An uninhabited Pacific reef 1Â 600km due south of Tokyo makes an unlikely battlefield. But wars have been fought over less. And Okinotori Shima, as this hazard to shipping is known, is rapidly becoming a focal point of rising tension between China and Japan. Only two small outcrops of the reef, sovereign Japanese territory that is administratively part of Tokyo, remain above water at high tide.
Mahendra Dhoni’s confident century on Tuesday fashioned India’s 58-run victory over Pakistan in the second limited-overs international. Dhoni, playing only his fifth one-dayer, punished the Pakistan attack for a 123-ball 148, his maiden one-day century, and boosted India to 356 for nine in 50 overs — its highest total against Pakistan.
President Thabo Mbeki has cancelled all his engagements for Tuesday to see the Côte d’Ivoire peace talks in Pretoria to their conclusion. The discussions, which started on Sunday, involve the government, rebel and political leaders of Côte d’Ivoire, and Mbeki as African Union-appointed mediator.
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The South African embassy in Harare denied knowledge on Monday of alleged brutal treatment of 67 citizens held in prison in that country on mercenary charges. Die Beeld newspaper quoted a friend of one of the alleged mercenaries on Monday as saying the men have been without running water for nearly a month, and were covered in lice.
Deputy Chief Justice Pius Langa expressed his impatience with the speed of transformation of the judiciary during his interview for the post of chief justice in Cape Town on Monday. Quizzed by fellow judges on the Judicial Service Commission and the minister and deputy minister of justice, Langa dismissed reports that he was a transformation ”gradualist”.
Only 15 of 120 cardinals in the conclave at the Vatican to elect a new pope will be from Africa, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) said on Monday. Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, the SACBC expressed little hope of Pope John Paul II’s successor coming from Africa, because the church in Europe looked on its African congregation as living half in a pagan world.
Iran may be on a high after leaping to the top of their World Cup qualifying group, but their Croatian coach has cautioned that it is too early for celebrations. In Asia’s Group B, they are in prime position for a World Cup finals berth — after an away win against North Korea, a home win against Japan and a goalless away draw with Bahrain.
The just-ended Zimbabwean parliamentary elections saw a flurry of humorous SMS messages before, during and after the key vote poking fun at the main parties and players and their policies. Supporters of the country’s main rival parties had their own wordsmiths crafting clever jokes, often taking digs at themselves.