A ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon moved decisively closer on Saturday night after the United States, Britain and France agreed an outline deal to resolve what British Prime Minister Tony Blair described as a ”tragic crisis”.
At this time of the year, holidaymakers in Europe rush to the beaches to top up their tans, but in Chinese cities women avoid the sun like the plague. Umbrellas deployed, arms fully covered, hats jammed on their heads, women on Shanghai’s occasionally sunny streets are now employing every trick in the book to cut out the UV rays.
Dubbed ”Little Chelsea” for seemingly trying to emulate, on a modest scale, English champions Chelsea’s pursuit of talent via a sizeable chequebook, Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday cruised to a third successive Telkom Charity Cup title while beating Bloemfontein Celtic 2-0 in a one-sided final at FNB Stadium.
A man was killed on Saturday morning when he became trapped in a burning furniture-upholstery factory in Durban. Ashwin Mohanlall (38) apparently tried to flee from the blaze, which took firefighters more than five hours to bring under control. Stairwells were being used as storage spaces, making access for firefighters difficult.
Disaster relief in the Eastern Cape was well under way by Saturday morning, after the province was hit this week by flooding, disaster management said. ”We relocated 7 000 people yesterday [Friday] to about 25 community halls in Port Elizabeth and East London,” said a spokesperson for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipal council.
Thousands of people marched through the streets of Cape Town to Parliament on Saturday to demand diplomatic and trade sanctions against Israel. The march, one of several organised around the country this week, was under the auspices of a broad coalition of trade unions, religious bodies and civil society.
Tour de France champion Floyd Landis’s back-up urine sample confirmed high levels of testosterone, cycling’s governing body said on Saturday, raising the prospect that he could lose his title. Following the results of the ”B” sample, Landis was fired by his Swiss team, Phonak.
Youngsters Chamara Kapugedera and Prasanna Jayawardene sparked a Sri Lankan batting revival after South Africa threatened to run away with the second cricket Test in Colombo on Saturday. The duo put on 105 for the sixth wicket after a four-wicket haul by South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini reduced the hosts to 86-5 before lunch.
Mat Rogers scored out wide with four minutes remaining and Stirling Mortlock converted from the sideline as Australia rallied to edge South Africa 20-18 in Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby union international. The Australians, 49-0 victors over the South Africans three weeks ago, let a 10-0 half-time lead slip.
The starry-eyed bubble of local invincibility surrounding Kaizer Chiefs after their recent victory over Manchester United was burst by Mamelodi Sundowns in the second Telkom Charity Cup semifinal at FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Earlier, Moses Spandeel led Bloemfontein Celtic to a 2-0 victory over Orlando Pirates.