Australia’s embattled golf circuit received another demoralising blow on Wednesday with confirmation that the country’s richest tournament, the Heineken Classic, has been scrapped. The tournament’s promoter said the Classic, scheduled for next February, was unable to attract sufficient sponsorship.
World oil prices pushed through per barrel again in New York on Wednesday on mounting concerns that two tropical storms could threaten US oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, dealers said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in August, rose by 51 cents to ,10 per barrel in electronic deals after earlier hitting ,13.
Israel will deploy a force of 40 000 soldiers and 4 000 police officers to evacuate around 8 000 settlers from the Gaza Strip, ministers told a special session of the Parliament on Tuesday. The large force will be required to prevent protesters getting to Gaza from Israel and the West Bank as well as guarding against attacks by Palestinians.
Authorities in Pamplona have painted a special non-slip coat on to the streets where the city’s annual bull-runs start today, in an effort to reduce the number of people gored or trampled. The 848m route to the city’s bullring, down which six bulls will run every morning for the next eight days, has been coated with an acid-based product designed to stop bulls and runners from falling over.
Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika on Wednesday pardoned 413 prisoners convicted of minor offences to mark the country’s 41 years of independence from British rule, his office said. He also said that celebrations will be low-key, as the government wants to use the money to buy maize for Malawians in need of food aid.
A German teenager admitted on Tuesday that he created last year’s devastating ”Sasser” computer worm, which brought systems crashing to a halt and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Sven Jaschan (19) confessed to having used the computer in his bedroom to invent the worm, which crippled hospitals, closed banks and grounded planes and trains.
Two of the three women arrested in Brazil for allegedly dealing in cocaine are South African, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday. Officials were able to confirm the nationalities of the women after their fingerprints were sent to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria.
A group of protesters started burning tyres at the entrance to the informal settlements at De Doorns, near Worcester, in the Western Cape, on Wednesday, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported. Residents threatened to blockade the N1, which runs past De Doorns and Worcester.
The JSE was just marginally weaker just before midday on Wednesday in extremely quiet trade. Dealers said that while rand hedge stocks were lower on the back of the firmer currency, there was nothing to give the rest of the market direction. At 11.53am, the all share index was down a neither-here-nor-there 0,04%.
England midfielder Steven Gerrard insisted on Tuesday he wasn’t to blame after refusing to sign a new contract with Champions League winners Liverpool. He said: ”The past six weeks have been the toughest of my life, and the decision I have come to has been the hardest I have ever had to make.”