The ACT Brumbies consolidated their semifinal play-off chances in rugby’s Super 14 competition on Saturday, beating the third-place Wellington Hurricanes 21-16. The win left the Brumbies with 32 points in fourth place, two behind the Hurricanes. The Canterbury Crusaders lead the competition with 42 points.
The Mail & Guardian recently ran a ”Matter of fact” that apologised to Frank Chikane, Director General of the Presidency, for a report dealing with hoax e-mails targeting him. The report in late October (”Motlanthe targeted in e-mail exchange”, October 28) cited e-mails that purported to show Chikane and others plotting against African National Congress general secretary Kgalema Motlanthe.
Crude oil futures closed above a barrel in New York for the first time on Friday, amid increasing concerns about the Iranian nuclear crisis and a United States gasoline-supply crunch. The June contract for light sweet crude closed at ,17 a barrel after rising as high as ,35.
The Shi’ite alliance nominated a tough-talking Shi’ite politician, Jawad al-Maliki, as prime minister in a move that breaks the long impasse over forming a new government aimed at pulling Iraq out of its sectarian strife. Al-Maliki replaces outgoing Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
Top-ranked Roger Federer and defending champion Rafael Nadal won quarterfinal matches in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday. Federer defeated eighth-seeded David Ferrer of Spain 6-1, 6-3, and Nadal beat number six Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-2, 6-1.
For the first time in 10 years it was a different face that topped the podium after the men’s 200m breaststroke at the Telkom South African National Championships in Durban on Friday night. In the absence of Terence Parkin, William Diering took the 200m breaststroke gold.
A season of trials and tribulations for Orlando Pirates midfield dynamo Benedict Vilakazi has come to a characteristically traumatic and premature end. The Buccaneers’ website on Friday revealed that the player will be out of soccer for a minimum of six weeks due to a fractured ankle.
Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher was left in a positive mood in Imola, Italy, on Friday after setting the day’s fastest practice time ahead of qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix. The 37-year-old German topped the time sheets in the opening free practice session in a time that was unbeaten for the rest of the day.
Lamontville Golden Arrows have been slapped with a R50 000 suspended fine by the Premier Soccer League (PSL) disciplinary committee following crowd incidents at the recent PSL game that the Durban-based club lost 3-2 against Supersport United with nine men.
Tension soared in the capital of lawless Somalia on Friday as Mogadishu’s powerful Islamic courts declared jihad, or holy war, on a militia alliance widely believed to be backed by the United States. Thousands of terrified Mogadishu residents have fled their homes to avoid the expected violence.