Captain Thierry Henry will not play for Arsenal for the rest of this season due to injuries, the Premier League club said on Friday. The France striker, who damaged stomach and groin muscles in his team’s Champions League exit to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, should be ready for next season, Arsenal said.
![]()
A pitch slammed as ”unfit” by South Africa capped a week of woe for 2007 World Cup organisers in Trinidad. A string of mishaps has undermined the admirable efforts of World Cup staff and volunteers, who have worked hard, cheerfully and efficiently to try and remain in control of situations that were pre-destined to deteriorate.
Trust in police in Africa’s economic powerhouse is near the lowest on the continent, a researcher said on Friday. Experts at a seminar on crime and public perception said the lack of trust resulted from a failure of leadership and communication in the police force, coupled with a spike in some crimes last year — despite overall decreases.
Indonesia has suspended the pilots of a jet that crash-landed and erupted in flames, killing 21 people, a report said on Saturday. The pilot, Marwoto Komar, and co-pilot, Gagam Saman Rohmana, have been "grounded" until the accident investigation is over, Yurlis Hasibuan, the head of the air transport directorate, told the <i>Republika</i> newspaper.
Zimbabwe’s inflation hit a new record on Friday and analysts say it is a pointer that President Robert Mugabe’s government is fast losing the battle to turn around a crumbling economy threatening its rule. The Southern African nation is in the throes of a deepening economic crisis dramatised by the spiralling cost of living and a government crackdown on political opponents.
The South African government was set on Saturday to take possession of the first farm to be expropriated in a move designed to silence criticism that it is dragging its feet over land reform. Land commission agents, along with chief claims commissioner Thozi Gwanya, will descend on Pniel Farm near the diamond mining town of Kimberley to meet with the outgoing owners.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has refused to accept an interim United Nations plan to bolster African troops in Darfur, calling for more negotiations despite an earlier agreement in principle. He said it was still unclear whether the African Union would retain total control.
Europe became the world leader in tackling climate change on Friday when 27 governments agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, and commit the EU to generating a fifth of its energy from renewable sources within 13 years. Greenpeace praised it as the biggest decision taken to fight global warming since the Kyoto protocol 10 years ago. European leaders said it was an historic pact.
The end of the world, the Vikings sang, would be drenched in the blood of gods and monsters. On that final day, the day of Ragnarök, the legions of evil would launch their final assault on the capricious, petty overlords of Asgard, beyond the Rainbow Bridge.
Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa will re-examine the shareholder interests of all four bidders who applied to run the National Lottery, he said in a statement on Friday. The decision follows a Pretoria High Court ruling setting aside Mpahlwa’s decision to award the lottery licence to preferred bidder, Gidani.