South Africa’s edition of the world-spanning Live Earth concerts, a fund-raising event on July 7 to combat global warming, will be held at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg, not at Maropeng at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site as previously reported.
A suicide bomber killed 18 people and wounded 40 others when he rammed a fuel tanker into protective walls outside a police headquarters in Iraq’s northern oil city of Baiji on Monday, police said. In a separate attack, eight people died and 31 were wounded when a suicide car bomber struck outside the governor’s office in the Shi’ite city of Hilla.
A wind-driven wildfire destroyed at least 165 homes and other structures and scorched 304ha just south-west of Lake Tahoe in California, a spokesperson for the El Dorado county sheriff’s department said. ”This thing is raging out of control, and there’s no estimate as to when that may change,” a police spokesperson said late on Sunday.
Nigeria was slowly returning to normal on Sunday after labour unions and the government reached an accord ending a four-day general strike that had paralysed Africa’s most populous nation. The two labour umbrella organisations called off their strike on Saturday after President Umaru Yar’Adua gave a commitment on fuel prices.
The first round of Congo’s legislative elections was marked by chaos on Sunday, with long delays, protesters crying foul and about 40 smaller opposition parties boycotting the ballot. In neighbourhoods of the capital, Brazzaville, and the economic capital, Pointe-Noire, several polling stations had still not opened by noon.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Indigenisation and Empowerment, Paul Mangwana, has said the government will force foreign-owned mining firms in the country to cede controlling shareholding to indigenous Zimbabweans before the end of the year. He said the new Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Bill will become law by August.
The Australian Rugby Union said on Monday it is outraged and betrayed by South African Rugby’s decision to send an under-strength squad to Australia and New Zealand for their remaining Tri-Nations Tests. Springbok coach Jake White has opted to rest his big guns for the Australasian leg.
Amazulu beat Pretoria University 3-1 in the second-leg Mvela Platinum play-off final at a packed Princess Magogo Stadium on Sunday and celebrated their return to the Premiership with their fanatical supporters. Veteran Amazulu striker Dennis Lota scored in the 34th minute and John ”Shoes” Moshoeu doubled Usuthu’s lead in the 53rd minute.
Jannie du Plessis says he is delighted to be included in the Springbok touring party of 28 players for the away fixtures of the Tri-Nations series against the All Blacks and Wallabies. Jake White has opted to rest his big guns for the tour to Australasia, saying it would be ”a ludicrous risk” to take all his players on tour in this World Cup year.
Expect a considerable number of South Africans to follow the route to court 18 to witness Rik de Voest play Russia’s grumpy and growling but almost grotesquely talented 26th-seeded Marat Safin in the first round of the Wimbledon tennis extravaganza, which gets under way on Monday afternoon.