Roland Schoeman became the first man to dip under 21 seconds as he shattered the world short-course record in the 50m freestyle at an invitational meeting in Hamburg on Saturday. The triple Olympic medallist swam a blistering 20,98 seconds in the morning heats, bettering the previous mark of 21,10 set by Frenchman Fred Bousquet in March 2004.
Israel’s army thrust deeper into Lebanon on Saturday and its commander said he would keep fighting Hezbollah guerrillas, despite a United Nations Security Council demand for a ”full cessation of hostilities” in the month-old war. Air strikes killed up to 20 people in Lebanon, hours after the council adopted a resolution aimed at ending the conflict.
First lady Zanele Mbeki was inaugurated as the first chancellor of the Cida (Community and Individual Development Association) City Campus in Johannesburg on Saturday. Mbeki, who has been involved with Cida since 2002, accepted the chancellorship saying Cida was an institution responsive to the needs of the underprivileged.
Two strong earthquakes shook the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Saturday but no casualties or damage were reported, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and local meteorological officials said. The first quake, measured at 6, was centred 364 km south of Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, the USGS said. It struck at 3.54am local time with a depth of 10km. The second quake, measured at 5,1, struck at 1:15pm off western Sumatra.
Nigeria has pulled thousands of troops out of the Bakassi peninsula ahead of a Monday deadline for a complete withdrawal, but many residents said they will resist a handover to Cameroon. The International Court of Justice ruled in 2002 that Nigeria should turn over Bakassi to its eastern neighbour after a decades-long dispute that nearly brought the two to war in 1981.
Roger Federer battled through to the Toronto Masters semifinals with a 7-6 6-7 6-3 win over Xavier Malisse on Friday. Playing his first event since claiming his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, the world number one has yet to slip into a comfortable rhythm and for the second consecutive night was taken to three sets.
Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist says he is looking at remaining in cricket beyond next year’s World Cup in the Caribbean. Gilchrist, who requires 41 more dismissals to usurp compatriot Ian Healy at the top of the Test wicket-keeping list, had previously indicated that he might quit the game after the March-April World Cup to spend more time with his young family.
Embattled Wallaby skipper George Gregan has hit back at his trenchant media critics, saying the criticism has become personal and petty. Gregan has been under fire from sections of the Australian rugby media and the criticism reached a crescendo during Australia’s ugly 20-18 Tri-Nations’ victory over South Africa last Saturday.
The Polokwane municipality in Limpopo has confirmed the building of an R800-million stadium to be used in the 2010 World Cup, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday. The stadium, which will be named the Peter Mokaba Complex, will be built next to the existing Peter Mokaba stadium.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing to confront the United States and the United Nations Security Council over Iran’s nuclear activities, partly to divert attention from the country’s worsening economic problems, Tehran sources say. Iran’s hard-line government said it would respond by August 22 to a western compromise package.