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/ 9 February 2007
How does one dry more than 300m of red carpet that has been rained on and then walked over by hundreds of MPs and dignitaries, including a president? This was the soggy problem parliamentary staff faced on Friday after all those attending President Thabo Mbeki’s ninth State of the Nation address had left and gone home.
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/ 9 February 2007
While President Thabo Mbeki recognised the crime problem in his State of the Nation address on Friday, it contained nothing to ”make the criminals quake in their boots”. This is according to Janine Myburgh, president of the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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/ 9 February 2007
While President Thabo Mbeki was ”refreshingly candid” about some issues in his State of the Nation address to Parliament on Friday, he disappointed on others, Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said. United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa praised Mbeki’s address, saying it could lay the foundation for real change.
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/ 9 February 2007
Hundreds of Mogadishu residents took to the streets after Friday prayers to protest, burn flags and threaten attacks against a proposed deployment of African peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa nation. Nearly 800 people took part in two demonstrations at the central Tarbuunka Square and in a north Mogadishu neighbourhood.
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/ 9 February 2007
More than 5 000 illegal immigrants have been arrested in a bid by police to curb crime along the South African/Zimbabwean border line, Limpopo police said on Friday. ”A total of 5 438 illegal foreigners were arrested at the border line in January,” said Superintendent Ronel Otto. A further 94 people were arrested and fined for aiding and transporting illegal immigrants.
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/ 9 February 2007
France flyhalf Frederic Michalak has signed a one-year contract to play for the Natal Sharks in South Africa after this year’s World Cup, Sud Radio reported on Friday. The 24-year-old Toulouse playmaker will make an official announcement on his transfer at a press conference in Paris later on Friday.
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/ 9 February 2007
A United Nations mission to investigate human rights abuse in Sudan’s Darfur region, which hopes to head for the region on Saturday, is still negotiating entry visas, mission head Jody Williams said on Friday. The Nobel peace laureate would not comment on reports that Sudan objects to some members of the team.
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/ 9 February 2007
De Beers, the world’s biggest diamond company, said on Friday that diamond sales retreated in 2006 for the first time for six years owing to weak demand. However, in an upbeat outlook the company looked to the emerging economic superpowers of China and India for future growth.
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/ 9 February 2007
British prosecutors charged a man on Friday with seeking to kidnap and kill a member of the armed forces as part of an alleged terrorist plot apparently aimed against Muslims who had served with British troops in Iraq. Parviz Khan (36) was one of five charged with various terrorism-related offences. All were due to appear before magistrates in central London later on Friday.
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/ 9 February 2007
Paul Collingwood hit a superb century to guide England to a nailbiting four-wicket victory over Australia in the opening tri-series final match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. After Australia had slipped from a promising 170-1 to 252 all out, England recovered from 15-3 to win with three balls to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.