A contestant on the latest series of Big Brother was thrown off the show on Thursday for racially abusing another housemate, just days after bosses were forced to apologise for a racist row on the show’s celebrity version. Student Emily Parr was removed from the house after she was heard to say ”Are you pushing it out you nigger?” to black contestant Charley Uchea.
South African police used stun grenades and a water cannon to disperse striking hospital workers in Durban on Thursday as a crippling public-sector strike entered its seventh day. Workers at the scene said no warning was given before police used batons and stun grenades.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s government on Thursday dismissed a resolution by the World Association of Newspapers (Wan) condemning press violations in Zimbabwe and calling for an end to the arrests and detentions of reporters.
Aids experts have called for a mass circumcision programme in South Africa, condemning a ”deafening silence” from policy makers since studies revealed it sharply cut infection rates. Delegates at South Africa’s national Aids conference this week called for the roll-out of such a programme.
Protesters led a two-pronged assault on the Group of Eight (G8) summit on Thursday as boats from Greenpeace intruded into a maritime exclusion zone and protesters tried to block roads on land. As leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations began talks on limiting climate change, two Greenpeace boats raced across the Baltic Sea pursued by police vessels.
Newcastle United on Thursday backed a takeover from British entrepreneur Mike Ashley, which valued the English Premiership club at £134-million pounds. The board recommendation came after Ashley’s takeover vehicle, St James Holdings Limited, lifted its bid from 100 pence to 101 pence per share for the club.
The All Blacks are poised to break the world record for consecutive home-Test wins when they play France on Saturday, but a spiteful war of words is threatening to take the gloss off the performance. If, as expected, the All Blacks beat the seriously under-strength French side it will stretch their unbeaten home run to 23 Tests.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s French Open destiny could be sabotaged on Friday by a colourful Serb, who decorates his personal website with videos of himself dancing, and a pasty Russian. Novak Djokovic, rated as a future world number one by double defending champion Nadal, takes on the Spaniard who has won all of his 19 career matches at Roland Garros.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) board has unanimously approved a recommendation for Cricket South Africa to nominate an acting president following the death of Percy Sonn last month. The nominee, once approved, will assume the role of acting president until the ICC’s annual conference of 2008.
The JSE was marginally higher at noon on Thursday in a muted session ahead of the interest-rates verdict later in the day. At 12pm, the all-share index was up 0,29%. Resources gained 0,45%, the gold- and platinum-mining indices added 0,20% and 0,72% respectively. Industrials improved 0,20%, financials were up 0,11% and banks firmed 0,26%.