Marcus Trescothick eased himself back into international cricket with an unbeaten 95 as England coasted through the second session of the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Thursday without losing a wicket. At tea, England were 199-1 with Alastair Cook, in his first Test in England, 44 not out in the opening encounter of a three-match series.
The bodies of seven Russian and Ukrainian climbers have been found on Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest peak, and a search continues for four other missing alpinists, officials said on Thursday. ”We have found the bodies of seven climbers,” said a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry spokesperson. ”The search is continuing to find the other four.”
Bafana Bafana interim coach Pitso Mosimane has named no less than six players from the champions-in-waiting, Mamelodi Sundowns, in the national team for the forthcoming Cosafa Cup in Gaborone, Botswana. Four of the players, defender Benson Mhlongo, and midfielders Josta Dladla, Surprise Moriri and defender Vuyo Mere are new to the squad.
An application by employers to have the strike by security guards belonging to the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) declared illegal was dismissed with costs in the Johannesburg Labour Court on Thursday. Judge President R Zondo said the employers’ case was based entirely on an argument that Satawu agreed to waive its majority status during wage talks.
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Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils publicly discussed his role in the Jacob Zuma rape allegation for the first time on Thursday, after the African National Congress Youth League’s announcement that it would ”probe” his involvement in the affair.
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An HIV-positive woman who sparked a storm when she laid a charge of rape against former deputy president Jacob Zuma has left South Africa after his acquittal, a daily said on Thursday. The 31-year-old Aids activist boarded an overseas flight late on Wednesday, reported the The Star newspaper.
Islamic militia and gunmen loyal to a United States-backed warlord alliance fought pitched battles in the streets of the lawless Somali capital on Thursday as the death toll from five days of clashes soared. Machine gun, rocket and mortar fire rained down on bullet-scarred neighbourhoods in northern and central Somalia, indiscriminately killing and wounding civilians.
Families of the victims of last year’s London bombings criticised the government on Thursday for failing to see the attack coming, as two reports into the bloody events of July 7 were made public. Many relatives of the 52 people killed by four suicide bombers were scathing about the reports and demanded a full public inquiry.
More than 2 300 suspects were arrested for murder and 1 619 for attempted murder between January and March this year, the government’s justice, crime prevention and security cluster of ministries reported on Thursday. A further 3 967 arrests were made for rape, 423 for indecent assault, 11 445 for common assault, 3 614 for aggravated robbery and 4 010 for common robbery.
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Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and her director general Thami Mseleku have accused the media of sowing confusion in the wake of former deputy president Jacob Zuma’s statement about showering after sleeping with an HIV-positive woman.