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/ 16 January 2006
Political tensions in Swaziland are on the rise following the arrest of 15 pro-democracy campaigners in recent weeks over petrol-bomb attacks that were made on courthouses and the homes of various officials last year. The activists belong to the banned People’s United Democratic Movement.
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/ 16 January 2006
The Free State Eagles entrenched their status as one of the country’s premier cricket teams when they defeated the Titans in a low-scoring thriller in the Standard Bank Cup final last week. ”We’ve been a bit lucky so far; we don’t want to be seen as a conceited bunch,” said Eagles coach Corrie van Zyl on Monday.
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/ 16 January 2006
The spot price of platinum on Monday equalled its all-time high of $1 047 an ounce set in March 1980, on Tokyo Commodity Exchange buying of the metal as well as the strong rand, which broke below R6 to the dollar, analysts said. At 12.55pm, platinum was quoted at $1 042/oz, up $6,50/oz from its previous close.
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/ 16 January 2006
A hyped-up and relieved Serena Williams said she felt like dancing on Monday after keeping her Australian Open defence on track with a testing three set win over China’s Li Na. Responding to criticism of her fitness in the lead up to the tournament, Williams insisted she was full of energy after surviving a scare to grind down the fiesty Li 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-2.
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/ 16 January 2006
David Nalbandian and Ivan Ljubicic led the top men’s seeds safely into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday, but there were some wobbles en route. Nalbandian looked to be cruising to a straight-sets victory before he encountered turbulence from the 121th-ranked Danai Udomchoke.
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/ 16 January 2006
A judge sentenced a Rwandan rebel on Monday to 15 years in jail, a week after convicting him for killing eight tourists from the United States, Britain and New Zealand and a Ugandan tour guide who were on a gorilla-watching trip in 1999. High Court Judge John Bosco Katutsi passed the sentence after Jean-Paul Bizimana, alias Xavier Van Dame, appealed for lenient punishment.
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/ 16 January 2006
Foreign and local experts meet later on Monday to help find the best course of action for repairs to Koeberg nuclear power station, which has been responsible for numerous recent power outages in the Western Cape. Discussions about repairs to one of two faulty generators would be on the agenda, said Carin de Villiers, spokesperson for the nuclear plant.
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/ 16 January 2006
The Johannesburg metro police on Monday condemned the alleged involvement of one of their officers in the hijacking of a car in Berea at the weekend. Spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the 25-year-old officer allegedly hired out his service pistol for R150 to three hijackers.
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/ 16 January 2006
Fifteen armed men robbed the Monte Visto Casino in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, of an undisclosed amount of cash on Sunday, said police. The gang overpowered a security guard and forced its way into the casino, said Superintendent Buhle Ngidi. ”They jumped over the cash desk and demanded cash. An undisclosed sum of money was taken,” said Ngidi.
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/ 16 January 2006
Two Syrian intelligence officers began giving evidence in Vienna again on Monday to the United Nations commission investigating the murder 11 months ago of Lebanese former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, a Syrian diplomat said. They are Syria’s former head of intelligence in Lebanon, Rustom Ghazale, and his deputy, retired colonel Samih Kashaami.