Tiger Woods is still the main attraction at the Masters. But he no longer is the main event. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion when the 69th Masters begins on Thursday, and many believe he is primed to join Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only consecutive winners of a green jacket.
Chelsea stayed on course to win their first Champions Cup despite the absence of manager Jose Mourinho, and AC Milan moved closer to their seventh European title with victories in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday. Frank Lampard scored two goals to help Chelsea beat Bayern Munich 4-2.
"The line to sign the condolence book at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg grows steadily. It is 5.30pm on Wednesday evening and the memorial Mass for Pope John Paul II will start in 30 minutes." The <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i> speaks to South African Catholics about the death of Pope John Paul II.
The Perth Super 14 franchise received its first public knockback on Thursday when in-form fullback Peter Hewat rejected a lucrative offer in favour of re-signing with New South Wales (NSW). Perth have snared two high-profile Wallabies this week in NSW hooker Brenan Cannon and Queensland lock Nathan Sharpe.
Star Wars fans will have to find the right theatre before they can leave for the dark side. Seven weeks before its release, Star Wars fanatics started lining up outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for the sixth instalment of the movie series. But there’s a problem: the film won’t be showing at the Hollywood landmark.
Black economic empowerment (BEE) momentum continued unhindered in 2004, with the number of transactions increasing 29% to 244 from 189 the year before. BEE deal value increased from R42,2-billion in 2003 to R52,9-billion in 2004. In the last four years, BEE has surged, becoming the dominant feature on the mergers and acquisitions landscape in South Africa.
Security forces have killed 15 Islamic militants in four days, including three on the most-wanted list, in the most intensive fighting seen to date in Saudi Arabia’s two-year war on terror — a sign the kingdom may have al-Qaeda on the defensive. Interior Minister Prince Nayef warned militants: ”Either come back to your senses or you’ll face death.”
Monaco was in mourning on Thursday ahead of a funeral on April 15 for Prince Rainier, the monarch who modernised the tiny Mediterranean microstate and touched the world with his fairy-tale marriage to Grace Kelly. Rainier died on Wednesday at the age of 81 after a month in hospital battling heart, lung and kidney problems.
Billed as ”Africa’s grandest gathering”, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival has become a shining example of organisational professionalism, media excellence and technical sophistication, writes Mike van Graan.
President Robert Mugabe has defied a European Union travel ban and flown out of Harare unannounced to join world leaders attending Pope John Paul II’s funeral in Rome, state radio announced on Thursday. The trip was immediately denounced by one of Mugabe’s fiercest critics, Roman Catholic Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo.