Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, said California’s new governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the final days of his campaign in response to allegations of his harassing women. At the time, it seemed as though he was speaking metaphorically but, in retrospect, maybe he was pondering on the issue of what Californians smoke and where and what should be done about it.

The mass arrival of Brazilian prostitutes in a small, sleepy Portuguese town has unleashed a furious battle with their clients’ wives which has turned into a bitter international dispute involving the national government, the Euro 2004 football tournament and Time magazine.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fun. But England leave Perth for Melbourne this morning with a win over South Africa’s battering Boks proudly notched on their World Cup belts. The watching Prince Harry may be third in line for his mum’s throne. After this ugly triumph, England are at least one step up the ladder from there when it comes to the pecking order for the global crown in Sydney on November 22.

So near and yet so far. Written off by all but the most one-eyed before the game, South Africa should have beaten the best rugby team in the world at the Subiaco Oval. Instead England won 25-6 and as anticipated long ago, the Boks will almost certainly have to beat the All Blacks in the quarterfinal to stay in the World Cup.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Penuell Maduna is receiving little sympathy from — and has even become the butt of jokes in — the African National Congress after publicly announcing that he would not be available for a Cabinet post next year.

Defence authorities have denied allegations that Western Cape-based personnel incinerated, without authorisation, classified documents said to contain information on apartheid spies. ”It was all waste paper,” said Western Cape SANDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Piet Paxton.