Côte d’Ivoire loyalist and rebel military commanders failed to agree on Sunday on a cantonment programme in the divided West African state, scheduled to begin on that day and a prelude to oft-delayed disarmament, participants said. The state-run disarmament commission has come under fire from international partners including the World Bank for ”insufficient preparation” for the exercise.
It’s been a shaky weekend for several countries around the world, with moderate earthquakes reported in Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and New Zealand. No serious injuries or property damage has been reported. An earthquake measuring 5,3 on the open-ended Richter scale shook north-western Turkey early on Sunday.
British police on Saturday interrogated at least three suspected bombers wanted for the July 21 London attacks as they tried to crack any wider terrorist network and trace the masterminds behind the operation. A fourth suspect was, meanwhile, fighting an extradition request in Italy, where he was arrested on Friday.
Hundreds of girls have been lured to the Ghanaian capital, Accra, by the promise of a decent job and an opportunity to benefit from a growing economy and lavish international aid in the form of special grants and debt relief. But they are swallowed into a world of forced labour, unwilling prostitution and exploitation.
Springbok coach Jake White admitted that his team played poorly against the Wallabies at Loftus Stadium on Saturday, but was nonetheless delighted with the 22-16 win. It was just the start the defending champions sought to their Vodacom Tri-Nations defence, but far greater obstacles await them in Cape Town next weekend.
Vijay Singh quickly turned a showdown between the world’s top two golfers into a rout at the Buick Open on Saturday. Singh matched the tournament record of seven under on the front nine and closed with a 63 for a tournament 54-hole record of 22-under 194.
Ian Crocker avenged his Athens Olympic defeat in the 100m butterfly with a world-record-setting victory over fellow American Michael Phelps on Saturday at the 11th World Swimming Championships. South African Roland Schoeman continued to display blistering form as he posted the second-fastest 50m freestyle time to date to capture that crown.
Andre Agassi scored a crowd-pleasing win on Saturday, dominating Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela en route to a 6-4, 6-2 semifinal win at the 000 ATP Mercedes-Benz Cup. Agassi is now a win away from his 60th career title; on Sunday he faces the winner from Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller and second seed Dominik Hrbaty.
The legendary luck of the Irish was true for once when a local lottery player scooped a record jackpot of more than €115-million (R916-million), the Irish national lottery said on Saturday. The jackpot had not been won since May and had been rolled over nine times before Friday night’s draw.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a former union boss elected in a landslide with pledges to make Brazil a ”decent country”, is back on the campaign trail. But this time it’s to save his presidency from corruption charges, regain the trust of voters — and avoid possible impeachment.