A painting by the American abstract expressionist artist Mark Rothko is expected to fetch -million when it is put up for auction in May. Should it realise the estimate, White Center, a seven-foot high canvas painted in 1950, will become the most expensive postwar artwork sold at auction.
United States Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman has called for the planned Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline to be abandoned, saying it could help Iran build nuclear weapons, according to a report on Friday. ”We need to stop this,” Bodman said after attending a discussion on ”Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation”.
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The state would only need documents held in Mauritius if the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decides to prosecute former deputy president Jacob Zuma, the Pietermaritzburg High Court heard on Friday. Zuma’s advocate, Kemp J Kemp, told the court: ”It is not necessary for them to have these documents at this time.”
Fierce battles between tribesmen and foreign al-Qaeda militants in north-west Pakistan have left up to 160 people dead, including 130 Uzbeks and Chechens, a provincial governor said on Friday. Between 25 and 30 tribesmen also died in the clashes that erupted on Monday in the South Waziristan tribal zone bordering Afghanistan.
New Zealand’s Auckland Blues returned to the top of the Super 14 standings with a comprehensive 34-6 thrashing of Australia’s New South Wales Waratahs at Eden Park on Friday. The Blues scored four unanswered tries to collect a bonus point and leapfrog the Sharks at the top of the table, although the South Africans can reclaim first place if they beat the ACT Brumbies in Durban on Sunday.
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The cricket world was in a state of shock on Friday after it emerged that Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer was murdered in his hotel room after the team’s World Cup defeat to Ireland. Jamaican police said that a post-mortem examination established that the former England player had died as a result of ”manual strangulation”.
South Africa, a key contributor to the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), expressed deep concern on Friday about renewed violence in that country and called for a ceasefire. ”The South African government appeals to all forces in the DRC to immediately stop fighting” and take part in negotiations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said.
South Africa’s rand eased slightly against the dollar on Friday, and could weaken further on the day as investors took profit after its strong gains the previous day. At about 0730 GMT the rand was at 7,2150 versus the dollar, 0,2% weaker than its New York close on Thursday.
President Thabo Mbeki has ”race myopia” and his short-sightedness is costing South Africa and the subcontinent dearly, says Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon. ”On the three overriding crises that have occurred on his presidential watch — HIV/Aids, crime and Zimbabwe — the president’s steadfast refusal to take necessary action is traceable to a blinkered attitude towards race.”
Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has talked tough ever since fielding his first media conference as the national coach. He shot from the lip, saying that he would quit on the first occasion he thought the bigwigs at the South African Football Association were not playing ball.