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/ 13 January 2007

World of Warcraft now even bigger

Each day, millions of people around the world gaze at their computer screens to explore a dangerous fantasy world of treasure-filled dungeons and flame-breathing dragons. It’s the <i>World of Warcraft</i>, the most successful online game to date, and it is a world about to get a whole lot bigger.

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/ 13 January 2007

Somali Islamists held fund-raiser in UK

Somalia’s Islamist movement, whose leadership is accused by the United States of sheltering some of al-Qaeda’s most wanted operatives, sent a delegation on a fund-raising trip to Britain last year, the <i>Guardian</i> newspaper reported. The Islamic delegation received pledges of funding from members of Britain’s Somali diaspora.

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/ 12 January 2007

Focus on succession contenders

The African National Congress (ANC) is to celebrate its past 95 years in style in Witbank on Saturday — but thoughts about the future are more likely to dominate the minds of those attending. In nine months’ time, the ruling party has to make a watershed decision about who will be the new president of the ANC.

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/ 12 January 2007

Somali warlords agree to joint army

Somali warlords agreed on Friday to merge their forces into a new national army to tame the anarchic nation, but fighting outside the presidential palace where they met showed how hard that task will be. Warlord gunmen trying to force their way inside fought Somali troops and the shoot-out killed a handful of people.

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/ 12 January 2007

Lebanon ex-president denies remarks on Israeli soldier

Former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel on Friday denied telling an Israeli newspaper that two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas in July are still alive, saying he had no information about their condition. Gemayel’s office, who said he was participating in a conference in Madrid, issued a statement saying Gemayel ”denies completely” speaking to any Israeli media.

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/ 12 January 2007

E Cape tornado leaves dozens homeless

A tornado swept through four villages in Sterkspruit near Lady Grey, leaving 70 people homeless, Eastern Cape disaster-management services said on Friday. ”The tornado hit the Macacuma, Sunduza, Silindini and Magadla villages at about 6.45pm on Thursday,” said Ken Pitso of the Ukhahlamba district municipal disaster management.

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/ 12 January 2007

Africa must help Somalia, says Mbeki

Africa has no choice but to help bring peace to war-torn Somalia, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday, but did not pronounce on whether South Africa was to contribute troops to any such effort. ”For the sake both of Somalia and our continent as a whole, Africa has no choice but to come to the aid of this sister African country,” he said in his first weekly newsletter for 2007.