Two people were killed and another injured on Wednesday after a shootout between prison officers and FBI agents investigating their alleged involvement in a corruption scandal at a Florida jail. The gunfight began when the agents arrived at the Federal Correctional Institute in Tallahassee to serve arrest warrants on six prison guards.
With names such as Port St Lucie and Rancho Cucamonga, America’s ”exurbs” (extra-urban areas) are the fastest growing cities in the United States, while the metropolises are experiencing stagnation in their population. US census bureau figures show that Elk Grove, an extensive area of strip malls and traffic jams near the Californian capital Sacramento, is the country’s fastest growing city.
The motorbikes surge across the border in waves, hundreds of riders in turbans jostling for space in a cloud of milky fumes and a feverish revving of engines. Overwhelmed border guards try to search for explosives or weapons, a fruitless task. After a cursory pat-down of every 10th man the bikes roar through, barrelling down a barbed wire chicane and into Afghanistan.
Chelsea face a tough opening to their bid for a hat-trick of Premiership titles after being handed three potentially tricky fixtures for the start of the 2006-07 season. Flying starts have been a feature of Chelsea’s last two successful campaigns. Last season, Jose Mourinho’s side began with nine straight wins and did not concede a goal in their first six.
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The World Cup organisers admitted on Thursday that they were disappointed by worn-looking pitches, but blamed unseasonably cold weather in Germany in May for the problems. All of the playing surfaces at the 12 World Cup stadiums were replaced at the end of the German league season in mid-May, but low temperatures at that time prevented the grass from growing properly.
Reigning MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi crashed on Thursday during practice for the Assen TT race and was taken to a hospital with reportedly minor injuries. The 27-year-old Italian fell off his Yamaha during the sixth lap of his first practice session, said Assen spokesperson William Lute.
Sachin Tendulkar has been tipped for a swift return to the top of world cricket after smashing his way to a century in his first match since undergoing shoulder surgery in March. Suggestions the Indian legend is no longer quite the player he was looked wide of the mark as Tendulkar displayed his full range of shots for the Lashings World XI.
The national government has failed on a grand scale to properly manage public money, Democratic Alliance public accounts spokesperson Eddie Trent said on Thursday. An overview of the audit outcomes of government departments proves that too many ministers and directors general are unable to provide proper financial management of public money, he told a media briefing at Parliament.
When Bill Gates started to make an impact in the software business, he reportedly said: ”I want to be the IBM of software.” It looks as though he succeeded all too well — Microsoft looks as bloated and bureaucratic as its giant model, where programming was famously compared to prehistoric monsters wrestling in tar-pits.
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Thursday that although things looked good at present, he warned of danger signs in the economy, which could signal "some major inflationary consequences down the road". Speaking to the Parliamentary finance portfolio committee, the governor said while "things generally look good … there are lots of dangers".