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/ 19 February 2007

Zambezi flood makes 285 000 homeless

The Mozambican government is appealing for food and other aid for tens of thousands of people driven from their homes by the worst flooding for six years. At least 30 people have been killed in Mozambique after torrential rains across Southern Africa caused the Zambezi River to burst its banks.

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/ 18 February 2007

PHRUUUUUU! The saviour of Kumbayaa

Deep voice, in an English accent: ”There is a beautiful valley, Kumbayaa, in a primeval forest, above the hills of Ixopo-on-Mara, where elephants, for millennia, have come to eat rich minerals on the cliffs. This was before they found the diamonds. Now, greedy black miners-poacher-mercenaries came and ruined everything …”

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/ 18 February 2007

Mbeki’s practical call to action

On the one hand President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation address showed a man of steely resolve — without the characteristic poetry, Bible verses and George Soros references, his speech was concise, pragmatic and resolute. His marching orders to his Cabinet, "let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work", set out the blueprint for his final two and half years in office.

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/ 18 February 2007

Pollock: ‘We can beat anyone’

Veteran all-rounder Shaun Pollock expressed confidence that South Africa could bring home the World Cup as the Proteas took over from Australia on Sunday at the top of the one-day rankings. ”I believe there is something special about this one. And it will be extra special for me because it will be my last one,” he said.

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/ 18 February 2007

Car bombs kill 56 in Baghdad

Two car bombs tore through a shopping area of a mainly Shi’ite district of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 56 people and wounding scores as militants defied a military offensive by United States and Iraqi troops. The blasts came two days after Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki trumpeted what he called the ”brilliant success” of Operation Imposing Law in quelling sectarian violence.

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/ 18 February 2007

Months of partying. And now Britney shears in public

In a bizarre twist in the erratic career of America’s former princess of pop, Britney Spears has sparked speculation she may be suffering some kind of breakdown after she shaved off her own hair in a shop window. As news of her actions began to spread, websites and cable news channels were buzzing with details — and online video — of Spears’ appearance.

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/ 18 February 2007

Mamelodi Sundowns continue to soar

Defending Premier League champions and log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns beat Moroka Swallows 1-0 at a rain-swept Loftus stadium on Saturday night. It was the Brazilians’ seventh successive victory in PSL and CAF Champions League matches in which they have scored 18 times and conceded a mere four goals.

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/ 18 February 2007

Prisoner takes Balfour to court

A prisoner is taking Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour to court after an offer to reduce his sentence failed to materialise, media reports said on Sunday. Balfour allegedly offered Xolani Mahambehlala a sentence remission after he filmed acts of corruption by prison warders in the Eastern and Western Cape.