Hector “Macho” Camacho is looking for his 10th world boxing championship with the same competitive zeal that earned him his previous nine. Camacho (89-3-2, 37 KOs), who hasn’t fought since earning a unanimous decision over Raul Muñoz on July 9, 2005, might be 46, but his workouts remain as intense as if here were 20 years younger. “I’ve been out of action for a while. I’m excited to come back,” he said. “I’ve been training every day for seven months to be on the top of my game.” Camacho will need to be when he faces Perry Ballard (20-1, 15 KOs) for the World Boxing Empire light-middleweight championship title in a co-main event Friday night at Reliant Arena. Read the full story

South Africa 101 for 3 (Amla 18*, Prince 9*) trail England 203 (Pietersen 45, Steyn 4-76, Morkel 4-52) by 102 runs

England’s fast bowlers took three quick wickets to levy the balance at the close of the first day’s play at Headingley. A limp batting performance, albeit against a fine display from South Africa’s seamers, had them bowled out for a disappointing 203 in typical Leeds conditions. Read the full story

Indians 4 for 1 trail Sri Lanka Board XI 224 (Kandamby 84, Chamara Silva 68, Kumble 3-30) by 220 runs

India’s bowlers, several of whom are returning to the Test squad after breaks due to injury, form or discipline, had a satisfactory start to the tour of Sri Lanka, dismissing the Board XI for 224 at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.

Zaheer Khan, who hasn’t played for India since the tour of Australia due to an ankle injury, struck twice with the new ball; Read the full story

Some doctors have long suspected that if the plaque that builds up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease could be removed, they could be saved. But a new vaccine that did just that suggests the theory is wrong.

British researchers gave 64 patients with moderate Alzheimer’s disease an experimental vaccine designed to eliminate plaque from their brains. Some patients were followed for up to six years. Autopsies on seven patients who died of Alzheimer’s during the study showed that nearly all of the sticky beta-amyloid protein thought to be dangerous had been removed. But all patients still Read the full story

She’s fought off evil mutants as X-Men’s Storm, but Halley Berry’s next foe is even deadlier: ovarian cancer. The Oscar winner and new mom, 41, is teaming up with the Callaway Golf Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation for a series of public-service announcements to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, USA Today reports. The ad campaign is expected to begin in August. Berry has been an activist against the disease for a long time.

Nelson Mandela, who was instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa and rose from prisoner to president, is celebrating his 90th birthday.

After a series of public appearances around the world over the past few weeks, he is expected to spend the day at his village home with his family. Former President FW de Klerk has led tributes to the man who succeeded him. Mr Mandela was jailed for 27 Read the full story

Andy Dick was arrested early Wednesday outside a bar in Murrieta, Calif., on drug and sexual battery charges after he allegedly lifted a 17-year-old girl’s top in the parking lot, police said. The 42-year-old comedian, described by police as “extremely intoxicated at the time of his arrest,” was later released on $5,000 bail from the Riverside County jail. Officers responded at 1:13 a.m. to a call of a man urinating and causing Read the full story

He may no longer be Bond – but Pierce Brosnan still leaves ladies shaken and stirred.”Total smooch factor!” That’s how Mamma Mia!’s director Phyllida Lloyd described his appeal as she made her way into the movie’s New York premiere Wednesday night.”He’s incredibly smoochy,” concurred producer Judy Craymer, who created the idea for both the Broadway show and the film. “There isn’t a 15-year-old or an 85-year-old who Read the full story

Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline are headed for a custody trial next month – but some legal experts say a settlement is more likely. “If Britney goes to trial, it’s a gamble,” says L.A. family lawyer Lynn Soodik, who’s not involved with the case. “Yes, she could win more time with her kids, or she could lose what’s already in place.”  Read the full story

Insurgents and Ethiopia-backed Somali government troops have exchanged heavy artillery fire in Mogadishu.

Both sides claimed to have won the battle, fought with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, inflicting high casualties on the other. Witnesses in the capital say at least four civilians were killed when a mortar hit their house. Years of conflict and drought have left more than half of Somalia’s population needing food aid. But aid workers have also been targeted recently and pirates have made it difficult to deliver food aid to t… Read the full story