World Cup favourite New Zealand confronted its worst-case scenario when it lost flyhalf Daniel Carter to an injury while beating France 42-11 in a rugby union international on Saturday. Carter, principal cog in the All Blacks’ Cup machine, did not return to the field for the second half at Eden Park.
The next African National Congress (ANC) president should be biased towards the working class, gender sensitive and a unifier, said the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Friday. The NUM said the government should own the mines to create employment and generate revenue towards education.
About 42 000 nurses’ jobs are going begging in South Africa — and the trade unions blame government’s macro-economic strategy, Gear, for the critical staff shortage. Among the union demands, in this year’s acrimonious pay talks, has been the filling of all vacancies in the public service, which is estimated at 35%.
China urged the international community on Thursday to show patience with Sudan and said new sanctions would only complicate efforts to implement a United Nations peace plan for Darfur. The United States imposed unilateral sanctions on Sudan earlier this week and sought support for an international arms embargo.
Growth in demand for credit by South Africa’s private sector quickened to 25,08% year-on-year in April, central bank data showed on Thursday, making another interest rate increase next week more likely. Credit growth accelerated from a downwardly revised 24,09% in March while the broadly defined M3 measure of money supply grew by 22,27%.
Maria Sharapova showed little sign of shoulder trouble on Wednesday and reached the second round of the French Open by beating Emilie Loit of France 6-3, 7-6 (4). The second-ranked Russian wasted seven break points in the first game of the match, but then converted both of her opportunities in the third and fifth games.
The Department of Minerals and Energy is working on regulations to govern "the norms and standards" of energy appliances so as to reduce the use of energy, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Wednesday. Speaking ahead of her budget vote, the minister acknowledged that people would be obligated "to be energy efficient".
Britain ”fully supports” United States efforts to toughen United Nations Security Council sanctions against Sudan because of the situation in Darfur, a British official said on Wednesday. ”We hope that all members of the Security Council will work with the US to create a resolution which effectively addresses the challenges in Darfur,” the Downing Street official said.
France named an inexperienced side on Wednesday for the first Test against New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday. Coach Bernard Laporte was denied the services of players from Toulouse, Biarritz, Clermont Auvergne and Stade Francais because of the conclusion of the French championship.
The Cape High Court on Tuesday denied four men convicted in the Fancy Boys gangster case leave to appeal. Three Fancy Boys gang members, with sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years’ imprisonment, and a non-gangster who received stolen property from them had applied for leave to appeal.