The All Blacks put their World Cup credentials on the line against a below-par French rugby side in Auckland on Saturday when the controversial reconditioning theory faces its first Test. Anything but an emphatic All Blacks victory is certain to provoke a highly vocal backlash in a country frustrated at not having won the World Cup for 20 years.
Members of the Group of Eight (G8) leading industrial nations will announce plans to increase the money they spend combating HIV/Aids at an upcoming summit, the German government said on Wednesday. Germany, which currently chairs the G8, hosts a summit of G8 leaders in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm on June 6 to 8.
The Department of Transport’s application to stop Beeld newspaper from running a report on the eNaTIS transport information system will be heard in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday. Editor Peet Kruger called on Transport Minister Jeff Radebe to spend his time rectifying problems presented by eNaTIS rather than trying to silence his newspaper.
On Wednesday, the third of 12 days of public hearings by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa into the granting of new satellite pay-TV licences to broadcasters, it became obvious that the application of the fifth applicant — the Ndabenhle Group — will most likely be dead in the water.
The man charged by Britain with murdering former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko denied involvement on Thursday, saying British intelligence and a self-exiled Russian billionaire were far more likely suspects. ”Britain is making me a scapegoat,” said a confident and combative Andrei Lugovoy.
England’s Premiership soccer players will earn more than £1-billion for the first time next season thanks to television, sponsorship and merchandising deals, a top accountancy firm said on Thursday. Leading players could command as much as £200 000 per week — or a record £10-million a year.
JK Rowling, who became the world’s first billion dollar author on the back of Harry Potter’s success, has given the go-ahead for the creation of a Florida theme park dedicated to the schoolboy wizard. ”The plans I have seen look incredibly exciting and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed,” Rowling said.
The Cabinet has dismissed suggestions the government is insensitive to the plight of its employees and called for ”responsible leadership” during protest actions. ”We reject any insinuation that government is insensitive to the plight of its employees,” government communications head Themba Maseko said.
Western Cape police are still searching for the gang which gunned strip-club owner Yuri Ulianitski and his young daughter in Milnerton on Tuesday night. Ulianitski’s wife Irina survived the attack and is in a stable condition in the Milnerton Medi-Clinic.
Tropical Storm Barbara, the first Pacific cyclone to form close to the coast this year, swirled erratically off Mexico on Wednesday and may reach hurricane strength within four days. Mexico’s Civil Protection Agency said Barbara was veering slightly southwards about 305km south of the port of Puerto Angel in the state of Oaxaca.