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/ 4 February 2008
Three soldiers and eight militants were killed in a gun battle at an oil pipeline hub operated by Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria’s southern state of Bayelsa, the navy said on Sunday. Shell said the Tora manifold, which sends oil to the Bonny export terminal, was not damaged in the attack late on Saturday.
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/ 4 February 2008
Former Olympic and world champion sprinter Maurice Greene announced his retirement on Monday, citing nagging injuries. Greene (33) said he planned to pursue coaching and business interests in the United States and had no regrets about his athletic career.
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/ 4 February 2008
Crusaders and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says players from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa should be free to play in any of the three countries’ Super 14 rugby franchises. He is also supporting Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill’s view that the competition should be increased to two rounds.
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/ 4 February 2008
Randgold Resources said 2007 net profit fell 10% as costs rose, but the African gold producer said on Monday that a buoyant gold price should boost this year’s earnings. ”On a before-tax basis at gold, we’ll get up to an 80% odd increase in our profits for the full year,” said chief executive Mark Bristow.
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/ 4 February 2008
From Monday morning Serbia faces up to a bruising battle over how to react to the looming secession of its southern province of Kosovo, after President Boris Tadic, a pro-Western liberal, won a renewed five-year term in a close election on Sunday night.
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/ 4 February 2008
Chinese regulators have given permission for Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC) of China, the nation’s largest lender, to buy a 20% stake in Standard Bank, ICBC said. Shareholders of Standard Bank and South African regulators have already approved the deal.
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/ 4 February 2008
Sudan and the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force have agreed the terms under which the 26Â 000-strong force will deploy in western Darfur, removing a major barrier to its operations. Experts estimate about 200Â 000 people have died and 2,5-million been driven from their homes.
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/ 4 February 2008
Brazil’s Carnival parades got off to a majestic start on Sunday night as dancers dressed as monarchs, courtiers and even roast pheasants at a royal feast shimmied their way through Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome. Beauty queens wearing little more than plumed headdresses gyrated on top of giant floats as singers chanted ”The kingdom has moved, my Rio has bloomed”.
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/ 4 February 2008
A suicide bomber attacked a Pakistani military bus taking medical corps staff to work in the city of Rawalpindi on Monday killing at least five people and wounding 25. Violence has intensified in Pakistan in recent months with the army battling militants in the northw-est and suicide bomb attacks in towns and cities.
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/ 4 February 2008
With a parade of tanks, troops and rocket launchers, Sri Lanka on Monday marked its 60th anniversary of independence from Britain amid tight security after a string of attacks blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels. Thousands of police and troops were on high alert in the capital Colombo as the island’s armed forces put on a show of military might.