This week US presidential hopeful John Kerry claimed that foreign leaders had told him they could not publicly offer him their support, but added: ”You’ve got to beat this guy, we need a new policy.” Hostility towards a second George W Bush term is assumed to be widespread throughout the world because of the Iraq war, the concept of pre-emptive strikes and bullying of small countries.
It is a spectacularly entertaining sight, but, while it may resemble the grotesque extravagances of a Hollywood set, there’s nothing fictional about it. Although it is two decades since he took office, President Robert Mugabe’s security still takes Zimbabweans by surprise. When Mugabe travels all traffic comes to a stand-still.
Some day in the near future a footballer — or, more likely, a group of footballers — might do something so gross that even the game’s blind apologists, the managers and chairpersons, the agents and all the talking heads who are part of this ailing industry, will be stunned into silence.
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern this week launched consultations to salvage a deal on the European Union’s controversial Constitution. Hopes suffered a blow on Tuesday when Spain flatly rejected a German-backed compromise on the crucial issue of voting weights in a union of 25 members.
In week three of the Super 12 five out the six matches were decided by a converted try or less – that hasn’t happened before since the competition began in 1996. In such circumstances one team (generally the one that lost) will claim to have endured the rough end of the pineapple from the match official(s).
The United States and the big European countries buried their deep differences over Iran’s nuclear projects this week, drafting a tough statement that comes close to having the United Nations accuse Tehran of pursuing a secret bomb programme. Iran is urged to undertake proactive cooperation to ‘resolve all outstanding issues on an urgent basis’.
There was a time long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, when a Russian linesman was the star of English football. After Manchester United’s shock failure against Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, English support for assistant referees from the land of Vlad and vodka is flagging.
The Champions League failure against Porto made it feel as if the lights had been dimmed on Manchester United’s season, yet the result also casts a pall over the past. Once the piercing regret has eased, the disappointment will invigorate arguments over the policies that have been pursued in recent years.
Natal Sharks scored a last-minute try to beat Otago Highlanders 36-35 in their Super 12 match at Carisbrook in Dunedin on Friday. Scrumhalf Craig Davidson scored the try, which Butch James converted from in front of the posts to win a match the Highlanders had been leading 32-15 with 20 minutes to play.
New Zealand fought back to avoid the follow-on after a debut half-century from Brendon McCullum against South Africa at the close on the third day of the first Test on Friday. At stumps, New Zealand were 361-7 in their first innings in reply to South Africa’s 459, with Jacob Oram unbeaten on 49 and Daniel Vettori on 21.