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/ 15 January 2007
Despite a four year bull market, pundits are expecting another solid year from shares. Chris Freund of Investec Asset Management says conventional wisdom is that after four consecutive years of strong growth there should be a correction. The JSE’s 40-year history shows, on average, a negative return once in every four years.
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/ 15 January 2007
"They were doing a dry run for the 2010 World Cup at the Komatipoort border post with Mozambique a few weeks back. Well, actually, it was just a normal working day, but with the World Cup only about 900 days away, it is probably time to start thinking of every day as a dry run," writes Kevin Davie.
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/ 15 January 2007
Just less than 5% of the country’s fuel needs will be supplied by renewable biofuels by 2013 if an ambitious government draft plan is implemented. The draft biofuels industrial strategy sees the potential for a new biofuel industry to create 55Â 000 jobs, add 0,12% to GDP and save R3,7-billion annually on the balance of payments.
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/ 15 January 2007
This year will mark the first occasion on which an African country, Kenya, is serving as sole host of the World Social Forum (WSF) — a gathering that had its beginnings in the Brazilian town of Porto Alegre seven years ago. While the WSF did come to Africa in 2006, this was in the context of a so-called "polycentric forum" that also saw gatherings take place on other continents.
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/ 15 January 2007
Last month came the news that Christian conservatives across the United States must secretly have been dreading. Long in love with the dastardly Vice-President Dick Cheney, they have always struggled to reconcile this with the fact that his daughter Mary is an out lesbian. And finally, it appears, their tolerance has reached tipping point.
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/ 15 January 2007
The government has let the applications for presidential pardons for over 1 000 people imprisoned for what they believe are political “crimes” pile up, arguing that it has no policy on how to address this ”complex” matter. But it is unclear why the government is dragging its feet now when four years ago President Thabo Mbeki justified his release of 33 prisoners.
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/ 15 January 2007
After a spate of arrests of members of the media over the past six months, Burundian authorities recently released three journalists who had been detained for more than a month. The Mail & Guardian spoke to them on a recent visit to Burundi. ”Everything is still in a blur,” says Domitile Kiramvu. ”I still ask myself questions. It is too good to be true.”
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/ 15 January 2007
South African cricket bosses are expected to provide some clarity on Monday on incidents during the Test match between the Proteas and Pakistan in Centurion. Proteas coach Mickey Arthur said these included apparent abusive comments by a South African player, which were picked up by the stump microphone on Sunday.
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/ 15 January 2007
Over 110 000 Malaysians have been forced to flee their homes as floods worsen in the south and on Borneo island, officials said on Monday as relief workers struggled to feed and shelter victims. Nearly 105 000 people have abandoned their homes in the worst-hit state of Johor, which borders Singapore, and the figure is climbing, officials said.
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/ 15 January 2007
Mail & Guardian owner, Zimbabwean-born Trevor Ncube, could lose full ownership and control of his media assets should the Zimbabwe government succeed in its latest attempts to strip him of his citizenship