Ethiopia forces on Friday tightened the noose around the calm Somali capital, Mogadishu, a day after taking control of insurgent strongholds after some of the heaviest fighting in the city’s history, residents said.
A new <i>Spider-Man</i> film swings into cinemas soon, but an Italian researcher said on Thursday he was working on a project that could lead to real-life versions of the comic book character. Nicola Pugno, a 35-year-old researcher at the Polytechnic University of Turin, said he has worked on a form of adhesion for about 10 years.
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Muttiah Muralitharan hopes that a Sri Lanka victory in Saturday’s World Cup final against champions Australia can help heal the war wounds of his strife-torn country. The star off-spinner said a victory would be a timely boost as violence on the island escalates between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
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Beaten semifinalists South Africa’s World Cup performance exposed weaknesses, including a lack of mental strength, which needs to be addressed urgently, the national cricket board said on Thursday. In a statement on its website, Cricket SA congratulated Sri Lanka and Australia for reaching the finals of the tournament in the Caribbean.
Osasuna take a 1-0 lead into their Uefa Cup semifinal return leg against holders Sevilla while Espanyol have virtually one foot in the final after a 3-0 demolition of Werder Bremen. Roberto Soldado got the only goal for the game for Osasuna nine minutes after the interval.
South Africa’s Team Shosholoza was back in the hunt again on Thursday to put two more points on the scoreboard after a fiercely fought victory over the Italian +39 Challengers in an all-Italian set of races for the South Africans at the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia, Spain.
England will take a depleted squad on its tour of South Africa next month after head coach Brian Ashton decided to leave out players involved in European club competitions. Players from Leicester, Wasps and Bath will not be in the squad to play South Africa on May 26 in Bloemfontein and June 2 in Pretoria, Ashton said on Thursday. The 32-man tour squad is named on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will celebrate 10 years in power next week, a landmark clouded by growing questions over his legacy as he prepares finally to stand down. The Iraq war and a "cash-for-honours" corruption probe over party funding both threaten to tarnish his image and overshadow Britain’s booming economic success of the last decade.
The body of Bob Woolmer, the late coach of Pakistan’s cricket team, began its long trip home from Jamaica on Thursday and is expected to arrive in South Africa by Sunday, police said. Woolmer (58) was found dead in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, the day after Pakistan had crashed out of the World Cup in an upset loss to Ireland. Police ruled his death a murder.
Nigeria’s leading opposition party on Thursday called for the cancellation of disputed presidential elections last weekend, saying it would refuse to recognise a government issued from the poll. In the capital, Abuja, the All Nigeria People’s Party said it was ready to call its members into the street to press for a rerun of the vote.