Following the handling of the Asian tsunami disaster, the United Nations has come under fire. Said one columnist of London’s The Times on Monday, ”The blunt truth is that on international crises ranging from war in Iraq to the waters of the Indian Ocean, the UN is philosophically redundant, structurally irrelevant and bureaucratically ossified.” Or is it? And what could usefully replace it?
Still nascent and largely underground, black thought is rising. On websites, in niche magazines and occasionally in the mass media, a new generation of black intellectuals is reinterpreting history and the present. Our generation of young black thinkers realise that there is a fundamental lack of black thought that interrogates the now, and which engages with reality honestly enough to find it desperately in need of change.
South Africa took the honours on the second day of the third Castle Lager/MTN cricket Test at Newlands on Monday, taking three England wickets after tea. At close of play, England had 95 for four in reply to South Africa’s first-innings score of 441 all out. England have a deficit of 346.
In Shona culture we believe that November is an inauspicious month. You don’t get married or brew beer for the ancestors during that month, otherwise you will be cursed. And indeed, bad things do happen in November. First Yasser Arafat died. Then Condoleezza Rice was named new United States Secretary of State. And just when we thought nothing worse could happen, Joyce Teurai Ropa Mujuru was made vice-president of Zanu-PF.
Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist crashed in a 109-ball century on Tuesday as Australia commandeered the final Test from Pakistan on the third day at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Gilchrist blasted five sixes and 14 boundaries in a swashbuckling, 139-minute virtuoso innings for his 13th century in his 65th Test match.
American Robby Gordon, driving a Volkswagen, celebrated his 36th birthday a day early when he won the 123km timed section of the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally on Monday. Gordon timed one hour, 14 minutes and one second for his second victory of the rally, 53 seconds ahead of Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel.
Roger Federer began the new year with a surprise by announcing a new coach, Tony Roche, and also with more of the same — a thunderous attacking performance to extend his unbeaten sequence to 18 matches. The world number one from Switzerland overwhelmed David Ferrer in less than an hour in the Qatar Open.
Charl Langeveldt and Makhaya Ntini tore through the England batting line-up before lunch on the third day of the third Castle Lager/MTN Test at Newlands on Tuesday, to have England all out for 163, for a first-innings deficit of 278. England resumed play on their overnight score of 95 for the loss of four wickets.
Blackburn have confirmed the signing of South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena who had a trial at Ewood Park before Christmas. The 24-year-old began training with his new teammates on Tuesday but needs international clearance before he can play. He joined Rovers for £300 000.
Despite losing three wickets between lunch and tea, South Africa were in total command of the third Test at Newlands on Tuesday. They went to tea on 109/3 in their second innings, for an overall lead of 387. Jacques Kallis, who was greeted with a roar by the Newlands crowd when he came out to bat, looked imperious.