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 […]
AUSTRALIAN centre Tim Horan was unaware he had won 10000 for scoring the fastest try of the World Cup, team officials said on Monday. Horan crossed the Romanian line within 92 seconds of the start of Australia’s 57-9 win on Sunday and was told of his good fortune this morning. Sponsors Guinness had said it […]
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 […]
DIAMOND conglomerate De Beers is concerned that the European Commission will thwart its plans to market diamonds bearing the De Beers brand name. London’s Financial Times reports on Tuesday that De Beers’ hopes of selling branded diamonds with its name and a number etched by laser may run foul of European competition law. A decision […]
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 […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Strasbourg | Wednesday 3.30pm MEMBERS of the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a trade deal between the European Union and South Africa on Wednesday, set to be signed October 11 in Pretoria. Of 525 voting deputies, 430 said yes to the deal, finalized March 24 after three-and-a-half years of tough negotiations. Key aspects of […]
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 […]
WELSH flanker Colin Charvis and Argentinian prop Roberto Grau have been banned for fighting in the opening match of the World Cup tournament. Charvis was banned for 14 days and Grau for 21 days after both faced a disciplinary meeting late Monday. The loss of Swansea star Charvis, 26, is a massive blow for the […]
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 […]
THE trial of apartheid government chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson resumed in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday. At the start of Wednesday’s proceedings, trial Judge Willie Hartzenberg ruled that news cameras would be banned from the court from Thursday. The presence of cameras had proven to be disruptive, he said. The proceedings started […]
EGYPTIAN President Hosni Mubarak began another six years in office on Tuesday by sacking his prime minister, immediately making good on his swearing-in pledge to “inject new blood” into the government. The 71-year-old Mubarak, who won a fourth term with 94% of the vote in a referendum last month in which he was the only […]
ADVERTISING industry watchdog body, Advertising Standards Authority, on Wednesday said that its banning of an anti-rape advert featuring Benoni-born Hollywood actor Charlize Theron was in response to complaints it received from “various sectors of the community”. The ASA statement comes amid a rising public outcry over the body’s decision the television ad on the grounds […]
DEON POTGIETER, Johannesburg | Tuesday 5.15pm. MICHAEL Carbajal announced on Tuesday that he has had a change of heart and will not be relinquishing his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) junior flyweight world title. Instead he will make his eagerly awaited defence against Baby Jake Matlala. Carbajal earlier stated he would relinquish his title and move […]
ANTI-RAPE activists have reacted angrily to a decision by the Advertising Standards Board to ban a hard-hitting advert about rape on the grounds that it discriminates against men. The television advert which features Benoni-born Hollywood actor Charlize Theron has sparked a national debate. An industry watchdog called for an advertisement to be changed after it […]
SPRINGBOK coach Nick Mallet is eager to have injured flyhalf Henry Honiball back as soon as possible. Despite the impressive display of stand-in Jannie de Beer in the Springboks 49-26 victory against Scotland, Mallett is determined first-choice Honiball will be given a run-out to ensure he is fit for the quarter-final showdown against either New […]
TRANSKEI police said on Monday that 29 guns were found during a body search of mourners at Saturday’s Umtata funeral of slain Tempe military base killer Lieutenant Sibusiso Madubela that erupted into violence after shots were fired into the air in a prohibited salute. Public order police area commander Superintendent Wayne Hackart said six people […]
ANDY COLQUHOUN & AFP, Edinburgh | Tuesday 1.30pm. NICK Mallett knows his Springbok side will have to improve vastly on their performance against Scotland if they are to win what he calls the “hardest” quarter-final of the tournament. Sunday’s 46-29 Group A victory at Murrayfield came courtesy of some bad Scottish errors at vital times […]
BRITISH mining group Lonmin confirmed on Tuesday that it is discussing a merger with Ghanaian mining outfit Ashanti Goldfields, a tie-up that will create a new African precious metals giant. Lonmin said it already owned 32% of Ashanti and that talks “have been taking place for some time with a view to creating a leading […]
ALL Black star Jonah Lomu has tipped England as favourites win the World Cup. The two sides meet this weekend at Twickenham and Lomu is hoping to repeat his 1995 destruction of England when he scored four tries. But the giant winger admits that New Zealand must play better than they did againt Samoa in […]
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 […]
A MILITARY tribunal sentenced three English-speaking separatists to life in prison for armed attacks in northwestern Cameroon, and gave lesser terms to about 35 others, judicial sources said on Wednesday. The prosecution had sought the death penalty against five of the defendents. Defence sources said the sentences were considered relatively clement “given the gravity of […]
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 […]
SCOTLAND centre John Leslie, stretchered off during Sunday’s World Cup defeat by South Africa, has a sprained ankle and is likely to miss Friday’s group A game against Uruguay. Initial fears the New Zealand-born Leslie had broken his ankle have evaporated. “X-rays have confirmed there is nothing broken and have also confirmed that John’s ankle […]
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 […]
AUSTRALIAN flyhalf Stephen Larkham has been included in the World Cup team to play Ireland on Sunday. The match will be Larkham’s first Test this season. Larkham replaces Rob Kafer in one of three changes to the team that beat Australia on Sunday. Larkham missed most of the season after a knee reconstruction and then […]
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 […]
KENYA’s government managed to “lose” the equivalent of $7.5-billion over the course of a single financial year and bought an unreliable presidential jet, parliament heard late Tuesday. Among the revelations made in the House was that the government bought a $50-million jet for President Daniel arap Moi that cannot be serviced because its manufacturers have […]
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 […]
KENYA’s government managed to “lose” the equivalent of $7,5-billion over the course of a single financial year and bought an unreliable presidential jet, parliament heard late Tuesday. Losses of 580,4-billion shillings have been incurred 1995-6, according to a report by the watchdog Public Accounts Committee. It said the lion’s share of the losses are due […]
SPECULATION of a partial merger between two of South Africa’s biggest information technology firms pushed the IT index up sharply on Monday despite lingering Y2K fears. Under speculation are Comparex Holdings Ltd and Dimension Data Holdings Ltd (Didata). The Business Day reported on Monday that the announcement of talks by both companies has fuelled speculation […]
SARAH BULLEN, Cape Town | Tuesday 4.45pm GOLD ignited markets on Tuesday boosting the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as the all gold index climbed 5,15% as the bullion price shot up over $16 to trade at over $320 an ounce. The rise in gold injected a firmer undertone into the market boosting equity, currency and bond […]
GOLD shares streaked to near 30-month peaks on Monday, finding fresh favour with investment funds as the gold price continued to rebound. By 11.20am Johannesburg’s all gold index, which includes the world’s top two bullion miners, had leapt 72,3 points or 5,59% to 1366.4, just eight points shy of two-and-half-year high scaled last Tuesday on […]