Liberia’s foreign minister has said former president Charles Taylor no longer wields any influence in his homeland, dismissing reports that the exiled former warlord has been calling his supporters back home as ”media allegations”. He also urged the United Nations to drop sanctions imposed against Taylor’s government.
A tiger has attacked magician Roy Horn of famous showbusiness duo Siegfried and Roy, grabbing him by his throat during a Friday-night performance at the Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vegas. Horn was taken to hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Johannesburg has been named South Africa’s premier city. Mandy Jean Woods, director of tourism and marketing, has announced Jo’burg has been named the most popular town or city in South Africa during the Markinor/Sunday Times Top Brands Survey 2003 awards ceremony this week.
Both President George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell contend that a vial of botulinum bacteria found in Iraq is evidence of Saddam Hussein’s weapons intent. But the chief United States weapons inspector offered no evidence it had been used in a weapons programme during the last decade.
Express bowler Shoaib Akhtar claimed four wickets for 49 runs on Friday to help Pakistan clinch a thrilling eight-run win over South Africa in the first one-day international at Gaddafi Stadium, overshadowing Boeta Dippenaar’s maiden unbeaten one-day international hundred (110 not out).
Five-time world champion Michael Schumacher could retire from formula one once his contract runs out in 2006, according to his manager, who also denied that Schumacher would retire at the end of this season. Schumacher is set to win a sixth world title in the last race of the season in Japan.
When the Springboks returned from their disastrous European tour last year, coach Rudolf Straeuli and captain Corne Krige fired a confident warning to England. But on the eve of their departure for Australia, Straeuli did a complete about turn, admitting that England are the favourites to win the William Webb Ellis trophy.
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The Zimbabwe government has said it played no part in the controversial shutting down of the country’s only independent daily paper, a fierce critic of President Robert Mugabe, and vowed not to meddle in the embattled paper’s fate. ”We have no time to waste with things like this,” Information and Publicity Minister Jonathan Moyo said.
Deep divisions between advocates and opponents of the Kyoto protocol has prevented an international climate conference from reaching consensus on the pact to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, whose existence hinges entirely on Russia’s ratification.