South Africa

Have you been dreaming of a full moon cruise? Or perhaps a schooner ride? Or maybe you just want to socialize dockside and chat with other water-enthusiasts over a barbecue? Whatever your passion and pretty much wherever you are this Saturday, Summer Sailstice has a way to check off an item on your bucket list, with a bucketload of events scheduled around the world. Locations vary from the downright exotic (Bora Bora, Peru, and Durban, South Africa) to right down the road: most of the celebrations will take place on lakes and bays in the US. You can use the Crew Connection page to find a ride if you don’t have a boat. You can also rent a boat through Cruzin, a peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace that is a sponsor of Summer Sailstice. If you have your own boat, find an event near you and join in. While the focus is to celebrate sailing, the event has grown to include something for everyone: barbeques, boat parades, casual races, raft ups, and blessings of the fleet. With cannons thundering at local noon, sailors around the globe will be united by our common love for being on the water. And if you need any more incentive, you could even win a prize just by showing up. Charter gift certificates, sailing kayaks, official America’s Cup merchandise, boat parts, learn to sail courses, VIP Box Tickets to the Steve Miller Band and Doobie Brothers… any of those could make the rest of your summer more fun, too. Have fun and see you on the water on June 22! Planning to join Summer Sailstice 2013? Let us know about it in the comments below.

This seems to be a common assessment at the minute, but it’s a bit unfair. They’re more polarised, polarised England – steady upper order batting and then the three dementos at five, six and seven. Admittedly, two of the dementos – Morgan and Buttler – have mostly failed in this tournament, but no-one has hit more sixes than Ravi Bopara. Add James Anderson’s wicket-taking and England are a reasonably watchable side providing you miss the first half of their innings. Team selection There seems to be some debate as to whether Graeme Swann is actually injured or whether it’s just a face-saving excuse for dropping him. If it’s the latter, a dry Oval pitch might give rise to rapid rehabilitation. Let’s see if both he and Tredwell play. The opposition If we’re evaluating boring teams, South Africa surely score quite well. Take out Amla and De Villiers and the batting seems to lack something, but not as much as the bowling lacks should Steyn be deemed unfit to play. If you’re a neutral, look at it this way: should England win, the commentators will have more to talk about during the final’s long rain delays than if South Africa were to get through.

The reported surveillance of South African and Turkish delegations during the G20 summit in Britain should serve as a wake up call to government, the Christian Democratic Party says.

Fewer police officers were manning the entrances of the Pretoria hospital where former president Nelson Mandela was spending a 12th day on Wednesday.

Julius Malema's former allies do not want to be associated with his new political formation, saying the move amounts to political prostitution, a report says.

Colleagues of murdered Major General Tirhani Maswanganyi, who had been working on cases involving corrupt officers, believe his death was a hit.

The body of an experienced journalist and former news editor has been found in his house in Hermanus.

Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs defender Morgan Gould says that he is on his way to recovery, in his rehabilitation.

Hashim Amla heads the list of nominees for the 2013 Cricket South Africa professional awards to be announced in Johannesburg.

Mining magnate and billionaire Patrice Motsepe has reportedly donated R12m to reduce poverty and unemployment in Cape Town.