An Austrian girl held captive in a windowless cell for eight years before escaping said she had ”sexual contact” with her kidnapper, police said on Saturday. Federal police spokesperson Erich Zwettler had no further details on the sexual contact disclosed by Natascha Kampusch, now 18.
The apology by former apartheid minister Adriaan Vlok for atrocities committed under his command, was a watershed moment for South Africa, his former deputy said on Saturday. It was revealed on Saturday that Vlok had asked Reverend Frank Chikane, director general of the presidency, for forgiveness this month.
Staying one step ahead of the assassins is a nail-biting business, says Maulvi Ghulam Muhammad, one of Afghanistan’s most senior Islamic clerics. Armed bodyguards stand outside his office in the southern city of Kandahar and visitors are frisked. By day he varies his route to work and keeps vigilant; at night he slips between safe houses.
In a break with the past, the youthful leader of Britain’s main opposition Conservative Party on Sunday renounced Margaret Thatcher’s sympathetic stance on apartheid-era South Africa. She famously branded Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress as ”terrorists”.
Chad ordered United States energy giant Chevron and Malaysia’s Petronas on Saturday to leave the country within 24 hours for failing to honour tax obligations, a move apparently aimed at increasing control over its oil output. The surprise move followed Chad’s decision to create a new national oil company which it said should become a partner in the country’s existing oil-producing consortium.
Scientists in South Africa are exploring whether one of the country’s most precious commodities, gold, could hold the key in the battle against diseases such as HIV/Aids, malaria and cancer. Once developed, the drugs could be considered as a potential choice of therapy for individuals infected with HIV.
Springbok coach Jake White believes that his team can still claw themselves out of one of their worst runs to date after sinking to their fifth successive defeat when the All Blacks beat them 45-26 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. A major concern for White was how his team failed to capitalise after a dominating start over the reigning Tri-Nations champions.
Liverpool picked up its first Premier League victory of the season on Saturday, beating West Ham 2-1 on first-half goals from Daniel Agger and Peter Crouch. Liverpool opened last weekend with a disappointing 1-1 draw at newly promoted Sheffield United.
Justin Gatlin said on Friday he has ”no idea how any banned substance got into my body,” and restated his plan to appeal the eight-year ban from track he received earlier this week after acknowledging he tested positive for doping. The Olympic and world champion in the 100m reiterated his disdain for cheating in a sport that has been wracked with doping issues.
The Cheetahs moved to the top of the Currie Cup log once again with a convincing 78-8 victory over second-from-bottom Falcons in a one-sided game in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The hosts led 29-8 at the break, having already garnered their bonus point.