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/ 19 February 2008
Japan’s Toshiba conceded defeat on Tuesday to rival Sony in a long-running DVD format war, ending consumer confusion but leaving about one million people with expensive machines doomed to become obsolete. Toshiba said it will stop selling its HD DVD machines by the end of March.
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/ 19 February 2008
The People’s Budget Coalition has reiterated its call for a basic income grant as part of its national budget wish list. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel tables the national budget on Wednesday. The coalition comprises the Congress of South African Trade Unions, South African National NGO Coalition and the South African Council of Churches.
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/ 19 February 2008
Light is all its going to take to connect South Africans and the rest of Africa to Europe and Asia via the Middle East by 2010. International contractor Seacom is building and will own and operate a high-capacity undersea cable that will stretch over approximately 17 000km, providing cheap bandwidth at high volumes.
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/ 19 February 2008
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is expected to announce the usual sin-tax increases on alcohol and tobacco when he makes his national budget speech on Wednesday. Economists said on Tuesday that they wouldn’t be surprised to hear Manuel announce an increase in taxes on these products.
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/ 19 February 2008
Brait economist Colen Garrow says that while the government’s inflation-targeting and exchange-control policies are overdue to be fine-tuned, it is unlikely that any tangible announcement will be made on Wednesday in Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s budget speech.
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/ 19 February 2008
The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it had withdrawn a team caring for refugees from the Chad/Darfur border after aerial bombing. Seven refugees from Darfur crossed the border into Chad on Monday night, carrying with them a 55-year-old woman who had lost both her legs during an alleged bombardment.
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/ 19 February 2008
The bank and resources indices kept the JSE in positive territory on Tuesday, lifting the bourse 0,7% higher by midday. Banks advanced 2,14% and financials collected 1,14%. The gold mining index added 1,46%, resources lifted 1,11% and the platinum mining index was up 0,58%. However, industrials were down 0,12%.
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/ 19 February 2008
The Annestacia murder trial, involving accused Richard Engelbrecht, proceeded behind closed doors on Tuesday as the prosecutor presented the testimony of a pathologist. Prosecutor Mornay Julius was also to present the testimony of a six-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by Engelbrecht at the age of three.
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/ 19 February 2008
South Africans will be able to see a total eclipse of the moon just before sunrise on Thursday. ”South Africans out [very] early on Thursday morning are in for a treat — an eclipsed Moon with Saturn over in the west, and a line of three planets over in the east above the rising sun,” said Claire Flanagan, Planetarium director.
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/ 19 February 2008
The class of Kumar Sangakkara once again revived Sri Lanka after a dismal start with the bat in their crucial tri-series clash with India in Adelaide on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan cause wasn’t helped by three runs outs, two dreadfully unlucky, but Sangakkara’s polished 128 helped them recover from a disastrous six for two to make 238 for six.