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/ 21 February 2007

Mugabe slams ‘corrupt’ ministers

Zimbabwe’s veteran leader Robert Mugabe reiterated on Tuesday there was no vacancy for the country’s presidency, warning ambitious government colleagues to stop jostling to succeed him. In a defiant interview marking his 83rd birthday, Mugabe also lashed out at ”corrupt” ministers in his Cabinet.

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/ 21 February 2007

Iran shrugs off sanctions threat

Iran will on Wednesday be declared in violation of a United Nations resolution calling for a halt to its enrichment of uranium. ”Anyone interested in irrational moves would definitely receive an appropriate response,” said Ari Larijani, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator.

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/ 21 February 2007

FXI takes on SABC over ‘blacklisting’

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) has laid a complaint with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa about the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), related to its alleged blacklisting of commentators. The FXI is concerned about the SABC’s lack of response to the findings by a commission of inquiry into the matter.

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/ 21 February 2007

Saharan salt caravans ply ancient route

Caught between an encroaching sea of sand and a towering rocky plateau, Tichit has been a staging post for more than nine centuries for camel caravans snaking across the Sahara. Isolated in the most inhospitable part of south-eastern Mauritania, the crumbling buildings of the once-prosperous town are relentlessly buffeted by winds.

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/ 21 February 2007

Kenya repatriates 1 000 Ethiopians

The Kenyan government has repatriated about 1 000 Ethiopians who fled their land after recent violent tribal clashes, according to reports. The Ethiopians, members of the Gabra and Borana tribes who have been fighting recently over cattle and water resources, were apparently sent back after the Ethiopian government assured the people their land would be secured.

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/ 20 February 2007

HIV hits drug users in Mauritius

In contrast to the rest of Southern Africa, intravenous drug users have become the group most vulnerable to the transmission of HIV in Mauritius. This has led the Mauritian government to introduce a syringe- and needle-exchange programme in a bid to stem HIV infection among Mauritian drug users.

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/ 20 February 2007

Ngcuka may be called in E Guinea coup-plot trial

The former national director of public prosecutions, Bulelani Ngcuka, might be called to testify in the court case of eight men charged with contravening sections of the Regulation of Military Assistance Act relating to an alleged attempted coup in the Equatorial Guinea. State advocate Torie Pretorius told the Pretoria Regional Court on Tuesday that he might call Ngcuka.