New Zealand thrashed England by 189 runs in the first cricket Test on Sunday when England’s second innings disintegrated after Kyle Mills ripped through the top order. Set a tempting target of 300 to win in 81 overs, England were all out for 110 with 26 overs and a full session of play remaining.
Flanker Keegan Daniel scored a 16-second try to give the Sharks a perfect start en route to a 22-17 triumph over the Auckland Blues in a Super 14 thriller on Saturday. Daniel dotted down again as the home team took a 19-3 half-time advantage and then withstood fierce second-half pressure.
Eskom has increased coal stockpiles at power stations, the utility said on Saturday. Spokesperson Brian Dames said of the five power stations with the lowest stockpile days, only one remained below the desired level. Eskom announced that it aimed to secure 45-million tons of coal over two years to combat crippling coal shortages.
A proposed million-person march against crime is gaining momentum, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported on Saturday. Actor and singer Desmond Dube called on all South Africans to join the march scheduled for the middle of April in Johannesburg. Dube said South Africans have had enough of crime.
Outside Luthuli House, yellow posters beg South Africans to save power. In the lobby of the African National Congress headquarters, a veteran of the struggle against apartheid is asking to see ”Baba”. The old man does not have electricity and would like to put his case to the party president. A receptionist shakes her head: ”He comes often.”
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica dramatically resigned on Saturday, saying his government had collapsed over the issue of Kosovo’s declaration of independence last month. Plunging the country into a new political crisis, he said he would call national elections for May 11.
The prospect of recession is looming over the American presidential election campaign, amid a wave of job losses and collapsing home prices that could see the political battle being fought in the middle of an economy in crisis. Last week was marked by rising oil prices, tens of thousands of lost jobs and plummeting share prices.
Heroin is more easily obtainable than a hamburger nowadays, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille told an anti-drugs rally in Johannesburg on Saturday. This was after she led marchers — wearing DA T-shirts bearing the slogan: ”No to drugs and save our children” — through the streets of Vrededorp in Johannesburg.
Calls to end forced marriage, domestic abuse and job discrimination marked International Women’s Day on Saturday as demonstrators took to the streets worldwide. The issues highlighted crossed a wide spectrum, including abortion rights in Italy, violence against women in Iraq and women hostages in Colombia.
The Stormers climbed off the bottom of the Super 14 rugby standings with an bonus-point 34-16 win over Australian strugglers Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday. The Cape Town-based team played enterprising rugby to come away with four tries in their third straight win in Brisbane and the sixth win in their past 10 games in Australia.