Washington, Dec 8 : New dating of an important hominid site in Ethiopia has suggested that the road to advanced cognition in modern humans was a long and winding one, and they developed their greater intelligence gradually.

About 1.7 million years ago in Africa, Homo erectus, an ancestor of modern humans, started using large hand axes and cleavers.

This know-how spread to Asia and Europe and remained cutting-edge technology for well over a million years.

Sydney, Dec 8 : Injured spinner Jason Krejza and all-rounder Shane Watson have been recalled to Australia’s 12-man squad for next week’s first Test against South Africa beginning in Perth.

Off-spinner Krejza has been selected subject to fitness after missing the second Test win over New Zealand in Adelaide due to an ankle injury, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 25-year-old hasn’t played a Test since taking 12 wickets on his debut in the final Test against India in Nagpur last month. Watson edged him out in the opening match of the NZ series in Brisbane.

Melbourne, Dec 8 : A rhinoceros managed to escape its enclosure in an Adelaide zoo in a bid to find his love.

The white rhino named Satara escaped it enclosure in Monarto Zoo near Murray Bridge to gain access to the female object.

The 18-year-old amorous animal was found inside the zoo''s perimeter fence and was tranquilised by zookeepers.

It seems Satara''s sense of direction was somewhat lacking - and he was not able to gain access to the female object of his desire, reports Courier Mail.

Melbourne, Dec 8 : Indian born taxi driver, Jalvinder Singh who was repeatedly stabbed by a passenger, has told a Melbourne court that he believed he was going to die.

Part-time driver Singh spent nearly a week in an induced coma after the April attack in Melbourne, which sparked protests by cabbies and forced the Victorian government to improve safety measures, The Age reported.

The Melbourne Magistrates Court has been told that the accused, Parish Charles, 46, was paranoid and behaving irrationally after he stopped taking his HIV medication two weeks before the attack.

Charles is facing charges of attempted murder, intentionally causing serious injury, recklessly causing injury, and theft, the paper said.

Sydney, Dec 8 : South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn, who is carrying a hamstring strain, will miss Thursday’s opening tour game against Western Australia at Perth’s WACA Ground.

Captain Graeme Smith told reporters on Monday that Steyn, who has taken a world-leading 60 Test wickets in 2008, picked up a minor hamstring injury during the recent Bangladesh tour.

Kabul , Dec 8 : An international think tank has said that the Taliban holds a permanent presence in 72 percent of Afghanistan, but NATO denied the observation, saying the figures were not credible. It said it was impossible for militants to control large parts of the country.

The findings by the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) come in the wake of a series of critical reports on Western-led military and development efforts to put an end to the seven-year Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, The News reported.