen Christian-Muslim relations. The stop was also to pay homage to Saint Augustine, founder of the order that he is a member of.

Art The Alba Madonna. Image: ANGELA WEISS / AFP DURING a recent visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, I had almost the same experience that happens to me in Washington’s National Gallery of Art. Upon encountering Raphael’s “Madonna of the Meadow,” all of the museum fatigue evaporated - and with it that peculiar brain fog of an overfull yet completely scattered mind. At the National Gallery, it’s the same painter’s Alba Madonna that inevitably arrests and refreshes.

Mkambati Nature Reserve has achieved a monumental milestone by becoming the Eastern Cape's first Ramsar site, highlighting the critical importance of wetlands to South Africa’s ecology, community livelihoods, and future sustainability. Image: File In a celebration of both natural heritage and global co-operation, the Mkambati Nature Reserve has officially been designated as South Africa's first Ramsar site in the Eastern Cape.

Japan News|Published 7 minutes ago Visitors to the Ceramic Brussels fair held in Brussels view a work by Ryuichi Kakurezaki on January 21. Image: Hiroshi Uesugi/Japan News Hiroshi Uesugi Interest in Japanese ceramics has been on the rise in Europe in recent years. At an international ceramics fair held in Brussels, many pieces by Japanese ceramic artists were showcased from January 21 to 25.

With Tongaat Hulett's future at stake, over 18,000 South African sugarcane growers await a court decision that could threaten their livelihoods. Image: File The impending KwaZulu-Natal High Court hearing on Tongaat Hulett Limited's possible liquidation could signal a crossroads for nearly two-thirds of South Africa's sugarcane growers.

Health |Published 3 minutes ago A male participant having his waist measured at a local community centre in China. Image: AFP IN a community centre in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss programme - "Trade Fat for Beef". The rules are straightforward: for every half kilogram he loses, Shu will receive the same weight in boneless beef, or 1.5 kilograms of beef on the bone.

Salad This is all you need for a good salad. Image: (Scott Suchman; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky/Both for The Washington Post) AS someone whose job is to help people cook smarter, better and faster, I’m keenly aware of the admonition “Do as I say, not as I do.” After some recent recipe testing, I started wondering whether I had been doing salads — particularly salad dressings — a little wrong.

History The original home of DHS in Smith Street, Durban. Image: File pic Today’s Then and Now looks at Durban High School, which will celebrate its 160th anniversary in June. According to the DHS Foundation Trust, the all-boys school began as a two-room building known as Manor House on Smith Street (now Anton Lembede Street), constructed by William Hartley, then mayor of Durban. The DHS building as its stands today in St Thomas Road.