Business mogul Tokyo Sexwale’s decision to enter the African National Congress (ANC) presidential succession race has dealt a heavy blow to President Thabo Mbeki’s chances of securing a third term as party president, the Sunday Times reported. It said several senior ANC leaders close to Mbeki have decided to throw their weight behind Sexwale’s bid.
A long time ago, in a Hollywood era far, far away, the story of an intergalactic battle between good and evil took the world by storm — and changed the movie industry forever. Thirty years after Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Han Solo were introduced to the world in Star Wars on May 25 1977, the seismic impact of George Lucas’s science-fiction saga is still being felt.
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf will allow members of his country’s ousted Islamic movement to participate in the country’s upcoming reconciliation conference — as long as they are selected by their clans and renounce violence, an Italian official said on Saturday.
Lebanese troops battled al-Qaeda-linked militants in northern Lebanon on Sunday and at least 11 people were killed, seven of them soldiers, security sources said. They said the fighting broke out between the Lebanese army and members of the Fatah al-Islam militant group after security forces raided homes in Tripoli to arrest suspects accused of robbing a bank.
Ryan Giggs claimed Manchester United had been harshly treated in the FA Cup final after his extra-time effort was ruled not to have crossed the line. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side missed out on the double after Didier Drogba’s goal five minutes from the end clinched Chelsea’s 1-0 victory at Wembley on Saturday.
Sharks coach Dick Muir refused to blame a missed conversion for his side’s 20-19 defeat by the Bulls in the Super 14 final in Durban on Saturday. Wing Frans Steyn, who had celebrated his 20th birthday during the week, missed the conversion to Albert ven den Bergh’s try that would have given the Sharks an unassailable eight-point lead with only 80 seconds remaining.
Black Leopards and Santos played to a two-all draw in a season-ending Premier Soccer League game played at Thohyandou Stadium on Saturday. The half-time score was 1-1. Leopards dominated from the start and Solly Masango capitalised on a lapse in the Santos defence to open the scoring in the fourth minute with a low shot.
A rabbit’s foot has long been deemed to be a lucky charm. But faced by the ominous threat of relegation before their final Premier Soccer League game of the season against Golden Arrows at Durban’s King Zwelithini Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Benoni Premier United were not taking any chances.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin ensured West Indies avoided the follow-on against England in the first Test at Lord’s on Saturday. But just when it looked the pair would both reach the close unbeaten, wicket-keeper Ramdin was caught by a diving Paul Collingwood at third slip off Durham teammate Liam Plunkett for 60.
More than 30 rebel fighters were killed in southern Afghanistan early on Sunday, a police chief said, as the Nato force announced it had killed "a significant number" of Taliban leaders. The rebels were killed in a military sweep involving foreign forces in the southern province of Ghazni, provincial police commander Alishah Ahmadzai said.