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/ 9 February 2008

Union warns of collapse of emergency services

Fire and emergency services countrywide will collapse due to massive staff shortages, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union said on Friday. The breakdown in fire services came about because municipalities had failed to set aside sufficient funds to fill critical vacancies, said general secretary Johan Koen.

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/ 9 February 2008

Subdued mood at Mbeki speech as power wanes

The festive tone that once marked South African President Thabo Mbeki’s State of the Nation speeches was absent when he outlined his priorities for 2008 on Friday, two months after losing control of his ruling party. There was less cheering, singing and dancing as Mbeki’s motorcade pulled up to the Parliament buildings.

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/ 9 February 2008

Clinton team braced for Obama to take the lead

Hillary Clinton’s campaign team is bracing for Barack Obama to take the lead later this month for the first time in the battle for the all-important delegates who will decide the Democratic nomination. The race looks poised to swing his way after a series of votes, beginning on Saturday with caucuses in Washington state, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands.

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/ 9 February 2008

Actor Heath Ledger mourned at private funeral

Family and friends of actor Heath Ledger bade farewell at a private service in his Australian home town of Perth on Saturday, with the media kept away and Ledger’s father appealing for mourners to be allowed to grieve in peace. Ledger (28) died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in his New York apartment on January 22.

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/ 9 February 2008

Top UN official warns of risk of Sudan-Chad war

A senior United Nations official on Friday warned that a reported proxy war between Sudan and Chad through rebel groups on each side of their border threatened to destabilise the region and could lead to a wider conflict. Jean-Marie Guehenno made the remarks to the Security Council as Sudan troops attacked communities in western Darfur.

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/ 9 February 2008

Annan hopes for Kenya deal next week

Kenya’s political leaders on Friday agreed to negotiate a settlement to end weeks of bloodshed, with chief mediator Kofi Annan saying he hoped a deal could be reached early next week. After negotiations failed to yield a breakthrough, Annan met with President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.