The change is in your pocket

At Shanghai’s Zhabei District marriage registration centre, officials divorced a record 53 couples in a single day last week — that’s about one every five minutes — as couples rushed to untie the knot to avoid tougher tax laws on home sales.  (read more…)

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has disappointed activists by not giving into calls to impose immediate trade sanctions on Vietnam over its illegal rhino horn trade. (read more…)

Washington – Scientists used an iPhone and a camera lens to diagnose intestinal worms in rural Tanzania,a breakthrough that could help doctors treat patients infected with the parasites, a study said on Tuesday. (read more…)

A dentist’s office may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect holiday destination. But a growing number of Europeans are travelling abroad for medical treatment to save money, or maybe to combine a visit to the doctor with some sightseeing, creating a fast-growing market that is still largely untapped by traditional tour operators. (read more…)

While much of the world’s attention is on the rhino slaughter in South Africa, the African elephant population is rapidly shrinking due to the greatest poaching threat against the animal in more than two decades. (read more…)

Complete The Big Issue Mission on www.teedu.co.za and stand a chance to win a Kalahari voucher worth R200 for yourself and R200 cash for your Big Issue vendor. (read more…)

Kyoko Machiya should be enjoying life with grandchildren. Instead, the 64-year-old’s home is a makeshift structure of boxes covered with blue plastic in a Tokyo park. (read more…)

UNITED STATES: A homeless Kansas City man’s decision to return a diamond engagement ring that had accidentally fallen into his panhandling cup has prompted a flood of donations from people impressed with his honesty. (read more…)

Tattoo artists in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg are gearing up to raise half a million rand for children with cancer during South Africa’s second annual Tattoo-a-thon on March 29.

Tattoo artists from participating studios in all three cities will only charge clients R700 per tattoo that day and donate all funds to the Children’s Haematology Oncology Clinics (CHOC) Childhood Cancer Foundation. (read more…)

In “Students split over UCT’s race-based admissions policy” (click HERE for the full story), we incorrectly stated that UCT will “revise its race-based admissions policy” whereas UCT will only be revisiting the policy. The Big Issue apologises for the error.