At least 19 people were injured, six seriously, when a cloud of cooking gas ignited at a beer festival on Saturday at Johannesburg’s German School, police said. German and Swiss nationals were among the injured. Youths were believed to have unsafely opened a gas canister at a concession stand selling German-style grilled sausages.
Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai was on Saturday night on his way to the United States, promising to confront President George Bush over the growing scandal about American abuse of Afghan prisoners. Karzai’s visit comes at a time of crisis in US-Muslim relations after the release of pictures of Saddam Hussein in detention and widespread abuse allegations against US troops.
Arsenal won the first FA Cup final to be decided on a penalty shoot-out, beating arch-rivals Manchester United 5-4 in a dramatic spot-kick climax at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday. Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira drove in the decisive kick after 120 minutes’ action saw the teams locked at 0-0.
Winger Peter Hewat surpassed a scoring record as New South Wales rallied from a 10-point deficit and beat South Africa’s Bulls 23-13 on Saturday to reach the Super 12 final for the first time. ”We’re disappointed right now, but we gave it everything we had,” Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer said after the match.
It was good cheer, rugby and music in Pretoria’s Church Square on Saturday after a group of about 500 protesters submitted petitions to the Department of Arts and Culture against renaming the city Tshwane. A handful of black participants took part in the march, which was attended by the young, old and disabled.
Inkatha Freedom Party leader and traditional prime minister of the Zulu nation Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Saturday called for the recognition of the Zulu kingdom.
Addressing an imbizo (meeting) of the Zulu nation outside Durban, Buthelezi said: ”We are not speaking about the position of the king alone. Our kingdom is broader than his majesty alone.”
Ethiopia’s main opposition coalition said on Friday it will not accept election results for 84 seats that may hold the balance of power in the 547-strong Parliament, increasing already high tensions as the nation awaits official results. Both opposition and ruling parties are claiming victory based on their own projections.
Sol Campbell could miss out on the FA Cup final for the second time in three years as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger weighs up leaving the England defender out of his starting line-up against Manchester United. Campbell, who missed the 2003 final due to suspension, has just returned to the side after a three-month injury absence.
The United States, Nato and the European Union have joined the United Nations in pressing for an international probe into the alleged killing of hundreds during an authoritarian crackdown in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek leader has staunchly resisted calls to end the crackdown on the opposition in the city of Andijan.
A London public-relations (PR) firm has been hired to polish the image of the Ugandan government, which is wrestling with a civil war, a tarnished human rights record and a wave of criticism from Western media and human rights groups. Uganda is due to hold multiparty elections next year.