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Argentina coach Jose Pekerman announced he was standing down from the post shortly after the penalties loss to Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday. The 56-year-old former youth-team coach was promoted to the senior national side two years ago, replacing Marcelo Bielsa, who was in charge of Argentina at the last World Cup.
The Cheetahs proved why they are Currie Cup champions with a 66-9 demolition job on the Valke in Brakpan on Friday night. Led by a rampant Willem de Waal, who controlled the game throughout, the Cheetahs overwhelmed the home side and scored a massive ten tries without reply to underline their dominance at this level.
The cellphone industry will introduce number portability on September 18, the Argus reported on Friday. Its website said this would allow a subscriber, whether on prepaid or contract, to move to another operator while keeping the same number. Communication experts predicted better service for cellphone users is bound to follow.
China opened the world’s highest railway on Saturday, linking the remote Himalayan region of Tibet with the rest of the country in a symbol of power that President Hu Jintao hailed a ”miracle”. Hu launched the rail line to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Luca Toni repaid the faith shown in him by coach Marcello Lippi by scoring twice in Italy’s 3-0 win over Ukraine in the World Cup quarterfinals on Friday. The victory sealed a place in the last four of the tournament, where they will meet hosts Germany, a repeat of the 1982 final. Italy won that match 3-1 and were crowned world champions for a third time.
The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States authenticated a new audio-taped message on Friday in which al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden vows to wage holy war in Iraq and Africa, while the White House brushed off the message as old news. In the fourth tape this year, Bin Laden hails Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the slain al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, as a ”lion of Islam”.
A man was killed and 42 people injured when two Metrorail trains collided north of Kempton Park on Friday night, Ekurhuleni emergency services said. Spokesperson Sugan Naidoo said the accident happened just after 7pm between the Pinedene and Olifantsfontein stations when two trains that were both on their way to Pretoria collided.
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Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was the toast of Germany as the hosts progressed into the semifinals of the World Cup with a sensational 4-2 penalty shootout win over Argentina on Friday. With the game unsettled at 1-1 after extra-time, Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann stepped up to save spot-kicks from Roberto Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso to ensure celebration parties across Germany.
A 37-year-old police officer died after he and a colleague were wounded in a shooting with robbers in Soweto on Tuesday morning, police said. Inspector Leslie Mashaba (37) and Captain Simon Matladi (38) tried to arrest two armed robbers at a shack in Kliptown at 3am when the shooting began.
Music and storytelling marked the celebrations of former president Nelson Mandela’s birthday in Johannesburg on Tuesday.