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/ 6 February 2008

Zuma and the press: Soft or hard?

Newspapers are beginning to deal with whether Jacob Zuma and his backers will be magnanimous in his victory … or vengeful towards them. Last week, the new ANC president pruned his legal actions against the press. He can now afford to do so politically, and many of the cases were probably unlikely to succeed anyway.

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/ 6 February 2008

Reservists call for integration into SAPS

About 300 police reservists handed over a memorandum of grievances to the Presidency in Pretoria on Wednesday. The two-page memorandum called for the ”immediate and unconditional” integration of 8 000 reservists into the South African Police Service (SAPS). It also called for the remuneration of reservists.

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/ 6 February 2008

Chad rebels vow to resist if attacked by French

Chadian rebels said on Wednesday they would defend themselves if attacked by French troops or other foreign forces in Chad, and vowed to press ahead with their fight to topple President Idriss Déby Itno. They said they were still occupying positions ”around Ndjamena”, but declined to specify how far they were from the capital.

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/ 6 February 2008

Cross-country runners ready for Ethiopia

South Africa’s preparation for the World Cross-Country Championships enters a crucial stage when some of the country’s leading athletes compete at the 34th Janmeda International Cross-Country Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday. ”This race is a brilliant test run,” said Boy Soke, who hails from the Free State.

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/ 6 February 2008

Man United honour the Busby Babes

A memorial service was to be held on Wednesday for the eight Manchester United players killed when the team’s plane crashed in Munich 50 years ago as they returned from a European Cup match. The remembrance service, at the English Premier League champions’ Old Trafford ground, was to start at 3.04pm GMT — the exact time of the tragedy.

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/ 6 February 2008

Dozens killed in massive US tornado outbreak

Dozens of tornadoes ripped across southern American states, causing severe damage and killing at least 45 people, officials and United States media said on Wednesday. More than 50 tornadoes touched down as a series of thunderstorms rare for the winter season rolled through the region late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.

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/ 6 February 2008

SA faces ‘very real’ risk of recession

There is a ”very real” risk that South Africa could face an economic recession as a result of the current electricity crisis, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said on Wednesday. ”We have already been going through an economic slowdown; this [the electricity crisis] could push us into a recession,” Sacci economist Richard Downing said.