The International Monetary Fund (IMF) holds its spring meeting in Washington, DC, on Saturday amid what officials describe as the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Depression and as the global economy weakens. The 185-member IMF warned on Wednesday that the economic outlook was increasingly grim.
Scientists listening to underwater microphones have detected an unusual swarm of earthquakes off central Oregon, something that often happens before a volcanic eruption — except there are no volcanoes in the area. There have been more than 600 quakes over the past 10 days in a basin 240km south-west of Newport.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu had kind words on Friday for United States First Lady Laura Bush and both Democratic candidates for president. But when asked about President George Bush’s legacy to the world, Tutu avoided the question and left the stage in an exaggerated tiptoe as the audience roared.
South African President Thabo Mbeki was to hold talks on Saturday with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe in Harare before heading on to Lusaka for a summit on Zimbabwe’s post-election crisis, an official said. Mugabe has chosen not to attend the gathering of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community.
All-conquering Super 14 leaders the Canterbury Crusaders shrugged off wholesale changes to their line-up to thrash bottom-placed Golden Lions 31-6 in Christchurch on Saturday. With their novices to the fore, the unbeaten Crusaders took maximum points as they reversed a 3-6 deficit at half-time.
Gerhard Zandberg kept South Africa’s fast-lane medal hunt on course with his 50m backstroke heats effort, coupled with fine performances by Melissa Corfe, Suzaan van Biljon and William Diering, at the Fina World Short-Course Swimming Championships in Manchester on Friday.
The Leopards qualified for a play-off in the quarterfinals of the Vodacom Cup competition on Friday night by beating the Wildebeest 37-32 in the Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg. In other matches, the Blue Bulls, Boland Kavaliers and Free State Cheetahs also emerged victorious.
The Olympic torch, a magnet for anti-China protests, cruised smoothly under heavy guard through Buenos Aires on Friday with nothing more serious than a couple of tossed water balloons threatening the flame. ”We’re really happy to have pulled it off,” a relieved Francisco Irrarrazabal, the city’s deputy sports secretary, said.
Despite a valiant 70 not out by Roelof van der Merwe, a record haul of five for 13 by Elton Chigumbura gave Zimbabwe a thrilling, 12-run victory over the Titans in their Standard Bank Pro20 match at Supersport Park on Friday night. It was the Titans’ third successive loss.
Jomo Cosmos denied Santos maximum points as they held them to a 1-1 draw at the Athlone Stadium on Friday night. Cosmos looked bright early on, in particular down their right wing, where Bongi Macala and Siza Dlamini had a couple of chances. Then another move down the right saw Bamuza Sono release Macala with a long ball.