The 2010 Soccer World Cup is an opportunity to create a new image for Africa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Thabo Mbeki on Friday. The two leaders met at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where Mbeki hosted Merkel for talks as part of her official state visit to South Africa.
For a man who burst on to the international cricket scene by playing some eye-catching knocks in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup win, it is unfortunate that Inzamam-ul-Haq should be associated with the team’s dismal performance in this year’s event.
Lewis Hamilton’s bid to become Formula One’s first rookie world champion remained on track on Friday after stewards cleared him of blame for a collision in Japan last weekend. ”No penalty is imposed upon him,” they said in a statement. The 22-year-old McLaren driver met stewards at the Chinese Grand Prix to review video footage of a collision during the rain-soaked Fuji race.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Joseph Kabila sacked his transport minister on Friday after an air crash that killed 52 people in the Central African country, which has one of the world’s worst aviation safety records. The decision was announced as DRC’s Cabinet met to discuss air safety after Thursday’s accident.
President Robert Mugabe presides over a disaster in Zimbabwe but should still be entitled to attend a forthcoming Europe-Africa summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. Summing up talks in Pretoria with President Thabo Mbeki, Merkel said she made clear her disquiet about the situation across South Africa’s northern border.
A United States air strike killed about 25 suspected Iraqi militants linked to Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias on Friday and another 12 al-Qaeda fighters were killed in separate raids, the US military said. US troops said they were engaged in a heavy firefight west of Baquba, capital of volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad, during a dawn raid.
Grenades hurled by insurgents killed at least five Somalis around the capital’s main market, a witness said on Friday. Mohamed Abdulle Matan, one of the main traders at the Bakara market, said two soldiers were also wounded in the attack, a day after the government announced a major security crackdown on Islamic insurgents.
Sudanese government forces and militia groups razed a town in central Darfur where African Union soldiers were attacked, rebel leaders said on Friday, adding the troops were also threatening to raid a nearby town. Sudan’s army and Darfur rebel movements blame each other for last week’s assault on the AU base in Haskanita in which 10 African Union soldiers were killed.
ON CIRCUIT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles unlikely to impress non-fans and death-by-carrot in Shoot ‘Em Up.
Louis Vuitton has turned a humble little bag into a must-have accessory, writes Percy Zvomuya.