The average cocaine user in Britain probably does not spend too much time thinking about where their drug of choice comes from. If they did, they might reflect on how it travels from South America to the bars, clubs and kitchen tables of the United Kingdom.
At least 56 Tamil Tiger rebels and four government troops have been killed in heavy fighting across Sri Lanka’s embattled north over the weekend, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday. Helicopter gunships were deployed against suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam strongholds in the coastal district of Mannar on Saturday, the ministry said.
The office of National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) acting head Mokotedi Mpshe was quarantined on Thursday when it was discovered that a threatening letter addressed to him was laced with a poisonous substance, the Sunday Times reported. NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali confirmed that at least one employee had a violent physical reaction to the letter.
Santos recorded their fifth consecutive Premier Soccer League win when they beat Golden Arrows 3-1 at the Athlone Stadium on Saturday night. An uneventful first half gave way to an action-packed second half that saw all four goal scored. In the first half very little scoring opportunities were created.
South African Kevin Anderson reached the final of the ATP hard-court tournament in Las Vegas on Saturday with a straight-sets victory over American Robby Ginepri. Anderson, ranked 175th in the world, defeated Ginepri 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to advance and will next take on another American Sam Querrey.
Godfrey Khotso Mokoena, South Africa’s best long and triple jumper of all time, gave himself a fine 22nd birthday present in Valencia on Saturday when he won South Africa’s third-ever gold medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships with a jump of 8,08m.
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.