Juan Roman Riquelme scored two second-half goals as Boca Juniors beat Gremio 2-0 away on Wednesday to win the South American Libertadores Cup. Riquelme, playing the final match of his spell on loan from Spain’s Villareal, took his tally to eight goals as the Argentines completed a 5-0 aggregate win over their Brazilian opponents in the two-leg final.
Former Australian Test rugby star David Campese wasn’t able to ”goose step” this obstacle. Campese, who scored 64 Test tries and played in 101 Tests for Australia, has been an outspoken critic of his national team since he retired in 1996. Now it appears as if Campese has been shunned by the current Wallabies.
Barcelona’s soccer superstar Ronaldinho helped his side to a 2-1 victory over South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns at a packed Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Wednesday night. The visitors were trailing 1-0 for most of the exhibition match, raising the hopes of the 45 000-strong crowd.
Germany threw down the gauntlet to Britain on Wednesday over one of the issues that will dominate a crucial European Union. Addressing one of British Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s ”red line” subjects, the Germans made clear they want the so-called charter of fundamental rights to be legally enforceable.
”In the name of Allah, lend me your ears!” Anwar Kamal, a political veteran of Pakistan’s tribal areas, stood in a field before his constituents — 300 angry men from the Marwat tribe brandishing assault rifles, shotguns and, in a few cases, red roses pinned behind their ears.
An identity document that was never delivered, which was later linked to a woman’s suicide, is under investigation, the Department of Home Affairs said on Wednesday. Bongekile Mkhize, a 24-year-old aspiring nurse, left a note in which she said she could no longer live without an ID book.
A barrage of mortar bombs hit Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Thursday and several plumes of smoke could be seen rising near buildings housing the Iraqi parliament and government offices. The Green Zone, on the west side of the Tigris, is Baghdad’s most secure area but has been a frequent target for rockets and mortar bombs fired by militants.
The Lion King is marking its 10th anniversary with a first run on the continent that inspired its storyline. The tale of Simba the lion, already seen by 35-million people since its Broadway debut in 1997, has been playing to packed houses since it opened in Johannesburg on June 6.
South African government and union negotiators postponed until Friday talks aimed at ending a costly three-week civil servants’ strike to enable labour unions to consult members, officials said. ”We are coming back on Friday. Labour requested more time to get a mandate from their members,” said Lewis Rabkin, spokesperson for the Public Services and Administration ministry.
The Proudly South African organisation has been disowned by its sponsor, the Department of Trade and Industry, media reports said on Thursday. It was struggling to survive without government funding or an office in a government department, Parliament heard on Wednesday.