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/ 16 November 2004

China’s modest billionaire

I visit Timothy Chan on the day China’s rich list is published and he, a baby-faced 31-year-old, appears at number two. He is chairperson of Shanda Entertainment, a computer games manufacturer based in Shanghai’s Pudong district. To the mortification of his parents, Chan is worth $1,05-billion. His idol is Bill Gates, whom he admires for his work ethic and abstinent lifestyle.

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/ 16 November 2004

‘Someone is starting to put the nail into Schalk’

South African rugby coach Jake White believes Schalk Burger is being unfairly singled out by referees, saying it was almost as if someone was trying to ”put the nail” into the flanker. South Africa’s player of the year was yellow-carded for the second time in as many Tests during last weekend’s 17-12 defeat by Ireland that ended the Springboks’ hopes of a grand slam on their British Isles tour.

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/ 16 November 2004

Coke Cup: The war is on

Declarations of war were made on Tuesday by six representatives of the eight clubs that will be seeking a place in the semifinals of the Coca-Cola Cup when they meet this weekend. Dynamos and Jomo Cosmos were not represented at the media briefing, despite being invited.

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/ 16 November 2004

Kallis a doubtful starter for first India Test

South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is in doubt for the first Test against India after suffering a side strain, team officials said on Tuesday. ”Kallis has a side strain and his fitness will be assessed tomorrow [Wednesday] before a decision is taken regarding his participation in the Kanpur Test,” said South Africa’s media manager Gerald de Kock.

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/ 16 November 2004

A shrewd balancing act

At R6,8-billion, FirstRand’s empowerment deal is one of the biggest to date, and certainly appears to be the most ”broad-based”. It includes none of the usual names that lead to charges of black economic empowerment (BEE) being ”enrichment of the few”. FirstRand appears to have learnt from the BEE forays of its predecessors. The ”devil is in the detail”, as the cliché goes, writes Reg Rumney.

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/ 16 November 2004

The delivery that refuses to die

Whenever Australians and New Zealanders get together and talk about sports, one single delivery in a cricket match 23 years ago invariably enters the discussion. When Greg Chappell asked his younger brother, Trevor, to bowl underarm at Brian McKechnie on the last ball of a limited-overs international in 1981, depriving the New Zealand tailender any chance of hitting a six to tie the match, it sparked a bitter trans-Tasman feud.

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/ 16 November 2004

Beckham denies retirement plans

England captain David Beckham has scotched rumours that he intends the 2006 World Cup to be his swansong in an England shirt, at a press conference in Madrid on Monday. British newspapers on Sunday suggested Beckham is going to retire in 18 months’ time, after the World Cup in Germany.