Indonesia’s Mount Merapi continued to spew lava and searing clouds of gas and ash on Sunday as geologists maintained the top danger alert on the smouldering volcano. Despite losing a huge chunk of the lava dome forming at its peak on Friday, which lessened the danger of a major eruption, geologists said the volcano still posed a threat.
Death, whether as a protest or an act of desperation, was the only way out of Guantánamo for the three ”war on terror” inmates found hanged in their cells. On one side there is a mini-desert in a parched corner of south-east Cuba. On the other are sharks and a huge expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
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Goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who was called into the team at the last minute, pulled off a string of fine saves to give 10-man Trinidad and Tobago a 0-0 draw with Sweden on their World Cup finals debut on Saturday. The 37-year-old West Ham keeper replaced Kelvin Jack, who injured his knee in the warm-up, and he proved to be the star of the show.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced a referendum fiercely opposed by the Hamas government on Saturday as the Islamists ended an 18-month truce with a barrage of rockets at Israel. The first-ever Palestinian referendum will take place on July 26, according to the decree signed by Abbas and read out to reporters.
After 100 years in existence, the Springboks celebrated with a clinical 36-16 victory over Scotland at King’s Park Stadium in Durban on Saturday. A revamped Bok outfit outscored their northern-hemisphere counterparts by four tries to none and also scored four penalties and two conversions.
Defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium won the French Open for the third time on Saturday, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in straight sets. Fifth seed Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 and 2005 Roland Garros champion, achieved her fifth Grand Slam and 26th title of her career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in 1hr 36min over the eighth seed.
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England launched their bid to win the World Cup for the first time in 40 years with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in a scrappy Group B encounter on Saturday. A headed own goal after only four minutes from Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra settled the encounter, but it was far from the convincing display that England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson had been hoping for.
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Togo coach Otto Pfister has left the World Cup and has been replaced until further notice by his former assistant Kodjovi Mawuena, Togo team official Messan Attolou told Agence France-Presse on Saturday. ”Otto Pfister has left for Switzerland and his assistant Piet Hamberg has also left the team,” Attolou said.
New Zealand were forced to rely on a late charge to mount a come-from-behind 34-23 win over Ireland on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten record in 101 years of rugby internationals between the two countries. In their first outing since their historic Grand Slam at the end of last year, the All Blacks produced a bumbling performance for the first 60 minutes.
Hamas ended an 18-month ceasefire on Saturday, firing 11 rockets at Israel just hours before Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was due to announce a controversial referendum. A statement by the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing, said the attacks were in response to the killing of 10 Palestinians.