The JSE continued its climb to record highs on Thursday, lifted by a weaker rand and stronger world markets. However, dealers said that the market’s upward momentum had eased following its phenomenal rise in recent days. At 12.07pm, the all share index was up 0.88% at 14 801,19 after trading as high as 14 811,64.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO Trevor Phillips has come up with a much-needed sprinkling of local soccer matches to ease the six-week fixture ”drought” in January and February as a result of the African Nations Cup tournament. A four-team club tournament is planned, in which three leading overseas clubs will be involved.
At mid-point in the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong is in a familiar position, firmly in the lead. But there’s a key difference this year — he knows that his remarkable career is drawing to a close. ”Every day I get on the bike it is a countdown,” he said on Wednesday after preserving his race lead in the hardest Alpine stage.
The Football Association (FA) blasted Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday for his claims that Premiership rivals Arsenal received preferential treatment. The Blues manager insinuated on Tuesday that the presence of Gunners vice-chairperson David Dein on the FA’s board has implications for Chelsea.
A French judge began legal action against Italian cyclist Dario Frigo and his wife on Wednesday after police discovered doping products in her car during the Tour de France, officials said. Frigo and his wife were arrested after officials and police found about 10 doses of the banned endurance-boosting hormone EPO in her car.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez claimed that Steven Gerrard repaid the club’s supporters with an inspirational hat-trick as the European champions launched the defence of their title with a 3-0 win against Total Network Solutions at Anfield on Wednesday. Gerrard performed an astonishing U-turn on his future at the club last week.
A heavily-laden cargo jet arriving in heavy rain from Dubai overshot the tarmac at Lagos airport on Wednesday in the latest in a series of accidents to shake confidence in Nigeria’s aviation industry. No-one was reported hurt in the drama but many flights were delayed as ground crews worked to unload the plane and drag it away from the runway.
A determined Jack Nicklaus began his farewell march in spectacular fashion at the British Open on Thursday when he birdied the opening hole. Nicklaus (65), paired with five-time Open winner Tom Watson and England’s Luke Donald, received a massive welcome from the huge gallery. Watson matched Nicklaus’s birdie at the first.
A significant proportion of the planned R180-billion in South African government and parastatal spending on infrastructure projects over the next five years is destined to go overseas due to the lack of workers qualified to implement these projects, according to Frater Asset Management analyst Matthew Kreeve.
President Thabo Mbeki’s office was unmoved on Wednesday by assertions that he is to abandon what has been labelled as his approach of quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe. ”We have never classified our diplomacy as quiet or loud or whatever,” presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said in Pretoria.