The White House attempt to push through the confirmation of its controversial choice of John Bolton as United Nations ambassador was blocked on Monday for the second time by Democrats in the Senate. The vote left President George Bush facing difficult choices about how to proceed, with analysts saying it could leave him appearing weak when his popularity is falling in the opinion polls.
In the shadow of the glittering Shah Abdul Azim shrine, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the unexpected contender in the Iranian presidential run-offs, is seen as a pious working-class hero. ”We can identify with him. His style is humble and not luxurious,” said Mehdi Nasrollahi (32) a stallholder selling the Qur’an.
Ahead of their opening Absa Currie Cup match against the Cavaliers on Friday, the Sharks team has unearthed some exciting new talent from the ranks of clubs in KwaZulu-Natal. Coach Dick Muir said on Tuesday he was very bullish about the team after some hard preparatory work. ”We have been working very hard on our explosive power,” said Muir.
United Kingdom banking group Barclays on Tuesday extended its offer for South African banking group Absa by two weeks in order to allow more time to fulfill the remaining conditions to complete the deal. Absa applied to the High Court of South Africa to postpone by two weeks the hearing to sanction the scheme proposed by Barclays to acquire 32% of all Absa ordinary shares.
They don’t wear lycra and some keep their headscarves on while they work out, but the Shafaq Women’s Bodybuilding Club represents a small revolution for women in the conservative western Afghan city of Herat. ”When I come to this club by my own choice I feel I am free and independent,” says 25-year-old Masooda, who works out there.
Culture wars raging in the United States are reaping new victims as monster-screen Imax cinemas and top museums are dragged into the fierce debate over the origin of life. Pressure from ultraconservative religious groups has prompted some theatres to cancel showings of several movies which refer to the theory of evolution.
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Former deputy president Jacob Zuma will appear in court on two corruption charges next Wednesday, says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Zuma will not be physically arrested but will be ordered to appear in court.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel accused Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille of being a ”useful idiot” in the hands of people who lost out on arms deal contracts. He was responding to De Lille, who called for further investigations into the country’s multi-billion rand arms acquisition programme.
Hello Kitty, the moon-faced, mouthless white cat which comes on dolls, credit cards, laptops and vacuum cleaners as a global icon of cuteness has now advanced into the world of chess. Unlike the staid traditional black and white, the two camps facing off on the Hello Kitty chessboard are pastel pink and blue.
In one instant, Rickey May thought a bomb had gone off outside his home. In the next, he realized a car had crashed through his home’s brick wall and landed on top of him in his bed. ”It was something pretty wild to wake up to,” May said on Monday from his hospital room at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.