Shark kills surfer in South Africa

A shark has killed a surfer off Cape Town, South African police say.

Following today's fatal attack, the government cancelled a permit that had allowed a research film crew to throw fish and blood into the water to attract sharks, a practice known as chumming.

Critics had said the chumming could attract sharks to popular beaches, but the department of environmental affairs had said the researchers were working too far from shore for it to be a threat.

A spokesman said the permit was withdrawn to calm panic among the public, not because officials believed the chumming was linked to the shark attack.

AP