Israel on Tuesday ordered more military action to secure the release of a captured soldier the government said was still alive after an ultimatum set by his Palestinian captors expired. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert again ruled out any negotiations with militants to free the conscript.
Maria Sharapova laughed off the appearance of a streaker at Wimbledon on Tuesday but admitted she had been surprised by how long he had been allowed to remain within a few yards of her on centre court. The appearance of a naked young man mid-way through the second set of her quarterfinal had no apparent impact on Sharapova’s game.
The president’s council of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) met in Johannesburg on Tuesday to discuss the extension of the contract of the Springbok coach, Jake White. The council afforded White an opportunity to address them on the matter, whereafter it deliberated further in order to make an informed and conclusive pronouncement.
South Africa soon will open an embassy in Guinea and the two countries plan to scrap entry visas between them, their leaders said on Tuesday. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki and Guinea’s Lansana Conte said their countries had also agreed to boost trade and economic cooperation in the sectors of transport, mining, water and hydro electricity generation in Guinea.
Matthias Kessler of T-Mobile won the undulating third stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday after 216,5km of racing from the outskirts of Luxembourg. Belgium’s world champion Tom Boonen took the race leader’s yellow jersey from fellow sprinter Thor Hushovd of Norway.
Cramped housing conditions and air pollution in Athens have given rise to a "super breed" of mosquito that is larger, faster and more adept at locating human prey, a Greek daily reported on Tuesday. Athens-based mosquitoes can detect humans at a distance of 25m to 30m, unlike their colour-blind counterparts, <i>Ta Nea</i> daily reported.
Acclaimed Flemish artist Frans Claerhout (87) has died in a Bloemfontein hospital, radio news reports said on Tuesday. He died in his sleep, two weeks after being admitted for pneumonia. Born in Belgium in 1919, he became a Catholic priest and came to South Africa as a missionary in 1946, ministering to the people of the Free State.
When Fred Trueman, who died aged 75 from cancer on Saturday, had Neil Hawke of Australia caught by Colin Cowdrey at The Oval in 1964 to become the first man to take 300 Test wickets, his place in cricket’s record books was assured — but his place in the affections of the sporting public had already been secured.
A senior member of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) was killed while on his way home on Monday night, the union said. Elias Mulaudzi, the NUM’s branch chairperson at Carletonville’s Driefontein gold mine, was murdered while on his way home from work. ”This is a great loss to us all,” NUM spokesperson general secretary Frans Baleni said on Tuesday.
Nasa officials decided a crack in Discovery‘s fuel tank insulating foam was not enough of a threat to stop the countdown on Tuesday to their first Independence Day holiday shuttle launch and ”a nice fireworks display” for the United States. Inspectors spotted the crack on Monday.