Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal begin the countdown to this month’s US Open as the top two in the world resume their rivalry atop the field at the Montreal Masters. The event, which begins on Sunday in an effort to attract more fans, is the first of back-to-back elite events as the big names swing into action on the hard courts of North America.
Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) and National Petroleum Employers’ Association negotiators were still locked behind closed doors at 9pm on Saturday. ”All I can say is that we are still talking,” said Ceppwawu spokesperson Keith Jacobs.
Convicted child-killer Christian Olivier has confessed to molesting at least 200 boys over a period of three years, a media report said on Friday. Olivier was found guilty on Tuesday of the murder, kidnapping and indecent assault of Steven Siebert in December 2005.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) will meet in Johannesburg on Saturday to consider what further action, if any, will be taken about complaints against Cape Judge President John Hlophe, said Chief Justice Pius Langa. Hlophe reportedly responded last month to questions put to him by the JSC about his relationship with the Oasis investment group.
United States President George Bush on Friday described the prospect of US strikes against al-Qaeda in Pakistan as ”unsavoury,” saying Washington respected its ally’s sovereignty, the Pakistani government said. It said Bush made the comments to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in a telephone call.
India and South Africa shared the challenge of a struggle against poverty, President Thabo Mbeki told businessmen in Johannesburg on Friday. Business was vital if this problem was to be effectively addressed, Mbeki told the Seventh India Calling Conference.
The Blue Bulls returned to their winning ways with a thorough 36-12 win over the Boland Cavaliers in their Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld on Friday evening. In securing their victory, the Bulls scored five tries, two in an uninspiring first half and three in the second.
Police in eastern Zimbabwe will soon launch night raids on businesses and bus companies trying to circumvent price controls by operating only in the dark. Police spokesperson for Manicaland province, Brian Makomeke warned that anyone trying to dodge President Robert Mugabe’s controversial price-cut campaign would be punished
Representatives from the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu) and the National Petroleum Employers’ Association resumed talks on Saturday in a bid to resolve a pay strike which led to countrywide fuel shortages and panic buying. Ceppwawu spokesperson Keith Jacobs said the union had repeatedly informed employers and the public about the strike.
Malawian rights organisations say their government needs help monitoring Madonna’s planned adoption of a Malawian boy — and a child welfare official agrees that the Southern African country’s foreign adoption procedures need to be overhauled.