At least 550-million light arms are in circulation around the world and they are the weapons of choice in 90% of conflicts, says human rights organisation Amnesty International. The superpower ideological divide that once gave a strange sort of order to the world’s wars has been replaced by ”entrepreneurs selling arms or military expertise and support”.
”Dear sisters, Happy International Women’s Day. The 8th of March is meant to be a day to celebrate how far we have come as women worldwide. But for us, North of your border, we have no cause to celebrate. I am writing to you, woman to woman. Sisters, you are letting us down.” Everjoice J Win writes an open letter to Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and other women in the Cabinet.
Janine Umuhoza was seven years old in April 1994 when her parents were killed during the Rwandan genocide. As the eldest, and a lot sooner than she could have imagined, she became mother to her siblings in a country fraught with danger at the time. Now 17 years old, she still faces the challenges of providing food and basic necessities for the family.
Bulls coach Rudy Joubert has put off naming his squad for Saturday’s Super 12 clash against the Brumbies after a spate of injuries made picking a side almost impossible. Already ruled out of the clash are fullback Johan Roets (ankle) and centre Frikkie Welsh (fractured thumb).
England could be fined up to -million or suspended from the International Cricket Council (ICC) if their scheduled tour to Zimbabwe doesn’t proceed. ”I want to make absolutely clear, the penalty of -million and the possibility of suspension is not England-specific,” ICC president Ehsan Mani said.
Manchester United and Juventus were both eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday, while Chelsea and Lyon each advanced to the quarterfinals in other matches. Francisco Costinha scored the series-winning goal in the 90th minute as Uefa Cup champion FC Porto held two-time titleholder Manchester United to a 1-1 draw.
Hellenic registered their second victory of the season when they beat log leaders Santos 1-0 at the Athlone Stadium on Tuesday night. Although their more illustrious opponents created more scoring opportunities, Hellenic’s never-say-die attitude secured them the unlikely victory.
Thousands of entries have been received and more are expected as South Africans nominated candidates to participate in the Cape Town leg of the first international Olympic torch relay. One of the sponsors, Samsung, has already seen 7 800 legible entry forms counted.
South African superbat Jacques Kallis almost stole the first cricket Test as his own but a 10-over burst from the big pacemen saw New Zealand not quite dead and buried in Hamilton on Wednesday. The tourists resume on Thursday morning on 279 for four after taking a points victory from day one of the series.
South Africa has come under pressure to abort its plan to sell ivory stockpiles after seven African elephant range states this week called for the proposed sales to be halted. Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mali, Cameroon, Tunisia and Ghana are concerned that conditions under which the ivory should be sold have not been met.