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/ 29 October 2004
It’s supposed to be a period of serene, prayerful contemplation, a time to explore the depths of faith and to think of the poor. But for many of Kenya’s 10-million Muslims, the month of Ramadan this year has become a reflection on crime, HIV/Aids and the effects of the United States-sponsored war on terror on the followers of Islam around the globe.
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/ 29 October 2004
With the winner of Saturday’s election in Botswana a racing certainty, interest has focused on exactly how many of the 552 890 registered voters will turn out and who will be the strongest opposition. The battle in this landlocked, diamond-rich state will be the first test of the electoral code adopted by the Southern African Development Community nations at their summit in Mauritius in August this year.
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/ 29 October 2004
Springbok coach Jake White has kept faith with most of his winning Tri-nations team when he named the side for the first Grand Slam Test against Wales next Saturday. On Friday, White announced just three changes — two enforced due to injury — to the run-on side that did duty in the last Tri-Nations Test against Australia.
Markgraaff is Sarfu deputy president
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/ 29 October 2004
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Four years on, the United States presidential election is again a dead heat between a radical conservative and a mainstream liberal. And once more, Ralph Nader’s oddball candidacy threatens to tip the delicate balance to the right. This time the consumer activist is a much-reduced force. The overwhelming majority of his closest aides and supporters have defected, including Michael Moore.
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/ 29 October 2004
Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s most famous female detective, exists only on paper but the fictional heroine’s exploits have been followed by millions and popularised the arid southern African nation. Mma Ramotswe made her debut in 1998 in The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which rapidly became a bestseller. It was followed by five others, which were lapped up by readers all over the world.
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/ 29 October 2004
European Union leaders will meet in an emergency session in Rome on Friday to deal with an unprecedented institutional crisis that deepened this week when the incoming commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, was forced to withdraw his entire team of commissioners. Barroso chose to backtrack when it became clear that members of the European Parliament would vote down his choice of commissioners.
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/ 29 October 2004
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It took a good hour of trudging through the autumn leaves to the side doors of people’s homes, poring over voter lists and sheaves of pamphlets, and looking out nervously for dogs, before Grace Brookins struck gold. Robbie Phillips (68), a retired factory worker, was at home, was willing to answer the door to a stranger, and was inclined to vote for John Kerry.
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/ 29 October 2004
To be at loggerheads with one chairperson could be construed as unfortunate; to fall out with two, as Gary Megson did at West Bromwich Albion, suggests he either has a penchant for confrontation or resents figures in authority. Megson, however, denies he is a control freak.
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/ 29 October 2004
What would a Springbok team announcement be without controversy? Since the end of isolation all that has really changed is the greater focus upon representivity. In 2004, the public is bemused by the inclusion of Boland wing Jongi Nokwe in Jake White’s squad of 33. In 1992, it was Botha Rossouw, a back-row forward from Western Transvaal.
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/ 29 October 2004
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Whether George W Bush or John Kerry wins the election on Tuesday, the next president of the United States faces an overflowing in-tray of international problems. These include domestic division, hatred abroad and an urgent need for action in the Middle East.