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The detectives probing Bob Woolmer’s death were facing mounting pressure to deliver results on Saturday, amid signs of disarray at the heart of the murder investigation — and mounting speculation that it might have been due to a tragic accident. On Saturday night, reports from a witness at the hotel in which Woolmer was staying claimed he had been seen drinking a bottle of whisky in the bar.
Five-times Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has denied using performance-enhancing drugs and vowed to clear his name after a drug test before his retirement last year showed unusually high levels of naturally-occurring hormones.
Serena Williams stormed back from a set down to triumph 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 over world number one Justine Henin in Miami on Saturday to claim her fourth career title in the ,9-million-dollar Sony Ericsson Open. ”It’s just not in me to give up,” said Williams, who showed a steely resolve in saving two match points in the 10th game of the second set.
There will be no lottery for at least a month, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa said on Saturday. ”The sheer volume of work which had to be undertaken … made it impossible to conclude this work in time for me to make a new decision before the expiry of the current [lottery operator’s licence],” Mpahlwa said.
The Cabinet has dismissed suggestions that the government is insensitive to the plight of its employees.
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Sparks are bound to fly when West Indies skipper Brian Lara bats against ace Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in a World Cup Super Eights match in Georgetown on Sunday. The pair were involved in an engrossing duel in a three-Test series in Sri Lanka in 2001, with Lara proving why is considered one of the best batsmen against spin.
All Blacks winger Doug Howlett became the leading tryscorer in Super 12 or 14 rugby as the Auckland Blues beat the Waikato Chiefs 18-11 in an often-bitter match on Saturday. Howlett’s 61st-minute try was his 58th in 97 matches, carrying him past the record mark of 57 tries previously held by Wallabies wing Joe Roff.
Stopgap flyhalf Piri Weepu kicked four goals from five attempts as the Wellington Hurricanes beat South Africa’s Bulls 17-9 in a Super 14 rugby match on Saturday. The All Blacks scrumhalf, assigned the number 10 jersey as the Hurricanes voted no confidence in their two specialists in the position, landed all four goals in the first half, including a 48m effort into a swirling breeze.
The Gambia’s National Intelligence Agency detained a United States-based journalist as she arrived home on holiday in connection with stories criticising the government, relatives and security sources said on Friday.
Australian swim officials huddled on Saturday to discuss a report that Ian Thorpe, the world record holder and Olympic champion, showed ”abnormal levels” of two banned substances in a doping test last year before he retired. Anti-doping officials in Australia threw out the case against Thorpe, one of the sport’s most recognisable athletes, for lack of scientific proof.