South African offspinner Johan Botha was reported for chucking in his Test debut, which ended in an eight-wicket defeat on Friday to Australia. The 23-year-old from Johannesburg bowled 12,3 overs on Friday, taking the wicket of Matthew Hayden (90) and returning 1-77 as Australia cruised to 288-2 chasing 287 for victory.
Microsoft was under the spotlight on Friday over its blocking of a Chinese internet blogger, in the latest case of a major Western technology firm helping Beijing curtail free speech. The MSN Spaces-hosted web log, or blog, belonging to Beijing-based media researcher Zhao Jing was closed down this week after he posted articles critical of a management purge at the Beijing News daily.
The Democratic Alliance on Friday warned that the ”unfair” allocation of houses to locals and foreigners could exacerbate the situation in Olivienhoutbosch south of Pretoria. Violent clashes broke out between South Africans and foreign nationals from Mozambique and Zimbabwe at the informal settlement on Wednesday after a South African was killed, allegedly by a Zimbabwean.
Vietnamese prosecutors have recommended that former British rock star Gary Glitter stand trial for committing obscene acts with children, officials said on Friday. Glitter previously served prison time in Britain after being found with a massive collection of child pornography.
World computer chip leader Intel unveiled on Thursday a new processor designed to turn a personal computer into a living room multimedia centre. Intel’s dual-core Viiv processor will be installed in PCs by leading producers including Dell, Sony, LG and Acer, ”from today and in the coming weeks,” said Intel chief executive Paul Otellini.
British energy giant BP has entered into negotiations with Libya over a multibillion-dollar natural gas exploration and development agreement in the North African former pariah state. Discussions, which are at an early stage, involve a liquefied natural gas project that could supply the North American or European markets, industry insiders reportedly told the <i>Financial Times</i>.
Ricky Ponting became the first cricketer to score two centuries in his 100th Test, guiding Australia to an unlikely eight-wicket victory on Friday over South Africa and a 2-0 series win. Graeme Smith, seeking a series-levelling win, declared South Africa’s second innings at 194 for six an hour before lunch, setting Australia 287 to win and giving his attack 76 overs to bowl the hosts out.
A wave of illegal asset grabs by Zimbabwean officials has ruined a South African farmer and hit at least 20 others, many of them foreigners, farming in the south of the country. The farmer, Peter Henning, complained that while the investments of many foreigners in Zimbabwe were protected by an agreement between Zimbabwe and their governments, South Africa had not signed the treaty.
Some of the 12 coal miners who died after being trapped deep underground by an explosion left behind notes assuring family members that they did not suffer in their final hours. ”The notes said they weren’t suffering, they were just going to sleep,” said Peggy Cohen, who was called to a makeshift morgue at a school in Tallmansville, West Virginia, to identify the body of her father.
Comedian John Cleese owes a lot to the animal kingdom after building a career around the surreal Monty Python and achieving mainstream movie success with A Fish Called Wanda — now he’s decided to return the favour. The lanky Briton said on Friday that he had become a passionate supporter of zoological gardens in recent years and wanted to help their conservation work.