British Prime Minister Tony Blair has asked Downing Street and Foreign Office officials to draw up plans for possible military intervention in Sudan, where more than a million refugees are at risk from famine and disease. Despite a heavy commitment of British armed forces in Iraq and other troublespots, the prime minister has had discussions with advisers for on-the-ground involvement of troops.
Stand by for an exchange rate of R5,50 to the dollar, buy South African shares, and keep away from mining stocks. Such was the advice of economists this week, who continued to grapple with the strengthening of the rand, unsure of what is causing it or how long the bull run may last.
Finally, finally the festering sore that is the Darfur region in Sudan is getting the political attention it deserves. Already 10 000 people have died at the hands of a latter-day horror, the Janjaweed. But in the cacophony of rage, one voice is missing — that of Muslim communities who have been so vocal, both globally and locally, in their condemnation of the war in Iraq and the repression in Palestine.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a prime mover of Middle East chaos and suffering. But an impasse-breaker isn’t beyond reach. As Ariel Sharon battles for some form of Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Noam Chomsky appraises the chances for an option, long available, that might lead to Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Former Zimbabwe senior national football squad coach Sunday Marimo is the hot favourite to be appointed new Bush Bucks coach. The Eastern Cape side have been without a coach following the departure of Mlungisi Ngubane two weeks ago. Ngubane, who guided Bucks back to the Premiership after winning the first division last season, has since joined Golden Arrows as an assistant coach.
Orlando Pirates will on Thursday leave for Cameroon to honour their Confederation Cup return match against Sable de Batie in Yaounde on Sunday. Pirates will be without Zimbabwean Edelbert Dinha who was sent off when they won 4-2 during the first leg match in Orkney two weeks ago.
The Springboks will end the longest losing streak in their proud rugby history if they beat the All Blacks in Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby Test at Jade Stadium in Christchurch. The last seven tests between rugby’s most successful international teams have been won by New Zealand.
The European Union on Wednesday said it had frozen millions of pounds worth of aid to Kenya because of concerns about corruption, as fears grew that sleaze was engulfing the east African country. The British high commissioner, Edward Clay, accused the government of President Mwai Kibaki of ”arrogance, greed and perhaps a desperate sense of panic, to lead them to eat like gluttons”.
In a few years, an old woman in rural Africa should be able, if all goes according to plan, to connect to the net and communicate with her children in the city. This is what an Information Communication Technology (ICT) workshop being held in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, is seeking to explore. The meeting is seeking to ensure accessibility of ICT to rural people, who form the bulk of Africa’s population.
Springbok lock Victor Matfield will not withdraw his legal action against the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu). Matfield and his fellow Boks, Richard Bands, Christo Bezuidenhout and Dale Santon are waiting for a date at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration to finalise the issue.