The All Blacks are poised to break the world record for consecutive home-Test wins when they play France on Saturday, but a spiteful war of words is threatening to take the gloss off the performance. If, as expected, the All Blacks beat the seriously under-strength French side it will stretch their unbeaten home run to 23 Tests.
David Beckham returned to international competition on Wednesday and led England to a 3-0 win over Estonia in European Championship qualifying. World Cup finalists Italy and France also won. Beckham, returning after 10 months away, set up two goals at Estonia.
Across the globe more companies are realising the value of "green" in their brand and making far-reaching commitments to environmental responsibility across their business lines. Companies from BP to General Electric to Wal-Mart are making "green" a core part of their offering and winning new respect in the process.
Ronald Ambrose Jones was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Michaela Garoenisha Ganchi by the Johannesburg High Court on Wednesday. Shouts of relief were heard from the family as Judge Winston Msimeki imposed the life sentence on 27-year-old Jones for the 2005 murder.
France have accused All Blacks coach Graham Henry of showing disrespect by criticising them for playing negatively in their 42-11 first-Test loss. ”We’re going to show them on the pitch that we deserve a bit more respect than what they give to us,” French fullback Thomas Castaignede told reporters on Wednesday.
Businessman Tokyo Sexwale confirmed he had been lobbied by African National Congress (ANC) members to stand as party president but said he had not yet decided whether to do so. ”I’m not in the running yet because I told you there’s no track,” Sexwale told veteran broadcaster John Perlman.
All 23 fishermen were rescued from a fishing vessel which ran aground and started breaking up off St Francis Bay on Sunday, said the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the boat hit a sandbank as she left the St Francis harbour entrance in three-metre swells.
The JSE was a touch weaker at noon on Monday on jitters ahead of the interest rates decision later this week, but miners gained on the back of a weaker rand and higher commodity prices. At noon the all-share index was off 0,09%. Resources added 0,19%, the gold and platinum mining indices gained 0,76% and 0,23% respectively.
France top the European Championships qualification group B after a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Paris on Saturday but Italy are hot on their heels following a 2-1 win over the Faroe Islands. While France’s second half performance, in which goals from Frank Ribery and Nicolas Anelka earned them a deserved three points, exuded panache, world champions Italy were a shadow of their normal selves.
France coach Bernard Laporte was full of praise for his young team despite their comprehensive 42-11 loss to New Zealand in the first Test at Eden Park on Saturday. The odds were heavily stacked against the French after they had to field an under-strength team because most of their senior players stayed home.