Maria Sharapova’s combination of dazzling looks and steely determination has turned the Russian tennis superstar into a sports phenomenon. Little more than a year after she shot to stardom with her 2004 triumph at Wimbledon, the 18-year-old has become the fifth-youngest woman to claim the world number-one ranking.
Roger Federer won his 22nd straight final on Sunday, beating Andy Roddick 6-3, 7-5 for the Cincinnati Masters title and his ninth overall victory this season. Federer improved to 10-1 against Roddick, who tried every tactic but still came up short. Federer has won the past six times they’ve met, including the past two Wimbledon finals.
The owner of the Durban house into which a light aircraft nose-dived on Sunday escaped injury because he was at a bowling club at the time of the incident, KwaZulu-Natal police said. The aircraft, carrying six occupants, mainly Austrian tourists, crashed into his lounge and dining room.
Former Western Cape leader of the Independent Democrats Lennit Max has been expelled from the party after being found guilty of contravening its code of conduct. The expulsion was ordered by labour law expert Sarah Christie, who was appointed by the high court as an independent presiding officer over Max’s disciplinary hearing.
Listed retailer Edgars Consolidated Stores (Edcon) has teamed up with Standard Bank to offer qualifying Edcon store-card clients a MasterCard, the first credit card available in South Africa to carry no annual fee. The partnership will provide a credit card to Edcon’s customers who have a proven credit track record.
Ariel Sharon widened the breach with his former allies among the settler leaders on Sunday on Sunday by accusing them of causing unnecessary suffering for political gain during the Gaza Strip pullout. The prime minister’s attack came as forces moved into some of the last of the Gaza settlements still to be cleared, meeting with protest but little physical resistance.
The four distinguished visitors looked on in awe at the sight before them. Exit Glacier in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords national park is one of continental America’s most imposing monuments, and last week it was at its most impressive — a hulk of ice and snow imperceptibly making its way toward the sea.
Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up his first foreign tour on Sunday with an uncompromising warning that Catholics must strictly follow the church’s teachings. Addressing nearly one million young pilgrims, many of whom had camped overnight in a muddy field outside Cologne, the pope said that Christians should not choose the bits of doctrine they liked and ignore the rest.
Iraq’s oil exports were shut down on Monday by a power cut that darkened parts of central and southern Iraq, including the country’s only functioning oil export terminals, oil officials said. Exports through the country’s other main route, the northern export pipeline to Turkey, have long been halted by incessant sabotage.
Blue Bulls flanker forward Danie Rossouw will join the Springbok rugby squad on Tuesday in Dunedin after he received the call on Saturday night to replace his injured provincial teammate Pedrie Wannenburg. Wannenburg returned home after he sustained an injury to his lower back during the Springbok’s penultimate training session before the Tri-Nations clash with the Wallabies.