TEACHERS in public primary and secondary schools in Nigeria began an indefinite strike on Wednesday over unpaid salary arrears in most parts of the country. Their umbrella union, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, last week called on teachers to begin the strike if their salary and allowances are not paid before Wednesday. Last year, the […]

EXPERIENCED Australian prop Patricio Noriega was Tuesday ruled out of the World Cup after failing to recover from an injury to his left shoulder. The former Argentine international’s place in the 30-man squad will be taken by Eastwood and New South Wales prop Rod Moore. Noriega suffered a torn ligament in his left shoulder at […]

CLASSIC had no chance as they were gunned down 3-0 by a rampant Orlando Pirates in their Premiership game at the FNB Stadium on Tuesday night. Pirates lead 2-0 at the break. The Buccaneers scored their first goal in the second minute when Andries Sebola’s pinpoint pass found Joseph Ngake, who made no mistake in […]

SIERRA LEONE’s President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah will announce within a week a new cabinet which will include former rebels who waged a nine-year insurgency against him and previous governments, Minister for Presidential Affairs Momodu Koroma said Tuesday. Kabbah planned talks Tuesday and Wednesday with ex-rebel leader Foday Sankoh, who returned to the capital at the […]

FAR fewer than expected international tourists have visited southern Africa over the past year, said the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa in Lusaka on Tuesday. RETOSA executive director, Shepherd Nyaruwata, said the organisation has therefore launched an intensive global marketing campaign to boost the international tourism image of all 14 Southern African Development Community […]

A MEETING of leaders from southern Africa ended on Tuesday with several business projects dubbed “smart partnerships” set to be immediately implemented. But for the countries to pursue the “smart partnership” concept, an environment of peace and stability must prevail, said a Zimbabwean minister. The participants told the African governments during the closing session of […]

SOUTH African assistant coach Alan Solomons has slammed the new 20-team format of the World Cup. The world champions believe the system works against the players involved in the quarter-final playoffs because they have an extra game squeezed into an already busy schedule. “It’s very hard on a team having to go into a playoff […]

NEW Zealand utility back Carlos Spencer is to return home from the World Cup after suffering a shattering knee injury. Spencer will fly back home later this week after colliding with flanker Dylan Mika during a training session on Monday. A scan revealed ligament damage that coach John Hart said was serious. The All Black […]

JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Mbabane | Wednesday 1.30.pm EMBATTLED Swaziland editor, Bheki Makhubu, has been formally dismissed from the small kingdom’s independent Times newspaper group on serious insubordination charges. The dismissal follows Makhubu’s arrest on criminal defamation charges last week after he published an article in the Sunday edition of the Times of Swaziland labelling King Mswati […]

UGANDA is due to appear later this month before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where the Democratic Republic of Congo has filed suit for sovereignty violation, a top official said Tuesday. Attorney General Bert Katureebe told parliament the suit had been filed by DRC President Laurent Kabila based on Uganda’s intervention in […]