The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, received the strongest challenge yet from a protégé when Mohammad Dahlan, a former interior minister, accused him of squandering -billion and ”sitting on the corpses” of Palestinians. He said that if Arafat did not begin to reform the Palestinian Authority there would be massive demonstrations on August 10 in Gaza City.
Rich and poor countries on Sunday night pledged to secure a new global trade accord by the end of next year after a week of intensive negotiations banished immediate fears of a new era of protectionism by agreeing to cut deep into the West’s lavish farm subsidies.
‘Milestone’ world trade pact
You will be forgiven for not knowing about Madikwe game reserve. Since its proclamation in 1991 it has kept a low profile, slowly building a reputation in an area renowned for its beauty and accessibility. Better known, perhaps, is its sister reserve — the Pilanesberg — an hour’s drive south and next door to Sun City. But a project to link two top game reserves is gathering momentum.
At a talk I gave about my travels, the male organiser pinned a map of the world on the wall behind me, and handed me a pen. He asked me to trace a line to demonstrate where I had travelled for the benefit of the audience. I made a dot. I hadn’t really travelled anywhere, not in that sense. In the past, women travelled to lose themselves, while men preferred to climb and conquer.
Africa’s two premier daily business titles, South Africa’s <i>Business Day</i> and Nigeria’s <i>Business Day</i> are now linked through a transcontinental joint venture, Johnnic Communications said in a statement on Sunday.
Somalia’s warlords, who have caused so much suffering during their country’s 20-year conflict, will be brought to book if human rights groups have their way. Local campaigners, backed by Amnesty International, have demanded that Somalia’s new government ensure that rights violators are brought to justice. One such measure will be formation of a South Africa-like truth commission.
I have always said that sport is harmful to your health. The state president has clearly finally heeded my warnings, first by moving Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma from the health portfolio (where nobody with any talent can do much good anyway) to the safer terrain of foreign affairs (where the only sporting danger is getting groped by your own ambassador in the Far East).
The Zimbabwean government has drawn up legislation to curtail the activities of charities, church groups and other non-governmental organisations. Announcing the draft legislation, President Robert Mugabe said NGOs ”must work for the betterment of our country and not against it … We cannot allow them to be conduits or instruments of foreign interference in our national affairs.”
Mark Palios on Sunday resigned as chief executive of the English Football Association, the first head to roll in the scandal over manager Sven-Goran Eriksson’s affair with an FA secretary with whom Palios also had a brief relationship. At first the FA denied the reports of the fling between Eriksson and the 38-year-old former model Faria Alam.
Vijay Singh outlasted John Daly with a five-under 67 on Sunday to win the Buick Open at 23-under 265 for his fourth victory of the year and 19th of his career. Daly, vying for a second win in one year for the first time, finished a stroke back after shooting a 66 and bogeying the 18th hole.