If the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s much ballyhooed evaluation report on the five cities vying to win sport’s most glittering prize was what mattered, then next Wednesday’s vote in Singapore by the IOC’s rank and file would be a done deal. Instead it will be geo-politics, self-interest, friendships and even revenge for past snubs which separate the winners form the losers.
Donkey-riding protesters seeking to banish the French Grand Prix from central France overshadowed Friday’s opening practice session for Sunday’s race. The protesters, waving banners, blocked a road about 15km from the Magny-Cours circuit. If their protest continued, it could seriously disrupt traffic for Sunday’s race.
Silence is consent The Zimbabwe government has embarked on an operation that it says is aimed at cleaning up the cities. It is estimated that half a million people are now homeless as a result of this campaign. On Sunday the United Nations envoy arrived in Zimbabwe to assess the situation. In response to this, […]
Zanu not our ally I thought it was glib of some of my friends to describe the South African government as playing a ”sub-imperial” role in Africa. But with reports of a loan to Zim-babwe worth maybe $1-billion (phew, if it’s even half that!) I begin to wonder. The United States, as world imperial power, […]
The power Shaiks Now that the high court has pronounced on Schabir Shaik and President Thabo Mbeki has done the country proud in axing Jacob Zuma, one remains puzzled at the role the Shaik brothers appear to play in the contention for influence and power, without visibly being representative of anyone or anything except themselves. […]
Russia’s Bolshoi theatre will undergo a -million overhaul in the next three years, a day after the last performance took place in the legendary building. The current estimated cost is more than twice the amount spent on a recent renovation of the Kremlin, a sum that itself raised eyebrows among Russian commentators.
A bribery scandal looked set to snowball at German car giant Volkswagen (VW) on Friday in what threatens to deal a fresh blow to the image of Europe’s biggest car maker just as it is beginning to steer itself out a long crisis. The burgeoning scandal was triggered by the shock resignation two weeks ago of the personnel chief at VW’s Czech arm.
A R1-billion deal that will see 10% of hospital group Network Healthcare Holdings (Netcare) acquired by broad-based empowerment groupings will be put to the group’s shareholders for the vote on September 16, the group said on Friday. If approved, the deal would become effective on October 1, it added.
For television, this is the season of repeats. Nowadays the programmers are too canny to flag anything quite so boldly, however. They prefer to tempt the viewer by sticking words such as ”Revisited” or ”Second Helping” on the original title in the hope we’ll spend the whole show saying, ”Have we seen this before?” Sport is much the same.
The long-awaited Ashes cricket series hasn’t even begun and already football’s big spenders are starting to dominate the headlines. The big summer sale? Michael Owen, by the look of it. Though the former Liverpool striker has said he wants to stay with Real Madrid, word is that Chelsea is set to attract the him back to the Premiership.