No image available
/ 16 February 2006
The French businessman flying in China wants his airplane seat mate to be a woman who will escort him during his ”lonely after-work evening”. An American woman wouldn’t mind meeting her ”soul mate” on her plane trip. Thanks to the internet, these travellers might get to choose their ideal travel partners in their next voyage.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
Microsoft opened a new front on Wednesday in its six-year war with the European Commission by insisting that it has fully complied with the 2004 anti-monopoly ruling imposed by Brussels and accusing it of ignoring evidence and denying due process. The defiant response brings closer the threat of daily fines of up to â,¬2-million.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
First it was Wyoming, with Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, and now gay cowboy fever has spread to Texas. ”There’s many a strange impulse out on the plains of west Texas,” sings country legend Willie Nelson in a song released on Valentine’s Day on the internet music store iTunes.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
The South African women’s hockey team booked their place in Saturday’s final of the four-nation Spar Cup after beating Scotland 2-1 in Durban on Wednesday night. The home side didn’t have an easy time of it, though, and had to come back from a 1-0 deficit.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
Passing the 50 mark in cricket is seen as a noteworthy landmark. Reaching the 50 mark in the Fifa world rankings for Bafana Bafana on Wednesday was nothing short of entering an abyss — with South Africa’s national soccer team plummeting to their lowest ranking in 11 years.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
Two of the three medallists from the Salt Lake City Games struggled on the opening day of the Olympic ice-hockey tournament, while Canada shrugged off the Wayne Gretzky storm to cruise past hosts Italy. Latvia drew with 2002 silver medallists United States 3-3, while Slovakia stunned 2002 bronze-medal winners Russia 5-3.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
The giants of the internet were hauled before the United States Congress on Wednesday, accused of colluding with China’s secret police and censors to wield a ”cyber sledgehammer of repression”. Yahoo!, Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Google were repeatedly accused of collusion with an oppressive regime.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
What were described as ”feverish” discussions were under way in Haiti on Wednesday to find a peaceful solution to the presidential election deadlock. René Préval, the former president and leading candidate by a wide margin, declared that he should be acknowledged as the rightful winner without recourse to a run-off election.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
Australian public broadcaster SBS on Thursday defended its decision to show previously unseen pictures of the abuse of prisoners in Iraq’s notorious Abu Ghraib prison by United States troops. Washington has complained that the broadcast could further inflame anti-US sentiment and endanger troops in Iraq.
No image available
/ 16 February 2006
South African retail group Woolworths on Thursday reported a 19,6% increase in headline earnings per share to 53,1 cents for the 26 weeks ended December 2005 from 44,4 cents a year ago. An interim dividend of 24 cents per share was declared. The group reported a 16,7% rise in revenue to R7,415-billion.