A moderate earthquake rattled parts of south-east England on Saturday morning. There were reports of structural damage but no immediate reports of injuries. Data from the United States Geological Survey said the 4,7-magnitude quake struck at 8.18am local time, about 100km south-east of London.
A putrid prank went awry when authorities found a rental truck filled with rotting fish, cow parts and pig organs and evacuated residents of a Tucson, Arizona, neighbourhood. Four university students had rented the truck and collected the smelly cargo intending to dump it on someone’s front lawn as a prank, police said.
It’s close to midday on one of the busiest streets in Sydney’s centre and Juan Mann is getting nervous. Known to millions as the ”free hugs guy”, he is worried about the lunchtime rush. Ever since a video of Mann appeared on the YouTube website last September, he has become something of a celebrity in his home town.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday lifted its embargo on Liberia’s diamond exports, saying the West African nation has made progress in certifying the origin of its rough diamonds. It was the council’s second vote of confidence in the new President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, following the lifting of an embargo on wood.
Luzau Basambombo spent six months in a Kinshasa prison, being abused over and over again. The Congolese human-rights activist suspects that he was put behind bars because he openly admitted being homosexual. Today, he lives in Nairobi and feels comfortable there. ”Things are changing here in Kenya — in favour of us,” he says.
The Zimbabwean government has published tight new regulations for the registration of NGOs after a Cabinet minister said they had been deregistered, reports said on Saturday. Meanwhile, more than 220 of Zimbabwe’s remaining white farmers have been given until September to get off their properties.
It might have been labelled the ”derby of the damned”, with the teams damned by their own supporters for a succession of uninspiring performances this season, but the sold-out signs still went up on Friday morning for Saturday’s showdown between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at Ellis Park.
The Bulls kept up their hunt for a semifinal place with a massive 40-19 win over the Blues at Loftus Versfeld on Friday. Overcoming a bad start, they rallied back to take the lead before half-time and then showed tenacity to keep the Blues attack frustrated for most of the game.
![]()
To captain Ricky Ponting and his all-conquering Australia team, the World Cup is another box to tick. Pace-bowler Glenn McGrath, facing his last match before retirement, describes Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka as business as usual, while opposition captain Mahela Jayawardene aims to convince his players it’s not even a final.
Microsoft is presenting Silverlight as a browser plug-in that can show high-definition video on both PCs and Macs using VC-1, a version of Microsoft’s WMV technology standardised for HD DVD and Blu-ray discs. But this is simply the thin end of a very ambitious wedge.