Ten years ago, United States Marine Staff Sergeant Mark Hardin arrived in Haiti as part of a US force to restore Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. Earlier this week, after the US had forced Aristide to leave, Hardin was back. ”It looks like nothing’s changed,” he said.
France’s Interior Ministry confirmed last week that the police and security services were on full alert after a series of threats by an unknown group to blow up railway tracks countrywide unless it was paid a multimillion-pound ransom. To prove its threats were serious the group directed police on February 21 to a time bomb under a railway line.
Arjen Robben admitted he had been reluctant at first to consider a move to Chelsea before he agreed to a £13,5-million transfer from PSV Einghoven to Stamford Bridge. The deal will go through at the end of the season and complete a remarkable rise for the Holland left-winger.
It’s a big, big week in Europe coming up. Especially for Manchester United and Chelsea. Arsenal? Most people reckon they’ve got the Premiership sewn up already, but down Highbury way there is an awful lot riding on this week’s Champions League last-16, second-leg games too.
An investigation is under way into the scandal of the forward who scored a goal. Lomana Lua-Lua’s equaliser for Portsmouth is a cause célèbre because it was struck against Newcastle United, the club who sent him to Fratton Park on loan during the transfer window.
The KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins battled against an accurate North West Dragons bowling attack and the elements on the second day of the Supersport Series Super Six cricket match at Kingsmead on Friday. When play was finally called off at 4.30pm, the Dolphins were on 159 for four wickets.
Mat Rogers scored two tries and kicked eight goals as New South Wales secured their third consecutive bonus-point win in a 46-10 demolition on Friday over the Cats in the rugby union Super 12 competition. The Waratahs lead the standings with a maximum 15 points from three rounds.
Sione Lauaki scored an injury-time try to give the Waikato Chiefs a 27-20 win over the defending-champion Auckland Blues in a Super 12 rugby match at Eden Park on Friday. Lauaki scored on a 30m solo run from a broken play with the final whistle pending to spur the underdogs to their first win over the Blues since 2001.
Former president Nelson Mandela and Deputy President Jacob Zuma will open the Mnyakanya Secondary School at Nkandla in the Eshowe district in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday. The severely under-resourced school received a R6-million makeover from mining company Gold Fields following an appeal by Mandela and Zuma.
England’s proposed tour of Zimbabwe will be at the top of the agenda when world cricket chiefs gather in New Zealand next week. The two-day International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Auckland on March 9 and 10 will also look at the lingering problem of returning money from last year’s World Cup, witheld from teams because of legal action arising from commercial disputes.