Real Madrid star and France legend Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday explained his decision to retire after the World Cup finals in Germany and not play on with his club for another year. ”I didn’t make this decision overnight. It’s one I’ve mulled over for a long time,” Zidane told a news conference in Madrid, confirming what he had told French television on Tuesday.
Pakistan and India agreed to work towards finalising a draft agreement reducing the risk of an accidental nuclear conflict between them at the end of two days of talks on Wednesday. "The two sides held detailed discussions on the draft text of an agreement," said a joint statement.
The French press were dreaming on Wednesday of a glorious World Cup send-off for Zinedine Zidane the day after he announced his decision to retire following this summer’s tournament. Leading sports daily L’Equipe dedicated five pages to the legendary 33-year-old Real Madrid playmaker’s comments on Tuesday confirming his decision to hang up his boots.
The Zambian government is investigating allegations that a group of white farmers and safari operators plotted to undermine President Levy Mwanawasa in upcoming elections, a presidential spokesperson said on Wednesday. The white farmers and safari operators have been accused by the president’s office of working with an opposition party to cause artificial food shortages ahead of elections to be held some time later this year.
God has finally come to United States reality television — and against all guesses the oddball match has delighted the Roman Catholic Church. God or the Girl pits four aspiring young Catholic priests against their libidos during the final four weeks before their decisions to take the church’s Holy Orders, with the vow of chastity.
The trial court of Durban businessman Schabir Shaik had not properly considered the powers and duties of former deputy president Jacob Zuma covering the period Shaik stood trial, his defence contends. This was in relation to the corruption charge involving a ”generally corrupt relationship” with Zuma.
Three Hollywood labour unions have inked new contracts that will compensate actors, writers and directors and others involved in the ABC drama Lost for the broadcast of snippets of the show on cellphones. The deals guarantee union health and pension benefits and minimum payments, and could be a blueprint for similar agreements involving other TV content.
Zimbabwe is ready to allow the return of white farmers who were driven off their farms under President Robert Mugabe’s land reform programme, the agriculture minister told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday. But minister Joseph Made denied that the new openness toward white farmers marked an about-face in land-reform policies that have been widely criticised as a failure.
![]()
There was no doubt efforts were made to persuade Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser to drop the charge, the Johannesburg High Court heard on Wednesday. ”There is little doubt [KwaZulu-Natal finance minister Zweli] Mkhize tried to broker a settlement,” state prosecutor Charin de Beer told the court.
Iran will ignore any United Nations Security Council demands to halt its disputed nuclear programme, hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed on Wednesday. ”We won’t back down one iota on our lawful and inalienable rights,” the president was quoted as saying by the official news agency Irna.