THE president of the Commission on Co-operation and Development at the European parliament, Michel Rocard, said on Tuesday that the EU’s efforts in finding solution to the Anjouan crisis are secondary to those of the Organisation of African Unity. Rocard, a former French prime minister is in the Comoros Islands to support the OAU mission […]

SPAIN’S King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia were off to a game reserve on Thursday at the end of their four-day official visit, a Spanish embassy spokesperson said. The official part of their trip was centered on economic issues, concluding in Johannesburg on Wednesday with a forum on trade and investment opportunities.

DESPITE the departure of ten top Free State rugby players and financial difficulties, Free State Cheetahs enter their upcoming season with optimism. Cheetahs’ executive director, Harold Verster, said it was a long time since he had been so excited about the Cheetahs’ chances, but said that they needed the support of the Free State to […]

UNITED States Vice President Al Gore held talks with Deputy President Thabo Mbeki shortly after his arrival in Cape Town on Wednesday. The talks are first of a series of meetings between the two men during his three-day visit. Gore also met with President Nelson Mandela at his Cape Town office to brief him about […]

SARAH BULLEN, Johannesburg | Thursday 10.00am. FINANCE Minister Trevor Manuel’s appears to be the biggest winner on Thursday after his widely lauded fourth Budget in office, presented to Parliament on Wednesday, has been met with widespread praise from economists, business, unions, and investors alike. His 1999 Budget, commentators said on Thursday, will boost his standing […]

FRENCHMAN Pierre Lechantre has arrived in Cameroon to coach the national football team. Appointed to succeed another Frenchman, Claude Leroy, Lechantre actually began his coaching duty last January in France where Cameroon’s “Indomitable Lions” were preparing for their African Cup of Nations match against Eritrea. Cameroon could only manage a goaless draw in the match, […]

GERMAN Ralf Schumacher was fastest in testing at Kyalami on Tuesday as the Williams team bounced back in the final part of the build-up to the new Formula One season. He clocked a best time of one minute 24.63 seconds to erase some of the Williams’ team’s embarrassment 24 hours earlier when they were outpaced […]

UTILITY back Robert Markram, one of last year’s rising rugby stars, may have broken his jaw on Wednesday night and could miss the start of the Super 12. He was taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw after being injured in the Western Stormers warm-up game against Boland XV in Paarl. Markram was one […]

THE St Joseph’s Hospital in Doornspruit, Northern Province, has been forced to close down after its government subsidy was cut. Provincial health spokesperson Tsepo Moshima said on Thursday the department cut the subsidy of R2-million a year as it had no control over the hospital’s operations. “We’ve been [talking to] hospital management and [decided] we […]

FIVE Bulgarian nurses at a Libyan university hospital in Benghazi have been arrested in connection with an inquiry on infants infected with the HIV virus. The arrests followed allegations made by a Libyan magazine which reported in its December edition that several children were infected with the HIV virus after they were admitted to the […]